Have no fear, Grubkiller is here.
Hey folks. This was originally supposed to be a short story called. But ever since I released it, I've so many ideas to add to it that I just had to expand on it. This is my updated version of After the War. It follows Ahsoka in the time right after Order 66, on the run from the Empire.
Please enjoy this prologue chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. It was created by George Lucas, and is currently owned by Darth Disney. Some of the material is inspired by E.K. Johnston's Ahsoka novel from 2016.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mandalore burned.
Not all of it, of course, but enough that the smoke filled the air around her. Ahsoka Tano breathed it in. SHe knew what she had to do, but wasn't sure it would work. Worse, she wasn't sure how long it would work, even if it did. But she was was out of options, and it was the only chance she had left. She was there with an army and a mission, as she might have done when she was still Anakin Skywalker's Padawan. It probably would have gone better if Anakin were with her.
RSD Indomitable, several days ago.
"Be careful, Ahsoka," he'd told her after, before handing over her lightsabers and running off to save the Chancellor. "Maul is tricky. And he has no mercy in him at all."
"I remember," she'd replied, trying to scrape up some of the brashness that had earned her the nickname Snips the first time they'd met. She didn't think the effort was tremendously successful, but he smiled anyway.
"I know." He rolled his shoulder, already thinking of his own fight. "But you know how I worry."
"What could happen?" Acting more like her old self was easier the second time, and then she found that she was smiling, too.
She then looked at her old lightsabers.
"Try them out. They're as good as new." Anakin said.
Ahsoka hit the activation switches, but instead of the green and yellow blades, she was surprised to see beams of pure blue shot out of the slender hilts. She looked at Anakin and smirked, with her head tilted and with one eyebrow arched over the other.
Anakin smiled, and he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, maybe a little better."
She swung her new weapons around and watched them dance happily - accompanied by the familiar hum and the scent of ozone. "They're beautiful," she said before she turned them off, before hugging her master. "Thank you."
That's when Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers and, without warning, threw her arms around her master, burying her face into his chest. He was taken aback by the hug, but then, he wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, grasping her lekku, and patting her on the upper back.
"Okay, okay, that's enough," he said before he withdrew from the hug. "Now come on. I've got something to show you."
Ahsoka and Anakin walked through the corridors of the RSV Indomitable, which were packed with clones and naval personnel, and even a few droids, who were all doing about their business, either in preparation for their return to Coruscant, or the upcoming Liberation of Mandalore.
As Ahsoka and Anakin continued walking, two clones walked passed them, snapping up a brisk salute to the two Force-users.
"Commander." One of them said, addressing Ahsoka.
"Sir." The other one said, addressing Anakin, who gave a nod in acknowledgment.
But Ahsoka only had a blank, and somewhat nervous, look, as she didn't know how to respond. She should've known how to conduct herself, as she was experienced this all before. But being back was so . . . surreal.
Two more clones, both helmet-less, saw them coming and parted ways for Anakin and Ahsoka, smiling as they each threw up a salute to honor a returning comrade.
But still, Ahsoka didn't know how to respond. She shook her head. "They shouldn't salute me anymore. Not since I left the Order."
"It doesn't matter to them. It's a sign of respect," Anakin said, trying to reassure Ahsoka. "They know what you went through for them, day after day, battle after battle." Anakin crossed his arms and stopped before the door to the ship's main hanger, getting Ahsoka to stop with him. "Loyalty means everything to the clones."
That's when the door in front of them magically seemed to open up in front of them, and Ahsoka was awestruck at the sight that was before her.
It was the whole of Torrent Company, the vanguard of the Elite 501st Legion, standing at attention, with an open row between both ranks. The men who have fought beside Ahsoka from the battle of Christophsis to the day she left the order. But there was something different about these men. The blue markings on their armor were replaced with orange markings. But what was most eye-catching was that these men had changed their helmets as well.
Instead of the usual blue markings, the faceplates were painted orange, with white markings.
And in the center of it all, was Captain Rex.
"Company!" He called out before turning to his men. "ATTEN-SHUN!"
"HUT!" They all chanted as they all about-faced and turned towards the center aisle.
Ahsoka turned to Anakin, who had a big grin on his face. He then gestured to the 144 men in front of them. "Go ahead. They've been waiting to see you."
Ahsoka hesitated, but she eventually found the strength to walk forward. She began to inspect her men, who all stood like statues, not moving a muscle. On closer inspection, the white markings on their orange faceplates were actually her face markings.
She was taken further aback by that realization.
