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Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

"Ahsoka!"

The voice cuts through my thoughts as I amble down the hall of the Jedi Temple, leaving my classes for the day. I pause in my tracks, looking back to see the familiar figure of my best friend running up behind me.

"Alema!" I exclaim happily as the light blue skinned Twi'lek skids to a stop in front of me. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd be back."

"Being a new padawan is a busy job," she grins, though the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. Probably because it's also very stressful at times as well, considering the war that's raging across the galaxy. But really, I'd rather be out there fighting than attending classes with Initiates who are all younger than me now.

"How are you doing?" Alema inquires as she falls in-step next to me.

"I'm worried," I admit as we round another corner in the hall, rapidly approaching the cafeteria. "I'm already fourteen... and if no master takes me soon, I'm gonna be sent to the AgriCorps." It's the place where Jedi are sent if they aren't taken as padawans by the time they're thirteen. And if I'm sent there, I'll never see Alema again. She's practically like my sister, more of a family than any of the rest of the Jedi. I know it's probably considered an attachment that I shouldn't have, but there's no way I could live never being able to see her again. That thought is scaring me even more than not being able to become a Jedi Knight – what I've spent my whole life working for.

A soft sigh escapes Alema as she pauses, resting a hand on my arm. "Try not to worry too much, okay?" she requests understandingly. "I'm sure someone's going to take you soon. Worrying about it too much is only going to make things worse. I was afraid of the same thing for a long time and now... well, you know where I am now."

I nod, sighing quietly. I know worrying incessantly about it isn't going to help, but it's hard not to when almost everyone else who I knew as an Initiate has already been either taken as a padawan or sent out to the AgriCorps already. The only reason I haven't been taken yet is because I'm a Togruta, so the cut off limit is longer, since we grow slower than humans.

"So how have you been doing?" I question, veering the topic away from myself.

"I'm... alright," Alema sighs, glancing out the window for a moment before looking back at me. "I honestly miss being at the Temple. I wish we could see each other more often."

"Me too," I reply, "But hey, once I become a padawan –" Or if, but I don't add that. Master Kenobi promised me he knew someone who would take me, but he hasn't said anything about it since. "We may be sent on the same missions sometimes, so we'll be around each other more."

"Hopefully," she murmurs, her gaze turning to the window again. Not for the first time, I get the feeling something's bothering her.

"What is it?" I query finally, "You seem troubled."

She shifts slightly, looking almost uncomfortable. I frown. What could be wrong? She's never like this. She's always been happy to talk to me about whatever is going on with her, not that there was usually much to say considering that we've been in the same classes pretty much our entire lives, but still.

"It's just..." she trails off, not looking away from the window, "Nothing really."

"Nothing?" I repeat, raising an eye marking, "Alema, I know something's wrong." I take a step closer to her, resting a hand on her arm. I don't miss how she immediately tenses at the contact. That's strange. She doesn't mind people touching her, even if a lot of Jedi get all goofy about it. "You can tell me anything, you know."

There's a heartbeat of silence before she finally turns to face me again. I can see the turmoil in her blue eyes. "I just – it's hard. Every battle, I feel people dying around me. Everyone keeps wanting me to be someone I'm not. I can do a lot, but I can't change who I am. Anyway, my master is gonna be getting impatient if I'm not back soon. We can talk about it later."

She wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug before I have a chance to reply. After a startled moment, I hug her back. My concerns are only growing. I really want to argue with her, insist that she can stay a few minutes longer and just explain whatever it is, but something tells me she's not going to be very receptive to that right now. I'll just have to wait for now. Until next time.

If there is a next time, a dark corner of my mind whispers. I hastily squash the thought. I've been doing enough worrying about that already. Best not to start all over again. It's not like it's helping anything.

"See you later, Alema," I say, "But we are going to be talking about this. There'll be no getting out of this next time."

"Bye Ahsoka," the Twi'lek responds, carefully ignoring my last comment, "And try not to worry too much about everything." She turns, hurriedly disappearing down the hall.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

The mission was easy. Or at least it was supposed to be. Just a matter of slipping through the defenses and planting explosives inside, then getting out again. Qui-Gon, Appo, a few other clones, and I have almost managed to get through. We haven't run into much resistance yet, which is strange. I get the distinct feeling something is wrong, and I don't know why. Everything feels too quiet. I can see the structure looming up ahead.

Suddenly, my comm beeps. "What is it?" I inquire, answering the call. I can immediately hear blaster fire from the other end.

"Master Skywalker," the Twi'lek's worried voice comes through. She sounds nearly panicked, actually. "We ran into a minefield, just as you suspected. Master Krell is injured, and we're surrounded."

I break into a stream of curses, throwing a worried look at my former master. "Hold on, I'm coming," I say finally, ending the call. It's going to greatly endanger the success of the mission, but there's no other choice. I can't just leave her – and all of them – there alone when it's a fight they're rapidly losing. They could all be killed before help arrived. "Master..."

"Go on. I'll handle this," Qui-Gon assures me.

I nod reluctantly. "Please be careful. And may the Force be with you." Throwing a final glance over my shoulder, I break into a run. I can only trust in the Force that they'll all be okay, as much as I hate it. I need to find the others.

The rain beats down incessantly on me as I run, the thick cloud cover only making the night seem darker. I suppose it's good for cover – on both sides. At least it will be harder to follow our tracks in the mud if it's too dark to see. My sandy blond hair is sticking to my face, a light breeze blowing across me. I've been through many things, but I'm still not fully accustomed to so much rain.

Before long, I can make out the distant sound of blaster fire. Up ahead, I can see flashes of red and blue as the two sides shoot at each other. The numbers of blue flashes are steadily decreasing as I approach. They're going to be overrun if they don't get assistance. Good thing I'm coming. Seriously, Krell is so stupid. Why did the Council ever put him in charge of a battalion?

An explosion shakes the ground as I approach, from what looks like another mine going off. I can soon make out more distinctly the lights from the blaster fire, then the padawan's blue lightsaber shining through the darkness.

I withdraw an explosive, throwing it into the middle of the group of droids blocking my path to the clones. "Uh oh!" yelps one of the droids.

"Roger roger!" cries a second before an explosion shakes the ground once more, blowing up all the droids nearby.

"Pull back!" I yell, igniting my lightsaber and cutting through the remaining battle droids right in front of me from behind before they even realize I'm there.

The clones hastily begin to back away from the droids and I throw another explosive at the other advancing droids to slow them down. My lightsaber spins, deflecting the bolts back at the ones still standing, providing cover for the clones as they withdraw. Moments later, the Twi'lek is beside me, fighting the droids to the best of her ability. Her hood is back for the first time, though she's still wearing her outer robes, which is strange. I've done that before, though it's very hard to fight.

"Thanks for coming, Master Skywalker," she calls over the sounds of battle.

"Anytime," I reply, "But perhaps next time we should attempt knocking some sense into your Master, so this doesn't happen again. Sooner or later, he's gonna end up getting himself killed." Not that I exactly think that would be a bad thing sometimes. As far as I'm concerned, when people have such a disregard for life, they don't deserve to live.

"Good luck trying," she grumbles, swinging her lightsaber to deflect a few more blasts as we continue to retreat a few steps at a time. It's clear she's not exactly happy with him. Oof. Not like I'm surprised. Getting along with Krell would not be easy. Besides, I can only imagine how hard everything must be for her right now. She's in her early teens, much too young to be on the battlefield. As it is, I can't seem to get an entire night's sleep without waking up from a nightmare about the war, Geonosis, Mom's death, or the Sith.

More droids start coming towards us and I lunge forwards, jumping into the middle of the group. With a few Force-shoves and spins of my lightsaber, they're all reduced to a pile of rubble.

"Can't we like, call reinforcements, something?" demands the Padawan, moving over to me again as I stand in the front, continuing to deflect the blaster bolts of approaching droids.

"I doubt it," I call back, "I'm sure they're jamming our transmissions out here."

I move forwards again, letting myself just be in the Force, dodging blaster bolts while slashing through droids. I cut through their weapons, kicking them down and continuing to move on forwards.

Just then, I hear the clattering of more droids approaching. Destroyer droids. They start rolling up from around a hill before moving into position, raising their shields. There's at least a dozen of them. We'll never be able to fight them off.

I throw my remaining explosives at the droids, letting the bomb roll beneath some of their shields. It explodes in a shower of sparks and debris. Ten more destroyers remain, firing at us. The padawan moves to my side, backing up as she struggles to keep up with the blaster bolts. I can feel the clones falling. "Hurry!" I call to them as I hear more droids heading towards us. Super battle droids. And wait... there's tanks there, too. I suck in a deep breath, surveying the army standing before us, as I realize with sickening dread that it's not a battle we're going to win. At least not without losing most if not all of the clones. I could probably do it alone, but the clones and the padawan...

She's already slowing down, enough for one of the blaster bolts to strike her arm. She stumbles backwards but continues stubbornly fighting. Suddenly, the sound of engines draws my attention upwards. A few gunships are flying towards us.

"Time to go, everyone!" I call as the gunships start shooting at the droid's army. We immediately begin boarding the gunships.

"Up there," the Twi'lek suddenly draws my attention, pointing up at a ledge jutting out from the cliff on our right. "Knock it down. It will crush the droids and at least block them from following." Honestly, its surprisingly creative thinking.

The Twi'lek and I hold cover until the rest are gone – I was almost tempted to tell them to leave Krell here but decided against it – before we climb into the same ship. Reaching out, I use the Force detach the rocks, dropping them onto the droid army below before it disappears from sight as we head back for the base.

"You did a good job down there," I say after a moment. The Twi'lek suddenly pulls her hood up again, and I find myself wondering how she can stand walking around like that all the time. I'm not going to ask, though. From the expression that flashed across her face, though, she almost looks unaccustomed to the praise. "What's your name? We never really had time for proper introductions."

"Alema," she replies softly, almost as though she finds the situation unusual for some reason. "Alema Syndulla."

"So," I ask after a moment of silence. "What's it like to be Master Krell's padawan?"

There's a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but it's gone almost before I can catch it. "It's taken some getting used to," she answers finally, suddenly changing topics. "I've heard a lot about you." Now that we're here again, I can see her extreme tenseness. She just keeps glancing around like my presence is making her uncomfortable, which I'd chalk up to being the after-effects of battle, but my instincts tell me something more is going on.

"I'm sure. My brother and I seem unduly famous for some reason." I reply with a half-smile.

"I've heard you're thought to be the Chosen Ones," she murmurs with a thoughtful expression.

"Perhaps," I shrug. "Only time will tell." Sometimes I'm honestly not sure if I even believe that that's real, but whatever. Yes, Anakin and I do seem to have far more potential than many of the Jedi I've seen, but after everything...

The trip through the night sky goes relatively quickly, and before I know it, we're approaching the base. The gunships land inside the fortification and I disembark from the gunship. "Take Master Krell to the medics," I order the clones who brought the unconscious Jedi – if he really can be called that – there.

Now that Alema and the clones are safe, it's time for me to turn my attention back to the other part of the mission. Pressing a button on my comm, I dial the frequency for Qui-Gon.

The line crackles with static. "Master Qui-Gon, do you copy?" I ask urgently.

"Aniya?" Qui-Gon answers after a pause, "We're on the way back –" He begins saying something else, but the line starts cutting in and out so much I can hardly catch a syllable. It suddenly cuts out all the way.

"They're jamming us," I realize worriedly. Maybe the droids finally realized where they are, and – I try to push back my concern. There's nothing I can do right now anyway, considering that I don't even know where they are. I'll just have to wait until they get back to base to give the report so we can plan our next move. Hopefully, they were actually successful in the mission.

