Important Author's Note
Chapter includes the fate of the younglings (cannon, dead) so beware if you don't like that.
I've made some "minor" (my own opinion) changes to what occurred in cannon, Bail doesn't explicitly tell Ahsoka "There was nothing you could've done, for either of them." For this story he hasn't said that and instead just get to the rest of that scene faster.
Unsure how many people are aware of the fact that it is canonical that Ahsoka knew of Anakin and Padmé's relationship (maybe not that they were married but still knew they were 110% in a relationship) In this fanfic that is not the case, she is unaware of their relationship, period. She knew they were close but not "that" close. If she saw Padmé pregnant she would instantly know who the father is.
Forgot to address specific details about Padmé's funeral in the 2nd chapter, everything was still the same as portrayed in both ROTS and Tales of the Jedi but there's a reason I kept it the wanted to clarify that for anyone who might be confused by the fact that there was a body at the funeral… It's a surprise tool for later… Pretty convenient that I forgot that since it helped me move the plot forward plus I can introduce some other characters that I really like. But that is for another chapter than this one,
Ty for reading this note, otherwise this chapter would've probably felt scuffed. Now onto the story.
Act 1 Part 8
Blue and White
"You have to learn to make your own decisions"
Rex / CC-7567
The quiet riverbed beneath Theed had always been a serene place, the city itself was located upon the edge of a large cliff. The sight that most visitors were greeted with when arriving in Theed was the enormous cliff and the sight of the magnificent palace and the waterfalls around it. It was undoubtedly one of the must see sights in the galaxy… yet today was not a day where that sight was awe inspiring, it simply reminded those who saw it of the event which had rocked the planet and its people. The death of their beloved former queen and senator, Padmé Amidala.
In a small pocket in the cliff face where a waterfall had cut its way through the stone to make a secluded area stood a ship, a blue and white coloured republic Y-Wing. The small sounds of a wrench against metal echoed against the cliff walls, luckily for the man tinkering with the ship that the noise was drowned out by the small but still overbearing roar of the waterfall.
Captain Rex… no… just Rex now, his old rank meant very little right now. He'd abandoned the army that he had sworn his life to, for good reasons…
Why hadn't he listened to Fives… done something earlier, anything…
Everything was backwards now, the republic was an empire, the good that he'd fought for had been twisted and contorted into something completely different… something he wasn't going to fight for… This empire treated clones like droids, he may have only served it for an hour or two but he realized that much. To have that inhibitor chip inserted or grown into our brains was no different from programming droids to follow orders, it was clear to him that this empire knew it was evil if it had to force its loyal soldiers to carry out its will.
Rex had never been one for tinkering with machines, Skywalker had enough in him to cover for both of them in that department. Even so he found himself adjusting valves and reconfiguring systems of the Y-Wing that he and Ahsoka had commandeered in their harrowing escape a few days ago. He understood why Skywalker found it relaxing to just tinker with the mechanics of a ship, especially in this kind of situation…
He'd been opposed to coming to Naboo, but Ahsoka had managed to convince him in the end. He didn't accompany her however, he would've most likely been recognized and then things would've gotten out of control. Somebody had to stay with the ship anyway… so it was all for the best, Rex had no interest in crashing Amidala's funeral. She'd always been kind and compassionate towards those around her, no matter how much he despised the empire he had more respect for Amidala and even the thought of ruining her funeral made him clench his fist.
Amongst the 501st it was a pretty common sight to see Amidala, both where you'd expect a senator of a prestigious planet like Naboo and places where you wouldn't. During many of her speeches in the senate there would've been a whole group of 501st troopers glued to the holofeed in their barracks… one such time would always stick with Rex for as long as he lived. It was during the Umbara campaign, one of the worst ones the 501st had been a part of and it was particularly hard on the 501st having to deal with that treacherous bastard Krell.
There had been very little to do in that airbase they'd captured and tensions had been running high ever since Krell had taken over for Skywalker, when the holofeed showed a speech from Amidala when most of them were in the barracks things felt almost unnatural. Some unnatural calm came over them all, Rex couldn't even remember what her speech had been about all he remembered was the evaporating tension, the calm before the storm was what he'd called it when some of his brothers had reminisced about that day.
There was a superstition going around the GAR that clones would take on some of their Jedi Generals quirks, Rex didn't really believe in that but he did have proof of the contrary. Skywalker always was calmer and happier around Amidala and that had seemingly carried over to his legion…
Skywalker…
What was he going to do when he found out about Amidala's death?
