(Part 3) - Epilogue
It's been two years since Bessie ended up at the Jedi Temple. Two years since she left Naboo - basically, two years since she's been alive.
Nothing has really... changed. Every time she talks to her grandfather, he tells her that his plans are coming nearer, but now isn't the time yet. She's spent as much time as she can with her brothers and Anakin, Ahsoka, and Mill but she's still not... free.
Not anymore than her brothers are. She's still not allowed to leave the Temple. Never has been, and she's used to it by now, and in some ways, it feels so much like a home, but it's not. Not really. They never let her out unless Anakin is here, and she's tired of it.
Especially now.
It wasn't until she started getting to know her brothers that she really realized what it's like for them. She's known so many who aren't coming back. Echo was lost not long after she started getting used to him and his rigidness, though Anakin told her not long ago that apparently they found him again and he was still alive, just captured by the Separatists.
Ahsoka left the Order well over half a year ago now. The Temple was bombed and the Council blamed her and Bessie has never been so angry at them. She also never forgets it.
Fives was lost not long after, in some mess with Jedi and Kaminoans and the Senate that didn't make any sense to Bessie. She doesn't really care what caused it – all that matters is that Fives is dead. She hadn't been able to stop crying for days afterward. Still does sometimes when she starts thinking about him again. She doesn't think anything had hurt quite as much as losing him. Ahsoka is still alive, at least. She's never going to see Fives again. And that is the fault of the Jedi and Republic again, too.
Anakin and Rex left to deal with Outer Rim Sieges months ago and he's never come back. It feels like another lifetime since he was last here. She doesn't know when that's ever going to change.
It's lonely and miserable, and she's so tired of it. Doesn't really expect it to change either, until one morning when she suddenly hears alarms go off at the Temple.
That hasn't happened since the bombing – and before that, since Bane broke in.
She hears the faint sounds of... explosions? What's happening?
Bessie scrambles out of her room, running to the nearest window in the hall outside her room. Far up in the sky, she can see what look like distant explosions? Is Coruscant under attack?
From what she can gather of the people running about in the halls, it seems like it is. How did the Separatists get all the way here? For all that she's wanted to help her brothers, she's never been in the middle of a battle before and she has no idea what she's supposed to do.
Everyone would say that she needs to stay here and wait, but she doesn't want to.
Bessie stands frozen at the window watching until she sees ships flying down from the sky. Those are Separatist ships and her brothers are flying in to intercept them. One of the clone ships explodes, spiraling downwards right towards the Temple. She ducks instinctively, but the ship crashes into a high building not far away, in a flurry of smoke and flames.
Whoever was on board there just died. Her brothers.
She's so tired of hearing about that and seeing it happen, especially after Fives. She doesn't want to keep standing back doing nothing but waiting. She can at least help, and – and as she watches the battle continuing to progress, something inside of her just... snaps. Bessie spins away from the window and beaks into a run through the Temple. Everyone's scrambling around in too much of a panic from the attack to pay any attention to her, as she reaches the hanger. Jedi are taking out their fighters and flying away.
Bessie frantically scans the ships, for one that looks like something she'd be able to fly. Anakin and her brothers have been teaching her about that. It's the only way she'll be able to get out. She throws another desperate glance around to make sure no one's looking at what she's doing before she darts for the closest ship, scrambling inside.
The pilot's seat feels huge as she settles into it, but she can reach all the controls... for the most part. Even if she has to lean around a bit because she's still so short. She closes the top of the fighter before anyone can see her, hands frantically fumbling over the controls to take off. She knows how to do this. She's seen it enough times. But she's never done it and it takes a few seconds to figure out what she needs to push, based off her past lessons, before she's able to take off, blasting out of the hanger.
This is the first time she's been away without anyone in – ever, really. Being alone like this is scary, but it's also freeing in a strange way she can't explain. Feels like she can actually do something, not just wait on the Jedi.
Bessie adjusts the controls, flying for where the heavier fighting is. But now that she's out here, she suddenly has no idea what she's planning to do. She can't stop the droids with her virus. She... hasn't used that ever since Naboo and doesn't really want to. But...
Most of the Separatist ships are flying around right near the Senate, and an enormous cyborg-like being clamors out, spinning his lightsabers as he charges the clones.