With that taken care of, I turn to Alema who's still standing nearby, looking slightly nervous. "Would you mind if I took care of your injury?" I ask her. "The other medics are probably quite busy right now."

For some reason, at the mention, I see a flicker of concern in her expression before it quickly disappears again. "I'll be fine."

"Sure you will be, once it's treated." I cross my arms, staring at her. Why is she denying the obvious and acting so weird? I can't tolerate making a big deal out of my own injuries, but there's something else there. Besides, Alema's master is injured right now, so she needs someone to take care of her.

"I can take care of it myself," she insists. Seriously, she better not be acting like this to try and act like an adult or something similarly stupid. She can't possibly be older than thirteen.

"Come on," I reply, getting tired of the argument, "Let's go get it taken care of. Come with me." I head inside the building in search of supplies. Looking more than a little hesitant, she trails after. I don't know what's wrong, but I get the feeling something is. She's altogether way to tensely wound up. Besides, she's talking a lot more now that Krell isn't here. Is he one of those masters who hates it when their padawan talks? I'm definitely going to punch him if he is.

I hastily collect some bacta patches and we take seats back outside. "So, when'd you become a padawan?" I inquire.

"A few months back, right after the start of the war," Alema answers, though there's something strangely hesitant in her tone. Why does she seem so afraid of letting on?

I pull up the sleeve on Alema's robe revealing the blaster wound on her arm. She's going even tenser at my closeness. I don't like it. It's not that deep, but definitely enough to be really burning right now. She sure was doing a good job pretending it didn't hurt. I frown as I notice the number of scars that crisscross her arm. They aren't the type you could get from a blaster.

A few might be from a lightsaber – good to know she's fought with a Sith or sparred with someone who ended up hurting her – and I'm not sure about the others. But they don't exactly look like the kind of wounds you could get in battle. Was she bullied? Like, way over the edge?

I decide it's best not to comment – what would I say anyway? – and instead, apply the patch to her arm, something that despite her insistence she couldn't very well have done alone.

"There, all good," I declare, looking up at her.

"Thanks," she responds, hurriedly pulling down her sleeve.

Suddenly, the sound of approaching ships reaches my ears, and I look up to see a few more gunships flying in. Qui-Gon and the rest of the clones are back. I hurry out to meet them as they land. Surprisingly, Appo is the first to disembark. Something about the mere sight of him instantly sets me on edge. I think something happened, something bad, but I don't know what.

"What happened?" I demand.

"When we were on the way back, a group of droids attacked us," Appo explains, "There were a lot injured, including the general." Qui-Gon was injured?

"How seriously?" I query, trying to keep the alarm out of my voice. If he's not even walking...

"It's serious, but not fatal," Appo answers.

I'm about to ask another question when I see the clones carrying Qui-Gon towards the medical area. I hurry after them. Until I make sure he's going to be fine, I am not going to leave his side. Alema follows me.

***

Something feels wrong, beyond just the fact that my master could have almost died if he hadn't received medical attention immediately. I pace back and forth in the room, unable to sit still anymore.

"He's going to be alright, you know," Alema murmurs, and I find myself briefly wondering why she's staying with me instead of going to check on her own master. Maybe they're not on the best of terms. He certainly isn't the type to help her through whatever it is she's been dealing with, between the... situation and the war.

"I know, but..." I trail off, sighing.

"We need to keep planning for the battle," Alema supplies lamely.

"There's something else wrong," I mumble finally, sinking down onto the chair next to her.

She frowns at that, though she's going tense at our closeness again. What's up with that? "Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe... We just need to stay on high alert," I murmur. "I think I'll go look around outside. Something feels off. Do you want to come?"

"Of course!" Alema exclaims eagerly, jumping up. Finally. There's the side of her I was wanting to see, the side that seems to be being suppressed for whatever reason. The more I'm with her, the more I'm beginning to wonder how good a master Krell is. Considering how he treats the clones and seems to think himself superior compared to everyone else, it very well may not be that great.

"Then, come on. And be ready. I think something might be out there waiting for us."

"Like a trap of sorts?" she asks, hesitating, "Then why are we going out there?"

"It's what we do," I reply with a grin. "We spring the traps."

"Okay..." she gives me a weird look but doesn't protest as I hurry down the halls to the exit. We step outside past the clone guards. The rain continues to beat down, though it has lessened somewhat and it's still as dark as ever. It's late, and we ought to rest, but I'm far too tense to sleep with the current condition of my master.

My hand inches towards my lightsaber as a faint, distant sound catches my attention, instantaneously putting me on edge.

"I feel it too," Alema whispers, reaching for her own weapon.

Suddenly, a warning of danger screams through the Force, and an explosion rips through the fortification wall in front of us, hurtling us backwards as the debris rain down around us.

Groaning, I roll over and start pushing myself up. When I raise my head, my eyes widen in horror at the sight of the droids and native Jabiimi swarming through the blown open gap in the wall. Great, just great. The situation is just getting better and better. "Sound the alarm," I shout to the clone guards, who run inside. My lightsaber is ignited and I'm already jumping to my feet before they even start shooting.

Alema is beside me in an instant, her own blue blade swinging to deflect the bolts as they start shooting at us. "Get behind me!" I call over the sound of blaster fire and move forwards so we can stand back-to-back. I don't need to – it would be better if I didn't – but she's injured, and I don't want it to get worse.

At this rate, there's only so much longer we'll be able to keep up deflecting all the blasts. I throw out a hand, Force-throwing several droids backwards into the line behind them, knocking down a few of them. Several of the Jabiimi's charge forwards over them, blasters firing continuously. More and more are continuing to come.

After what feels like a long time – but it was probably only a matter of minutes – clones start pouring out of the building and shooting back at our attackers. Instantly, I flip into my general mode, taking control of the situation. "Appo," I call over the noise of battle. "Get everyone to evacuate the building before we're overrun! Get some clones outside the walls to circle around. We need to cut them off from behind." I hear him yelling some reply I can't quite make out before disappearing back into the building.

An explosive goes off next to me, and I throw up one of my arms to shield myself. When I lower it, the area nearby has been destroyed. The wall to the building is damaged, through there's not a hole through yet. Another explosive is thrown towards the building, and Alema darts forwards to deflect it back away from the building, ducking aside as it blows up mid-air. I decide to keep the comment about the reckless move to myself until the battle is over, but I have to admit her courage is impressive. It's not something I'd expect from anyone other than myself or Anakin.

I send a Force-shove towards the enemy which takes down a few droids, but they keep coming forward in never-ending waves. Unless we do something, we're not going to be able to win this one. "Appo," I call into my comm. "Bring the cannons here. We'll need them to fire on the droids."

"Yes, sir!" his voice crackles back over.

I push forwards against the Jabiim fighters and their droid army, but it seems like an endless supply is pouring through. Alema is struggling to cover for some of the clones, unable to keep up with the intensity of the fire. She finally moves around a corner to help block herself from their blasts.

Soon from around the corner of the complex rolls the cannons. They immediately start firing on the droids, rapidly blowing up the ones in the front lines. "Alema!" I yell, "I need you to try and cover for the cannons. Don't let the droids break through the defenses."

"Where will you be?" she asks.

"Here and there!" I yell back, leaping through the air into the middle of a group of battle droids, spinning in a circle as I cut them all down.

I whirl around as danger flares through the Force, spinning my lightsaber in time to block several blaster shots fired my way. I can see Alema doing her best to protect our cannons from being destroyed, but one of them is already damaged to the point it can't fire anymore. There are too many for her to protect alone. A rumbling draws my attention to the hole in the wall outside. Tanks. The droids are bringing tanks now?

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

Fine. Fine. Jumping into the air, I move from one group of droids to the next, finally covering all the way to the gap over their heads. Three tanks are heading forwards, and there very well might still be more outside.

Leaping onto the first tank in front, I yank open the top, jumping inside. I behead the droid, flicking off my lightsaber and throwing the sparking metal aside with a flick of my wrist as I hurriedly take a seat inside. I move the tank farther forwards, suddenly bringing it to a stop. I turn it sideways, blowing up the tank on my right, then spinning sideways. I pull the tank aside as the other tank fires at me, then return the favor blow it up like the other one. And now that I think of it, this is actually a perfect place to fight.

I move the tank again, this time turning it to aim at the midst of a group of droids, firing. They explode into a pile of smoking, sparking debris. Turning the tanks towards the others, I prepare to shoot at them just as two of them fire on the building. I wince as the blasts rip through the side of the structure, blowing up half the wall, leaving piles of smoking and burning debris flying everywhere. Hopefully, there were no clones there. I don't care if everyone considers them expendable. They're still my men, and I still have to take care of them. They're not expendable to me.

I fire in rapid succession at the other tanks, quickly taking down a few more of the ones steadily coming through the gap. Danger suddenly screams through the Force and without wasting a second, I jump out of the tank as the last remaining one fires at it from behind. I Force-jump through the air towards that one as the explosion strikes my former tank, blowing up the engine, the remainder bursting into flames.

I glance around, surveying the situation as I land on top of the other tank. Most of our cannons have been destroyed and a lot of the clones are down. But many of the enemy troops are down too, and the tanks are now the biggest of the concerns.

I yank out the droid in the tank with the Force, throwing it to the ground ignoring its shrieks before jumping down inside, and turning to fire it at the remaining tanks. Firing at two more of them, I blow them up. I try to spin the tank out of the way of another blast, but it doesn't completely miss, exploding off the end of the tank. Groaning loudly, I jump out again. Looks like I'll have to do this differently. On the bright side, I still have a few explosives with me.

I pull them out, opening the top of two more tanks and tossing the explosives inside. The cannons fire and I jump clear from the cloud of smoke, scanning the area as I hit the ground. There are only seven tanks left, but even that many can prove to cause a fair amount of damage. Outside the barricade, I can hear the sounds of battle. Good. That means the clones must have attacked them from behind. I rip open the top of another tank, using the Force to pull out the droid and throw it aside. I'm about to move on to the next when a yell of "Over here!" catches my attention.

I spin around, only to see Alema hanging one-handedly from the end of one of the tanks, the perfect picture of cheer. She waves at the droids with her other. "Over here!" she yells again. I gape at her, horrified for half a moment that she's seriously about to get herself killed. One of the other tanks moves to shoot at her, but she instantly jumps out of the way, letting the blast hit what she was just on.

Shaking my head at her recklessness, I continue working my way through the rest. In a matter of minutes, they've all been destroyed. I jump to the tank Alema is currently inside, climbing down with her. "That was reckless of you," I admonish her, though I can't help but grin slightly. "I guess it makes sense – given your master is Krell –" I pause for half a second when I notice the look of near shame that flickers through her expression. "– But at least it's in a good way. So, you did great."

Her head snaps up to look at me with surprise, then gratitude. It's an expression that painfully reminds me of Anakin and I right after we were brought to the Temple, when we hardly knew what it meant for someone to be glad we'd helped.

"Well, you did nearly destroy the entire army yourself," Alema says finally, trying to shrug off my words. "So, congratulations."

I probably would have put an arm around her if I wasn't worried I might accidentally hurt her. "Thanks," I say with a grin. "I do rather excel in being a one-person army."

"On second thought, I probably shouldn't have said that. It'd just make your ego bigger."

I snort, swatting her playfully. One thing's for certain. I'm going to miss her once this mission is over. "Come on, let's go." The tank rolls through the gap again and I push the top out. I stand up, giving Appo and the remaining clones a mock salute. "I believe we seem to have made a temporary win," I note lightly, jumping to the ground and catching my fall with my left hand, pulling myself back to my full height with a grin.