He'd been entrusted with Skywalker's biggest secret, the knowledge that he was married to none other than Senator Amidala. Everything had become clearer after he'd been let in on that secret…
Skywalker had always been a hotheaded and stubborn person but also fiercely loyal and brave… a true hero to those around him, the hero without fear… Rex knew more than the average citizen and he knew that under that shining facade there was a normal person.
It was painful to think about, he did not want to be the one to tell Anakin that his beloved wife was dead, Rex wouldn't even wish it on his worst enemy… Rex and Ahsoka already planned to go searching for Skywalker when Ahsoka came back from the funeral procession, they'd discussed their options like laying low but they had really only one option, look for the general and master.
The galaxy was a mess… and for what? The horrid ambitions of a vile and deluded despot? Of course it was…
Hearing footsteps he shot out of his mind, seeing the origin of the sound made him immediately relax though…
At least this mission hadn't gone to kriff he thought laughing to himself.
Orange and Black
"I won't leave you, not this time."
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka was in a contemplative state, they were flying through hyperspace so there wasn't really much else to do except sleep… maybe she would get some sleep soon, but right now she had things to meticulously contemplate over.
The galaxy was upside down…
She and Rex were on the run from the Empire…
One of her best friends had died in the chaos and turmoil, probably because of the empire…
Her old… no, her master is gods knows where in the galaxy…
She'd talked to Senator Organa who seemingly wanted her help against the empire…
What are you supposed to do in this kind of situation? Rolling over was not an option and would never be one… not to her anyhow. Should she fight? Well… yes, but how? Bail hadn't been very forward with his intentions, only that he was clearly on her side, the side of the republic and Jedi.
Jedi…
She wasn't one any longer… But she still identified with them… on some level in her mind. The idea of returning to the order never appealed to her once, not while working in the lower levels of Coruscant and not now. Although there was no order to go back to now, it is gone… destroyed by the empire… the clones… no, they'd had no choice in that, forced to betray the Jedi. Such cruelty, vile cruelty… to force them to do such a thing against their will, to program them like blasted droids. Inhuman, abominable is what it was, completely inexcusable, completely immoral, completely and utterly disgusting.
The anger and hate she felt did not upset her in the slightest even if it was the way to the darkside, this time she was completely justified to feel this way, anyone in her place was justified in feeling angry and hating what had been done to the galaxy and the people in it.
She leaned her head back against the headrest, eyes closed and fists clenched… calm down Ahsoka… calm down. There was nothing to do about it now, focus on the most important task right now, finding Anakin.
Masters and Padawans shared a special bond between eachother… even if she had abandoned the order and the Jedi she still had that bond. Reaching for it in her mind with the force she was confused. When she had done this before she had always felt his presence but right now… there was nothing… or not nothing… no, she couldn't feel him. The bond was still there intact but it felt cold, empty. This fact only made her worry more about Anakin, he had to be alright, he was the greatest Jedi in the entire Order, the Chosen one… he couldn't be gone.
Feeling her eyelids grow heavy she realized she needed sleep but she couldn't do that now, she had to find out why their bond was empty. Had he temporarily separated it? If so why? To protect her? Why?
Once again feeling the ever growing pull of sleep she resigned that she could find answers better if she was rested, gods know she could use some sleep.
Opening her eyes she found herself standing… what? She wasn't in the ship anymore looking around she knew where she was… the council chambers…
Why?
What is this?
A vision? A dream?
Whatever it was it felt very real, almost too real… She heard the snap hiss ignition of a lightsaber followed immediately by screams… the screams of children…
Turning immediately she saw a horrific sight, the room was filled with corpses… those of children… the younglings… she felt the urge to puke at the sight in front of her. And the smell of burning flesh did not help. The horror was indescribable to her…
Looking up from the floor she saw a tall black figure standing in the middle of the room, a crimson blade extending from his side. Anger… hate… those feelings flowed out of whomever this was… a Sith, only a Sith could do something so horrific and repulsive like this… defenseless children, barely able to understand the world around them. What kind of monster except a Sith could even concoct the idea of something like this.
There was a sudden silence in the room before another snap hiss rang out, blinking for but a moment she was greeted with the sight of Anakin in a saberlock with the Sith lord. There was no need to sense the feeling from her master for they were etched out in his face, hatred and disgust…
He was at the temple…
Anakin broke the saberlock and started to elegantly and vigorously swing his saber, however his every swing was met by the crimson blade which expertly blocked the blue beam of light from touching the Sith. Returning the elegance and vigor of her master the Sith lord struck back at Anakin with powerful and precise strikes clearly forcing his opponent backwards ever so slightly. She had never seen Anakin be forced back like this, when it came to skill with a lightsaber he was nearly unmatched, he was in the league of masters when it came to battle. Only individuals like Dooku, Yoda or Windu could truly match him in a battle. So how could this Sith be overpowering him?
