CHAPTER 2: OBI-WAN KENOBI

Coruscant

Defying gravity, Dooku was unconscious and suspended in mid-air as he levitated over Master Yoda. The erstwhile Separatist leader was very much alive, but thanks to an ancient ritual even Obi-Wan did not understand, the Jedi had neutralized his powers. Under normal circumstances, even for a monster like Dooku, the Jedi would have taken great care to ensure an unconscious person's head was stable. Under normal circumstances, they would have also never left the bodies of three beings down at the base of the Sith Shrine without first securing the scene. But these were not normal circumstances, and Dooku's limbs were flopping about carelessly as Yoda ran as quickly as his 880 years would allow.

"The Separatists must have taken out an entire Temple somewhere," Ki-Adi-Mundi hypothesized, speculating on the sudden loss in the Force they had all sensed.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan concurred.

Yoda shook his head. "It matters not. The Chancellor, the Sith Lord is. Deal with him we must," the Grandmaster trailed off.

As survivors of the mission to the Sith Shrine emerged from the tunnel into the daylight of level 5120, distant echoes of blasterfire reached their ears. Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto exchanged concerned glances, with Dooku still suspended unconsciously above them.

A mere 27 levels below the height of the Jedi Plaza upon which the Temple sat, this part of the undercity was still illuminated by sunlight spilling into the urban canyon separating the plaza base from the surrounding city blocks. Despite the sunshine, however, a feeling of dread washed over Obi-Wan.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on a cluster of shapes on the ground, sprawled in front of the railing twenty meters from the dark tunnel beneath the edge of the Temple Plaza, which led to the Sith Shrine. For a brief second, he thought the shapes were a cluster of speeder parts, but he soon realized they were bodies. "Perhaps the loss of life we sensed was closer than we thought."

"No, we sensed Jedi deaths," Kit Fisto said firmly.

"Agreed. Clones, these are." Yoda stepped forward. He had been holding Dooku up with the Force for at least twenty minutes, but the diminutive Grandmaster did not seem the least bit tired.

Obi-Wan joined Yoda, cautiously approaching the lifeless bodies, his lightsaber held at the ready but unignited. The fallen soldiers all wore the distinctive red and white armor of the Coruscant Guard, and they had been manning what appeared to be an impromptu security station, awaiting the Jedi's return from the undercity.

Most disturbingly, judging from the slash marks in their armor and severed limbs, they had all been killed by lightsabers.

"The traitor!" Mace Windu and Kit Fisto gasped in unison, referring to one of the Temple Guards who had betrayed them—The one who had escaped and fled.

However, Obi-Wan's apprehension lay elsewhere. The Jedi had not requested those clones. Then again, considering that Sidious and the Chancellor were one and the same, it was entirely plausible for the Sith to have ordered those troopers to lie in wait. If that were the case, they might have also commanded the clones to open fire on the Jedi, forcing them to defend themselves...

"Time to investigate this we have not!" Yoda ran forward, gesturing with his free hand to the left, down the wide pedestrian path between the base of the Temple Plaza and the open canyon. "Controls the entire government, a Sith Lord does."

A distant explosion reverberated through the air, reminiscent of a proton torpedo obliterating its target. Mace Windu's wrist-comm chimed.

"Windu here, what—"

"The Temple is under fire," Shaak Ti interrupted, not shouting but unable to suppress the urgency in her voice. "I just raised the shields after an LAAT strafed the front steps. Why haven't you answered? Is everything alright? Is it done?"

"Keep the shields raised," Windu ordered. "We can't let this get out, but the Supreme Chancellor is the Sith Lord—"

"That's impossible!" Anakin scoffed in the background. "We would have sensed it."

Obi-Wan was absolutely finished with Anakin's denials. "Come to your senses!" He stepped closer to Mace Windu, allowing his voice to carry better onto the channel. "The moment after we suppress an ancient Sith Shrine that just happened to be under the Jedi Temple, the Temple comes under attack! All of this is connected! It's—"

"We don't have time to argue," Ki-Adi-Mundi insisted.

Obi-Wan wanted to quickly ask about Ahsoka's safety. Last he heard was that the Togruta was still missing, but the question died in his throat in the face of the urgency of the situation.