"Now we just need to find a way into their main base," Alema points out, jumping after me as we approach the clones.

I glance around at the rubble surrounding us, a grin spreading across my face. "On that note, I just got an idea."

***

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alema inquires worriedly.

"The best one I've had in a long time," I reply.

"What if they figure out something's going on?" the Twi'lek asks apprehensively.

"We'll worry about it then," I respond cheerfully. "The plan was improvised." The plan meaning the one I came up with to infiltrate the base using reprogrammed droids we had salvaged from the battle. It should work. I'm getting more and more worried, though. If we don't get reinforcements soon, I don't think we're going to be able to pull through. We can't afford to lose Jabiim. We've already lost so many here, and for all their lives to have been for nothing...

I try not to think of the fact Alema is walking next to me on the way out to the battle very much like a padawan of my own would be. She's not my padawan, but she's here by the will of the Force, and if I'm being fully honest with myself, I very much want to keep her there. She's very different from the ordinary Jedi, definitely from her master, though I still get the feeling something's off about that part. The way she acts whenever I mention it is just odd.

Soon, I see a group of droids approaching us. Hopefully in the chaos of battle, they aren't going to notice that the droids sneaking inside aren't actually their own but rather reprogrammed. "Steady," I say, continuing to move forwards until the opposing armies are only meters apart. "Fire!" I yell finally. The earsplitting roar of dozens of blasters beginning to fire simultaneously spins the air. Alema and I lunge forwards, moving in unison towards the droid army. Then we're both lost in the battle, cutting through droid after droid, working our way through the lines as fast as we can.

A sudden cry catches my attention and I whirl around to see Alema falling to the ground, a blaster wound visible on her leg. Debris from a nearby explosion falls down around and on her as she reaches to call her lightsaber back to her.

All at once, the ground trembles violently as explosions begin tearing through the large droid and Separatist supporting Jabiimi complex in front of us. Dust clouds the musty air as the building suddenly gives in on itself, flames shooting out of it from various parts, only to be rapidly extinguished from the pouring rain. Even so, most of the building has been destroyed. I breathe a long sigh of relief. Whatever droids escaped that, there couldn't possibly be many.

Turning, I run over to Alema, raising a hand to lift the debris off her. "Can you stand?" I ask urgently.

A groan is the only response.

"I'll take that as a no." I gently lift her into my arms, turning back towards the camp. She's tense at first, but seems to calm down after a few minutes, though I see something akin to confusion in her eyes.

It's not long before we get there. Just scanning over the number of clones and weapons we have left, I have no question as to where we're heading next. Winning in this area of the planet by no means implies that we've won the battle on the planet. "Well, we're going back up to the cruisers," I tell Alema, "Reinforcement time."

"Really? I thought you were going to wait a little longer," she replies dryly.

"All the wounded will be brought back up with us, hopefully to be returned to Coruscant," I add. We climb onto one of the gunships, me still holding Alema in my arms. I didn't think it was necessary to leave her for the clones to take care of. They have enough to do between Qui-Gon, their own brothers, and Krell.

"I'm freezing," she grumbles, "It's too wet here."

I smirk a little. "Don't like water?"

"Oh, it's okay, but this planet is just... ugh."

I snort, shifting position a little to something more comfortable. Alema is fairly light. She's very – I do a double take. She's only thirteen, so I know she should be rather small, but she's so thin. When was the last time she ate? Battle and all, I can understand having a lack of appetite, but still. More and more, I'm getting the feeling something is off.

I set her down in a medical area, preparing to attend to her injury. It doesn't take me long to realize that the same sort of injuries I saw on her arm are on her leg too, and to the same extent. It makes me wonder if they're on her entire body. They probably are.

Those are not battle wounds. They look like they're from something else entirely. It looks like she's been beaten badly, on more than one occasion. And no one at the Temple would be doing that. Except – Suddenly, everything makes sense. The reason she never went to check on Krell, her reaction to when I told her she was reckless, and how she reacted like the praise from me was the first she's ever gotten. It's the same way I felt when Anakin and I became Jedi. Now I'm seeing all the signs on her. Being too afraid to speak out if she doesn't agree with something her master is saying, how she tenses every time I get close to her. We have a lot in common, which is probably why I found a subconscious level of kinship with her so quickly.

"You need to spend the night in a bacta tank after we back to Coruscant," I deadpan.

"Thanks," she says dryly, though she looks clearly nervous. She squirms slightly before finally asking the question I know is on her mind. "Will you tell anyone?"

"... I can't leave you as his padawan," I answer softly, taking a seat beside her, "But it doesn't have to get out, if that's what you're worried about." Seriously, how did Krell ever end up becoming a Jedi Master? He's going to be extremely lucky if he keeps that title after this is revealed.

"Thank you," she murmurs gratefully.

"I'll talk to the Council, but besides that, it's really your decision."

She nods and we fall into a companionable silence. I make a mental promise to strangle Krell for this later. Nothing gives him the right to treat anyone like this. I may not know Alema that well, but I can't deny how close we've already become, and Krell is going to pay for this. I will be sure of it.

***

"You must return to Coruscant," commands Windu, the hologram flickering from interference, "The Republic cannot continue sending more and more troops to Jabiim. The Separatists are sending in another fleet of droids and no other troops are available right now. You do not have enough forces to hold them."

"We can't just abandon them!" I protest incredulously. I've already lost so many men on this mission. Their deaths cannot be in vain. Losing a battle is rare for me – if ever. I don't want that to change. Besides, the Republic supporters on Jabiim are counting on us. They can't win this without our help.

"You must return immediately," the Jedi Master repeats in the same cold, emotionless tone. "There is no other choice." He disconnects the call, the hologram flickering away, leaving me just standing there.

I scowl at the wall of the starship. I hate this situation. I guess at least we're going back to Coruscant before being sent on the next mission. It'll give me a chance to talk the Council in person about what I discovered.

I have to do it before Krell recovers, because otherwise he'll immediately be leaving with Alema, and I'd rather have the Council's authority backing me up before I confront him.

I walk back into the main room of the ship where the clones are milling about. "We are to return to Coruscant immediately," I relay the message. Time to go see how Qui-Gon is doing and hopefully Krell isn't going to wake up while we're on the way back.

***

Alema Syndulla

I pace up and down the halls next to the windows outside of the Council chambers, gazing outside at the familiar sight of Coruscant. I can't deny that I'm anxious to know the result of the Council meeting. It shouldn't be much longer. Aniya was supposed to be explaining the situation to them. How long could that possibly take?

And what if Krell shows up in the meantime? I try not to think about how furious he would be if he realized that someone found out. Especially compounded with the failure of our last battle – because somehow that's going to be all my fault, since for him, everything always is. Even though every single time it was out of his sheer stupidity that I learned not to mention after the first time. I still have scars from that.

I never had the best feeling about him from day one, and my feelings were confirmed on the first mission. He seems to prefer keeping me in space battles, so I never get to interact with his clones, and now I suspect it's because of how careless he is with them.

I finally stop at the window closest to the doors, staring out. I wish I could talk to Ahsoka again. She is my best friend. It's been a while since the last time I was able to get away from my master long enough to go see her, considering that he never wants to let me out of the apartment when I'm at the Temple.

I shake the thought out of mind for now. If this goes alright, things will probably change a lot. In a good way, I hope. Though I think it would be a while before I'd fully trust whichever new master I'm given to.

The doors suddenly slide open again and Aniya steps out, looking far more cheerful than I've ever seen her. "The Council has reached a decision," she informs me. "They're planning to listen to whatever Krell has to say, but I have the feeling he's going to be demoted from Jedi Master."

I instantly let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, but I think I'd rather he be taken off the front."

"Oh, I agree, but they're going to listen to his side of the story before taking measures that extreme. But they decided to give you a new master."

"Who will it be?" I inquire curiously. There's something about the way she's saying it...

She smirks, bright blue eyes dancing with mischief. "You're going to be my new padawan."

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"So, what's the plan?" Ahsoka asks, jumping to the ground from what she was sitting on moments before. I'm standing at the lookout post, watching as the droids approach us.

"I thought you were the one with the plan," I reply, glancing over at her before returning to observing the droids. And thinking of a way to get past.

"No, I'm the one with enthusiasm. You're the one with the experience, which I'm looking forwards to learning from."

I glance back at her, and she immediately stops her pacing. It's obvious she really does want me to be her master. I'm just not quite certain I want to be, or that I can be. I smile for a second before turning back to the droids. "Well, first, we need to get behind that shield, then get past their tank lines."

"Why don't we just go around? Outflank them?" she asks.

"That'd take too long." And there's no time to waste right now. Time is of essence. Even a minute of waiting could make this much worse.

"Sneak through the middle, then?"

I wish things were that simple. Except they're not. "Impossible. Unless you can turn yourself into a droid." Wait. Maybe we can, actually. If – Yes, that's perfect.

"All right," Ahsoka sighs, "You win. My first lesson will be to wait while you come up with the answer."

"Well, the wait's over. I've got a plan."

***

Moments later, Ahsoka and I find ourselves under a container, with the army of droids – and the shield surrounding them – slowly approaching us. Carefully, we lift the edge to glance out, then lower it again. They should be over us in moments.

"This is a stupid plan!" hisses Ahsoka, "We should fight these guys instead of just sneaking around." Which would work, if you're confident of our abilities to fight thousands of droids, plus tanks.

"Except for the fact that their deflective energy shield just passed over us," I reply. Now that we're inside, we can try to get to the shield. "If you can't cross their lines, let their lines cross you."

"If you say so," Ahsoka grumbles. Slowly, we start making our way forwards. I can hear the clanking of the droids on all sides. Ahsoka seems to be feeling rather uneasy about all this, but as far as I'm concerned, this is just another ordinary day in the life of the Skywalkers.

"I think we made it past all of them, Master," she declares, "We may pull this off yet."

I don't want to keep crawling around under this thing anymore, but I'm not going to risk getting into a battle and being held up before we even get nearby. "We still have a way to go before we get to the generator station."

"Do we still need this thing?" Ahsoka questions. "I can't take it anymore. I have to stand up," she insists a moment later, picking up her side and standing up, leaving me with no choice but to do the same.

"You have got to be careful!" I lecture. If we weren't walking around with this thing over our heads, maybe it wouldn't be so dangerous. "You never know what you're gonna run into." Right on cue, we crash right into something without even seeing it, knocking us both over backwards. "See what I mean?" I cry as a destroyer turns around and starts shooting at us.

We both ignite our lightsabers – Ahsoka's being green – and start deflecting the bolts while scrambling backwards as fast as we can, then standing up. Destroyers are probably the worst kind of droid since they have a shield. It makes them nearly impossible to destroy unless you can get close enough to actually get through, the chance of which is very low.

"We can't beat its shield," Ahsoka cries.

"Run!" I command, an idea forming. If we run, it will follow us and have to lower its shields temporarily.

"What? Jedi don't run!" she exclaims.

"I said, run!" I order, with no room in my voice for arguing. If she could save it for a little later when we're not fighting, there might be something to talk about. Finally, she takes off running, with me right behind.

"Ahsoka, stop!" I call once we're far enough it stops shooting, lowers its shields, and starts rolling after.

"Make up your mind!"

"I said, stop!" Finally, she comes to a stop, as do I. Our lightsabers slice through the destroyer, and it flies several feet away before exploding into a ball of flames. "Good. You take directions well," I remark sarcastically as I clip my lightsaber back to my belt.

Ahsoka sighs exasperatedly before following me as I hurry onwards towards the shield generator.

After walking for a while, we reach a ledge. I'm fairly certain our destination is right on top of it. I climb up while Ahsoka runs up far quicker. She seems far more agile than humans.