"As soon as Rex and guys knew you were back, they got to work." Anakin said as he shrugged her shoulders, his voice echoing throughout the hanger.
Ahsoka turned around and walked back. When she was close enough, Rex took a step towards her, presenting his own helmet to Ahsoka. "The paint job's a little crude, but we say it gets the idea across."
Ahsoka reached out and ran her open hand across the helmet.
It was orange around the crown of the helmet, while a single orange stripe went down the faceplate on the edges of the T-shaped visor. Everything else was white. Instead of Ahsoka's white markings in the orange section, Rex opted to put white Jaig eye markings on the helmet, just like his blue armor. Ahsoka also noticed that Rex painted the blue sections of his armor orange as well, even the kama and pauldron around his shoulders and waist also had orange.
She then looked up at Rex, who was smiling.
"Glad to have you back, Commander." He said.
Ahsoka gave a weak smile. She breathed in, her breasts heaving with contemplation. "Rex, thank you. But you don't have to call me commander anymore." She said.
"Sure thing . . . er, commander." He said.
"I - I don't know what else to say," Ahsoka said.
"I do," Anakin said before he gave her a hug, which she returned. "Welcome home". After a few seconds, Anakin's com-link went off. He broke away from the hug. "That's my queue to leave. I've gotta go," he said before he turned back to the gunship.
"Master," Ahsoka said, prompting Anakin to turn back to her. "May the force be with you".
"Goodbye, Ahsoka," he said. "And may the force be with you too".
And with that, Anakin boarded the gunship, which carried him up into orbit, where Obi-Wan and half of the fleet were waiting to head back to Coruscant, and rescue the Chancellor from the evil clutches of Dooku's henchman, General Grievous.
Ahsoka watched and waited for the gunship to disappear into the clouds.
"Commander Tano..." Rex said, prompting Ahsoka to turn around to face her. "...Everything's ready. We're awaiting your orders".
Ahsoka looked at her men, which consisted of exactly 2 regiments worth of clones. All from the 501st, and transferred to the 332nd ... tempoarily.
All under her command.
'No pressure'.
Ahsoka looked up to her men. She walked over to where Rex was to get their attention.
"Alright everyone, listen up!" Ahsoka called out. "Darth Maul is in charge on Mandalore, and he's been a real pain to the Republic. So our plan is simple. We punch through the Shadow Collective blockade, punch straight into Sun'dari, punch Maul in the face, win the battle, and go home. Does that sound like a plan?" She asked out loud.
Everyone in the 332nd pumped their fists in the air or clapped their hands as they cheers and whistled at her plan.
She smiled to herself.
Rex did the same.
"That's what I thought," Ahsoka said. "Now let's mount up, and get this show on the road".
Now, the weight of her lightsabers in her hands was reassuring, but she would have traded them both for Anakin's presence in a heartbeat.
The Siege of Mandalore had been raging for three days now. The Republic fleet lay in orbit, laying waste to the few space assets that Maul could spare. The Dark Lord himself actually led an attack on her ship, and they engaged in a brief duel, which ended with her and her men barricading themselves in the bridge of their Jedi Cruiser. But Maul was forced to flee when Republic reinforcements boarded the ship and killed off most of his warriors.
They then struck at the capital city itself, which was too heavily defended. Ahsoka's men of the 332nd Legion were forced to abandon their foothold after taking too many casualties.
But then, Ahsoka decided to besiege the city, and cut it off from receiving any supplies, and used the gunships and Venators to wipe out any structure of importance, including training camps, power sub-stations, supply warehouses, and fuel depots. With much of the defenders resources and power cut off, it was time to storm the city. And storm the city they did.
Gunship, Valkyrie 2929, lower hanger bay of the RSD Sovereign, earlier in the present day.
Ahsoka was nervous.
This will be her first time leading men into battle since before she was kicked out of the order. And Anakin wasn't nearby, ready to save the day when the need would arise.
As the gunship, carrying Commander Rex, Lieutenant Jesse, Sgt. Coric, Echo, Kix, and Hardcase, along with Bo-Katan and several of her warriors, lifted off from the deck to join the rest of the Invasion force, she breathed in heavily as she contemplated the future.
She thought about her friends on Coruscant, and her boyfriend in the senate. She reached all of them back when she was a mechanic on Nessem, and spoke regularly, but she was afraid that she wouldn't get that chance again. Concerning Lux, Ahsoka was afraid for his safety in the midst of the Separatist invasion on Coruscant. She was afraid that she wouldn't get the chance to talk to him, even over a com-link.
