Chapter 12 - Christophsis

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: In which the conflict on Christophsis occurs, and Anakin joins the party! :D

If there's a fic you'd like us to write, I have a SW fic request form which you can fill out. We'll gift write all the requests we get... eventually. :D The link is as follows, but with no spaces: forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6

We also made a tribute for Anakin on our new YT channel. Check it out if you're interested. :P Again, no spaces in the link: youtu . be / T9hdVkokQa4

Many thanks to loldelegate here on ff. net who has been giving us advice and suggestions for this fic! We never could have made so many unique plans without you! :D

~ Amina Gila

Ahsoka feels the presence long before she hears the engine roaring overhead. Her head jerks upwards, as she seeks out the bright, steady Force signature she first felt some time after she arrived at the Temple. It's more muted now, but nothing can drown out its light.

"Looks like help has arrived," Obi-Wan observes.

"The cruiser musts be back so we'll be able to get reinforcements," Ahsoka declares with relief.

"Then it looks like our problems are solved. Fresh troops, new supplies... and perhaps they brought my new padawan with them," her former master remarks as they walk towards where the shuttle is landing.

She still isn't sure what to think of that. Bringing a padawan into the midst of battle like this seems wrong. She still feels like a child herself and taking children to the front lines seems... wrong. Children shouldn't be fighting a war. But also, she secretly doesn't want Obi-Wan to get another Padawan, at least not so quickly. It's only been months since she was Knighted, and he already wants another one? Is it because he didn't want her, training her only because he promised Qui-Gon?

"You sure it's a good idea bring a young padawan into this whirlwind of chaos?" Ahsoka objects.

"I spoke to Master Yoda about it," Obi-Wan replies, "You should put in a request for one. You'd make a good teacher." Now he must be joking. He is, isn't he? She should take a Padawan? She's only twenty! That's not old enough to be a master.

"I'll pass," she declares cheerfully. "Maybe when I have more experience to pass on, we'll have something to talk about."

"Ahsoka, teaching is a privilege and it's part of a Jedi's responsibility to help train the next generation," Obi-Wan reminds her.

"Yeah, and I'm barely out of that generation."

Their conversation is interrupted as the ramp to the shuttle descends and a young. teenage, human boy walks down. His blonde hair is cut short, and he has a small Padawan braid. Brilliant blue eyes calmly survey the scene, and Ahsoka gets the weird impression that he's more mature than many other Jedi his age. Unlike other Jedi, his robes are shades of brown and black, and he has two lightsaber hilts clipped to his belt.

"And who might you be?" she asks.

"I'm Anakin," he replies with an easy smile as he walks up to stand in front of them. "Master Yoda sent me. I'm to tell you to return to the Jedi Temple immediately. There's an emergency."

"We're in an emergency!" she objects with a frown.

"Yes, our communications have been a bit unreliable, but we've been calling for help," Obi-Wan elaborates.

"Master Yoda hadn't heard from you, so he sent me to deliver the message," Anakin informs him.

Ahsoka makes a noise of frustration. "They don't even know we're in trouble!"

"Maybe you can relay a signal through the shuttle that just dropped me off," suggests Anakin.

It's not long before they've managed to get a signal to the Republic Star Destroyers in orbit. "We're under attack by Separatist warships, but I'll try to make contact with the Jedi Temple for you," one of the clone officers informs them.

A hologram of Yoda flickers to life moments later. "Master Kenobi, glad Anakin found you, I am."

"Master Yoda, we are trapped here not vastly outnumbered. We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything," Obi-Wan reports. "Our support ships have all been destroyed."

"Send reinforcements to you, we will," Yoda promises. The transmission goes staticy before disappearing altogether.

"Master Yoda? Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan calls.

"We've lost the transmission, sir," reports a clone, who reappears in the hologram transmission from the Star Destroyer. "We have to leave orbit immediately. More enemy ships have just arrived. We'll get back to you as soon as we can." With that, the connection breaks.

"Well, I guess we're on our own for now," Ahsoka comments. How many men will they lose before they get more support?

"My apologies, young one," Obi-Wan says, finally looking at Anakin, who grimaces, clearly not enthused about the name. "It's time for a proper introduction."

"I'm the new Padawan learner," he introduces, "I'm Anakin Skywalker."

