Chapter 28
To Escape a Dream
MUSTAFAR
Mustafar was a small planet located in the Mustafar system, within the Atravis sector of the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories. Once a garden world nourished by the Bright Star artifact, its orbit was shifted when Lady Corvax unleashed the energies of the Bright Star in an attempt to return her husband to life. The resulting gravimetric duel between the gas giants Jestefad and Lefrani over Mustafar heated the planet's core, transforming the lush world into an imbalanced volcanic hellscape. Adapting to life on their devastated homeworld, the arthropodal Mustafarians evolved into two distinct subspecies that cooperated to ensure their continued survival. Mustafar was a planet within the eponymous system of the Atravis sector, in the Outer Rim Territories. It was a small world situated in grid square L-19 of the Standard Galactic Grid, and it lay on the Tosste Spur trade route, off the Rimma Trade Route. A part of the Western Reaches, Mustafar was located 53,000 light-years from the galaxy's Core. With an overlapping orbit, Mustafar was the third orbit of its system around the primary star Priate, completing a full rotation every 36 standard hours and a revolution around its sun every 412 local days, the equivalent of 618 standard days. It had a diameter of 4,200 kilometers, or 2,610 miles, and was a terrestrial world classed as a wasteland during the Imperial Era. Nourished by the power of the Bright Star artifact, it was once a temperate and lush garden world that thrived with lifeforms that inhabited forests. Millennia before the Imperial Era, Mustafar became an unstable volcanic world with underground caves and lava constituting 35% of its surface, taking the form of lava seas, rivers, and pits interspersed with glens, molten rock plains, as well as obsidian mountain ranges and shores. Few areas were temperate enough to sustain life, and only a few landmasses were not fractured by tectonic disruption and magma flows, allowing lifeforms to evolve deep underground.
But above the surface a fleet of four Star Destroyers always stood ready, down on it's black rock surface of the planet there were Imperial facilities, and among the facilities there was a building dedicated to one purpose and one purpose only.
To break Jedi.
Among the oceans and rivers of lavas, stood a great magma galls, long as a cruiser with only one heavy island at it's edge that stood a long island with an Imperial structure a drum shaped building with landing pads on each side of it, the only way in or out of the prison.
Deep under the prison's floors upon floors in the drum tower, was a single chamber where Ahkilleon was strapped to a chair. The metal floor and walls of the chamber were the colorless metal with lights on the wall, but on the floor in glowing green paint of the ancient sith tongues was a spell circle that trapped Ahkilleon in dream world of his deepest desires.
He was on Mustafar.
He was in Galaxy Far, Far Away…
Ahkilleon sat in the back of the Ghost as it dropped out of hyperspace above Raxus Secundus, there the one of the oldest and most noble of the Republic Navy's Venator Class warships stood flanked on each side by the Confederacy's navy of Dreadnoughts, "Resolute II, this is Ghost asking permission to dock?" Captain Syndulla asked over the comlink as the ship flew toward the cruiser.
"Ghost you are cleared for landing, welcome back." the voice of the ships bridge said as the Ghost landed in the hangar.
Wake up
As it landed the hangar, Ahsoka and Leo walked off first followed by their padawans Ahkilleon with his father, Sabine with Ahsoka. Then Kanan and Ezra, with Hera, Zeb and Chopper coming out last. "Welcome back Commander." A elderly clone said walking up to them, he was dressed in a blue officers uniform with white bracers and boots, two pistols at his side. A white beard around his jawline and warm brown eyes "General Rex" Ahsoka said seeing him as she hugged the old clone.
Wake up Ahkilleon.
"I am up?" Ahkilleon said looking to Ezra, "What, I didn't say anything?" Ezra replied.
Rex hugged Ahsoka back "General." Rex greeted Leo.
"We aren't military anymore General, but we happy to assist Ranger Orrelios in finding the First Ranger." Leo said as Rex nodded at them, "Come with me." General Rex said.
The party followed Rex through the old Venator it was filled with humans, twi'leks, pantorans, Gungans, Wookies, Weequay, Tull, Nautolan, Quarrens and Calamari, even a few Lurmen and Ming Po all dressed in different variants of the light blue uniform or dressed in white blue striped armor that resembled clone armor. But each fitted differently for their individual species while species like Wookiees or Tull would wear shoulder pieces and belts. "How's the 501st been, Rex?" Ahsoka asked the General.
They passed by a few older soldiers, clone troopers like Rex who were dressed either in armor with Kama's or officers uniform, "It hasn't been the same since you and the General left the military Master Tano, but the boys and I have an endless supply of Shinies to work with."
Sabine held her helmet under her arm brushing her black and red hair back, "Shinies?"
"He means Rookies, old clone jargon." Ahkilleon explained, Rex looked back "So this is the new padawan, least she wears armor." Rex teased.
Ahsoka winced and Sabine asked "What does he mean by that Master?" Sabine asked Ahsoka.