As if the universe were making Ki-Adi-Mundi's argument, a squad of six Clone troopers emerged from around a corner, blocking the way Yoda had been pointing. Another group emerged from behind, blocking the other exit the Jedi had. Their options narrowed to attacking the Clones head-on, playing into Sidious's hands, or running straight back the way they came from the Sith Shrine.

Besides talking to the Clones.

"Step aside," Kit Fisto ordered, standing at the front of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan's danger sense flashed, prompting him to ignite his saber. All of the other Jedi except Yoda, who was still busy levitating Count Dooku, followed suit. An instant later, the Clones fired.

"Hold your fire!" Obi-Wan ordered over the blasterfire. "What in the blazes are you doing?! The Jedi earlier—the Jedi who killed your friends was a traitor."

"All Jedis are traitors and are to be terminated!" yelled one of the guardsman from behind Obi-Wan. "Lower your sabers, and I promise your deaths will be painless."

Shaking his head in dismay, Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, trying to wash the Clones with calming energy. It didn't work, and Obi-Wan knew instantly that something was very wrong with them.

One of the Clones behind drew within saber range of Kit Fisto, who, along with Windu, was now covering their flank. The Nautolan slashed through the trooper's riot shield and sent him flying into his comrades with a swift kick to the chest.

Reaching out with the Force again, Obi-Wan shouted and hurled three of the Clones—not into the urban canyon and to their deaths, but off the pedestrian path and into a nearby storefront. The Arcona shopkeeper screamed as glass and shelves shattered on impact with the troopers.

Ki-Adi-Mundi downed two more men with deflected blaster bolts, then redirected a Grenade back at the man who threw it. The explosion sent a half-dozen Guard Clones flying in various directions. "The Clones have completely changed their behavior. It's as if every other concern beyond killing us is secondary at best!"

Yoda gave a pain murmur of agreement, then deflected a barrage from a walkway above them, holding his lightsaber up with his free hands. The Clones ducked to avoid the returned barrage. "Dooku is Tyrannus. Palpatine is Sidious… An isolated incident, this is not. Dying, many Jedi are at the hands of the Clones."

The thuds of AT-RT feet hitting the ground and the rapid clatter of bootfalls signaled the impending arrival of reinforcements several levels overhead.

"We must get to the Temple!" Obi-Wan shouted, now genuinely fearful for the future of the Jedi in light of Yoda's speculation. More Jedi were dying. He could feel it.

"Agreed, if our senses are speaking the truth, it's likely the entire army has turned on us at Palpatine's command," Windu replied.

The five of them sprinted, accelerating themselves with the Force to try and gain distance as the remaining Clones still behind them were attempting pursuit.

Coruscant Guard BARC Speeders buzzed about, occasionally strafing the group through gaps as they continued along the pedestrian walkway. At one point, Kit Fisto sliced off the front of a BARC, sending it spiraling into the depths below.

"Nearly there we are," Yoda said, crouching as an LAAT roared overhead, carrying an AT-TE walker. "Discover the extent of our losses and form a plan we must."

"I'll go ahead and check to see if the path ahead is blocked," Obi-Wan said. The others nodded as he walked off, and he glanced around cautiously to see if any Clones had managed to get ahead of the group. His stomach had dropped into a pit when he saw a walker marked with 212th paint being hoisted in the distance.

Will I have to fight Cody and the rest of my men? We can only avoid intentionally killing the Clones for so long before they force our hand.

Suddenly, a familiar presence to his left caused Obi-Wan to spin and brandish his saber. A 212th Trooper stood in an alley to the side. He had a familiar red triangle on his helmet forehead and his hands raised in surrender. "Easy, general! I'm on your side!"

"Boil!?" Obi-Wan said, shocked that the man wasn't hostile.

The Trooper took off his helmet, revealing the mustached face Obi-Wan had expected. He was smiling reassuringly in spite of the fear Obi-Wan sensed. "Surprised?"

Obi-Wan lowered his saber. "I'm more concerned with why you're not shooting at me right now like the rest of the Clones are. Did Cody send you?"