The chance to see him again.
The chance to 'feel' him again.
Ahsoka was also afraid of letting Skyguy and her men, not to mention an entire planet, down. Ever since she was assigned to him as his padawan, she'd felt babied by him. She also felt desperate to prove herself in this way. But now that that chance had finally arrived, she regretted ever even thinking of taking on such an enormous responsibility.
Ahsoka then felt a hand on her shoulder. The startled 17 - going on 18 - year old togrutan turned around to see that it was Rex, a seasoned clone captain that first saw action on Geonosis at the very beginning of the war. Unike the rest of 'Ahsoka's loyalists', he kept his secondary colors blue, as opposed to orange.
"Hey kid? You okay?" Rex asked.
Ahsoka took in a deep breath before exhaling.
"I have the weight of the galaxy on my shoulders Rex".
"Ma'am. You don't have to be worried. These men have complete faith in your skills. And these men were chosen because they would've broken into prison to have you freed had the senate not come to their senses. And you know what? I would've done the same".
Ahsoka smiled and blushed at what Rex just said. She nodded at him before she turned around and looked out of the open hatch of the gunship.
Dozens of gunships, carrying troopers, vehicles, and supplies to the surface, soared through the skies above Mandalore's deserts.
Ahsoka even saw some Mandalorian fighters that had the markings of the Nite Owls painted on them. The Night Owls were any Death Watch warrior that defied Maul's regime with Bo-Katan. They have been planning, and dreaming, for this day: the day that they would finally reclaim their homeland from an awful tyrant. Now, instead of dreaming of that day, they could live it.
It was a beautiful sight to behold. But then that sight was suddenly filled with black and red puffs of smoke. They got closer to her gunship. Not to mention louder. The Gunship vibrated and shook violently as it was rocked by tiny explosions.
"Stang," Jesse, one of the two ARC troopers, exclaimed.
"Where's that crap coming from?" Coric shouted.
"Talk to me Hawk. What do you see?" Ahsoka asked the gunships's pilot.
"Enemy AA, coming from the city. This is gonna get bumpy".
The gunship rocked even more heavily.
Some of the other gunships weren't as lucky. One of the nearest ships was hit directly where the portside wing connects to the main body of the gunship. It caught fire and trailed smoke. The ship lost altitude as it crashed into the sandy surface and exploded in a ball of fire. Many others suffered the same fate.
"Get us below those guns!" Ahsoka shouted into her com-link. The gunships flew down to a lower level just above the surface, in order to avoid the enemy fire.
Then, all of a sudden, a panicky voice came in over all channels.
"This is supply transport T-327. We've been hit. We're going down. AAHHH!-ffffffzzzzzzzzz!" said the voice before it cut to static.
A voice came in from the other side of her link.
"Tano! Maul has some heavy artillery protecting Sundari. You might want your fleet to give them another plastering," Bo-katan said.
"Roger that. Captain!?" Ahsoka exclaimed into her comm.
"We heard her commander. Standby," Autem said over the link.
"Hostiles to starboard, ready guns. Firing solution in two seconds!" The gunnery crew of the Indomitable said over the comm-net.
The Indomitable and the rest of the task force opened fire, and more blue plasma bolts flew across the orange sky, before slamming into the dome city.
The flak became thinner after that.
But then, all around, she could see dozens of Death Watch fliers using their jetpacks to fly amongst the Gunships. They were wearing black and dark red armor. They buzzed around the gunships, firing on them with their blasters. The gunships opened up their side hatches, so that the clones could fire out of the crew bays with their own blasters.
Several Shadow Collective commandoes flew out of control after taking enough blaster fire, and began to spin out of control. But other Maul-loyal commandoes began to fire their rockets, hitting the engines of the LAATs, where by they then spun out of control, trailing smoke and then turning into a fireball on the desert floor.
"Take those fliers out!" Ahsoka ordered her men before she hit the button for the side hatch, opening it up, allowing the wind to blow in with an ear-popping roar.
As the clones began to do as their brothers were doing, and personally fire on the flying Mandalorian pests that were bugging them, Rex and two others turned to look at Ahsoka stepping onto the edge.
"Commander, what the Hell are you doing?!" Rex asked, shouting over the roar of the wind.
Ahsoka looked down, and saw dozens of gunships, and hundreds of Death Watch fliers buzzing around, unfazed by the great distance to the desert floor. Then she looked over her shoulder.
She smiled.
"I'm going for a ride." She simply said, before jumping out the crew bay, and into the flak-filled sky.