The fight continued, they stepped over the corpses on the ground, hurled the chairs at each other… Yet everytime Anakin would slowly lose a small piece of ground unable to stop the relentless storm brought against him by the crimson saber. In a final flashing moment they crossed each other's line and stood backs turned to each other, completely frozen.
Before she saw it she heard it, a blade deignite… and the thud against the floor of a falling saber. The room was filled with the crimson light, no longer contrasted with blue.
Then Anakin fell to his knees, a disbelieving look upon his face… he looked back behind him to the Sith. He retracted his blade and clipped his saber to his belt and marched out of the chamber towards the lift, leaving his foe behind…
She was unable to move, she had been the entire duel… what had she just witnessed? What was all of this? Before she was able to think more, her eyes once again centered on Anakin now on his knees, she once again smelt the undeniable smell of burning flesh.
Anakin reached down his side with his right arm touching the face of one of the younglings… slowly caressing it… then his head turned downwards to the floor before his body fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
No…
No…
No…
Impossible…
It's not true…
No…
It can't be…
Then she saw a planet, a brown planet, two suns, a desert and lastly a farm…
She was ripped out of the vision to being shook forcefully. Her eyes shot open and she fumbled around with her arms trying to grab ahold of something. She felt her hands grip tightly around the arms that were firmly holding her shoulders.
"Ahsoka are you alright!?" It was Rex, he had a panicked look on his face staring into her eyes. She breathed heavily trying to control her shaking body.
"I… I don't… I don't know." She managed to stammer out those words while trying desperately to steady herself. Slow controlled breaths Ahsoka, Slow. And. Controlled.
"You were sleeping one moment and the next you were just uncontrollably shaking, I had to make an emergency landing to get you to snap out of it. Was it a dream? A vision? What happened?" His concern filled every word he spoke, what was all of that. Was it a vision? A dream? Or something else she didn't know.
"I think I experienced some type of vision, I was in the temple, Anakin was fighting a Sith… I saw a planet." The first words had been filled with confusion but the last four held a sharp and definitive tone, ones filled with confidence.
"Maybe it's a sign, maybe the force is trying to tell you something." He may not be force sensitive but after all this time around Jedi he had certainly gained some understanding, at least enough to know why Jedi always said "The force works in mysterious ways…" a statement she always resented, why couldn't it just be clear? "The planet, what did it look like? Did you recognize it?" Rex continued to expand the line of questions.
Then it clicked in Ahsoka's head, she knew that planet, the farm she didn't know but the planet… yes… that she knew.
"Tatooine"
Terror Incarnatus
"The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision."
Maimonides
For once in Obi Wan's life he had been truly fearful, the past three days had been tortuous for him. No more than 3 days had passed on Tatooine before crisis struck again for the former senator and Jedi master. It had been in the late morning, Obi Wan was assisting Owen with fixing an evaporator and just when they had completed that task was when he felt it… the anger and hatred… that of a Sith.
He had felt all of this before… yet…
Never like this…
Pure and unbridled like a raging ocean…
It was endless, the feelings that emanate from this being truly chilled him to the bone making them feel almost frozen solid. Who was this? Sidious? No, he had felt his presence on Coruscant when he had been with Yoda… this was entirely different from Sidious. Anakin?
No…
He's dead…
You felt it yourself on Polis Massa…
Always two there are no more no less…
This must be Sidious' true apprentice, the one he'd believed Anakin to be…
Whoever this was, he was far more powerful and filled with the darkside than Anakin had ever been. He'd thought it impossible for something to feel more immersed in the dark than Sidious and how Anakin had been, yet here was the proof, the undeniable proof that he was wrong.
He felt a sharp dagger of anger go through him, his own anger… directed towards Sidious…
You manipulated and destroyed my best friend, you used his trust and loyalty and you bent it to evil. I'll never forgive you for that… and it all of that hadn't been enough you never intended for him to be by your side. No matter how Obi Wan felt about Anakin having potentially become the true apprentice of Sidious, it was still a betrayal… one against his best friend, something which Obi Wan wasn't going to let slide no matter the circumstances. Sidious was going to pay for all that he's done…
Those three days he'd stayed in a deep meditation using all his energy to conceal his, Padmé's and young Leia's presence in the force. The thought of reaching out and getting a better read on the Sith had crossed his mind several times but he swatted away those thoughts as soon as he had them, that would be foolish and endanger them… it was not worth the risk. This Sith would surely be looking for them, and he was not about to let the Sith find them.