"I don't know myself, and yeah, Commander Cody sent me," Boil replied as he glanced skyward warily. "We got orders from the top saying to 'Execute Order 66,' and pretty much every Clone lost their minds. They're talking nonsense about the Jedi Order having committed treason; saying that anyone who disobeys Protocol Sixty-Six is also a traitor and is to be shot on sight."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard with his free hand in contemplation.

Strange, that implies Cody hasn't been affected either… Maybe this has something to do with that mystery scar on his head he doesn't remember getting. And didn't Dooku mention 'Protocol Sixty-Six' almost incessantly since he was captured?

"Well, this might provide a few answers for myself and the other Jedi… How did you get here anyways?"

"I… may have slipped away from my squad while saying I had a lead, that and I overheard chatter from the gunship and speeder pilots tracking you. They're currently split between looking for you and the other Generals. They're searching for Rex, Vaughn, Appo, and Jesse after they crashed the shuttle they stole when they deserted.."

Appo and Rex too… Something's starting to add up here… And I have a bad feeling that we've played right into Sidious's hands yet again. "Right, we need to inform the other masters, if your squad suspects you've gone rogue, they'll likely try to kill you on sight as well."

"Understood."

Obi-Wan tightened his grip on his saber as he headed back to the others, Boil following and glancing skyward as another gunship flight droned overhead, this time joined by the roar of starfighter engines.

The other Jedi were as Obi-Wan left them, but once again on the comm with Shaak Ti and Anakin, discussing how best to bypass the growing siege around the Temple—or whether Yoda and the others should ignore the siege in the hopes of taking Sidious by surprise.

Windu glanced over as he sensed Obi-Wan's approach, his wounds bandaged with a medpac taken from one of the Clones they'd fought. "Master Kenobi, are you being followed… Why is there a Clone behind you?" he demanded, guarded once he saw Boil.

Yoda raised a calming hand. "No hostility I sense from this trooper… Questions this raises, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan nodded and glanced back at Boil. "Indeed, Master… I believe we've overlooked something within the Clones themselves, but we would need to get back to the Temple to confirm it."

Boil turned his head to look in the direction of the Jedi Temple. "Well, then we better do it soon… Because they're mobilizing all available units for siege operations…"

o.o.o.o.o

AHSOKA TANO

Five minutes ago, Ahsoka, still without a lightsaber, had managed to convince Jedi Kev Rel'skar and his Rodian Padawan to leave sickbay. Ideally, this would distract all chip-activated Clones, thereby freeing up the medbay for further inhibitor chip removals. With any luck, soon more Clones on the Kestrel would be de-chipped than chipped, and Ahsoka, Kev, and Ekos would no longer have to fight for their lives.

For reasons she did not quite understand, though they were not Jedi, Lir Sey'les, Nebhir, and Awerl had followed. And it was thus that a Wookiee, two Bothans, a being Ahsoka still thought was a really big Squib, a Rodian, and a Togruta were running through the halls of the Kestrel, diverting hordes of murderous Clones away from the medbay.

"This really isn't going to work!" Ahsoka yelled over the sounds of blasterfire, crouching behind a bulkhead at a turbolift junction. She squeezed the blaster pistol she had picked up from an unconscious trooper, firing a stun blast in the general direction of their enemies. "I've been through this before! There's only so long you can hold off—" Danger sense blaring, the Togruta ducked in anticipation, narrowly avoiding a shot overhead before continuing. "Only so long you can hold off an entire crew that wants to kill you!"

"The entire crew does not want to kill us," Kev snarled, typing away furiously on his datapad, which was connected to the wall by a scomp adapter. "And if we get off this ship—"

"Done that once, too!" Ahsoka interrupted. "Kev, can I please borrow your lightsaber?"

Kev's dark brown fur bristled with agitation. "Why don't you just ask Veryk nicely if he can return yours? Kriff it!" He punched the console in frustration. "This would be so much easier with a droid!"

The Togruta shook her head in confusion. "Veryk?"

Standing on the opposite side of the entrance to the turbolift junction as Ahsoka, Sey'les fired a few stunbolts of her own while talking at the same time. "He's one of my people's Prophets. He's a purple Savrit Cat."