And suddenly, the Gunship was gone, flashing by overhead in an instant.
Ahsoka's stomach lurched up to her throat as she began to plummet, the warm desert air ripping past her like a thousand tiny knives. She Fought to keep the content in her stomach down.
The second thing she noticed was the sound. The noise of rushing wind was nearly deafening.
Then, of coarse, was the battle all around her, as Gunships continued to fly through the flak-filled sky, which was orange from the setting sun. She also saw the many Death Watch troopers who continued to fly through the air, harassing the gunships, and periodically downing one.
Clones pointed their rifles out of the open slits in the side hatches, trying to shoot down the Mandalorian pests that buzzed all around.
That's when Ahsoka saw one gunship with its hatch blasted wide open, and Mandalorian commandoes flew in, blasting the clones inside apart. Some clones fell out of the side hatches, while the others just fell to the deck, allowing the Death Watch troopers to board the ship and step over their corpses.
Ahsoka's fury began to flare up. She couldn't allow this humiliation from Maul's forces to stand, or allow them to endanger the rest of her men by taking over that ship and doing Force-knows-what with it.
Readjusting her dissent, she aimed her fall at the open hatch of that Gunship. When she was close to the ship, she forced herself to assume the spread-eagle position that would slow down her dissent and stabilize her. She hovered next to it, and grabbed a safety handle on the side of the ship and then swung down into the open hatch, lifting her feet up to simultaneously kick two commandoes out of the side of the ship, before landing safely on the deck, surrounded by six more Death Watch commandoes, who were about to execute two more surviving clone troopers.
She immediately ignited her two lightsabers, the blue blades coming to life with a snap-hiss, and went to work hacking up the two commandoes on either side of her. Three more commandoes rushed to subdue her, but they were too close and she was still spinning and slicing. Their weapons were cut apart, and she leaned over, kicking one foot back, which connected with the commando's face behind her, and used her hands to summon a force push the sent the commando in front of her back into the wall, all while she was balanced on one leg.
She turned to face her two remaining adversaries. One tried to tackle her, but she spun around and delivered a kick that sent him tumbling out of the open hatch. The last one also tried to tackle her, but she flipped over him and slashed his jet-pack. The panicking commando was stunned when Ahsoka jumped onto his back, just as his malfunctioning jetpack blasted off, taking him and his Togrutan passenger for a ride, leaving the gunship and its stunned passengers behind.
Ahsoka then made sure that her panicking ride was pointed in the direction of Sundari.
"Get off of me, you Jedi scum!" The commando shouted, still trying to swat and kick her off, when they were above the dome of the city.
"As you wish," Ahsoka said before she jumped off, kicking the screaming commando into the side of the dome, where he met his fiery end.
Ahsoka then slid down the side of the dome, using her blades to slow down her dissent. She then jumped down and landed right in the middle of the docks, which was heavily protected by a Shadow Collective defense line, which included turbo-laser batteries.
The Maul troopers that were on station looked at her in confusion. But when they saw she had sabers, they went on the offensive.
Ahsoka smiled.
And then dozens of Gunships swarmed in over her, blasting away with every weapon they had, and offloading their troopers into the fray.
The fight was on.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And now, after two days of breaking into the besieged city, Republic and resistance forces were finally pushing towards the royal palace, above which Ahsoka was gently traversing the inner-workings of the dome that covered the ruined city, the sounds of battle roaring beneath her.
She could see Maul, not far from her now.
Smoke wreathed his black-and-red face, though it didn't seem to bother him. He'd already put aside his cloak; battle-readiness oozing from his stance.
He walked along the steel beams that framed the city, with an almost feline grace. If she hadn't heard the clunking noise that his artificial legs made, she never would have guessed they weren't the limbs the limbs he'd been born with. The prosthetics didn't slow him down at all. She walked toward him, determined. After all, she knew something she was pretty sure he didn't.
"Lord Maul, we need backup," said a voice from Darth Maul's com-link. It was Gar Saxon, Maul's top lieutenant. "Our forces are falling, we need your support."
"No, I think not. My ship is arriving soon. Die well, Mandalorian." Maul said, dismissively.
"No, Wai-"
But Maul cut him off, before he turned his attention back to Ahsoka.
"Obi-Wan was right." Ahsoka said as she ignited her lightsabers. "You are difficult to kill."
Maul just stared at Ahsoka with a glare that could kill, before Ahsoka charged at her, running along the steal beams. Maul ignited and then twirled his dual-edged red lightsaber, to make a defensive stance, before bringing the blade up to block Ahsoka's sabers.