"We uh… don't need to talk about it." Ahsoka said as Leo smirked "You haven't told her snips?" Leo asked her.
Ahsoka leered at her husband, "I didn't tell her because it was unimportant." Ahsoka explained.
"What are we talking about?" Kanan asked from behind puzzled just as everyone else outside the Rock Tano family.
Wake up, this isn't real Ahkilleon.
Looking behind him Ahkilleon saw a man standing there, translucent in white robes with a salt and pepper beard, bald waving at him "Ahkilleon?" Sabine asked he looked back getting sucked back into the vision.
Ahsoka groaned "If you must all know, back when Leo and I were padawans in the Clone Wars, it wasn't a big deal, but looking back on it my choice of… apparel was in question." Ahsoka said scratching the side of her Lekku, Ahkilleon rubbed his temples "Can we not mom?"
"Hold on Ahsoka, now I'm curious?" Hera asked.
Ahsoka sighed, not wanting to go any further "Do you want to or should I my love?" Leo asked.
"I… fought in a tube top." Ahsoka said blushing.
"WHAT?" Sabine and Ezra said at the same time, "It was traditional torgurtan apparel, Master Secura was allowed to wear her twi'lek garb, as were others like Master Luminara's head dress, but it's hot on Shili." Ahsoka explained.
Ezra looked at Ahkilleon and started to snicker "But a tube top?" Ezra asked Ahsoka's son.
"Are there holopics?" Sabine asked.
"Can we please continue it was embarrassing enough when I realized what I was wearing." Ahsoka said to Rex.
Leo smirked, "I'm just glad you never got rid of it." Leo said with a mischievous look on his face, "Oh stars." Ahkilleon grumbled, covering his face in embarrassment, "What son, you don't like that your parents still love each other."
"Just not in public, dad." Ahkilleon said as the rest of the party snickered, even the newer member Ranger Orrellos chuckled.
Kanan looked back "Stick around big guy, this is pretty common." Kanan said.
The lasat nodded "You can just call me Zeb."
"Zeb, I like it." Ezra said as they walked into the bridge of the Resolute II, "Attention!" A clones voice shouted as all the crew clones and non clones turned to greet Rex, "At ease." Rex said as he entered they walked up to the holotable, "So what is the Republic Navy doing here, General?" Ahsoka asked him.
Rex sighed, "Escorting Senator Chuchi as she negotiates the resource agreement with the Outer Rim Worlds, but your here for Turok, he was here working with the local law tracking down a mysterious person of interest in an investigation." Rex explaineda as it showed a hologram of First Ranger Turok skell, the old Ranger was dressed in a leather jacket like Zeb and Hera, with a flight suit he had a blaster rifle in his hands and was moving out of breath "We got this transmission from him before he disappeared."
"General Rex, it's Skell, I found him, I had no idea he was even real but he is." Turok said as he looked around he was running through Raxus's deep woods checking over his shoulder "And it's worse than I ever thought, I caught him making some sort of deal with him. Asimov is-" the transmission went dead and the party all looked at one another "Thats all we got, a name Asimov." Rex said.
The Jedi all looked grim and Leo leaned on the table, "Leo?" Ahsoka asked.
"Asimov… damn it" he muttered.
"Dad, do you know that name?"
Leo turned to his son, "He was a Jedi, and I failed to save him."
Back in the real world, Sariss and Jerec were looking at a small glowing green pool seeing what Ahkilleon was seeing, "Strange, I thought these were his memories why would he dream of his own Master as the enemy?" Jerec asked.
"My own work Master." Sariss said, nodding at him, "A good story needs a villain, who better than his own master." Sariss explained, Jerec licked the sides of his mouth and approached her gingerly brushing her cheek "My dear you a ruthless, I admire that in a woman."
ATOLLON
Chopper Base
The Ghost was preparing for their mission, Zeb and Ezra finished loading up the ship with fuel, "Ships full Hera, what else do we need?" He asked Hera as he unscrewed the hose, Hera was in the cockpit flipping switches and getting the ship ready with Chopper "Ezra get with Chopper, make sure the hyperdrive is working so we can have a quick exit." Hera commanded, Chopper begrudgingly headed into the ship he climbed up the ladder to see Kanan meditating in his room, the door open as if he wanted someone to interrupt him.
Ezra saw Sabine in her room prepping her explosives making more just in case they needed them.
MUSTAFAR
The Dream World
Back in the dream world, Ahkilleon was still aboard the Venator class cruiser, he spied his father alone looking out a nearby starport window, he approached him his foot steps obvious so he didn't sneak up on him. "Dad, you okay?"
Leo's eyes were shut hands behind his back in meditation, "I'd be lying if I said yes." Leo confessed.
"Who was Asimov?" Ahkilleon asked.
Leo looked at his son in the reflection, "That's right, you were still a baby when it happened."