"The weasel!" Ahsoka gasped, remembering hearing Sey'les say the word Veryk before. Blaster shots continued flying from the hall into the turbolift cluster. "Very well, he's a Savrit Cat then… still. Kev, could you please—"

With a snarl, Kev gingerly tossed his saber hilt to the Togruta. "Don't break it!"

"I won't," Ahsoka promised, igniting the green blade with a snap-hiss. She stepped into the open doorway, deflecting a torrent of blasterfire. Blue shots impacted her borrowed green lightsaber and ricocheted, not back to the Clones, but towards the object of Ahsoka's focus. Blaster shot after blaster shot sailed down the corridor, punching holes all around the target Ahosoka was aiming for—a small console controlling the emergency blast doors two junctions down.

Come on! Just a little closer…

Taking a deep breath, Ahsoka redoubled her focus, concentrating so hard on the blast door controls that she neglected to deflect a few shots, one of which barely missed her elbow.

Awerl moaned worriedly in Shyriiwook, sweeping his arms as he beckoned back into the turbolift junction. Ahsoka's Shyriiwook was not fluent, but she thought he said something like ["You're going to get shot! What are you doing?!"]

The Togruta closed her eyes, shutting out everyone else and focusing on the controls with her Force sight. Nine meters away, the controls finally erupted in sparks, and the blast doors in the middle of the corridor slammed shut. Second later, Clones began banging on the other side, desperate to break through.

"That will hold them off for a little bit," Ahsoka sighed. She extinguished Kev's blade and gently threw it back to him.

"Hey!" Kev snarled, looking up from his datapad as the blade drummed into the wall behind him with a dramatic thud.

"You were supposed to catch that," Ahsoka said, using as calm a voice as she could manage.

"Ekos?" Nebhir asked Kev's Padawan, sitting up with her back against the wall.

"Yes?" the Rodian said in a somewhat concerned voice.

"Can I borrow your lightsaber?"

"No."

Ahsoka snorted at that, unable to contain her laughter. "What do you think you are going to do with a lightsaber?"

"I don't know," Nebhir shrugged. "What does anyone do with a lightsaber? Magic, I guess? Sey'les… Sey'les?!"

Everyone turned to the ashy-furred Bothan, who was now kneeling on the floor with her eyes closed. Ahsoka reached out to her and felt… something which was unusual in of itself. From Ahsoka's experience in the distant future, she always found Lir Sey'les to be very sneaky and quite difficult to perceive in the Force. But it was like the Bothan was expanding her own awareness, which, in turn, made her easy to sense.

Awerl touched Sey'les's shoulder. ["Sey'les?! Sey'les, can you hear me?"]

"Leave her alone," Ahsoka instructed. "She's… doing something."

"What is she doing?" Kev asked ears perked up.

Without warning, Sey'les opened her eyes, stood up, walked across the turbolift junction, and then knelt down again, this time facing a wall. For a bizarre second, Ahsoka thought Sey'les was going to start meditating again, but instead, the Bothan reached her fingers into a ventilation grill near the floor and began pulling. Hard.

After a few seconds of watching her struggle, Awerl growled, ["Let me try,"] and squatted down in her place. The Wookiee's muscles tensed, and the grill came out of the wall in one pull, bolts shattering.

A tiny weasel head emerged from the darkness and sniffed the air cautiously before stepping into the room. No doubt feeling much discomfort from the dust, Veryk shook off, coughing as he brushed the dust from his chest with his tiny paws.

"This is Veryk," Sey'les said unnecessarily. "Veryk, do you have Ahsoka's lightsaber?"

The Savrit Cat chittered animatedly, running in a circle around the Bothan, who gently picked him up.

"Uh, this is bad."

"What's bad?" Ahsoka asked as calmly as she could manage with her lightsabers at stake.

"Veryk says his powers have been drained by the experiences of the last few days. He says he gave your lightsaber to Morai, she's the Convor—"

"I know who Morai is."

"Well, the green Celestial has your lightsaber now. She needs it."