"There it is!" she calls excitedly, pointing. Sure enough, right in front of us lies the shield generator. Hopefully, it's not already too late.

I pause as we approach it, The Force whispers of danger. There's a lot of droids nearby. "Stay close," I order her. Up ahead, I can see sensor-like things on the ground. If anyone touches those, an army of droids will probably come out of the ground or something. Of course, Ahsoka just being Ahsoka takes off running, ignoring my warning.

I take off after her. "We've gotta be careful!" I call.

"Come on!" she calls over her shoulder.

"Wait!" I hiss.

"Why? We're almost there."

"I said, wait!" I snap. Right on cue, she trips over one of the sensors and falls. A bunch of droids from the surrounding area immediately come out of the ground, throwing her several feet away.

Igniting my lightsaber, I run forwards to her rescue. "Forget about the droids!" I shout, "Set those charges!" There's probably half a dozen or so droids, which I immediately attack. Two are down before they even register my presence. Thankfully, Ahsoka listens to me without question for the first time since the beginning of the battle and starts her way up to the generator.

While she's distracted, one of the droids manages to sneak up behind her. She ducks between its legs and ignites her lightsaber. The second it turns to fire at her, Ahsoka leaps over its and slices her lightsaber through it. She throws the damages droid down the side, which is fine, until it hits another sensor and a bunch more droids rise out of the ground just as I finish destroying the ones I'm fighting. "Sorry!" she cries.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" I yell. Before, I managed to defeat them because I snuck up on them and destroyed two, leaving only four left, but now they're all facing me, so unless I jump over their heads and get Ahsoka killed in the firing...

"Setting the charges," she calls from the generator.

I back up, lightsaber spinning as I attempt to deflect all the bolts from the droids as they slowly approach me. "I could use a little help!" I yell.

"Skyguy, don't move," she orders.

I glance over my shoulder just in time to see a wall crashing down towards me. "What? No, no, no!" I exclaim. I would have much rather done without your help!At least then I wouldn't be about to be crushed!

There's a giant crash, then nothing. Wait. I'm alive? I carefully look around, not certain I should risk believing this. It's not until Ahsoka runs up that I'm actually certain I'm still alive, not in some weird afterlife or anything. "You could have gotten me killed!" I shout, standing up.

"I know what I'm doing," she yells.

"I had everything under control," I snap, stalking past her. Sure, I asked her for help, but not the nearly-getting-killed kind of help. I could have dealt with those droids without that.

"I just saved your life," she grumbles, crossing her arms as I walk away.

Most of my anger at her, anyway, disappears when the Force whispers a warning. Obi-Wan's in danger. We need to get moving. "Did you get the charges set?"

"Yes."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I demand.

Ahsoka immediately presses a button on her wrist, and the generator blows up into a ball of smoke and flames. The shield immediately disappears. Mission complete.

Moments later, Republic spaceships fly past. It appears help has arrived at last. But now, it's time for that talk we need to have, because I've made up my mind about her. Beside me, Ahsoka's sitting down on a nearby ledge. I sit down next to her. "You're reckless, little one. You never would have made it as Obi-Wan's padawan, but you might make it as mine."

My gaze turns to Ahsoka. Instantly, she looks up at me, her expression one of complete elation. No surprise that after all this she was afraid I wouldn't take her, but I am beginning to think maybe it is possible she could become a Jedi. It may take time, but she has it in her, and she wants to be. Which is exactly what she'll need.

To her, this seems almost like a dream come true, which I can understand. It was for me when they finally told Aniya and I we'd be trained. As for me, I'm still not entirely certain how this will work out, but I'm a lot more comfortable about this than a little bit ago, and I'm willing to give her a try.

The sound of a spaceship brings us back to the reality of our current situation. There's still a battle to be fought. "Come on." I jump up and head to where it's landing, with my Padawan right behind.

"Great job, General Skywalker," Rex greets us as we board the ship. Then his gaze turns to Ahsoka. "You too, kid." Somehow, I'm thinking this might actually be a good thing. When she's not nearly getting me killed, I can see past her reckless side. She could easily become a really good Jedi, if trained properly. I suddenly find myself feeling almost protective of her. It's sort of like I have someone I'm responsible for. I never thought I'd have a Padawan, and I never expected it to feel like this.

"Thanks for the ride, Rex," I say once we land.

"Anytime, sir."

"Master Obi-Wan. Master Yoda," I greet them as we walk up.

"Trouble you have, with your new Padawan, I hear," Yoda says. Ahsoka immediately looks up at me, and I give her a reassuring smile. I'm not going to change my mind about this.

"I was explaining the situation to Master Yoda," Obi-Wan informs me.

"Really?"

"If not ready for a Padawan, you are, then perhaps Obi-Wan –"

"No, wait a minute. I admit Ahsoka is a little rough around the edges, but with a great deal of training, and patience... she might amount to something," I declare.

"Then go with you, she will, to the Teth system," Yoda decides.

"Teth?" I exclaim, "That's Wild Space. The droid army isn't even in that sector."

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been."

"You want me to rescue Jabba's son?" I exclaim. I have no desire to have anything to do with any of those slugs ever again. After all, a Hut used to own our family may years ago. I do not want to have anything to do with them or go to Tatooine again. It will always remind me of our days as slaves and when Mom died.

Clearly, Obi-Wan understands how I'm feeling. "Anakin, we'll need the Hutt's allegiance to give us an advantage over Dooku," he explains gently.

"Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon will," Yoda explains. His tone almost conveys sympathy. Like he understands some of what I'm feeling. "Find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker. Come with you, Aniya will." Well, that's relieving. Maybe I won't have to go there again after all. I miss my twin, plus it'll be easier be in this together. For both of us.

Still, I'm a little reluctant. "Come on, Master," Ahsoka urges, "It doesn't sound that hard." With that, she hurries off towards the landing ship. No, but that doesn't mean it's something I want to do.

"I'll find Rex and get the troops organized," I decide.

"Don't worry, Anakin," Obi-Wan says, turning to me, "Just teach her everything I taught you and she'll turn out fine."

"You know, something makes me think this was your idea from the start," I remark, glancing over my shoulder as I turn towards the landing gunship. With that, I walk to the ship, climbing aboard.

***

Aniya Skywalker

"I thought you grew up on Tatooine?" I know Alema doesn't have any idea what memories she's bringing up, but it still is frustrating me.

"I did," I confirm. We're heading to Teth now to aid Anakin and his new padawan – apparently, he took one and I never heard a word about it – to find Jabba's son, Rotta. And then the mission will probably be taking us straight back to Tatooine, the exact place I hope never to lay eyes on again. Not only does it bear memories of our childhood, but also of Mom's death. Alema, being how super-sensitive she is, was able to pick up right away that I'm far from happy with this mission.

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you want to go there again?" There goes that hope.

"It doesn't bring the most pleasant memories," I reply curtly, suddenly changing the topic. "I hope you're ready for heading right back into battle again."

"I am," she replies, sounding almost too sure of herself.

"As long as you're certain. You really should have stayed on Coruscant just for the night," I grumble. She still has too many injuries for my liking, even if she's stubbornly insistent on ignoring them. She's still wearing her outer robes, but I'm pretty sure it's just because she's not ready for everyone to know what happened to her yet. I don't blame her. She's not the only one who has a bad habit of trying to run from her past, so I don't say anything about it. She hadn't said anything about it to anyone before, not until I found out. She's probably still coming to terms with even admitting it.

"Thanks for the confidence boost," Alema chirps.

"How old are you anyway?" I ask, suppressing an eye roll.

"Thirteen." The normal age for becoming a padawan. Luckily, she hasn't been Krell's padawan for long. Still, it's a memory she's going to bear for the rest of her life. I'm honestly not very certain about my abilities to be a proper master. I wish I could have had a longer talk with Qui-Gon about it. He could have made me feel better. He's mostly healed now and will be heading straight to Tatooine shortly. I wanted to stay with him until then, but duty calls.

She falls silent, eyes fixed on an unknown point across the hanger. I don't comment for a while, instead focusing on the few bits of research I'm doing on the planet, like I always do. I at least want to know what kind of atmosphere it has so we can be ready for the battle there. I'm so caught up in it I'm almost startled when she starts speaking again.

"What if I'm not ready?"

My head whips up. "Wait, I thought you said you were!"

"I – I know, but..." She sighs, shoulders slumping. "Never mind, it's nothing." Now she's really starting to sound like me. Not wanting to say anything when something's wrong. She's trying to deal with it – whatever it is – all by herself.

"What's wrong, Alema?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." She stubbornly shakes her head.

Must she be like this? "Whatever it is, you can tell me. Don't be afraid to speak your mind."

"I don't..." She looks down at hands which are resting in her lap. "It's just... I've fought before. Krell..." She's having a hard time saying this, but I don't push her. She needs time, and I can understand that. Knowing her, she probably didn't want to even admit anything was wrong for a while. Now having someone to talk to... I can't really imagine how that must feel. "He got many clones killed." She raises her right hand, pressing it to her forehead. "I didn't stop him. I failed them. I never fought back for them."

"'lema..." I sigh softly, scooting slightly closer to her. Thankfully, she doesn't react, though she's gone stiff again as she drops her hand back into her lap. I'm itching to reach for her, but I know she won't be comfortable with it yet. "How could you have? It wouldn't have mattered. He never would have listened to you."

"But I could've tried! I should have. I – If I'd stayed, I could have stopped him."

I'm shaking my head before she even finishes. "No, Alema. You couldn't have. People like that? They don't change. They definitely wouldn't listen to someone like you. The Council was foolish to even allow him to take you."

"They're the ones who wanted him to take me."

I draw back, stunned into silence. "What?" I breathe. How could they have been so stupid? Are they out of their minds? The last thing you do to someone like that is give them a child to take care of. "Then it sounds like I better have a talk with them again when we get back," I decide firmly.

"Don't – they were doing what they thought was right."

"But they were wrong, little one. They were wrong. This wouldn't be the first time they've failed someone. The fate of the entire galaxy rests on their hands. They can't afford to make stupid mistakes like this." I do my best to suppress memories of what they did to Anakin and I. If they hadn't convinced Qui-Gon that Dooku was more important than taking care of our mother, she'd still be alive. Not only did they nearly leave us with the Sith forever, they also practically killed Mom. Maybe I'm being unfair, but it's how I feel.

"I suppose," Alema concedes finally. I'm glad she doesn't have a hard time talking to me, even after everything. She trusts me, though. That's part of the reason I wanted to be her master. I knew it should be a girl – simply because I figured it would be easier for her to talk to one, after Krell – and preferably younger. He was quite old and if her new master was close in age... well, I was the best option. Besides, Master Yoda seemed to think it was a good idea. I'm frankly shocked he agreed with me. Apparently, Anakin had been given a padawan already when he was on Christophsis. I'm kind of excited to meet her.

"Sir?"

I startle slightly at Appo's voice. He's standing a short distance away, and I didn't even notice him coming. "Yes?" I ask, standing up. I notice Alema going tense, but I imagine she's just blaming herself again for his brothers' deaths.

"We will be exiting hyperspace momentarily."

Oh. Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten how much time had passed. "Of course. Get the boys ready. We'll be going down."

From space, the planet is covered with swirls of multiple shades of purple. I can see Anakin's Star Destroyer already there. We need to hurry. The only communication we've had since was a very brief discussion of battle strategies, and he probably got a head start down to the planet.

Moments later, Alema and I find ourselves in a gunship flying down towards the surface, with several other gunships nearby, including the one with Anakin and his padawan who I have yet to meet. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan already contacted us to inform us that we need to hurry and find Jabba's son before one planetary rotation and bring him home, because if we don't succeed, Dooku will. Not to mention that we have no idea who's holding them.