"When what happened, dad?" Ahkilleon asked his father, Leo looked forward but it was clear from the glazed expression on his face he was looking into the past, "After we stopped the Clone Wars ended, we all thought that was it, it was over, no more fighting, finally peace." Leo told him "Your mother had left the Order, I had surrendered to the Council for amnesty for the rest of the Crusading Jedi, we brought back… you know who."
Ahkilleon tensed up the nightmare that had him in it, Darth Maul the sith lord, he had nightmares all his life of that monster, the irony of it made him smile "And Maul told you all the truth, that Sidious was actually the Chancellor."
"Yes, Anakin led a strike team of Jedi I mean Grand Master Skywalker, to arrest the Chancellor he stopped it all, he saved the Republic but not all of us were ready for the peace." Leo said as he looked ashamed "But you were pardoned dad, mom rejoined the order. What does this have to do with this Asimov?" Ahkilleon asked.
"Asimov, was a jedi once, a promising padawan with great skill and ambition." Leo said looking at his sons reflection, "I begged me to be his master, but I was-tch, I had my hands full your mother and I were trying to raise you, rebuild the Order and the people's trust I was never ready for a padawan so I thought I was doing him favor." Leo shook his head.
Ahkilleon started to grow nervous. "What happened to him?"
"What happens to all misunderstood men, they look for guidance in the wrong places. Asimov was convinced that the Republic should have never been saved, that we should instead leave Coruscant all together, return to the homeworld of Tython eventually he left the Order… and began calling himself Asimov."
Ahkilleon tensed up and felt the question on the tip of his tongue "That new name, it come with a new title, and a red lightsaber?" he asked.
Leo was silent, "You don't know?"
"Your mother and I wanted the Order to change, we wanted to stop another Dooku, another me splitting the Order, if a Jedi wanted to leave it was there choice, I only ever ran into Asimov a few other times, but he always doing what he thought right, and it sometimes led us into conflict." Leo explained.
Ahkilleon stood behind his father "Whatever Asimov has become, we'll face him together Master, you, mom, me and all our friends."
"Thank you son."
The Ghost dropped out of hyperspace, approaching a Militia Corvette, the Endevourer the same one Ahkilleon had ridden on to the front, the freighter flew toward the corvette and docked with it. Hera climbed out first into the vessel to see Lord Asimov was standing in the hallway of the port with Master Uzuma behind him, her own padawan Yumi Vos-Ventress, her brother, Cadet Jay Freeman along with Commander Sigma and Turok. "This way." Lord Asimov said to the rebels as they came out.
Everyone but Ezra had climbed out of the Ghost, but Ezra was staying behind "You sure you don't want to come?" Hera asked Ezra.
"Someone needs to stay with the ship, make sure Chopper doesn't steal it." Ezra teased, but hid the real reason he didn't want to come.
The rebels followed Lord Asimov into a large conference room, similar to the ones aboard the Rebel Corvettes but it had an old separatist style to it, with colorless metal walls with white lights and angular chairs and table. Sitting at the head of the table was a familiar golden faced "Caliban." Hera growled
"Ah Captain Syndulla, how I have missed the sight of your emerald face." Caliban said rising, the golden masked spymaster was still wearing the purple cowl around his head, matching robes with bandaged hands that hid his body, and his identity. "What is he doing here?" Hera asked Asimov.
The Warlord said nothing, he walked over to the end of the room standing in the corner with Caliban, but Sigma answered "Lord Caliban is the Militia's spymaster, he knows everything the Empire doesn't want us to know, including who and where they took Ahkilleon." he explained as Uzuma sat down at the table, her Padawan standing behind her.
"We know who and where, this bitch Sariss and Mustafar?" Sabine stated.
"That is half what you know." Caliban said as he held his hands up "Mustafar has been a stronghold of the Empire for years, why besides its valuable resources and where the Separatist Council was massacred, it is serving as the Inquisitroius new base of operations." Caliban explained pressing a button that showed the hologram of the planet, "Four Star Destroyers are in constant guard of the planet, in addition there are dozens of Imperial outposts, refineries on the surface, and more." Caliban explained.
The rebels had sat down at the table, "More what, eh?" Zeb asked.
"This is the home of a familiar enemy, the master of the Inquisitors."
Kanan tensed up "Vader, but Vader's dead."
"We assume he is dead, the Emperor's chief Enforcer has not been seen since the war began, but if the Inquisitors have made this world their home we can expect more than just Jerec, Yun, Maw and this latest addition, Sariss." Caliban showed a hologram of the blonde woman.
Jay tensed "Why do they always make the pretty ones crazy." Everyone looked at the cadet who spoke out of turn "Just trying to lighten the mood."
"Sariss, born to dark side cult known as the Prophets, on Dromund Kaas an ancient sith home world, the cult's ways where nihilistic and the sheer creation was an offense her life was nothing but carnal slavery to the cult." Caliban said.
Hera looked at the young woman, "That's sadistic."