Ahsoka blinked incredulously, having difficulty even imagining what use a Celestial could have with her lightsaber. Before she had much time to consider this, however, a voice came out of the intercom.

"Commodore Los'ean to all personnel, Order 66 has been activated two days before we expected. I am ordering all vessels to continue on course to Athega's inner world, Nkllon. All troopers in the fleet who have not yet had their mandatory medical appointments are hereby ordered to confine themselves to their quarters. I can't pretend to understand what you all must be going through, but you have to fight it. Stand down, and your turn for chip removal will come."

o.o.o.o.o

MORAI

Almost forty troopers now stood in the turbolift junction immediately behind the CIC and the bridge. A team of engineers was hard at work, scorching the blast doors with welding torches.

There was an unexpected chime, and one of the eight turbolifts opened. Inside stood the most ethereal humanoid female any of the Clones had ever seen. She was pale white, with such bright skin that it made them squint even through their visors. Her hair was an absolutely verdant green, resembling blades of grass, and was twisted into two wide locks of hair so tightly bound they almost resembled Twi'lek lekku. Her ears, if she had them, were encased under large balls of golden jewelry, and her robes were mostly white, transparent in places, and gold in others. And, most importantly to any chip-activated Clone, she held two ignited lightsabers.

"Uh… There's a Jedi…"

"JEDI!"

"BLAST HER!"

The vitriolic screams of fear and hatred that followed caused Morai to jump in surprise, raising both of the lightsabers she had borrowed from Ahsoka. She stood in the doorway of the turbolift for five seconds, blocking every shot that came her way and giving every Clone a long enough time to see that, indeed, a Jedi was present. Then, she reached out and closed the turbolift doors, setting the turbolift to descend to level 123—the level holding the ship's kitchens and laundry facilities.

Back in the command deck turbolift junction, four squads of Clones spilled into four of the turbolifts, smashing the button for level 123, following the Jedi as quickly as they could.

{"Do not worry,"} Morai said soothingly, connecting to Kelia and Jural's minds. Though substantially drained from taking up the form of the Daughter, she still had enough reserve energy to broadcast her thoughts telepathically through the bulkhead to the Bothans on the bridge. {"I am returning. Do lock the Clones on level 123, though. Please."} finishing her message, she jammed both of Ahsoka's sabers into the roof of the turbolift and cut a hole of sufficient width for a Convor's wingspan.

When she exited the turbolift and flew up the shaft, she no longer held the form of the Daughter but was a Convor once again, carrying a small satchel sack with two lightsabers and a grenade inside. Strength diminished somewhat after her stunt, she flapped her wings as hard as she could without using the Force, fighting against the suction breezes blowing up and down the shaft.

At the very top, she used the Force to once again open the doors and pulled a grenade out of the satchel bag with one of her talons.

"It's that blasted bird again!" spat one of the Clones through gritted teeth.

"What's that in its claws?!"

"GRENADE!"

Flying over the center of the Clones who had remained behind to besiege the bridge, Morai dropped a detonator. The Clones screamed and no longer paid any attention to her.

The Convor took the opportunity to alight on one of the ceiling glowrods and observed the spectacle from a safe distance. The detonator was set to ten seconds.

Those ten seconds would have been funny if the Daughter had any sense of humor. Two troopers squatted down to pick up the detonator at the same time and collided head-to-head, then fell to the ground in opposite directions. A third trooper attempted to kick the detonator back down the shaft, but the turbolift doors were shut, and it bounced right back at him. Cursing under his breath, a fourth trooper dove to the ground, covering the grenade with his own body in an impromptu self-sacrifice.

Then the detonator, an ion grenade, exploded. Electricity arced through the trooper lying on top of it then went in ten directions into each of the troopers' blaster rifles. Collectively, the Clones screamed as lightning coursed through their bodies, disabling their blasters, helmet comms, wrist comms, datapads, and any other electronic devices.

Towards the end of this spectacle, Morai opened the blast doors to the bridge, and a cadre of officers and security troops rushed out, firing stun shots into each of the Clones.

"CLEAR!" screamed Lieutenant Vra'tis, standing over the heap of bodies. After a few seconds, the Caamasi looked up and jumped upon seeing Morai. "Uh, Commodore… We have a visitor."