He then pushed her back, and the two began to lung and parry each other with their sabers, continuing to balance along the steal beams they fought on. They struck and avoided, and avoided and struck, stepping onto one beam to the next, and continuing the routine.
They paused for a moment, staring each other down while still catching their breath.
"We could have destroyed the Sidious," Maul said, referring to his offer to Ahsoka, to team up and fight the Dark Lord, who he claimed ruled over the galaxy from the shadows.
But Ahsoka refused the offer when he threatened her former master.
"Only for you to take his place," she shot back, before she thrust her blades forward, one aiming high, and the other low, trying to puncture Maul's defenses.
But he blocked with both ends, before pushing her back and swinging the blade at her head. She ducked back as the blade swung passed her face, before putting her blade up to block the return, and then elbowing him in the face. Maul stumbled, allowing Ahsoka to deliver a swift kick to his face. He stumbled again along the beam he was standing on, regaining his balance quickly.
Ahsoka then charged at him again, jumping on top of him and pressing her blades against his, trying to push them onto his face with all her strength. But Maul pushed her off of him, and she was thrown far, nearly falling off the beam, before she caught on.
As she struggled to get back up, a searchlight illuminated Maul. He looked up to see that it was his personal shuttle. A Kom'rk-class shuttle, the Nightbrother.
"Lord Maul, we must depart immediately. The city is falling." Said Rook Kast over the comm.
Maul began to jump through the criss-cross of steel beams to get outside, before shattering a section of transparent steel, which was what the city's dome was made of. But before he could jump through, Ahsoka jumped out of no where and slashed at him. He blocked, but the force of her impact caused him to fall backwards onto another beam that was beneath him.
When both fighters regained their balance, they assumed a fighting stance and reengaged one another.
Ahsoka unleashed a series of quick and successive strikes that forced Maul back, before they were caught in a saber-lock. Maul grabbed Ahsoka wrist and squeezed it.
"Gah!" She exclaimed, the pain forcing her to drop her main lightsaber.
Ahsoka tried to slash at Maul's arm with her shoto. But Maul reached back before he could lose an arm. He was then met by another successive slash towards his face, which he blocked, entering into another saber lock with Maul.
They both stared at each other, teeth bared and eyes piercing. But then Maul pushed her back again, and knocked her blade out of her hand, causing it to fall to the city below with her other one.
Now unarmed, she was forced to try and avoid Maul's strikes.
She did, only for him to slash the beam below, which began to lower and lower, causing her waiver. Maul, sensing his moment of triumph, jumped over her and onto the severed beam, causing it sink even lower.
Ahsoka raised her fists, and a knife that had been holstered into her boot, and prepared for a final stand.
Maul lowered his guard and offered a hand. "I offer you one last chance. Join me . . . or die."
Ahsoka's glare only hardened.
"Never."
Maul frowned, before he started to twirl her saber with the intent of finishing her off. She slashed and thrust, but Ahsoka jumped and dodged, before she stepped into another slash, and grabbed a hold of his lightsaber hilt, which she slashed through with her knife, before she spun around and pushed him back. She then used the lightsaber half she took from him, and severed the steam beam, causing Maul to fall.
"Guhhh!"
But before he could, Ahsoka used the force to keep him from falling.
He was now at her mercy.
"Let me go." He demanded. "Let me die!"
But Ahsoka, though shaken, continued to hold onto Maul. And soon, several gunships flew towards them, surrounding a floating Maul. Their side hatches opened, and clone troopers of the 501st Legion trained their weapons on Maul.
"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BURN! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Maul screamed, before several clones used their cables to tangle up Maul. The former Sith continued to struggle and kick in Ahsoka and her men's grasp. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU"RE DOING!"
Then the clones hoisted Maul up, allowing Rex and two of his men to fire stun rounds at Maul, silencing the crazed Sith's screeching and ranting.
Ahsoka then let go of Maul, allowing to swing down helplessly, before he men hoisted him up into their gunship's passenger bay.
Rex looked up at Ahsoka. "We can take it from here commander."
Ahsoka nodded, and her men flew off with Maul in custody.
And as they flew off, and the battle began to close down, Ahsoka looked up out of the dome's broken section, into the night sky and began to wonder about her master. About what Maul told her: Anakin being Sidious' new apprentice.
She began to worry.
What was Maul talking about?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Well folks, that was the first chapter.
A flashback prologue that takes place before the main story.
Hope you all enjoyed.
Keep an eye out for the next chapter, and until then, Grubkiller out.