"And a prime candidate for the Inquisitors, recruited by Jerec she is loyal to him beyond all others." Caliban said.
Kanan held his hand up "How do you know so much?"
"Because I tried to recruit her myself, she almost killed me, almost. We know she is a master of the ancient ways of Sith Spells she learned from the cult, and she made sure she alone know of those secrets. Because her final test to join Jerec was to massacre the very cult who enslaved her." Caliban turned off the hologram.
The rebels looked at their own leaders, "So what's your plan?" Hera asked.
"That my dear is where you come in, the Empire will expect Lord Asimov to come with iron and blood for his padawan, I have convinced the padawans Master we need a subtle hand, we need to think outside the box, we need you rebels." Caliban said.
MUSTUFAR
The Dream World
Walking back aboard the Ghost, Ahkilleon headed to the bunks in the Ghost and knocked on one door, it opened with a woosh and Sabine was inside painting her armor with shades of red and blue, Ahkilleon leaned on the doorway "You know, I think it would look good with purple and orange?"
"You think?" Sabine asked, trying to picture it, her mind was elsewhere thinking of something else, two someones at that.
"So they couldn't make it, your parents?" Ahkilleon asked Sabine. "My dad said he tried to convince my mom to come, but he said she was to busy." Sabine said as she added some paint to her armor, a red streak that looked like a serpent, "Just another excuse." She said tossing away her paint gun.
She turned to Ahkilleon, "What did you do when your parents just went off on their adventures?" She asked. "Get in trouble with Ezra?" Ahkilleon smirked, she walked over to his bunk and sat down before she laid down on this thigh like it was a pillow "Tell me some?" Ahkilleon chuckled, "Well there was the time we took Grandmaster Skywalkers prized starfighter out for a joy ride, and crashed it." "Naturally." Sabine said tracking her hand down his bicep to his forearm before he locked her fingers on his.
"Caused the great Scone Wars in the cafeteria three weeks in a row." Sabine gave a sigh "Ah the taste of battle."
"Then of course we deface the four statues of the founding masters for all of Coruscant to see." Ahkilleon looked down at her and she smiled "A shame I missed it."
I would have loved your artistic input, Ezra just drew mustaches on all them, each one excessively dumber." Ahkilleon explained. Sabine pressed her other hand up and a finger on Ahkilleon's upper lip "Sabine?" "Shhh visualizing you with a mustache?" Ahkilleon let her look at his face for a long time.
She dropped her hand "Nah, can't see it." "I'm not sure if I can even grow one." He said scratching his bare chin smiling. Sabine puckered "No, it be like making out with a caterpillar." She saw his eyes shift "What?"
"Just looking at you." Sabine pulled his hand close to hers feeling his palm on her cheek and the looked like she was about to kiss it when she suddenly bite him like a playful cat.
"Yeow-hmphmmm." Sabine stifled Ahkilleon's yelp with a kiss pushing him back into the bunk and on twirling top of him "How do you always let your guard down around me, I could kill you five different ways in this position?" She asked inches from his face.
Ahkilleon thought it over "That's kinda hot." Sabine giggled and nuzzled her head into his shoulder "You are the weirdest Jedi I've ever known." "I'll take that as a compliment." He said back kissing her neck and Sabine's giggling stop and reached behind his head gripping his hair tight, his lips massaging her neck as she gripped his tunic tighter.
Then he stopped?
Sabine looked at him puzzled "What is it, you've been acting weird all day?"
Wake up.
"Sorry, I just it feels like everything is off?" He pointed out.
Sabine laid her head next down to his "What could be off, just like any other day well better even." She said smiling brushing his cheek.
Ahkilleon took her hand in his, pressing his face into it, "It's almost too perfect."
She chuckled "And that's a bad thing?" "Yes- no, I don't know." Ahkilleon pulled away and sat up getting to his feet, "I just feel like something is wrong?" he said grabbing the sides of his head.
Sabine swung her legs off the bunk and crossed them "Duh."
"Duh?" Ahkilleon asked her confused turning around "Yeah, First Ranger Skell is missing, this weirdo Asimov or whatever his name is behind it, and we need to find Arcadia?" Sabine said to him and Ahkilleon lowered his arms "... Yeah, it's this Asimov thing that's got me all in a twist, and whatever has happened to Turok." he smiled finally being able to make sense of it.
Sabine flicked her hair "I know, I know she's as pretty as she is smart."
"Your Jedi training is paying off if your able to read minds?" Ahkilleon said, Sabine got up and she walked toward him, hips swaying with every step hands behind her back, "Hmm, and Jedi Mind Tricks?" she held her hand up waving it "You want to make out a little?" she said in a playful voice.
Ahkilleon got closer "How does one make out a little?"
"Excellent question, let's find out?" Sabine asked leaning up to kiss him, Ahkilleon kissed her back and the door opened, both of them still in the embrace when they saw Ezra looking at them his face a dozen different shades of green and red "... Seriously!" he snapped.