"I know, I know," Kelia said, stepping underneath the light fixture Morai was standing on.

{"You should now be able to get med teams here,"} Morai hooted somberly, {"But there is still danger."}

"Uh, Commodore!" screamed a voice from within the bridge excitedly, "That's all the Clones! We can get med teams here!"

"I am aware, good job everyone."

{"May I enter the bridge?"} Morai asked both Jural and Kelia cautiously.

"Enter!" Kelia yelled, standing almost twenty meters away in the direction of the bow.

Morai flew at a hasty, though not tiring pace, soaring over the wrecked crater that had once been a data pit.

"Thank you for your assistance," Kelia sighed as Morai landed next to her and Jural.

{"It was no great feat of the Force,"} Morai hooted modestly. {"Now, Commodore Los'ean, Captain Jural, how do you intend to stop the Clones?"}

"We're about to try something," Jural replied, indicating to the screen of the console in front of her. "Ops, you may alter the gravity when ready."

Kelia held her wrist-comm up to her snout. "Medic team, hold position."

On one half of the screen, a group of medics stood behind a blast door. On the other, a group of Clone troopers were rounding the corner in the hall outside. A second later, Morai's humongous eyes widened in astonishment as if by magic or through the Force, the Clones were hurled up against the left wall, screaming in terror. Some power Morai did not understand now held them in place, squashed against the wall.

{"How did you do that?!"}

"The grav plating," Kelia grunted, then spoke again into the wrist-comm. "Medic team, you are clear. Stay away from hallway 19b."

"Copy that, Commodore," one of the Clone medics said, flashing a salute up in the direction of the security camera.

{"Impressive,"} Morai said solemnly. {"But it can't be that easy, can it?"}

"Unfortunately not," Jural explained, now flipping between different security cameras using the keyboard. "We estimate at least 15% of the Clones will suffer broken bones, possibly more. Some might die. Additionally, some crewmembers who are unaffected might get caught up in… What the kriff?!" she snarled, kicking the bulkhead with her boot. "Why are they at turbolift cluster 39d?"

On the viewscreen now were Ahsoka Tano, Lir Sey'les, Veryk, Awerl, Kev, Nebhir, and Ekos, standing at a juncture of turbolifts, fiddling with the controls. The security camera view of the hallway outside showed a horde of Clones, now placing breaching charges on the blast door.

Jural and Kelia both looked to Morai as if expecting an explanation.

{"Veryk and I parted ways some time ago. He gave me Ahsoka's lightsabers."} She shook the satchel sack sitting around her chest with a wave of the wing. {"I have no explanation as to why they are out of the medbay. Perhaps it would be best to ask them."}

"General Rel'skar," Kelia spoke impatiently into her wrist-comm, "You and your party are in the way. We are trying to use the grav plating to incapacitate the Clones. Please clear that level!"

"We can't!" Kev's voice whimpered back. "I can't activate the turbolifts!"

Kelia looked expectantly to Jural, who sighed, typing a series of commands into the keyboard. Two of the turbolift doors opened.

"Where do you intend to go?"

"We were planning on taking a shuttle off the ship to one of the smaller vessels in the fleet where all of the Clones have been de-chipped."

Kelia, Jural, and Morai exchanged looks.

"Not a bad idea," Kelia admitted. "Okay… It seems hangar 12 is clear. Take the turbolift to the flight deck—"

"I know where hangar 12 is, Commodore," Kev interrupted haughtily. "Good hunting." At that, he terminated the transmission, and the gaggle of misfits quickly began filing onto the turbolifts. Very, Sey'les, and Awerl stepped into one, while Nebhir, Ahsoka, Kev, and Ekos stepped into the other.

In the background, the med team arrived on the bridge. Two medics were now hoisting Perth onto a stretcher.

"Things are finally beginning to look up, sir," Vra'tis said in a sage tone, stepping up behind the Captain and the Commodore.

Kelia sighed with relief and rubbed her eyes. "Agreed. What is the status of the Separatist fleet?" she asked, turning to the one functional data pit. Security troopers were now escorting the surviving chipped Clones who had attacked the bridge onto the turbolift.