Padmé had become frantic when Obi Wan told her of what he felt… a Sith.
"Are you sure Obi Wan?" The fear she felt carried over in her voice clear as day.
"Yes, I'm sure… it's not Sidious, but something far worse I fear." Something worse than Sidious? How could that even be possible? Then a thought surged through her mind… one which both brought hope and trepidation with it.
"Obi Wan… is it Anakin?" She needed an answer to that question, he'd told her that he was dead and how his last moment had apparently been breathing life into her again… but still… any chance… any slither of hope she found she would take.
"I told you I felt him die… but to give the answer again, no… it's not him, that was among the first things I checked." Obi Wan paused for a moment, regathering his thoughts. "Whoever this Sith is, they are not Anakin… he could never have such an aura of darkness and evil, not in a trillion years… not ever."
She couldn't decide if she was relieved or devastated…
He's gone Padmé…
He's gone…
Just face it already…
You'll never see him again, so don't be crushed when the hope dangling in front of your eyes turns to ash…
Just let him rest, if there is an afterlife then don't burden him with your pain. He's already got enough to deal with up there… oh Ani… please… where are you?
Their conversation had been a brief one but it said everything, moving from the farm would surely alert the Sith of their presence so there was one thing to do, hole up in the farm and wait, hopefully making the Sith return to whence they came and never return… hopefully.
Old Friends
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
Mencius
Obi Wan was once again out by the vaporators with Owen trying to fix the same on they'd been working on the day that Sith had come to Tatooine. Whoever it had been, they were gone now, which was the most important thing. When they had finally left the planet Obi Wan had collapsed from exhaustion. Did Sith ever sleep? That entire time he had felt a lull in the dark side onslaught for possibly 5 hours or less, nearly 72 hours awake straight, if they had not been a Sith he would've congratulated them. But whatever method they used to endure such lengths of time awake surely came from the darkside.
He heard a boom overhead and ducked slightly from reflexes, war had a real way of making people nervous wrecks over seemingly normal things. Looking up however did not assuage his mind, it was a Y-wing, kriff. A sign that their stay at the Lars farm could be over very soon, if the Empire is already encroaching on Hutt territory it could only be a bad sign. Even if it was only a patrol, Obi Wan and Padmé couldn't risk anything right now. Padmé was still working through her contacts trying to establish the foundation for the Rebellion and if they had to move to a new planet the progress of forming the rebellion would surely slow down. Slowing down was not an option but getting found was even more out of the question.
That ship was heading straight towards where they'd landed Padmé's ship, a very well hidden canyon, he'd returned a couple of times to it to get something and it hadn't even been touched by Jawas, a miracle on Tatooine really.
The Y-wing flew over the spot where the ship was parked and for a second Obi Wan relaxed, but then it made a sharp turn circling back around… They definitely saw it…
Rushing towards the speeder parked outside the entrance to the farm Obi Wan jumped on barely managing to tell Owen to warn Padmé about what they saw and where Obi Wan was going. To deal with the clones and make sure they don't report anything.
Slowly crawling his way to the edge of the cliff he looked down seeing both Padmé's Nubian ship where they had hidden it and now the Y-Wing, it was coloured blue like the ones the 501st used, in fact it definitely one from the 501st. Trying to find the clones he looked around the canyon, he noticed that the ramp to Padmé's ship was lowered. Both the hatches of the Y-wing were open so both of the clones must've gone inside to inspect the ship.
What was he going to do? While mind tricks did not prohibit him from making them forget about all of this, the problem was now that their superiors would definitely know that their minds had been tampered with. That would in turn confirm that there was a Jedi present on the planet, he couldn't kill them either, rocks could substitute his lightsaber but their ship would still be here. There was no clear plan in his mind, seemingly the only option he had would be to kill the clones or mind trick them and then fly with the ship and pick up Padmé and Leia and then get off world as quickly as possible.
He heard footsteps coming from the ship's ramp and focused his eyes on it once again, what he found his eyes staring at was very unexpected to say the least… and not in a good way. Rex… I Am sorry friend but I have no other choice in this scenario… Sliding down the cliff making as little noise as he possibly could and quickly making his way to the Y-wing for some visual cover. Unclipping his lightsaber and gripping it firmly he prepared himself mentally, he might've killed several clones from the 501st at the temple but this was different still. Deep breaths Obi Wan, you have to do this… it is Sidious's fault for all of this… vengeance is not the Jedi way but he will face retribution for everything he's done and everything that they would be forced to do to enact that retribution.