"Stay close to me," I command Alema. I have no idea how to even begin teaching a padawan but given that this time we're going to battle, I actually am responsible for her, I figured it's the best way to start. If we're together, she can see how I do things, and I can protect her better.

"Don't worry, I will," replies Alema, smiling despite the situation.

"Good, because I don't want a blaster bolt through you on our first mission –" The ship suddenly lurches violently as an explosion rips through the air right next to us. A barrage of bolts starts flying out direction. Clearly, the droids and whoever exactly is down on the planet holding Jabba's son has taken notice of our presence.

"We're taking heavy fire!" calls one of the clones.

"Close the blast shields!" I command, instantly flipping into my general mode. I do my best to tune out everything else, focusing on the first part of the mission. Getting over to that wall with as many men as possible. Moments later, the gunships finally land near each other, and the doors slide open.

I blink against the sudden light flooding the ship before throwing off my outer robe and leaping onto the ground below, Alema right behind, though she keeps her robes on but lets her hood fall back. Igniting my lightsaber, I take off running. Up ahead, I can see the place where the droids are shooting from. It's the very top of the monastery.

Glancing around, I spot Anakin running towards the slope. I dash after. Sure enough, there's another person with him, a young Togruta. His padawan, assumedly.

"Ahsoka!" exclaims Alema.

"We'll talk later," calls the Togruta, coming to a stop and igniting her green lightsaber to deflect a few blaster bolts heading her way. Interesting. Apparently, they know each other, then. They look to be about the same age, though, so that's not too surprising. Alema hasn't really had the time to tell me about all her friends at the Temple after all, even though it does feel like I've known her for years already.

Anakin and I glance at each other, a silent communication passing between us. We'll talk once we're on safe ground. Right now, there's a battle to fight.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

Together, the four of us and the clones come to a stop at the towering structure. We have to get up it. Jabba's son is somewhere inside, at least right now he is. The only way to get there is by climbing up the vertical wall.

One of the droids ventures over to the edge of the wall, and Anakin promptly uses the Force to pull it down, cutting it in half as it hits the ground.

"So, this is where the fun begins," Ahsoka remarks, looking up at Anakin. She doesn't look any more concerned than Alema is, though I imagine she's nervous. She feels nervous, though she's somehow managing to keep her calm.

"Race you to the top!" he grins.

"I'll give you a head start," she replies.

"Your mistake," he smirks.

"Remember to stay close to me," I remind my Padawan in the meantime.

"Haven't forgotten," she replies cheerfully.

"And no swinging from the end of tanks!" I add.

"She did that?!" cries Ahsoka, half-shocked, half-amused.

"She sure did."

Anakin moves first, Force-jumping onto the wall and catching onto the ascension cable with one hand, holding his still-ignited lightsaber in the other. I jump up onto my own, starting to climb up the wall.

"I'm right behind you, Master!" calls Ahsoka.

"Same!" shouts Alema as they begin their ascent behind us.

Everyone starts their way up, with my brother and I in the lead. As soon as the walkers start on their way up the slope, Ahsoka swings her cable over and leaps onto the walker. Alema hurriedly joins her.

We keep slowly working our way up the slopes. It's hard because of our position, and we have to keep up with the droids attacking us. We can only ascend the wall one step at a time, holding on to the cables with one hand and deflecting the blaster bolts with the other. As we fight beside each other, I sink into my typical fighting pattern. I can't do a lot about the larger droids without getting their attention and hurting everyone around me, so I focus on taking down as many of the other droids as I can, occasionally cutting through the falling debris with my lightsaber.

I pull myself up foot by foot, holding onto the cable tightly with my left hand, using my right to deflect the red laser bolts. Danger ripples through the Force, making me look down. The padawans. The droids are shooting at the walker they're on. Its front feet come off the wall and it lurches backwards, nearly enough to throw the pair off. We have to help them.

I release my grip on the cable, letting myself drop into free fall as I slide down the wall. The wind whips across me as I fall towards their walker. Anakin lands on it first, his left hand hitting the metal to brace the landing. He straightens and jumps to the speeders. I kick myself off the wall, landing gracefully and jumping over the padawan's heads to the third speeder. I slash through the droid with my lightsaber, then jump to the last and chop off its head. I kick off the remains of the droid, sitting down on the speeder. This will go much faster.

Anakin has taken control of the remaining speeder in the meantime, and we zip up past the walker our Padawans are on.

"Gotta keep up!" Anakin calls to Ahsoka.

"Remember to stay close," I call as I zoom over Alema's head.

We speed up towards the top of the wall with the shouts of "Hey! No fair!" from Ahsoka and "I can't fly, Master!" from Alema.

"Is that, like, the only thing you've taught her so far?" Anakin questions.

"Well, I figured it was best to start with the basics."

We continue to zoom along, using the guns on the speeders to shoot back at the droids shooting at us, destroying them. It turns to be quite convenient since there's a lot of very large droids on the walls, which are normally hard to destroy. As we fly, Anakin hastily contacts Rex with a command for him and Appo to follow us.

We finally near the top of the wall, but since there's so many more droids up there, a few stray blaster bolts strike our speeders almost at once. We jump off before they explode in flames, landing side by side atop the wall. Battle and super battle droids surround us as we land, advancing with their blasters aimed.

The snap-hiss of lightsabers ring across the platform, and we instantly jump over their heads from where we were crouched in the middle of the group, landing gracefully on opposite sides. We work simultaneously, cutting through the droids and deflecting their blasts, landing a few well-placed Force-shoves here and there as we cover each other.

"Looks like our padawans have failed to stay nearby after all," I remark finally once all the droids are down.

As if in response, from the entrance to the building looming in front of us, there is the clattering of more droids. Three destroyer droids come rolling up and stop, getting into position to begin firing. We immediately turn to face them, lightsabers raised. Since these have shields over them, they're not at all easy to destroy. Those shields are virtually impenetrable. "Blast it, Ahsoka, I told you to stay close to me," Anakin grumbles under his breath.

A tank fires from right behind, and an explosion rings out, blasting all the destroyer droids into oblivion before they have a chance to fire. Turning, we see the walker moving closer, Ahsoka and Alema standing right next to it on either side.

"I was beginning to get concerned you didn't make it up," I remark.

"We're here, I believe," replies Alema, grinning.

"I can't get much closer, Skyguy," smirks Ahsoka. Skyguy? Seriously? I can't help but snort at the nickname. Unless they start calling me something equally horrific, I'll find it amusing.

"I knew you'd get here Snips, eventually," he replies.

"Always in time to save your life," she grins.

"All clear, General," reports Rex, walking up.

"Nice work, Rex," Anakin praises before adding, "Have some men look after the wounded."

"Too many droids here for them to be renegades," Anakin observes, "I sense Count Dooku's hand in this." I nod my agreement. This is suspicious. There was like an entire army here. Besides, it sounds just like him to set up something. Even the reason is obvious. He's trying to set it up so he can somehow get allied with the Hutts to prevent the Republic from doing so.

"Let's just find Jabba's son and get out of here," I decide. I have no desire to stay here longer than necessary, especially not when we're dealing with Hutts.

"No problem!" chirps Alema, "We just need to go right in there, get him, and get out, right?"

"The hard part's over," agrees Ahsoka.

"I wish you wouldn't say that." mutters Anakin.

"Now that the battle's over for a moment, I suggest some introductions?" I offer, glancing around at the group, "Unless you'd all prefer walking around clueless as to who each other are?"

"I didn't realize you forgot who I am so quickly!" exclaims Alema in feigned horror. "We've been fighting battles together for at least a week!"

"I'm Ahsoka Tano," begins the Togruta.

"And I'm Alema Syndulla," she introduces herself to Anakin. "Close friend of Ahsoka."

"Back to the mission," Anakin decides. Anakin and I step into the building, our padawans right behind, with a number of the clones trailing us. After a moment of hesitation, I see Alema pushing her hood back, though she's much too careful to stay out of the lights on the clone's helmets as we enter the dark hallway than I like. The greenish colored lights up near the ceiling do little to provide any illumination.

"I don't like this place. It gives me the creeps," mumbles Ahsoka, glancing around. I can sense danger lurking about also.

"Me too," Alema murmurs.

"This looks like one of those B'omarr monk monasteries that I read about in my studies at the Temple," Anakin remarks, scanning the walls, "Smugglers take these monasteries over, turn them into their own personal retreats." I decide to let Anakin give them the history lesson speech, focusing on reaching out in the Force. Someone is nearby, someone dark even though their presence is too shielded for me to know who. Besides, I sense something coming.

"And the monks just let them?" Ahsoka queries.

"Smugglers usually get what they want one way or another," I inform her. The sudden sound of clanking footsteps approaching us immediately catches my attention. Anakin and I ignite our lightsabers instantly, standing defensively in front of the others.

"Good guy or bad guy, Master?" asks Ahsoka worriedly.

"Who are you?" demands Anakin, pointing his lightsaber at the approaching droid.

"Merely the humble caretaker, O mighty sir. You have liberated me from those dreadful battle bots. I am most thankful."

"Where is the Hutt?" I demand, as we deactivate our lightsabers. This droid doesn't appear to pose any danger right now. Even if I'm not convinced it's telling the complete truth. Something about how it said it seems wrong. Besides, I can't believe the Separatists would leave a random droid hanging around here for no good reason during an operation that is clearly very important.

"The battle bots kept their prisoners on the detention level," the droid responds, before turning to our padawans, "I must warn you it is very dangerous down there, my friends. Not a place for servant girls." Seriously?

I don't even have a chance to shoot back some sort of retort before Alema practically lunges forwards, expression furious. "Do servant girls carry these?" she spits out, blue lightsaber held right at the droid's neck. Honestly, I'm not surprised by her anger. After what Krell did to her, she's going to have some backlashes. I'd frankly be shocked if she didn't have anger issues to deal with. There's no one who wouldn't. That's basically what he had treated her like the entire time she was his padawan.

"We are Jedi Knights, or soon will be," Ahsoka snaps, glaring at the droid, though it's clear she didn't quite expect her friend's violent reaction either. She probably didn't have a clue what was going on, which I'm sure will end up changing soon.

"A thousand apologies, young ones," the droid replies hastily. Alema flicks off her lightsaber, stalking past the droid, glaring straight ahead. Ahsoka looks upset, but worry clearly is her predominant emotion.

"Captain, we'll get the Hutt," Anakin tells the clones, "Stay here and keep your eyes open."

"Copy that, sir," says Rex.

"Yes, sir," Appo nods.

"We should be back shortly," I add as Anakin and I head off down the hall to find the two padawans. By the stiff way Alema is walking, the incident is clearly bothering her. I hurry over to her, though I'm not really sure what it is I want to say. Surprisingly, I don't have much to worry about.

"Sorry for my loss of control, Master," she apologizes softly, biting her lip.

Reaching out, I gently rest a hand on her shoulder. I'm relieved when she doesn't flinch, but I know it's going to take time for her to fully trust anyone. Only time can heal what happened. "I'd have been shocked if you didn't. After everything that's happened, anyone would have. Don't worry about it. You'll learn control given time."

The area is almost completely dark, and I can sense danger radiating through the Force. The droids are waiting around, hiding around corners. We keep walking forwards anyway, though, pretending they're not even there. Even at just over twenty, Anakin and I have a bond as strong as always. We know exactly what the other is planning without even needing to ask.

"Master, you know you're walking us into a trap?" asks Ahsoka worriedly.

"I know," comes the swift reply.