She's heard him on Republic holonet before. It's... General Grievous. And he's killed enough of her brothers already. She has to do something about it. Bessie directs the fighter to the Senate building, landing away from the fighting. She doesn't want to get stuck in a space battle because she has no idea how to do that. Clamoring out of her fighter, Bessie breaks into a run through the Senate. There are droids everywhere, fighting off Senate guards and clones. Everything is in chaos. There's other Jedi here too, trying to stop the droids.
No one's paying any attention to her, as she runs through the halls.
She rounds another corner where she hears heavier fighting, only to come face to face with General Grievous and... Count Dooku?
Ahead of them is the Chancellor, trying to run away from them, accompanied by a group of clones.
Grievous runs forward, slashing through the clones. They try shooting back but the shots do nothing as he cuts them down.
She doesn't think she'll ever get the sound of their bodies hitting the floor out of her head. She can only stare, momentarily frozen. Maybe she doesn't know any of them, but they're still her brothers.
An icy overwhelming rage floods her the second the shock is starting to wear off. She wants to cry and scream and – She hasn't reached for her abilities in a long time, but the virus is humming beneath her skin as always, and she draws on it, letting it flood outside of her. A blue mist materializes in the air around her.
It's not until that moment that Dooku turns towards her, eyes narrowing.
She flings her hands outwards, directing the virus around her at the two of them. It happens too fast for either of them to stop it, as they breathe it in. She can feel the virus entering them, but she keeps it concentrated in the air around them.
Grievous coughs like he's somehow already about to die, drawing his lightsabers and swinging for her.
Heart jumping to her throat, Bessie rolls out of the way, yelping as Grievous' blade cuts through the floor right next to her. She spins around and runs – right as the Jedi round the corner, to attack them.
She stumbles back against the wall, heart pounding as she pulls the virus back to herself so it doesn't infect anyone else other than Grievous and Dooku. The Jedi jump them before they can give chase.
The Chancellor uses the opportunity to run and it's not until he pauses right next to her, that... There's something about that look on his face.
Bessie freezes.
It's familiar. He feels too familiar. She can't sense life like the Jedi, but it's still she can somewhat and something's off about him. Why would she know him?
"What is it, child?" he asks, studying her.
She's heard Palpatine's voice before. Doesn't know why she was expecting to hear him sound slightly different but now that she's actually thinking about it, he... sounds just like her grandfather. There are differences but it's similar. Too similar.
"Grandpa?" Bessie asks, just staring at him.
His expression barely shifts, but it's still enough that she's certain she's right.
All this time and her grandfather was right here on Coruscant? But – why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he...?
She can't stop staring at him., mind frantically spinning with questions. "Why – "
"Not now," Palpatine replies, shaking his head. The glance he throws around them is pointed enough that she understands what he's saying. No one can know. Of course not. But –
"We will speak later. Find somewhere secure you can wait," he adds.
They're interrupted by approaching Senate guards, coming to escort him away to safety before Bessie can get out another word.
She watches him go, desperately wanting to follow, but barely holding herself back because... the Jedi are here. She can't let them know. But if she can talk to her grandfather in person for the first time ever, she wants to do that. Doesn't want to just get stuck back at the Temple. The Jedi saw her here which means they'll probably be looking for her to take her back. If she doesn't want to go back there, she'll have to run. And find somewhere to hide until this is over.
**w**
Anakin taught her that the best hiding spot is up in the vents. Bessie never realized how true that was until she's actually trying to hide, and no one so much as looks up at her. She watches the Jedi arresting Dooku and Grievous down below, both of whom are coughing almost incessantly now. Dooku... doesn't look good. She can't tell at Grievous at all, except that every cough sounds like he's already dead. She – she's killing them.
She doesn't want to hurt anyone. Never has. But she's still angry at these people for killing so many of her brothers. So why does she feel so... awful about what she did to them, even if she's rather smug to see them captured?
Palpatine passes by down below, thanking the Jedi for their help. They start talking something about the war ending that she doesn't follow and something about emergency powers. Palpatine brushes them off, saying he has to see what the situation is, before heading back to his office.
Which means if she wants to see him, she'll have to find a way to get there, too.
In the end, being stuck up in the vents for the next several hours until it's already sunset was beyond boring, but it's also worth it. She's crouched next to the vent in the Chancellor's office, waiting for all these people to stop coming in and out. It's finally empty, but she doesn't know for how long.
