Chapter 22 - Death is Not the Only Thing That Can Stop Your Heart

When the fighting started, Sulani was too far back to be affected, but she had her lightsaber alight in her hand regardless. The clones around her continued to push forward, but given her current role, she stood to the side as they did, she did not want to get in their way. She was thankful for her foresight in having her lightsaber at the ready as Geonosians started flying out of mud towers all around them. Unfortunately, she could not deflect their pulse rifles, but she could at least dodge them. They were all remaining in the air, so she was not going to reach them by conventional methods and used the Force to both pull them towards her as well as push them into the mud towers around them. This disorientated them enough for clones to deal with them using their blasters.

As they continued to deal with the Geonosians, it became louder from where the others were handling the droids, no doubt the rocket launchers were coming into play with droidekas and super battle droids. When the Geonosians finally started retreating, she could not find it in herself to feel relief, something else was going on because her and the clones certainly were not winning. That's when she heard the turrets firing continuously up front and realised the Geonosians must have retreated because of incoming heavy artillery.

When the turrets had finished firing, their was an air of uncertainty coming from the clones, but before long, it was replaced by a mixture of confusion and anxiety. Deciding this was something worth going forward for, Sulani made her way to the front line to investigate. She finally saw what the problem was when she reached Anakin and Master Luminara, there were several tanks of which she had never seen before and they appeared completely unaffected by the barrage of fire from the turrets. "What is going on?" she cannot help but ask.

Anakin and Master Luminara turn when they hear her voice, but Anakin is the one to answer her, "Those tanks appear to be ray-shielded or they could not have withstood so much fire."

"Then what are we going to do about them?" she asks.

"Well, that's what we have to figure out," Master Luminara says as she turns back to face the incoming tanks.

As they were kneeling behind a rock formation to think of a plan, all three of their chronometers started beeping with a green light, "Green light, the bombs are active," Anakin says with excitement.

"The Padawans did it," Master Luminara adds.

"And just in time."

Sulani should feel relief that the plan was nearly complete, but that feeling she had earlier when watching Ahsoka leave was back. She still was not sure what was going on because the feeling was there, but it told her nothing of what to look out for. It was at that moment that the droid tanks started firing, "Get down!" Anakin yells.

Everyone quickly finds cover as the attack takes out the turrets. They keep up the attack as clones continued to storm the bridge in the hopes of getting somewhere. They were only shot down in the process and Sulani was unsure about what they could do before the bombs went off inside. Then the droid tanks were in range of the Republic tanks, and they started taking them out with ease. They were becoming more and more defenseless as time went on. Being too close to the fire, the three Jedi quickly make their way back even further to where Rex was. "Rex," Anakin says when they arrive, "tell the men to fall back."

"But, sir," Rex starts to argue, "you can't be asking us to turn tail and run?"

"I'm not asking you to run Rex," Anakin assures him while grabbing a pack of explosives, "I want to draw those tanks out on to the bridge."

"I see what you have in mind," Master Luminara says.

So could Sulani, but although she was usually against such a risky plan, she was not going to stand in the way of something that could get rid of those ridiculous tanks. "I always come prepared, Master," Anakin says to Master Luminara. "Let's go."

Master Luminara, who also picked up a pack of explosives, followed Anakin to the bridge. Sulani need not be told to stay, she was not going anywhere near those tanks any time soon. She continued to wait with the clones, helping them retreat to lure those tanks to where Anakin needed them to be. They were not waiting long before the bridge was blown to pieces, all droid tanks on top of it falling into the canyon below. Sulani felt relief, those tanks were just too much trouble to handle given what they had already endured this day.

Sulani joined a group of clones on their side of the now destroyed bridge and while they raised their fists in the air in triumph, she simply waved at the other two across the gap just as they did. Sulani was standing with Rex when she felt a spike of frustration from Anakin, looking down at her chronometer, she realised why. Anakin then contacted Rex, "Rex, any sign of Ahsoka or Barriss on your side?"

"No, sir," Rex replies, "but this place is getting ready to blow. The evacuation ships are arriving, I suggest you get on one."

"Not without Ahsoka."

This was making Sulani's worry grow, the bombs were so close to going off and they had no idea where the two Padawans were. She watched from her side of the canyon as Anakin and Master Luminara prepared themselves to deal with the droids now coming out of the factory. Things were getting worse by the minute. She watched helplessly as the other took on a battalion of droids alone, the distance was too far for her to jump, even with the Force. That's when Ahsoka finally contacted them, "Master, can you hear me? Master?"

"Ahsoka, set off the bombs, we're trapped," he calls back to her.

"I'm sorry Master, we can't make it out."

Sulani felt her heart drop to her feet and her whole body went numb, she had to be hearing things, this just was not happening, "Can't make it out?" Anakin asks, "Ahsoka, wait!"