He slapped his forehead and covered his eyes "Oh great I'm going to have to meditate for weeks to get this image out of my mind." Ezra groaned.
"Ezra I can explain-" Ahkilleon started "What's there to explain?" Sabine asked folding her arms miffed at Ezra interrupting the make out session.
"We can do that later, we've got other issues." Ezra said and oncue alarms started to blare all over the Venator ship they were still on. The three padawans ran out of the Ghost, the Resolute II's hangar bay was wide open in the bow of the ship and fresh out of hyperspace had dropped a Subjugator class Cruiser Crusher, like the Malevolence only bigger with dark red markings. "That is one big ship." Ezra said. Clones and Republic pilots started to rush to their starfighters and the hangar became alive with activity as the cannons opened fire.
Outside the dream world, Sariss was holding hands over Ahkilleon who started to jostle around in the chair pulling at the bindings, Jerec and Yun watched with interest, "What is happening?"
Sariss grunted "Forgive my Grand Inquisitor, he still hasn't succumbed to the full power of the dream, a perfect world is imperfect in itself. We as individuals crave contest and struggle, this one as you have both told me in detail. Ahkilleon Tano has known nothing but conflict, it's his nature, war is what he breathes to dream of peace… I must give him a challenge, and in turn he will give us Arcadia."
Meanwhile, Above Mustafar, Grand Admiral Thrawn was inside his office looking through his relics taken from many worlds, a helmet from the clone wars, art from Cato Nemodia, and so on. But his most recent collection, the kalikori from Ryloth, belonged to House Syndulla, an item that he was saddened to hear Hera would rather see destroyed than in the Empire's hands, or his hands to be more precise. Thrawn had set it down in front of his desk, he looked it over, examining the intricate layers of the totem. "Syndulla was after this, but why were you there Tano?" Thrawn asked.
He pressed a button on his desk and brought up a hologram, "Bring up Commander Tano's military record." he told the computer, and it began to show various files with the Republic seal on them it faded to show holographic images of Ahsoka with her Master, and then an image with another jedi. A young man with white hair, green robes, fair skin with a distinct scar across his nose, Thrawn eyed it and looked at Ahsoka.
"Hmm, as I suspected, but your connection to Syndulla…." thrawn picked up the kalikori and examined it with his hands, running his fingers over the carving and then he stopped. Lifting it up and down Thrawn could feel the totem was off weight, only slightly before he looked at the pieces each one added by a new generation, he clutched the most recent piece the one with Hera's mothers name on it, "Eleni Syndulla?" Thrawn typed the name into the records and the public records began to appear.
Thrawn thought a moment, then he clicked on another link "Deeper, I must look deeper." Thrawn said to himself as he started to look through old files, and then back at the kalikori how could such a cherished family heirloom be off balance, unless?
Thrawn clutched Eleni's piece of the totem and he snapped it off, before he crushed the clay piece in his hand and opened his fist revealing a hard drive.
"Clever?" Thrawn inserted the drive into the computer and a hologram appeared of Qu Rahn, "But not clever enough Jedi." Thrawn pressed a button on his desk "Please, summon the Grand Inquisitor to my quarters."
THE SLICE
Ghost/Endeavour
"That has got to be the absolute, worst, insane idea I have ever heard." Uzuma said after the rebels laid out their plan, "Will it work?" Lord Asimov said as he turned to the rebels.
Hera and Kanan exchanged looks at one another, "We aren't sure, it's… never been done?"
"Because it's physically impossible, to do it you have to be insane." Uzuma argued, Yumi nodded "No one is that good a pilot?"
Kanan smirked hearing that, "Clearly you've never seen her fly." Kanan replied.
"Will it work?" Lord Asimov asked again, "Why so caring all of a sudden, Asimov?" Hera asked him "Why the change of heart?" Sabine asked hands on her blasters.
Lord Asimov had all eyes on him, "Despite what you think you know, Ahkilleon is still my padawan and I do care for him."
"Care for him?" Kanan asked getting to his feet, "Kanan?" Hera grabbed his arm but he pulled away "You call sending him to the front lines of your battles, stripping him and flogging him in front of everyone caring or sending him off on his own to help us out without his Master present, yeah you're real paternal figure?" Kanan asked standing in front of Asimov, the two men's faces hidden by mask and helmet stood off against another.
Lord Asimov lowered his arms to his side fists clenched tight, one hovering over his great saber hilt, "You had your chance Jarrus, you think him too much like your own Padawan, when he is so more. Where you would see a helpless child, I see a metal ready to be forged, when you turn your apprentice away from conflict I would see him overcome it. He faced his punishment with honor and ever lash I gave I felt ten times more, and I agreed to let him contact your cell because I know in his heart his conviction is as equal to my own.I am not his father, as you are not your padawans father, but we are brothers of Jedi way."