"Decaying rapidly, sir!" A Clone Navigator said excitedly. "A few of their recusants might catch us in an hour, but at this rate, it'll be less than half of the Separatist fleet left by the time we reach the inner planet… Uh…"

"What is it?" Kelia asked.

"Sir, forwarding a call from main engineering to your console."

Before Kelia had turned around, the lanky human holopresence of Commander Gel Boabab, chief engineer, was projected onto the frontmost console on the bridge.

"Captain, Commodore, there's no good way to put it. Some troopers attempted to breach the hyperdrive compartment. We forced them out, but they've fallen back to the maintenance shaft leading to sublight engine number three."

"Hang tight! I'll get security down to you now," Kelia terminated the call, and Jural frantically began opening a channel to Mornsted and the Direct Action Operatives. If they were close enough to the engineering level, they may be able to—

An explosion rolled from the aft of the Kestrel, shaking the bridge tower. Kelia and Jural were bucked forward, grabbing onto the console and transparisteel viewport for support.

"STATUS REPORT!" Jural yelped to the surviving data pit.

"One of the sublights just exploded, Captain! Our acceleration is decreasing… ten percent, twenty percent—"

"How long until the Separatists catch us?"

"Now!"

o.o.o.o.o

AHSOKA TANO

Lights flickered briefly, then returned, followed by the gentle hum of the backup generators.

"What was that?!" Nebhir asked.

"It sounds like we took a hit from the stern," Ekos gasped.

["Here it is!"] Awerl howled in Shyriiwook at the front of the group.

The mismatched and diverse gaggle of sentients came to a stop before a junction providing access to hangar 12. Three Eta-2 Actis interceptors sat inside the hangar, unguarded. Beyond the starfighters was their quarry—a spaceworthy pressurized LAAT gunship sitting on the flight line.

Cautiously, Ahsoka reached out through the Force. She could sense some Clones a few hangars away, but none were close enough to pose a problem. "Were clear."

Kev and Ekos stepped out onto the deck first, followed by Nebhir, Sey'les carrying Veryk, Awerl, and, at the very end, Ahsoka herself. Despite the absence of Clones, something was causing pulses of danger to flood the Force.

"I think we should hurry!" Sey'les yelped, beginning to sprint.

The deck rocked suddenly amidst the all too familiar sounds of proton torpedoes nailing shields.

Kev swore under his breath, and Ekos added, unnecessarily, "The Separatists must have caught up."

The situation became more alarming by the second. First, through the forcefield overhead holding back the atmosphere from the vacuum of space, turbolaser fire streaked by, seemingly missing the Kestrel's hull. An explosion burst from the base of the bridge tower, butting through the aft part of the flight deck. Fires broke out thousands of meters away in the distance, spreading rapidly from aft to bow,

"Get the kriffing hatch open!" Sey'les shrieked to Kev, banging on the side of the LAAT.

This can't be happening.

Along the sides of the flight deck, from stern to bow, blast doors slammed shut one by one. Ahsoka didn't need the Force to predict what would happen next. All signs were pointing to an imminent reactor breach at worst, a catastrophic power failure at best. Standing on the flight line of a Venator, with nothing but a kilometer-long stretch of forcefield for the ceiling, Ahsoka knew they were doomed.

Kev held a data key up to the craft's door, and just as it began to slip open, the inevitable howl of wind began. Every vehicle, crate, and sentient being on the flight line was scooped up into the air.

Atmosphere tugged at Togruta from all directions. The howling sound in her montrals terminated dramatically in a pop as her inner hearing cavity ruptured. All over her body, veins still weakened from her run-in with Sidious's poison a few days prior popped at the sudden change in pressure, and the intense heat and radiation from Athega began to roast her.

The gray mess of fur that was Lir Sey'les was lifted even faster than Ahsoka, and she caught a brief glimpse of the Bothan fly by in a blur. But then everything became blurry as her eyes dried to a crisp.

Even greater than the sensations of a hundred types of unimaginable pain flaring through her, though, was the intense sensation of failure and regret sinking to the pit of her stomach.

Ahsoka Tano had failed.