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new master."

Anakin raises an eyebrow, and Ahsoka wonders how he can convey his surprise so clearly with that single gesture. "I'm at your service, Master Kenobi, but I was actually assigned to Master Tano." He finishes that sentence with a small, slightly smug grin which irritates Ahsoka for no apparent reason.

"What?!" Ahsoka exclaims in shock, "That's impossible! I can't take a Padawan! You wanted the Padawan, Master!" She points at Obi-Wan, who strokes his beard as if in thought.

"Well, be that as it may, Master Yoda specifically informed me that Ahsoka Tano was to supervise my Jedi training," Anakin replies.

"That doesn't make sense!" Ahsoka practically squawks.

"We'll have to sort this out later," Obi-Wan decides finally. "The droids won't be waiting for us to sort this out. They'll soon figure out a way around our cannons."

Ahsoka nods, grateful to have a distraction. "I'll check in with Rex in the lookout post," she tells Obi-Wan, quickly striding away.

"Wait!" he calls after. "You had best take Anakin with you."

Ahsoka holds back a groan, but nods obediently. This is stupid. She's not old enough for this.

**w**

Anakin follows along at Ahsoka's side as she leads them through the streets of Christophsis and eventually, to the roof of a nearby building. He studies the Togruta next to him, sensing the inner darkness rolling deep within her. It's very unlike any other Jedi. She's wearing armor, more than the other Jedi he's seen but it fits her at the same time. Her clothing is all black, dark blue or gray, the pants fitting close to her legs so that they don't get in her way while fighting. The black, sleeveless brigandine is reinforced with durasteel on the inside to protect her from attacks while still allowing freedom of movement. She's also wearing a dark gray kama which protects her thighs. She has vambraces as well, and Anakin wonders if he ought to have any additional armor. He doesn't think he'll need it though.

"What's the status, Rex?" Ahsoka asks, coming to a stop behind him.

"Quiet for now, sir," he reports. "They're gearing up for another assault." His helmet is off, and Anakin can see how different he looks compared to the rest of his brothers. Even if it wasn't off, Anakin would still be able to sense his dubiousness in the Force. "Who's the youngling?"

"I'm Master Tano's Padawan," Anakin answers before Ahsoka can. "I'm Anakin Skywalker." He's unsure what he thinks about her, but even now, her uncertainty and irritation are hammering against his shields. It... hurts in a way. Almost no one wanted to take him - no one knew what to do with the Initiate who was so strong, who was ahead in lightsaber combat, who feels so much and so deeply all the time. He doesn't understand why it's like this for him. How can the other Jedi not sense the Force the way he does when they're all Force sensitives?

And Ahsoka... he hopes that he won't reject him to. He can - he can be useful. He's the most skilled Initiate in the Temple - Master Yoda even commented on it. He doesn't want to spend his life in the Corps. He wants to help people. He - he promised her -

"Sir, I thought you said you'd never take a padawan?" Rex asks sketpcially.

"I didn't," Ahsoka responds firmly. Anakin wonders if she can feel his surge of dread. Hopefully not. "I think Obi-Wan is trying to prank me on purpose. Anakin's supposed to be Obi-Wan's Padawan, not mine."

Anakin has long since learned to bury any and all hurt feelings, covering it up with flippantness and humor. "Are you this snippy with everyone?" he inquires lightly.

Ahsoka jerks as if he personally offended her, giving him a wide-eyed look of shock. "What?"

Rex coughs behind her, and Anakin can't help but grin. "I know this is a surprise, but you're still being snippy. Snips," he adds under his breath, forgetting for a moment that Togrutas have insanely good hearing compared to humans. Oops?

"Hey!" she exclaims. "Are you even old enough to be a Padawan, Skyguy?"

"I'm fourteen," he replies with a shrug. "I don't have a later anymore." He doesn't mean to sound quite as blunt - and maybe a little bitter - as he does.

"Well, Captain Rex will show you how a little respect can go a long way," Ahsoka decides, before stepping back.

"Right," agrees Rex, his doubt echoing into the Force. "Come on, youngling."

"Padawan," Anakin corrects, "Or preferably, just Anakin if you please."