"Your New Jedi Way is a perversion of everything our Masters taught us." Asimov said glancing at Uzuma who said nothing.
Lord Asimov sniffed, "And yet, who has a Temple protected from the Empire, an fleet and army to protect it, and yes, the will to defend it even from other Jedi." Asimov grabbed his lightsaber and Kanan grabbed his own.
"Save it for the Empire." Caliban said as he pushed the two of them apart, "Shall you depart, or kill each other now?" Caliban asked, the rebels and the Militia looked at one another before Sabine got up grabbing her helmet "I'll be in the Ghost, I'm leaving in five minutes."
MUSTAFAR
Dream World
"ALL FIGHTERS GO GO GO!" a quarren in Republic flight blue's was running to a Republic Starfighter formerly Clone Starfighters, "Captain Nemo, get your fighter outhere!" General Rex yelled into the comlink as Nemo put his helmet on, "What do you think I'm doing."
The Resolute II had launched it's fighters and were guns blazing as the Subjugator attacked the the the venator and Confederate navy, inside the bridge Rex was at the holotable, "Get all power to the shields, launch every ship we have." Ahsoka and Leo their padawans following.
"Don't suppose you got any Jedi Starfighters laying around, General?" Ahsoka asked.
Rex smirked "I always keep a few handy just in case."
"General Rex, sir, we have an incoming transmission from the enemy ship." one of the plutonian bridge officer said.
Rex nodded "Put it through." a dark red hologram appeared in front of the crew, there stood a titanic shape in a black leather cloak in black armor, his helmet had a slit visor with a metal blade plume on it "General Rex, surrender now or I will unleash my ships ion cannon and destroy you all."
Slamming his fist on the holotable "Asimov I presume, I'll have your head for this."
Lord Asimov stood there, "Clones, never known when to give up?"
"We're stubborn like that." Rex grunted.
"Pet… Asimov, please stop this." Leo asked and Asimov turned to him "Ah Master Rock, a shame you did not join me when you had the chance, a shame about Turok Skell he said you would come for him but alas." Asimov said holding up the severed head of Turok Skell "He is not longer so talkative." Asimov dropped his head.
"NO!" Ahkilleon yelled as Turok's head was thrown out of sight.
Ahkilleon looked to his parents, Ahsoka had shut her eyes but Leo, he was looking right at Asimov "As the good General said, we'll have your head for this Asimov."
WAKE UP AHKILLEON, IT'S A LIE!
"Aaaah!" Ahkilleon shouted grabbing his head and fell back, "Ahkilleon?" Ahsoka said running to her son, "You have less than an hour to surrender, but try as you wish it'll be more entertaining?" Asimov said cutting the transmission.
Asimov would never kill Turok, it's all part of the illusion, none of it is real?
"Q… Qu?" Ahkilleon muttered.
That's it, follow my voice.
Ahkilleon opened his eyes to see his parents looking at him worried, "Ahkilleon what's wrong, we need to go." Leo said pulling him up to his feet, Ahkilleon looked around the bridge the battle raging outside "Dad… Mom… no, no you're gone… the war, the Jedi lost, the Empire took over?" Ahkilleon said backing up his shoulders hitting the wall.
Ahsoka held her hands up to him "Easy son, we're here, you're okay."
"For the moment?" Rex said as the ship was rocked by canon fire "We need to stop Asimov, get to Arcadia." Rex said.
They want you to give up the information, but you don't even have it!
Qu's voice was shouting from somewhere, Ahkilleon looked between his parents to see a shimmering vision of the force ghost of Qu Rahn, "You have to break free." Qu said.
"GYAAAHH Adrian grabbed his head.
But in the real world, Sariss had her hands out green sith magic burning on her hands as she sweated, "I am loosing my hold, something else is… interfering."
"A shame, you were coming so close?" Yun said as their comlink started to go off, "Yun, Sariss, join me aboard Thrawn's ship we have and update most fruitful." Grand Inquisitor Jerec said to them.
Sariss held her comlink up "But Grand Inquisitor I am so close."
"It matters not, Arcadia can wait." Jerec's voice said.
Both Inquisitors looked at one another "I fear the prisoner will escape soon, shall we kill him?"
"No, no, trap him in this dream world of his, by whatever means necessary." Jerec said with a gleeful tone to his voice, Sariss held her hands up and began to speak in the old sith tongue, the green ruins on the floor started to glow as she pushed into Ahkilleons mind, perverting the world he dreamed was real.
Inside his mind, Ahkilleon wasn't aboard the Venator anymore, the dream had changed he was on Selucami, "Keep up kids, this is a hunt after all." Turok said back to him, Ahkilleon looked in shock to see the First Ranger was alive, wearing a republic issue uniform with a brown duster. "Kid Turok, since when have you called me that?" Leo asked patting his son on the back as he, Turok and Leo walked through the woods of Selucami in search of a Nexu.