"Last time I told her that, Master Aniya just declared that we're going to spring it," offers Alema.

"Hey, it's less reckless than swinging from the end of an enemy tank," I point out with a shrug.

Anakin snorts. "And they call us reckless."

"It worked," she shrugs.

As we keep walking, I spot two battle droids hiding around a corner. Strangely, they don't react. They must be waiting for something. Typical.

"We just passed two more droids," Alema warns us worriedly.

"I know," I respond.

"Well, I don't like this," she grumbles. I can sense the droids following us now, waiting. What are they waiting for, anyway? For us to bring the Hutt out, or are they stationed here to report back to someone? I expect the latter.

"Can I just take care of them?" asks Ahsoka.

"Oh, well, if you feel so strongly about it, go ahead," Anakin agrees, pausing in his tracks.

After a moment, Ahsoka whirls around, igniting her lightsaber. Alema hesitates for a moment before drawing her own. Two of the droids fire on them. Alema deflects a shot straight back at one of them, blowing it up, while Ahsoka blocks the blasts from another and then cuts it down.

"Not bad," praises Anakin, "You remembered to destroy their weapons first."

"I'm improving your technique," says Ahsoka cheerfully.

"Good job," I smile at the two.

Danger ripples through the Force again. Anakin draws and ignites his lightsaber, stabbing the droid behind him without even turning around. "Of course, you did miss one," he remarks before walking off.

"I did that on purpose," grumbles Ahsoka from behind us. Liar.

We stop in front of another door. Finally, I sense the lifeform we're searching for, mainly realizing what it is because of the smell. "I sense our kidnapped Hutt is in here," I remark.

"They smell that... horrible?" groans Alema, covering her nose disgustedly.

"I smell him, too," Ahsoka adds, covering her nose also. I suppress a laugh. If I hadn't been used to it, I probably would have myself. Who knew species could have such a terrible stench?

Anakin raises a hand towards the door, and it slides open to reveal a very small Hutt on the floor. He's tiny.

"He's a lot younger than I thought he'd be," Anakin remarks.

"Oh, he's just a baby!" cries Ahsoka leaning forwards.

"It smells like someone died around here," huffs Alema in disgust, stepping around me to get a better look at the creature. Her expression changes instantly at the sight.

"This will make our job a lot easier," I add, ignoring our padawans. At least carrying around a Hutlett as small as this won't be hard. If it was bigger, though, we'd have to wait for it to catch up and keep him out of danger.

"Oh, he's so cute!" coos Ahsoka.

"Just wait until you see what he'll grow into," Anakin retorts.

"And let's hope he won't be as much a monster as his father," I mutter darkly. Sure, the child is cute, but... I know their species too well.

Both padawans ignore us, instead slipping past us into the cell and kneel beside the tiny Huttlet who literally seems to have taken a liking to them equally fast.

"General Skywalker, the castle is secure, and it's nearly midday," Rex's voice comes over the comm.

"Thanks, Rex," responds Anakin, "We've got Jabba's son. Any sign of General Kenobi yet?"

"No, sir."

"Master, my Jedi training didn't prepare me for this," Ahsoka calls from behind us, "What are we gonna do?"

"And the past couple months as a padawan doesn't really answer the question either. You know I've never dealt with this kind of stuff before," Alema adds. The pair turn their expectant gazes to us.

"Well," Anakin replies, "Since you think that smelly larva is cute, you're gonna carry it." He spins around and walks off down the hall.

I shrug as Alema gives me a nearly horrified look. "You like him."

She cringes. "I said I think he's cute, not that –"

"I'm carrying him," sighs Ahsoka, picking up the child as I walk out of the cell. The three of us hurry to catch up with my brother who's already far down the hall. Moments later, we find ourselves rejoining the clones back outside on the landing platform.

"How do you like your little buddy now?" Anakin asks, glancing back at his padawan, "Still cute?"

"You know, he's reminding me of you more and more," Ahsoka replies, holding him up higher as he babbles in a baby version of Huttese and waves his arms. "See? You're two of a kind." I know the comment is just meant as a joke and she doesn't know anything about our past, but it's still a little... upsetting. She's literally comparing us to slavers.

"Maybe you should carry both of us then," replies Anakin, trying to keep his tone light, before turning to walk away. I choke back laughter, but hurry after. We have a mission to attend to, as much as I like goofing off with the padawans. I know why Anakin wanted to train Ahsoka. She's young and full of light with a constant stream of energy.

"Actually," I hear Alema informing Ahsoka behind me. "You should make that three of a kind. I'm pretty sure both twins classify in the same kind." I try to push back the slight sting of the comment again. She doesn't know either, so it's not her fault, but still.

"I should carry all three?"

"Nah, I'll relieve you of one," Alema offers, taking the Huttlet from her friend. Her expression changes from cheerful and teasing to worry the moment she touches him. "Master, I think this little guy is sick," Alema calls worriedly, "He's burning up with a fever." I pause in my tracks then turn around.

Frowning, I walk over to them and put a hand on the Hutt's head. His skin does feel awfully warm.

"You're right," I sigh. Because of course things just had to get more complicated.

"We've got to get him back to the ship immediately," Anakin says urgently before turning to the clones. "Trooper! Get me a backpack!"

Moments later, one of the clones arrives with it, and Ahsoka and Alema place the Hutt in it. We need to hurry and get some medical supplies before he dies, or his condition gets too much worse. We don't need to jeopardize the mission from moving too slow.

"Did you locate Jabba's son?" Obi-Wan questions as we stand in front his hologram back at the ship.

"We have him, but it looks like the Separatists are behind his abduction," I reply.

"This smells like Count Dooku to me," Anakin agrees.

"I think it's little Stinky you smell," offers Ahsoka.

"I haven't smelt anything other than him since we set foot in that hall," the Twi'lek agrees.

"I'll bet Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the Separatists," concludes Obi-Wan.

"I'm sure," I agree, scowling.

"Master Kenobi, we have another problem. This Huttlet is very sick. I'm not sure we can get him back to Tatooine alive," warns Ahsoka, holding up the child. Just what we need. Of course, something else just has to come up.

"This whole rescue may backfire on us," I observe, worrying about what would happen if we showed up at Jabba's palace with his dead son. There's a million and a half ways that could play out, and none of them are very pretty.

"I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea," grumbles Anakin.

"Anakin, you know they control shipping routes in the Outer Rim. Jabba's cooperation is crucial in the war effort," reminds Obi-Wan, "If you let anything happen to his son, our chances of a treaty with him will disappear."

"Is that what I think it is?" asks Alema, looking up at the sky worriedly.

"Master? We've got trouble!" exclaims Ahsoka.

I immediately follow their gazes to the sky. Droids are approaching. Many droids.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"Defensive positions!" Anakin orders the clones gathered around behind us.

"Anakin?" asks Obi-Wan worriedly.

"I'll have to call you back, Master."

"We're under attack," I add.

"We could use a little help here if you have the time," Anakin says urgently.

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Hutt," commands Obi-Wan almost unnecessarily as the transmission flickers off.

The droids open fire on us as the three of us ignite our lightsabers and step in front of Ahsoka. She can't join us, since her hands are otherwise occupied with the backpack containing the squirming Hutt. Maybe his size wasn't such a good thing after all. Ahsoka takes a few steps back to give us more room to cover her.

More droids begin advancing from another entrance and explosions ring out around us. Artoo flies out of his ship, landing on the ground and rolling over to us in the nick of time as the ship he was in explodes into flames. This is not looking good at all.

Battle droids and super battle droids continue marching towards us, firing non-stop. One of these shots is going to end up hitting the Huttlet at this rate.

"Master?" Alema asks worriedly, taking in the situation.

"We've got spiders inbound!" calls Appo. Those things now?

"Get inside!" Anakin orders Ahsoka.

"Stay with Ahsoka!" I command Alema. The padawans take off instantly. From how they're acting, it seems like they've known each other for a long time, likely most of their lives. That's a good thing, I suppose, considering how well they work together. Artoo rolls after them.

"Fall back!" Anakin shouts as one of our tanks blow up.

"Fall back!" I echo. They need to hurry, before we lose too many more men. I hear Rex and Appo repeating the command before all the clones run towards the monastery. My brother and I remain at the entrance deflecting the blaster shots while steadily backing up as the clones retreat to safety. "Close the door," I call above the blaster fire, standing just outside it.

"Master," Alema protests worriedly.

"Close it!" Anakin yells, voice giving no room for argument. I step back into the cover of the building right as the door starts closing. Anakin dives inside, ducking under it right before it slams shut. There's a few more shots which strike the door, then silence.

"Captain, we'll stay here until Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan arrive with reinforcements," I inform the clones.

"Master, do you honestly think we can hold them off?" demands Ahsoka.

"We've got to find a way out of here," insists Alema. I can hear some concern in her voice for the first time today. I'm sure this is far from the most dangerous situation she's been in, given who her master used to be. I feel a stab of anger again at his actions, but quickly suppress it, reminding myself I'm not supposed to get angry. There's not time for it right now, anyway. If the war has taught me anything so far, it's to lock my emotions away and deal with them after the fact. I can't spend battles panicking over the number of friends I'm losing.

"Our mandate is to protect this Hutt, and that's what we're going to do," Anakin answers.

"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine," argues Ahsoka.

"And time is running out," adds Alema, glancing worriedly between us and the Huttlet who's looking increasingly more miserable as time goes on.

"I suppose you have a plan?" I inquire of the others.

"Yes," confirms Alema.

"Or I think so, Artoo willing," Ahsoka corrects.

"All right, Snips. I'll trust you on this one," Anakin says.

"Captain, hold them here as long as you can." I command.

"Will do, sir," Appo replies before turning to other clones, "You heard the General! Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal!"

Artoo rolls out of the room, and the four of us turn to follow as the clones walk back towards the door. The droid plugs himself into a computer port on the wall in another room. Hopefully, this will work.

"If there's a way out of here, Artooie will find it," Ahsoka comments.

"Make it quick," Anakin states. Artoo whistles a reply, getting to work.

I glance down at Stinky again. His condition is clearly getting worse. Not good at all. The only positive thing is that at least he seems to be sleeping right now.

"Finally, asleep, huh?" I ask.

"Looks like it," agrees Alema, following my gaze. Anakin takes a seat nearby and I join him. Hopefully Artoo will find something of use. We need to hurry. I suspect the droids will be able to break through the door any moment now. I knew droid reinforcements would be arriving sometime, but I didn't realize it would be so soon.

"Put him down. Get some rest yourself. It's been a long day for you, little one," Anakin says.

"Same applies to you," I suggest, looking at Alema. "A long, few days, actually. And you never did get the chance to rest." I don't comment that it was more like a long, few months. She hesitates, but then slowly moves forwards to sit next to me. "You've done well, honestly," I tell her, "And truthfully, there's a lot of the day left to go."

"I can hold him, Master. I'm not tired," Ahsoka insists from several feet away. She's clearly the most tired, yet the one to refuse stubbornly the most.

"Okay, suit yourself," Anakin sighs, "I don't see why you won't just listen to me."

"I do listen to you, Master," she protests, "I just don't like being treated like a youngling." Oh, so that's the problem. I was wondering why she's acting like that.

"You must have patience," Anakin lectures, "What are you trying to prove anyway?"

"That I'm not too young to be your Padawan."

Anakin stands up and walks over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said, 'nothing happens by accident.' It is the will of the Fore that you are at my side. I just want to keep you there in one piece." He sounds so... mature. I can't help the smile a little. I know this is the potential Qui-Gon first saw in us years ago. He steps back, and she pulls off the backpack and sets it on the ground between them.