Rex leads him throughout the encampment, pointing out their lines of defence, and briefly summarizing their efforts on the planet. Personally, Anakin can't wait to test his skills on droids, and not by putting them together, of course. "That line," he says, motioning to the cannons, "You're keeping it there, because it's the best place to hold the line, right?"

The captain doubletakes, nodding. "Yes," he confirms, his tone conveying how surprised he is.

Anakin smiles a bit ruefully. "I'm not exactly an average Padawan," he remarks quietly. "Most Jedi probably don't have the benefit of some of the experience I do... not to mention the Force. It - It flows differently with me. I can't explain how." He looks up at the clone, wondering what he thinks about him. He's never fought in a battle before, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. He can handle himself, but with his strong connection to the Force, what will it be like to feel death?

"I don't know about the Force side of things, kid, but experience outranks everything in my book," Rex answers.

Somehow, Anakin thinks that he's just won his first friend. He can only hope that Rex won't be one of the first ones he'll lose. He tries not to think about the friends he had at the Temple, friends who have slowly drifted away from him. He was never like them, and they always knew it. His skills were always superior, and it rankled them that he could grasp things so much more easily. By now, all those acquaintances are either in the Corps or on the front lines.

The Force ripples in warning, and he turns towards the horizon. "I feel something," he tells Rex urgently. Looking closer, he sees a red, glowing, spherical something slowly moving closer.

There's a spike of fear from the captain. "Not good," he declares grimly,, "They've got an energy shield. That's gonna make things almost impossible."

They hurry back to the main command center where Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are waiting, Rex having reported the situation via comm. "The shield generator is somewhere in this area," Obi-Wan states, pointing at the location on a holomap. "They're slowly increasing the diameter and keeping it just ahead of their troops."

"Heavy cannons are going to be useless against that thing," Rex points out.

"As they get closer, I suppose we could try to draw them into the buildings," Obi-Wan suggests, "That might level the playing field a bit."

Anakin stands in the background, wishing that he could do something other than stand here and observe. But this is important. It will be his first time on the frontlines, and he has to learn as much as he possibly can. The more knowledge and experience he has, the better. It will go a long way in helping in the war effort. He moves around the holotable, stepping into the space between Obi-Wan and Ahsoka so he can have a better look.

"Can't we just take out the shield?" he questions.

"Easier said than done," Rex murmurs.

"I actually agree with him," Ahsoka admits, "Someone needs to get through and destroy the shield generator. Somehow."

"Right," Obi-Wan agrees cheerfully, "Then maybe you two can tiptoe through the enemy lines and solve this particular problem together." He's way too smug about this entire arrangement. Maybe Ahsoka is right. Maybe this is some sort of prank on her. Anakin hopes not. He doesn't really want to relegated to nothing more than a chess piece.

"Can do, Master Kenobi," he agrees, looking up at Ahsoka.

"That's up for me to decide," she grumbles.

"If Rex and I can engage them here, you two might have a chance to get through their lines undetected, here." Obi-Wan points at the map, and Anakin takes note of the locations.

"They won't have much time," Rex cautions, "The droids far outnumber us, so our ability to street fight is limited without the use of heavy cannons. They will march forward under the protect of their shield, until they are right on top of our cannons, then they'll blow them away."

"I'm sure we can manage," Anakin decides, glancing at Ahsoka again. "Come on. Let's go." He turns and walks away to get the necessary supplies, knowing that she's following.

"You're impertinent, you know that, Skyguy?" she grumbles when she catches up. "It looks like I'm going to have to teach you some manners when we're done with this."

Anakin smirks. "Whatever you say, Snips."

It doesn't take them long to reach the tower that Obi-Wan had indicated. They stand on one of the top balconies, Ahsoka looking out at the approaching droid army with her macrobinoculars.

"So, what's the plan?" Anakin wonders, leaning against a column, a backpack filled with explosives for the shield generator on his back.

"I thought you had a plan," Ahsoka answers, a bit sarcastically.

"What if we try sneaking through them?" He thinks it's a fair question, not to mention an ideal solution to their problem.

"That's not really possible... unless we can shapeshift into droids," Ahsoka objects, continuing to look through the pair of macrobinoculars at the approaching enemy. Anakin would love to rip into them with his lightsaber, but he's not that stupid. It would be suicidal, not to mention they would never get the shield generator down.

"Then, let's make them think we're droids!" he suggests. "They're not terribly bright after all."