"Dad, Turok…. You're alive, but the battle?" Ahkilleon asked them.
"What battle?" Turok asked.
They're trying to trap you, fight it!'
Ahkilleon grabbed his head "No, no please let me stay?" Ahkilleon begged, but the dream changed again….
Kneeling down in front of Grand Master Skywalker, Ahkilleon looked down at the burned white and blue braid of silka beads and his hair, he was in the Jedi Temple, the Council Chamber on his knee, he looked over his shoulder to see the Jedi Masters gathered in a circle, at the entrance beaming with pride were his parents.
"Rise Ahkilleon Rock Tano, a Knight of the Republic." Grand Master Skywalker said.
Ahkilleon got to his feet smiling, he had done, he had passed the trials, he was a Jedi Kni-
No, come back to reality Ahkilleon.
Spinning around Ahkilleon saw Qu Rahn, "What, no this is reality, this is what I always wanted."
You can't run away from this.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ahkilleon drew his lightsaber and attacked Qu, but the dream changed again.
Deep in the Jedi Temple's hangar, it was the dead of night the only light the shinning beacons of the city skyline sparkling in the distance with a golden hue, Ahkilleon felt Sabine against his skin in a warm tight embrace, "That's it Ahkilleon, right there, come here." She said in his ear
"CHARGE!" Leo roared at the army of jedi behind him, lightsabers flashed in a rainbow of colors as Ahkilleon ran out armored in white robes with his blue lightsabers on each side, Ezra was beside him in dark orange robes with Sabine shooting at his side as Ahkilleon led the army of Jedi and Republic troopers against an army of Sith with battle droids.
The crashed into one one another, and Ahkilleon leapt into actions slicing and hacking away at the enemy lines, before his lightsabers clashed with a red lightsaber, "Tano, come to die like you're mother and father?" there he was the leader of the Sith, Darth Maul with his double bladed lightsaber.
This isn't real Ahkilleon, wake up.
Ahkilleon rushed home with a flurry of strikes and swings before he cut off Maul's head, but when it hit the mud he saw it wasn't Maul, it was Qu Rahn's head looking up at him, "You can't do this forever."
"I…. can't…" Ahkilleon dropped his lightsabers as more sith surrounded him.
DING-DONG
"I'll get it." Ahkilleon said getting to his feet and heading to the door, he left the living room after watching the Pod Races, his mother sitting in a chair reading as his father Leo, stood in the kitchen preparing a meal. Ahkilleon opened the door to their house "Hey!" Ahkilleon said as Hera and Kanan walked in with the rest of the Specters behind him. The cold snowy air of Lothal blew in from the winter, Kanan walked in with Hera and the rest, as Ezra and Sabine came in with boxes.
"Happy Life Day." Ezra said loudly as he handed Ahkilleon a gift "Bro, we aren't even wookiees?" Ahkilleon said as the rest of them came in.
Ezra scoffed "Still we can celebrate it, remember when we visited Kayshyyk last year?" Ezra asked him.
"Right, right the peace treaty with Trandosha." Ahsoka said as she came up, Ahkilleon looked at her his mother in a red robe her belly swollen with Ahkilleon's soon to be little brother or sister.
Ahkilleon set the present down "Mom you need to be careful." Ahkilleon said.
Rolling her eyes she swatted his hands away, "Stop it, I fought of slavers when I was pregnant with you I can walk to greet our guests." Ahsoka said.
"Alright, dinners ready!" Leo shouted from the kitchen, the rebels, no the Specter's no, Ahkilleons family all sat down around a long wooden table, Proxy came out with a bottle of wine pouring drinks. Ahkilleon smiled watching them all sit down his father embraced his mother in a warm hug and a kiss hands on her belly, awaiting their next child.
Smiling, Ahkilleon got ready to shut the door but a hand caught it.
"It's beautiful." Qu said in the doorway as Ahkilleon looked back at his family "But it's not real…" Ahkilleon said eyes watering.
Qu dropped his hand the door disappeared, so did their house. Only the table with Ezra, Sabine, Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Chopper, Proxy, his mom, and his dad remained. "No, I'm afraid not, Ahkilleon."
Ahkilleon looked back "... Please Qu, please let me have this." Ahkilleon covered his face "I can't stop you Ahkilleon, I've already interfered enough it has to be your choice embrace this false reality let the Galaxy suffer, or escape." Qu held up his lightsaber, not his new steel blue saber or the black iron red saber, the original his slightly curved orange lightsaber, he held it "I… I can't."
"Then the Galaxy is doomed." Qu said.
Ahkilleon let Qu vanish and he still clutched the lightsaber, "Son?" Ahkilleon looked at his father, his green eyes curious before Ahkilleon smiled "What's the matter, Snips?" Leo asked him, Ahkilleon reached for his father and hugged him.
"Everyone is waiting?" Leo asked, hugging him back.
"That's right dad, they're waiting." Ahkilleon pressed the lightsaber emitter to his fathers chest and turned it on.