"I know you're up there," Palpatine says, finally.
Bessie jumps, startled.
How did he –
Right. He is a Sith. He can use the Force, too. "You can sense it?" Bessie asks, eyes widening as her hands fumble over the grate.
Palpatine stands, moving to the door to lock it before he approaches the area below the grate. "Of course. I'm impressed you were able to... identify me."
She shoves the grate off with a much too loud screech, warily eyeing the distance between that and the floor.
"Jump down," he tells her.
She slides out of the opening and does – she feels something cold prickling in the air around her as her fall to the floor is slowed.
Bessie doesn't wait, practically jumping him, throwing her arms around his waist. She's been waiting to meet him for so long and he always said she couldn't, and she doesn't understand why but – she's just so glad that he's here. His hand lightly touches the top of her head, until she pulls back. "Why didn't you tell me?" Bessie asks.
"I haven't told anyone. The risk is far too great," her grandfather replies.
"But we... couldn't have seen each other sooner?"
"All my interactions are observed. You can't stay long, as it is," he replies. The tone is gentle, but she's still disappointed.
"I wanna... stay with you. Or with my brothers. I'm tired of being at the Temple," she says, sullenly.
"With your help, the war is nearly at an end. Now only the Jedi are left to be dealt with and then we shall have peace. You did well in stopping Grievous and Dooku," Palpatine tells her, "For now, you will have to go back, but it won't be long."
Disappointment swells up tight in her chest. "But..." He's been saying that for so long already.
"I understand you don't like it, but no one can know you're here or they will question why I didn't report it to the Jedi."
She pouts but nods. It makes sense, but –
Sidious still suddenly. He has that look on his face that – It's the expression Anakin always gets when he's sensing something with the Force.
"Wait out of sight," he says, "The Jedi will be here soon."
A chill snakes down her spine. "What does that mean?" They were here only hours ago, so why..?
"It means we are out of time. The Jedi plan to make their move at taking control of the Republic. Now... remain out of sight. They can't know you're here."
She doesn't really understand what's happening, but she runs for the nearest hiding spot she can find, in a far corner of the office. Reminds her of the times she's played hide and seek on the 501st cruisers, but this time isn't a game.
The doors slide open only minutes later, the Jedi entering and heading for where Palpatine is waiting.
Only moments later, she hears clashing lightsabers. Her grandfather was right. The Jedi are here attacking him. They're planning to hurt him, to kill him. Why, why does it feel like that's the only thing people do? Why are they always hurting her family?
She desperately wishes Anakin was here for a moment, because at least he would know what to do, right? She has no idea. Her grandfather told her to wait here but she can't just sit back doing nothing.
It's not long before the fight carries into the room. She recognizes Windu instantly. The other Jedi aren't here anymore – she doesn't know where they went. He's fighting Palpatine who's using a red lightsaber. She'd find it cool if she wasn't so terrified and angry.
She ducks out of hiding, about to attack Windu, but she's afraid she'll make her grandfather sick too even if she can fix it, and –
Windu doesn't even spare her a glance. The blades slash through the glass window and she flinches as it shatters.
Cool night air whips into the room as they keep fighting until Windu suddenly knocks Palpatine's lightsaber from his hand, knocking him to the ground. He scrambles away from him – until he's right up against the wall with Windu's lightsaber hovering only inches away from him.
"Stop it!" Bessie yells, glaring at him.
Windu glances at her, briefly. "Stay out of this," he replies, curtly, "You're in danger here. He's a traitor."
"You're the traitor! Leave him alone!" she snaps back.
But Windu isn't backing down. He resumes ignoring her entirely. He and Sidious start squabbling again, until Sidious raises a hand, unleashing a blast of lightning on him. Windu struggles to block it, and Bessie can only stare at them, wide-eyed.
The lightning looks scary.
But it only takes her a moment to realize that Windu is deflecting it back at Sidious, burning his face. She can see the smoke and – she is going to throw up. Right now.
How can he – What is wrong with him?
She reaches for the virus instead, letting it float out of her towards Windu. He looks up sharply. "Stay out of this, child," he warns, "He committed treason. I'm stopping him. If you want to help, it's him you need to stop."