"That's - actually a good idea," she concedes, "Come on."

The next thing Anakin knows, they're crawling under a box, droids marching and tanks rolling by all around them. He sincerely hopes that they won't be driven over. That would end everything very, very fast. And they'd both be too flat to be of any more assistance. He almost wonders who would be in charge of scraping them off the ground.

"Let's just hope we don't crushed," Anakin quips finally.

"How optimistic," Ahsoka says dryly.

"I was just saying."

"Well, if we follow the Force, we should be fine," she offers, "We just need to stay away from the tanks."

They continue to crawl in silence and Anakin really, really wishes he could just stand up already, but it's not worth risking the mission. Besides, they can't be that much farther from the generator station, and the Force is telling him to stay down. "I think we made it past all of them," he declares a while later. He's unsure if he should address Ahsoka as 'Master,' especially given that she hasn't accepted him as her Padawan that he knows of. "We should be able to pull this off."

Ahsoka hums her agreement but doesn't speak. They continue crawling and crawling for what feels like an eternity. "I think we can stand up now," she ventures cautiously.

The Force remains silent, so Anakin lifts the edge of the box and peers out. The shield generator is only a short distance ahead of them, so they hurry the rest of the way to the edge of the structure where's it's located, climbing up the side.

"Just stay close to me," Ahsoka instructs finally, as they race across the ground towards it, finally reaching the final stretch of platform until the generator. "There's sensors lining the area," she warns, eyeing the platform. He assumes she already noticed the sensors because of Togruta's enhanced vision.

Using the Force to help him sidestep the sensors, he circles around the generator, putting the bombs into place before the two of them retreat to a safe distance. Anakin hits the trigger, and the shield generator explodes. The Force echoes with dangers as the smoke and debris start to clear. He hears rumbling as droids start appearing out of the ground. "Uh... what are those?" Anakin asks as he ignites one of his lightsabers, blocking blaster bolts as the droids open fire. Ahsoka is at his side a moment, igniting her own.

They fight together effortlessly, deflecting blaster bolts and slicing through the droids, trying not to trigger anymore of the sensors. After a minute, Anakin ignites his second lightsaber, giving himself over to the Force and whirling through the droids around him. He doesn't think; he moves. In this moment, he is one with the Force. He can see the blaster bolts as they fly towards him. He can see them before they're even fired. He can see Ahsoka's movements before she makes them, and he lets himself work beside her, knowing that they make a perfect team.

It doesn't take long before all the droids have been decimated. They extinguish their lightsabers, clipping them back to their belts. "Good job," Ahsoka congratulates with a small smile. He can't help but perk up at the praise, hoping that he's proved his usefulness to her. Perhaps she will agree to accept him as her Padawan. "Come on. Let's get back to the others," she adds as a gunship arrives to pick them up.

Yoda and Obi-Wan are waiting for them when they arrive. "Trouble you have, with your new Padawan, I hear," Yoda declares, looking up at them.

"I was explaining the situation to Master Yoda," Obi-Wan explains.

"Really?" Ahsoka asks dubiously.

"If not ready for a Padawan, you are, then perhaps to Obi-Wan he can go."

"I wasn't expecting to get a Padawan, okay? I need time to determine how good of a match we'll be," Ahsoka informs him, crossing her arms. Anakin glances up at her, uncertainty creeping up on him. He'd thought they worked well together, but apparently, Ahsoka still isn't convinced. He'll have to find some way of proving himself. She's his last hope, unless Master Kenobi decides to take him.

"Then go with you, he will, to the Teth system," Yoda announces.

"Teth?" echoes Ahsoka, "That's in Wild Space. There's not even any droids there."

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been."

"Why does that have anything to do with the Jedi? Why can't he just leave it up to his bounty hunters?!" Ahsoka exclaims. Anakin completely concurs.

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan interjects calmly, "We'll need the Hutt's allegiance to give us an advantage over Dooku."

"Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi-Wan will. Find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Tano," Yoda instructs.

"I guess I'll go find Rex and get the troops organized?" offers Anakin, hurrying off when Ahsoka nods. This will be his second mission with her, and he cannot, under any circumstances, mess this up. His skills on the battlefield can turn the tide of the war, or at least of the battle. He knows it. He can feel deep inside of himself.