"Hey, I am getting a bad feeling about all of this… why would Amidala's personal starship be in a desert canyon on a backwater world controlled by the Hutts anyway." Even though all clones were genetically the same and possessed the same voice… there was no doubt in Kenobi's mind that it was Rex… even if he had not seen him before he would've known. They all had the same voice but not the same personality and speech patterns, more proof that they were human.
"You hear me in there? If whoever took her ship just left it out here then they surely planned on coming back for it." Rex paused for a second "Didn't we see one of those vapor farms not far from here maybe we should check that place out, who knows maybe we'll find the answer to this mysterious situation there. It's at least better than just sitting here in this sweltering canyon."
I have to act now, I have no choice… I'am sorry Rex, please forgive me…
Circling around the Y-wing he peeked out from behind it to see that Rex had his back turned to him, still apparently waiting for an answer from the one inside.
Creeping in a crouched position slowly inching forward.
He needed to do this; he needed to act fast, take out Rex then rush inside and do the same to the other clone and then quickly take off towards the farm. No mere meters from Rex he took a deep breath… sorry…
"Hey Ahsoka! Did you hear anything I said!?" Obi Wan froze… Ahsoka?
"We can't linger here for too long you know, the Empire might think we're dead but a republic bomber is a rather conspicuous ship. Some bounty hunter will probably think we're deserters and try to turn us in. Have I said how much I agree with General Skywalker on his opinion of this dustball…" Obi Wan saw him freeze and look up and before he could react Rex was already turned around aiming both blasters at Obi Wan.
"Captain" Obi Wan subconsciously said, old habits die hard I guess.
"General Kenobi!?" That somewhat assuaged Obi Wan, unlike the other clones he wasn't attacking. He was just staring dumbfounded at Obi Wan… Then he angled his blasters upwards and opened his palms seemingly in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
"Hey, let's just take a moment, I know what you probably think of us clones right now but let me defend myself at least." He had clearly seen Obi Wan holding his lightsaber at the ready.
Obi Wan was eyeing him up very carefully, he was clearly not under the effect of whatever caused the other clones to turn on the Jedi, but one can never be too careful.
"Blasters on the ground first Rex." He said it in a calm but commanding tone.
"Yeah, okay just don't use that lightsaber and we're good." He said it in a humorous tone. "Ahsoka, mind coming out here before Kenobi cuts me in two."
Looking over two the ramp he saw Ahsoka coming down the ramp in a half sprint, he sensed the confusion in her but then it was replaced with happiness.
"Obi Wan?" The tone in her voice was filled with relief.
One somewhat brief explanation later…
"So if I understand this right, he attacked you because he had and all the other clones have some kind of biological chip in their head. You survived that without killing a single one of the clones, then you released Maul, letting him rampage through the ship eventually leading to him destroying the hyperdrive. While he was doing that you were performing impromptu surgery on our dear captain here while trying to hold off his men from killing you and your helpful droids. Then you face off against all the clones left on the ship in the hangar, you failed to prevent Maul from escaping but in the circumstances I would be inclined to look away from that. Then when the ship was crashing towards the surface of the planet you performed some crazy parkour running on falling debris to eventually get into the ship that Rex and you commandeered. Did I get that right?"
"Well, yes I skimmed over some other details but that is the jist of it."
"Ahsoka, I'm disappointed in you…" Obi Wan shook his head in a disapproving manner.
"What? Why?" Why would he be disappointed? Oh wait…
"That wasn't nearly as impressive as some of the stunts me and Anakin have pulled off in the past, although to your credit that probably is your top stunt." He couldn't deliver that sentence without cracking a smile.
"You're just jealous aren't you?" Ahsoka crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.
"Jealous? Never, I'm a member of the Jedi Council, why would I ever be jealous?" He was clearly trying to hold in laughter at this point, he'd missed Ahsoka.
She gave him a punch in the arm "I know for a fact that you've never done something even remotely as impressive." She gave him a mischievous smile. "I've missed you master."
"Likewise padawan." He let his smile grow to clearly show his happiness.
"Well we've told you what we've done, now it's your turn." She did not expect the reaction that Obi Wan gave after hearing her inquiry.
"That…" He brought his hand up to his face and stroked his beard, Obi Wan closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "That is a long story…"
Ahsoka became worried when he said that but quickly brushed the worry away, after everything that had happened it was no doubt a heavy topic for him.
"By the way, where is Anakin?" Once again Obi Wan's reaction only made her worried, she felt through the force how her words had seemingly made their way deep into Obi Wan. She'd never seen him like this… dejected and sad… no… the thought that had come creeping up her spine into her mind couldn't be true… no…
"Obi Wan… where's my master?"
"Where. Is. Anakin?"