We're suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Blaster shots start ringing out, their echoes vibrating down the halls. Just as I knew it. They've broken into the building, and now we really need to move. And fast.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"That sounded bad," Ahsoka observes worriedly.

Artoo suddenly beeps, his domed head swiveling towards us as he projects a hologram of the structure. One of the exits to the building glows red.

"A backdoor landing platform!" Aniya exclaims.

"Let's head there!" Alema states the obvious.

"We'll call for a gunship when we get there," I decide, "Lead the way, Artoo." Unplugging himself from the wall, Artoo rolls past us towards the entrance to the room. Aniya and the padawans hurry after.

I pause to pick up the backpack Stinky was in, only to discover – no Hutt. "Wait!" I call after them, "Where's Stinky?"

"You told me to put him down!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"Find him!" I snap. A sudden noise draws my attention to beneath an object slightly off the floor, and I quickly look underneath. Sure enough, the Huttlet somehow managed to make his way far back under a nearby object. Another downside of him being so small. "Come outta there, you grubby little slug," I grumble, reaching down and pulling him out by his tail, ignoring his screeches. The commotion probably scared him, nothing more than that. Apparently, even though he's sick, he still has the energy to squirm around. I take that as a good sign. At least if he's still being active, he's doing fairly well and isn't dying yet.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka has pulled the backpack on again, so I place the Hutt back in it, and we all turn to go again. Just then, my commlink beeps.

"Anakin, come in." Rex's voice is off.

"Anakin?!" I utter in confusion. Wait. Why is he calling me my first name? Clones don't do that. Especially not one as by-the-book as Rex. Something must be wrong.

"We've held the droids, sir," he adds.

"That's not like Rex," I state, glancing up at the others. This is strange. It doesn't make sense.

"What is your location?" questions Rex.

"Ventress," realizes Aniya. Oh, yes. She's inside. She probably trying to mind-trick him to find my location. That would explain it. I disconnect the call, worriedly turning to the others. No need to let anyone trace it back to us.

"Dooku's assassin?" asks Alema worriedly.

"She's here to the kill the Hutt," Aniya sighs.

"Come on," I urge, and take off towards where Artoo is waiting. We need to hurry. The girls race after.

We reach the back entrance before long, and the five of us rush out onto the platform. I pause to comm Obi-Wan, seeing that the exit opens up onto a landing platform area, but there are no ships, and an endless drop along all sides of the platform. It overlooks the forest far below, and other mountainous structures standing out against the lavender sky.

"Skywalker to Obi-Wan. Mark my position. I need a medical ship immediately." There is no response. "Do you copy?"

The only response from the other end is static.

"They're jamming our transmissions," groans Aniya, rapidly reaching the same conclusion as me.

"I can't get ahold of Obi-Wan," I sigh frustratedly, "I'll see if I can find Captain Rex." I dial for him instead. Hopefully, he's gotten away from Ventress by now. "Come in, Rex. Do you copy? Rex?" The only response is again static, along with an occasional noise that sounds like blaster fire. Well, I guess that's a no.

"Do you copy?" I ask again, "Captain Rex, respond."

"I read you, General," I hear him say finally, "We're pinned down in the courtyard." Great. So much for them bringing a ship over here. We'll have to find our own way there.

"Do you need help?" The only response is a big explosion.

"I'll take that as a yes," pipes up Aniya.

"Stand by, we're on our way. Skywalker out." I disconnect the call. Meanwhile, Aniya takes the Huttlet from Ahsoka. We need to hurry. The clones need our help, and I'm not going to leave them fighting alone. At least one of us can get back there. We'll have to get the Hutt on the way out and then come right back.

"Stinky is really sick," worries Ahsoka, eyeing the Hutt, "He's turning every shade of green except the one he's supposed to be!"

"Our mission was to get him back to Tatooine alive," adds Alema in concern.

"Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will get here eventually," Aniya tries to reassure them, "But we need to find a way to get out of here."

"Right now, we need Rex and Appo to help us find a ship," I respond, turning back to scan the horizon.

Behind me, Aniya sighs. I hear her trying to contact someone, and this time I think it might have gone through. "A ship is coming," she tells us, though her voice is worried.

"Don't worry, we'll have you fixed up really soon," Ahsoka says, patting Stinky as he whines quietly. "Now that wasn't so difficult."

I turn around to face her, arms crossed. "We're not out of this yet." I look up at the sound of an approaching gunship.

"We get the slug here back to the docks on the transport, then we're coming back to help Rex and Appo," I decide as we head for the ship.

"Actually, I don't think we're going to be going anywhere at all," Alema informs me, pointing. I follow her graze to an approaching vulture droid.

"Sure are right about that," Aniya mutters darkly.

Blaster shots ring out, and I step in front of Ahsoka to shield her from the explosion as one of the shots strikes the gunship, and it explodes into a fiery ball of debris. It falls down from its spot at the edge of the landing platform. The force of the explosion ripping through the area is enough to throw the four of us back. I push myself up from the ground at Ahsoka panicked voice calling me.

The droid circles around overhead, diving down towards the platform. The padawans and I jump up instantly, Aniya climbing to her feet a little slower to avoid letting the slug fall out of the backpack. All four of us ignite our lightsabers, my sister and I moving to the left and the padawans moving right, out of the way, when the vulture droid swoops directly overhead, landing behind us.

The droid starts firing at the padawans a few times, and they rapidly swing their lightsabers in unison to deflect the blasts. Alema's outer robes blow in the wind, her hood falling back to finally reveal her light blue face. She's had it up during the battle, except briefly when we first went inside. She'd pulled it up again before going back outside. I briefly wonder exactly why she's walking around in her outer robes, not to mention since when Aniya agreed to take on a padawan, but all those questions will be saved for later, when the battle of Teth is over.

The vulture droid swivels, starting to fire at Aniya and me. We instinctively move back as the laser bolts deflect off our lightsabers. The endless drop at the edge of the platform is getting closer and closer.

"Have you ever fought one of these things?" Ahsoka exclaims when it turns to fire at her again.

"Well, in the air, yes. Like this? Never," Aniya calls back over the sounds of battle.

"No, there's a first time for everything," I answer.

"Usually," Alema answers. "I used to, before. But not like this." Before, what? Why is she talking like she's been on the front lines for a while already? And now that I think of it, she actually isn't fighting like she just became a padawan. It's like she's already accustomed to battle. Yes, I will definitely be having many, many questions when this fight is over.

The droid spins to keep shooting at Aniya and I, forcing us to back all the way up to the edge. Stinky wails something in Huttese, clearly seeing and being frightened by the endless drop. I can't help but feel a little sympathy, as much as I hate the species. He's still young, and something like this would be frightening for anyone.

"I know you want to go home," grumbles Aniya, continuing to deflect the blaster bolts. "But just hang on! We're taking care of it, sort of."

"Hey!" Alema yells suddenly, waving a hand at the droid. It seems she finally realized exactly how close we are to the edge. "Over here." The vulture droid spins and shoots at them, suddenly moving forwards. Alema dives aside, but Ahsoka isn't so luck. She's thrown backwards, rolling across the landing platform and slipping over the side.

"Ahsoka!" Alema and I yell in unison. Alema bolts forwards to her friend, while I have to jump sideways to avoid the droid as it moves towards my twin and I again. We deflect the bolts in unison as Alema pulls Ahsoka up to safety. We could easily defeat the droid together, but it's far less risky to let the padawans attack it from behind again. Which they immediately do.

Ahsoka runs forwards, cutting through one of the droid's legs. It topples sideways, and while it's momentarily incapacitates, I dart up the leg in front of me, stabbing my lightsaber down in the center of where the pieces metal fit together. I hold the blade there for a few moments, letting it fry the wires inside, then jump back to the ground as it slides off the platform. The enormous droid strikes the side of cliff nearby, then bounces off and falls all the way down to the forest floor below. The explosion can be heard all the way up here, along with the burst of flames in the immediate area.

"Nice distraction, Snips," I say dryly, turning to the padawans. "Let me guess, you meant to do that?"

"I cut a wing off!" she argues, annoyed. "I mortally wounded him. I don't know what you were doing."

Suddenly, I hear the clattering of droids and three destroyers comes rolling up from the nearby entrance we came through a while earlier. "Great. Rolling death balls."

In a flash, our lightsabers are out again and swinging in front of us. "Artoo, the door!" shouts Aniya. Artoo rolls over to the door, plugging himself into a port, and begins working on getting it shut before any more disasters arrive. As Ventress walks up to the entrance behind the destroyer droids, the door slides shut right in front of her face. Just in time.

"We need to get out of here before she gets through and tries to kill the Hutt," grumbles my sister as lightsabers activate on the other side of the door.

"I think now's a good time to for a retreat," I agree, walking over to the ledge and looking down. Our only escape route is down there somehow, and the drop is far too long to jump. The other three follow me as the ends of Ventress's red lightsabers begin cutting through the door.

"Retreat?" echoes Alema, "Where'd you propose we go?" There's a hint of uncertainty and concern in her voice again.

"That's a new word for you," quips Ahsoka.

The four of us walk closer to the edge, only to spot two droids down below which instantly start firing up at us. The bolts shake the ledge, hitting the underside of it. Suddenly, a swarm of large bug-like creatures fly out from beneath, apparently having been awoken by the sudden shooting.

"Master! Another landing platform!" exclaims Ahsoka, pointing towards a rock structure rising out of the ground a distance away.

"With a ship on it," adds Alema excitedly. We're going to have to get there somehow and fly away with that ship. It's far too long to jump, so we're going to have to find some other transport method to get there. I only wish we'd noticed earlier. Maybe we could have focused on destroying the droid faster to get there.

The ledge shakes again from the impact of the bolts down below. I'm beginning to get impression they're trying to knock the platform down in the hopes of killing us. Behind us, Ventress has nearly completed cutting through the door. We need to go, now.

"So, how are we gonna get over there?" Ahsoka questions.

"Our escape route is right here!" Aniya exclaims looking down below, promptly jumping off the ledge towards the creatures still flying about. Every passing second, the red lightsabers move closer to completing their circle. Any time now, we need to get out of here.

"Leave it to us," I tell my padawan and jump off after my sister, landing smoothly on the back of one of the creatures. It starts flapping its wings widely, and I struggle to control it. Moments later, I finally manage to get myself seated on it in a safe position. Above me, I hear the snap-hiss of lightsabers igniting, followed by the sounds of battle. We need to hurry. They can't hold off someone so well trained for long. Ventress has defeated fully trained Knights before. They're barely padawans.

"Where are the Skywalkers?" I hear the familiar voice snarl. Aniya and I pull our creatures up level with the ledge.

"You wanted us?" Aniya yells, glaring daggers into the Zabarak.

"We're right here, Ventress!" I call. She's standing next to Ahsoka and Alema, pointing her lightsabers at the two as the glare furiously up at her, refusing to concede defeat. I fly my creature forwards, throwing her back.

"Time to go!" calls Ahsoka worriedly as the ledge shakes violently once more.

"Hop on, Snips!" I shout at her. It starts tipping slightly as the rocks below start giving way and falling down, down, down.

"Jump on!" Aniya calls in turn to her own padawan.

"Like I have a choice!" Ahsoka yells as I zip past her, grabbing one of her hands and carrying her away with me. I irrelevantly note exactly how light she is, reminding me that she's really far too young to be out here on the battlefield. Even if she is ready. I lift her onto the bug-like creature, letting her settle semi-comfortably in front of me. Next to me, Aniya grabs Alema's hand and pulls her up onto the creature in front of her. Together, we fly towards the landing platform beneath the slowly darkening sky.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

The ship is standing out brightly against the rapidly setting sun. Artoo flies after us, close behind. The ledge finally collapses, the part the padawans were on just moments before breaks off and plummets downwards. As usual, we weren't a moment too soon. I can only hope all missions with Ahsoka won't be this eventful.