He's already breathing in the first traces of the virus – when he's trying to fight off Sidious, there's nothing he can do to block it with the Force.
At least, not until her grandfather's hands drop, the lightning stopping.
"I'm going to end you once and force all, you Sith disease," Windu snarls, raising his lightsaber.
He's about to kill him.
Her grandfather.
He's about to die, and the blinding panic and fury that floods her whites out everything else.
"No!" Bessie screams, throwing all the virus she can right at Windu. It clouds in front of his vision and he takes a startled step back, just long enough for Sidious to unleash a blast of lightning on him that he can't block, flinging him out the window.
There's a heartbeat of absolute silence.
She still feels completely sick. Bessie runs to Sidious' side as he slowly sits up. "Grandpa? Are you okay?" She doesn't remember when she started crying, but she is now.
"The Jedi's hate only fuels the Dark Side," he replies, standing. He looks terrible. How is handing it so easily? Adults are weird like that, but...
"What are we gonna do?"
"This is the moment I have expected and prepared for, for years," he replies, "I intended to have Anakin as my apprentice, but since he is not here, I will need your help in stopping the Jedi rebellion before they return with a much larger force."
She bites her lip. "What do I do?"
"If the Jedi are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. You and your brothers will never be safe. You must go to the Temple. Infect everyone there."
She freezes. "Everyone? But – "
"Bessie," he interrupts. Something about the tone is enough to cut off her objections. It's not sharp, but it's far more serious than she's ever heard him. "You must do what needs to be done. You cannot hesitate. Only then will you be able to ensure the freedom of your brothers. The Jedi must all be destroyed. You may be reluctant to harm all of them, but none of them will show the same regard for you."
That's probably, true. Maybe.
When he said he needed her to help, she somehow didn't expect this. There are thousands of people at the Temple. And not all of them are mean adults.
They might have chosen not to be Anakin and Ahsoka's family, but that doesn't mean they don't care about them, either. She doesn't want to start hurting them like this, but then she thinks about what Windu was just doing, and – and –
Her grandfather would know if this is the only way, but it feels wrong. Worse than what she did in Theed. It's...
"What about the Jedi who aren't here? And Anakin?" Bessie asks, desperately.
"The other Jedi's betrayal will be dealt with," he assures, "Anakin has gone to Mandalore with his former padawan. He will be safe there. I know he was not a part of the conspiracy."
Wait –
"Ahsoka? But she left?" That doesn't make any sense. Bessie hasn't heard a word about her, but somehow Anakin's with her again?
"I have heard updates," he explains, "She came to him for help with another Sith Lord, but now is not the time for this. Your only concern is to deal with the Jedi at the Temple. The longer we wait, the longer they have to prepare for an assault. Can I trust you to handle this?"
She... doesn't know what to say to that. She doesn't want to do this. Even if she's still angry at the Jedi. Even if... but she can't say no, can she? Not when the Jedi will hurt her and Grandpa and her brothers if she doesn't.
Bessie nods tentatively.
She wishes she could stop remembering how hurt everyone was on Naboo, overlayed with the memory of Windu torturing her Grandpa.
"Use your anger and pain to fuel you," he tells her, "They will give you power and focus. That is what you need."
**w**
She gets back to the Temple before the clones. Sneaking inside isn't hard, but... letting the Blue Shadow Virus flow out of her, the blue mist clouding the halls is. She's hiding up in the vents again so none of them can find her, but she can feel the virus infecting everyone nearby, feel what it's doing to them, and –
She wants this to stop. She – she doesn't want to do this. She was trying to focus on how angry she was like Sidious told her, but – But that's not making it any easier now.
Doesn't know how long she's been here up but it's been a while by now.
"Bessie?" a voice demands from behind her and she jumps, thunking her head on the top of the shaft as she whips around.
It's... Mill.
She's infected, too. It's not bad yet. She's not showing signs outwardly, but –
"Mill?" She chokes out, freezing. She didn't know the Zabrak was back here. She was away on a mission before. "Mill – I'm sorry." Bessie closes her eyes, sucking the virus out of her in an instant. How much she's being using the virus is already overwhelming.
It feels wrong. She feels awful. Everyone here is going to die because of her.
"What are you doing?!" Mill demands, eyes full of betrayal. Bessie's never seen her looking so hurt before.