Ahsoka was not responding, she clearly had nothing more to say on the matter and Sulani could only watch as the whole building blew up from the inside out. She could only stand and stare, no thoughts entered her mind. She was not even aware of the dust cloud heading towards her and would have let it sweep over her if Rex had not grabbed her and pulled her behind cover. Even then, she stayed where she had landed, leaning against the rock. She felt Anakin's urgency and anxiety, his need to start digging was biting into her. This allowed her enough conscious thought to find Ahsoka again. There she was, alive but drifting further away.

She stood, ignoring Rex's call for her to wait, but she could not, she needed to be there with Anakin. She needed to be able to save Ahsoka or she would not be able to function. She would not allow this war to take away any of her younglings, not today. She almost forgot about the cliff edge, but she was able to stop in time before she went over the edge. She looked across, but there was too much dust in the air. Then she heard the hum of the gunship before it landed beside her, opening it's hatch. Rex steps out long enough to call out to her, "General, quickly get on so that we can get over there."

She wasted no time whatsoever as she ran over to the gunship, jumping on and thankfully, the pilot was not in the mood to waste time either as he was off again in no time. As soon as they landed on the other side, she was back out of the ship, heading straight over towards where Anakin and Master Luminara were standing. Master Luminara seemed troubled, and Anakin, well Anakin was obviously worried about Ahsoka. Rex came up behind her, "The tank lifters are hereto move the debris as ordered General."
Sulani had not realised that Anakin had even asked for the tank lifters, but then she remembered she was not really all that with it a few minutes ago. Anakin made his way closer, "Get to it Rex."

He then looked towards the ground as if he could see Ahsoka through the rock and debris between them, he definitely was not handling this any better than she was, he was just making a better show of hiding it. Kind of. She knew her hands were shaking even as she tried hard to hide how she felt, but Master Luminara seemed more focused on Anakin than Sulani's blank expression and the clenched fist she was hiding behind her back.

They had spent quite a while watching as the clones worked on un-burying the Padawans, Anakin was getting impatient as he came to stand beside where Sulani and Master Luminara had been observing the proceedings, "We can not abandon our Padawans."

"You misjudge me," Master Luminara says gently, "I too care for my apprentice, but if their time has come…"

Sulani tried not to think about that possibility, though she could sense Ahsoka through the ground. Anakin felt the same way, "I refuse to let Ahsoka die. She will find a way out."

"If my Padawan has perished, I will mourn her, but I will celebrate her as well through her memory."

"Well I still plan on celebrating this victory with my Padawan, in person," he insists.

Sulani would never find out if Master Luminara would say more because Anakin's communicator started beeping strangely. "Wait, I'm picking up a pulse on Ahsoka's comm channel," he says before looking around, "it's coming from over there."

They race over to where the signal is coming from and find a large pile of debris inside a hole in the ground. Rex came closer, "I'll move the heavy machinery over, sir."

"No time," Anakin insists.

Anakin closes his eyes to reach for the Force, Master Luminara and Sulani waste no time in joining him, using the Force to lift the top layer of debris from the pile. Using their combined strength, they move it out of the way. They had uncovered one of those droid tanks and Sulani feels her heart soar as Ahsoka comes coughing out of its broken form, Barriss right behind her.

"Barriss," Master Luminara calls happily.

"Ahsoka," Anakin says gently as he makes his way closer, "I knew they were still alive. I told you we shouldn't give up on them."

"It's not that I gave up Skywalker," she insists, "But unlike you, when the time comes, I am prepared to let my student go. Can you say the same?"

Anakin only shakes his head in response before heading towards Ahsoka, helping her out of the hole, "I knew you'd come looking for me," she says to him.

"I never doubted you for a second," he says in return.

They look over to where Master Luminara was reuniting with Barriss, "Padawan, you did well."

"Thank you Master," Barriss says, "but if it weren't for Ahsoka, we'd still be down there."

"Indeed," she says softly, then turns to Ahsoka, "your Master never lost faith in you."

Ahsoka sends a smile her Master's way, but it was at that moment that Sulani finally remembered she could move as she stormed towards them. Ahsoka had barely any time to notice her before Sulani had leaned down and enveloped her in her arms. "I thought I had lost you," she whispers in her ear.

"I'm still here Mother, you know Master would never let me down," Ahsoka says back as she returns the embrace.

"I know."

Master Luminara had led Barriss away while Sulani was hugging Ahsoka, the only one who had stayed was Anakin and it was not hard to tell that he was still basking in the reality that she was still alive.

A/N: part 3/5 is here, hurrah. This arc really is stressful on my poor main character, first needing to fly a fighter in battle (my fault) and now Ahsoka nearly dying (the cartoon's fault). Not to mention this arc is still not over, who knows what else is gonna happen. Well if you remember what happens in this arc, then you do already know haha. Anyway, still two more left in this arc.
Seza, out.