MUSTAFAR
Jerec stood outside the ramp of the shuttle, it was seated on the the main landing pad outside the drum shaped tower at the lava falls, his apprentices Sariss and Yun started to boar the shuttle, before the whole ground began to tremble, the lava falls quaked and in the distance the towering mountains of volcanos erupted "Delicious." Jerec muttered boarding the shuttle with his apprentices.
Down below the doors to the interrogation chamber were sealed with triple layered dursateel alloy, the walls themselves were five meters thick with stormtroopers guarding them and the two who were on duty looked at the door before it was blasted off smashing into the crushing their armor and bodies in seconds before Ahkilleon walked out. The alarms began to blare, Ahkilleon walked out, eyes yellow with red bleeding iris on each pupil, a squad of stormtroopers ran around the corner and raised their blasters.
Before any of them could get a laser off their blasters Ahkilleon held his hand up and swatted his hand, the stormtroopers were there one second and the next smashed into the walls blood gushing from their plastoid armor. Ahkilleon walked through the growing pools of blood and passed by an open room, looking inside he saw his armor and lightsabers on a bench, his helmet left behind as if to taunt him.
Grabbing them he suited up slipping his helmet on to hide his eyes, but not his fury.
Walking out of the chamber back into the hallway both lightsabers on swarms of stormtroopers came running into the hallway opening fire, Ahkilleon used the force to rip them in half deflecting their laser bolts, when enough had come to get in striking distance he started to hack and slice them into ribbons, and he wasn't running, or charging he was walking.
Savoring every kill.
He ran one stormtrooper through, decapitated another, disemboweled, maimed, split, struck, kill, kill, kill, kill that's all he wanted to do.
He climbed the levels of the Inquisitor's base, clearing the floors one by one, leaving bodies of stormtroopers and officers in his wake, before he came to a central structure of the base, it was a large cavernous room with a major support beam drilled into the side of the magma falls stone perch. Ahkilleon looked at it before he held his hand up to the beam, it was as thick as a corvette and he started to squeeze it with the force.
Far up above Mustafar, the Inquisitors had landed aboard the Chimera, Grand Admiral Thrawn stood in the hangar waiting for them a smile on his face, he held the data drive in his hand, and offered it to Grand Inquisitor Jerec, "At last, the coordinates to the lost world of Ruusan."
Yun and Sariss looked in awe of one another, "And the Valley of the Jedi." Yun said.
Jerec licked his lips at Thrawn, "This will not be forgotten Grand Admiral."
"No, I am sure it will not, I am hearing distressing reports from the surface it appears your prisoner has escaped." Thrawn said.
Jerec shrugged "It is of little importance, let us depart for Ruusan at once."
The Chimera broke away from the four Star Destroyers blockading the planet when it jumped to hyperspace, and just as it did another smaller ship flew right past them at hyperspeed zipping past the Star Destroyers at dangerous speeds before Hera yanked on the break just as they broke through the atmosphere of Mustafar pullin up at the last second before going into the lava oceans. "WHOA!" Ezra shouted in the cockpit even everyone strapped in, all of them breathing easier as they were now out of hyperspace.
Uzuma, Jay, Corto, Yumi, Asimov, Turok and Sigma were all strapped down in the back of the ship in the lounge, or the cargo bay "Thank the stars that's over with." Sigma groaned.
Everyone got un buckled and Asimov ran up to the cockpit, "We must hurry, I sense my padawan is near."
"It's worse than that… I can feel it." Kanan said clutching his head "So much anger, so much pain, he's… he's on the edge."
Down below in the Inquisitors drum fortress, Ahkilleon was starting to bend the major support beam free from the rock, "Do it." Qu's force Ghost said behind him hands up "Bring this god forsaken place down."
Ahkilleon didn't yell or grunt; he ripped his arms back, the support beam breaking and the entire base starting to shake from losing hold of the main rock, alarms blared even louder as people tried to flee the base. Ahkilleon fought his way out to the very top of the tower, he looked around the barren volcanic atmosphere of Mustafar the sweat on his arms blackened by the ash in the air while the entire base broke off from the waterfalls only outward rock starting to fall into the lava below, it started to sink slowly and melt with no chance of escape. Ahkilleon looked for a ship for anything but there was nothing, it was better this way.
Legs week.
Not from the running but the dream, from all of it.
Ahkilleon fell to his knees dropping his sabers, he reached up taking off his helmet. He looked at the orange markings on his helmet and wept, he couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't fight anymore, not after what he'd done….. "NO!" Ahkilleon slammed his fist on the metal top of the melting tower, the lava walls engulfing the structure "I refuse." he grabbed his sabers, he grabbed the Nexu fang around his neck "This is not all there is for me!" he howled getting to his feet he dried his eyes "JEREC!" he roared seeing the Ghost approach in the distance "I'M COMING FOR YOOUUUUUUU!"