Tears rush to her eyes uncalled for, spilling down her cheeks. She never wanted this, any of this, but she doesn't know what to do. "I – the Jedi are hurting my brothers and Grandpa. I have to – to stop them."
"You're – you're going to kill everyone." Mill sounds more disbelieving and incredulous than anything like the shock is the strongest of what she's feeling.
Bessie scoots away from her, the guilt rushing up full force.
What was she even thinking? Why did she – do this? She thought she a going to help, kept trying to remind herself what her grandfather was saying and what Windu did to him, but she – She doesn't want to go through with this. She can't. But she can't go tell her grandfather that she changed her mind, not facing his disappointment when he trusted her with this. She doesn't want to know what will happen if the Jedi survive, either.
She –
She wants to run. To run and run – and find someone who can actually make this right.
"I can f-fix it still," she whispers, closing her eyes.
"It was the Sith who had you do this?" Mill asks.
Bessie nods half mindlessly, letting herself focus on where all the viruses are, then focuses on pulling everything back to her. It's exhausting. She feels like she's about to collapse, but she can't. She scrambles down the shaft, ignoring Mill calling for her – she feels too awful to look back. Dropping out of the shaft at the next opening, she drops down and runs.
She has to get to the hanger to – to get out of here, to leave all this behind, and – and she has no idea what then.
Maybe she can find Anakin or Ahsoka. Maybe they'll know what to do. They'll probably be so angry at her, though. What was she thinking? She keeps running.
Really doesn't want to look back.
Even if she has no idea where she's going to go.
She just wants a family, and now she's running away from the only one she ever had. But – but she has no idea what else to do.
**w**
Being entirely on her own out here is terrifying. She has no idea what she's doing or – or anything. She wanted to find Anakin and Ahsoka again but didn't have anywhere to start. She's also half a mind to go back to Coruscant and find her grandfather, but she's too afraid to know what happened.
So the last thing she's expecting to find first is... the strangest group of clones she's ever met. At least she thinks they're clones. She doesn't know why they look so strange, though.
"Bessie?" the one with light enough skin to be a ghost and a scomp for an arm asks, frowning.
Why does he look so familiar?
"You know me?" she demands, taking a wary step away. She's tired of being alone. All she wanted was family, but she never gets that. Not without complicated adult problems she doesn't know why she should have to care about.
"I'm Echo," he explains, "I'm not surprised you couldn't recognize me."
"Echo?" she squeaks, eyes going wide. "You – you're here?" She practically jumps and he stumbles a step back but awkwardly catches her, patting her with his human hand.
"What are you doing out here?" he asks.
Her face scrunches. "Wandering around."
"By yourself?"
"I... um yes."
Echo steps back, turning to the others. "Well, I think you can stay with us, at least for now. This is... Bessie, who I once thought was our only sister." He throws a pointed glance at the blonde-haired girl. Who has a major resemblance to Bessie's dead sisters, now that she's looking at her.
"You're a clone?" the girl asks, eyes widening.
"The Separatists created her," Echo explains, "Bessie, these are Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Omega."
More of her brothers. She makes a mental note of the names. It's not something she's gonna forget. "Hi!" she chirps.
"I didn't realize I had a sister," Omega says, approaching her.
"I had hundreds but they were all... killed," Bessie replies. It still hurts, even now, but she has another sister. And countless brothers. That makes it... as easy as it ever could be. "It's nice to have another sister." Even if it's one she doesn't know. Yet. She wants to get to know all of them. She's tired of wandering around and being alone. She – she almost misses what it was like at the Temple sometimes. At least then she wasn't all by herself.
She looks past Omega, to the other three.
Tech is studiously studying a datapad for some reason. He's barely even looked up.
"Do you... know Rex? Or – or Anakin?" she asks, hesitantly. She's almost afraid to see either of them again, but she misses them so much. And Mill. She's even more afraid to see her again.
Hunter and Echo exchange a glance.
"No, we don't," Hunter replies.
Bessie deflates. "'Kay," she says, a little miserably. Then she really doesn't have anywhere to go, unless she stays with them. "But why do you have a skull on your face?"
...If she's going to meet new brothers, she needs to actually know them.
Author's Note: I think it's before Bracca and Bessie probably meets up with Rex again there. Idk what happens after that, but it'll probably have a happy ending… eventually. =)
~ Tirana Sorki
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