My sister and I guide the bug-like animals over to the landing platform, then finally jump off, allowing the creatures to fly away into the night.

"We're taking this junker?" Ahsoka questions, eyeing the ship.

"We'd be better off on those big bugs!" exclaims Alema.

"Agreed," laughs Aniya.

"Get aboard and prime the engines," I command, turning back to the situation at hand.

"I'm not even certain it won't literally go to pieces the moment we turn on the engines... assuming it has engines," mutters Aniya, smirking. The padawans approach the ramp just as the caretaker droid we'd seen earlier steps into view from where it was standing on the other side of the ship.

"Hey!" exclaims Ahsoka, "You're that caretaker droid."

"I wondered what happened to you," Alema remarks.

"Oh, young ones," it replies and hastily corrects itself, "I mean, soon to be Jedi Knights. I had to get away from that terrible –" The droid is cut off as none other than a battle droid descends the ramp of the ship. Just as I expected. It was just attempting to fool us. Stupid droid. A droid of all things can't fool a Jedi. No wonder I felt a prickle of warning in the Force the moment we landed here.

"Okay, everything's loaded. Let's get out of here," the droid says. Several other droids are following close behind.

"Why, you tin-plated traitor," hisses Ahsoka, igniting her lightsaber.

Alema immediately draws her own, eyes narrowed on the droid. "You're foolish to think three battle droids can win against two Jedi. I've single-handedly destroyed tanks before." How many battles has she fought in? I raise an eyebrow at Aniya, who shakes her head. Later. I nod, turning back to where we're attaching the backpack to Artoo.

"Blast them!" hollers the caretaker droid, whereupon the battle droids instantly open fire on the pair.

"They're at it again," I murmur, glancing up at the sound of the battle behind us. Ahsoka is still clearly a beginner, though she's doing surprisingly well. Alema... I can't really say for her. She looks a tad more advanced between the two.

"Let's go," states Aniya, the attachment to Artoo complete. We both stand up and head towards the ship, the astromech rolling along behind us.

The battle droids are quickly destroyed as the caretaker attempts to flee up the ramp into the ship. Ahsoka and Alema catch up with the droid, lightsabers aimed at its face. "Don't you dare!" warns the droid in a frantic attempt to be threatening and failing miserably. "Don't... you... dare –" Ahsoka beheads it anyway.

I brush past her and board the ship, not bothering to watch the droid's body clanking to the ground. The girls follow with Artoo carrying Stinky in the very back. Closing the ramp, we hurry to the cockpit. Time to get out of here. Finally.

"Now let's get Stinky out of here," Aniya urges with concern.

"If we can," Ahsoka mutters worriedly, as I try to start up the ship – and fail. The engines flare, then instantly die out in a way that vaguely reminds me of my start of the Pod Race so long ago for some reason.

"Now what?!" groans Alema exasperatedly as Ahsoka lets out a loud huff of irritation.

"Relax," I advise them, "Artoo, see if you can spark the ignition couplers." Artoo immediately rolls over to a port and plugs himself in. If anyone can do it, he can.

After a few moments of nothing happening, he beeps a response.

"No, that's not it. Try opening the fuel lifters all the way," Aniya advises. The ship engines suddenly fire up and all the lights inside come on. Finally.

"Good work, buddy," I compliment him. I press the controls, and we blast off the landing platform, flying towards the high tower up ahead.

"Master Jinn and Master Kenobi are here!" exclaims Alema happily.

"Now we'll see some real fireworks," Ahsoka remarks.

"Excuse me? What do you call what we've been doing all day?" I demand, feigning offense.

"I don't know," she shrugs, "The word 'reckless' comes to mind."

Alema bursts out laughing. "Yeah, something like that."

"Hey!" protests Aniya, "Then what do you call nearly letting yourself get thrown off a cliff?"

"Very funny, Snips," I deadpan. "Back to work."

"The troops still need our help," Aniya reminds.

"We'll head over there now," I reply, "Charge the main guns."

"But we need to get to Tatooine as soon as possible," argues Alema.

"How are we gonna help?" objects Ahsoka, "Stinky's getting sicker and sicker."

"But we promised Rex we'd help them," I insist, unfazed. I'm not about to let our clones fight a battle alone when it's one beyond what they can handle. They need one of us there.

"Master, we've gotta get him to the medics on the Jedi cruiser," insists Ahsoka, "It's our only chance to get Stinky back to his father still breathing."

"Alright," I concede. "We'll get up to the cruiser, then head straight back."

Aniya turns on her comm link. "Captain, this is General Skywalker." She pauses for a long moment, and I feel a stab of pain knowing we left them here. We've lost so many men here. I'll have to ask for numbers as soon as I can. My sister's voice is quiet when she continues. "We're not going to be able to help you."

"Don't worry about us, General," Appo replies, "We'll be alright. The mission always comes first, ma'am." Like always, even after losing so many brothers, his focus is still on the mission. On helping us. It hurts seeing he has the composure to let us leave even when we don't. If they couldn't handle it, we'd come back regardless of the results. My stomach twists at the thought of either Rex or Appo – or even any of the clones – being killed, but now that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are here, the battle should easily turn in our favor.

"Master, today I did my best to stay calm, focused... and when I did, everything seemed so easy," Ahsoka says.

The ship suddenly shakes violently, and the clouds part a moment later, revealing the cruiser right above. There's a space battle looming right in front of us.

"Well, get focused, 'cause things just got a lot harder."

I spin the shuttle sideways to avoid hitting one of the nearby ships. All at once, three vulture droids start shooting at us from behind.

"That's for sure," Aniya replies, attempting to reassure us. "But all we've got to do is land on that Jedi cruiser."

"But, Master, their deflector shields are up!" protests Alema worriedly as the bolts from the vulture droids hit the cruiser, clearly doing nothing to harm it. Just then, the cruiser starts firing down our direction. Our ship shakes from the impact.

Ahsoka cringes. "They must think this grease bucket is an enemy ship." Great. Just what we need right now. Being fired on from both sides.

Hastily, I contact the ship. "Jedi cruiser, hold your fire!" I order.

"Who is that?" a voice comes over the comm, "Incoming ship, identify yourself."

"This is General Skywalker. We have Jabba the Hutt's son," I inform hastily.

"He needs medical attention. We must board immediately," Aniya adds.

"Stand by," comes the reply.

"Stand by?" cries Ahsoka in frustration, "That's helpful."

"Even though we're being shot at from all directions," grumbles Alema worriedly.

"Hang on!" groans Aniya. I circle the cruiser, dodging the firing from the droids. Our ship spins around, turning all the way upside down as we circle the cruiser.

"General Skywalker, we think we can lift the shield on the lower rear hanger," a voice comes over the comm again.

"Finally!" exclaims Alema, sounding downright relieved. They're probably panicking. This is still practically their first mission, after all. I hate how fast they're being forced to get used to things like this.

"We're on our way," Aniya calls. Right ahead of us, the hanger doors slide open.

"We've made it. We've made it!" exclaims Ahsoka with relief. I'm about to refute the statement, but I don't even have a chance to do so.

The droids, however, instantly notice the open hanger and fly towards it, shooting every which way. Flames burst out of the ship and I can hear the explosions ripping apart the hanger. Instantly, I grab the controls and spin the shuttle to safety, diving beneath the cruiser. I do my best not to think about how many lives were just lost over such a careless mistake. I should have known that would happen. I should have. And now – now... I hastily try to force back those thoughts. I can't dwell on it, or even more people are going to die. "That changes our plans," I state, exchanging a glance with Aniya.

"Looks like we're gonna have to take this bucket of bolts all the way to Tatooine," she sighs, "Hopefully it'll hold together through hyperspace."

"It better," Alema says from behind us. "Because if not, we just might be stuck in the hyperspace lanes forever."

"Sounds exciting," replies Aniya dryly. "Would you like to try it?"

"Sure. Doesn't sound like we have a choice."

"We're clear to make the jump to hyperspace," I declare as we continue flying out of the atmosphere. It looks like the entire battle was down by the cruisers. I just hope our masters are alright. "Artoo, program the navicomputer," I command.

"I don't think he's gonna make it, Master," Ahsoka calls to me worriedly.

That's not an option. The Huttlet can't die on us on the way to Tatooine. "There's gotta be something we can do for him," I insist.

"Try taking a look in the back," suggests Aniya, "See if you can find some medical supplies. And when you're done... I think we all have some much-needed talks to go through."

"Sure," replies Alema, jumping up.

"I'm on it," Ahsoka says, walking over to Anya and passing her the Huttlet before the two walk out of the room.

I'm far from a fan of Hutts, but I can't deny honest concern for him. I don't want to see him die. Besides, we don't need to deal with the mess if he did. I reach over and gently put a hand on his head. His fever has clearly gotten a lot worse, and I can't imagine the battle is making him feel any better. Or the strange surroundings. He probably needs to rest. "Don't die on me now, little guy. Just hang in there."

I turn back to the controls. We need to move as fast as possible. "If you've locked the coordinates, Artoo, let's go." The droid beeps in the affirmative, and I pull the lever to go into hyperspace. Seconds later, the familiar blue and white streaks surround the ship as we leave the planet of Teth far behind.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I absently rest one of my hands on the Huttlett's head as I look over at my brother. The door to the back of the ship opens again and the padawans hurry into the cockpit once more. "I think we might have found something," Ahsoka informs us cheerfully.

"Great," I reply, passing her the Hutt, "Anything's worth a try." She nods and they rush out of the room again. So far, they don't at all seem like ordinary Jedi. They're children. They're not emotionless and don't try to be. "Maybe having a padawan isn't as bad as I thought it might be," I comment, glancing over at Anakin, "How did you get one, anyway?"

"Master Yoda sent her in the middle of the battle to tell us to come rescue Jabba's son," he explains, "But I was going to ask you the same question. She seems to have been on the battlefield for a while."

I grimace. "Oh, about that... she used to be Krell's padawan. Apparently, he has no idea how to train a padawan, and I honestly think he deserves to be thrown out of the Order. And definitely taken off the front. He doesn't know a thing about battles. He's been..." I trail off, sighing quietly. "He has been hurting her. She was injured in the battle, which is how I found out."

"... I see," Anakin murmurs finally, anger burning in his gaze. "Is that why she's been wearing her robes the entire time?"

"It is," I confirm. "Alema... never really had time to recover. We just got back from the battle, and I talked to the Council. Then, she became my padawan, and we were immediately sent here. I can only hope once this is over, she'll have some time."

Anakin nods. "She deserves some."

"We're going to do our best to make her feel wanted, won't we?" It's not really a question that needs an answer. Given her age and what she'd said about becoming Krell's padawan, it's obvious she's been afraid for a while that she was just going to end up in the AgriCorps. And to become the padawan of someone like him right after that... She's going to need our help.

"Am I the only one who has a suspicious our masters have something to do with this?" I wonder suddenly. Because honestly, that seems like the best explanation. Alema was one thing, but Ahsoka... the only way is if someone had preplanned it.

"I was wondering the same," he replies, "Especially since it was Obi-Wan who claimed he wanted a padawan. And now suddenly he seems to have forgotten about that."

I nod, smirking slightly, "Yes, it seems like it."

"On the way to Tatooine," my brother announces, "I want to try and fix up the ship. At least the primary system."

"Great idea!" I exclaim, jumping up. We might as well do something on the journey. It'll be a while, and I hate sitting around. Especially when I'll just be dwelling on what going back there means. I was really hoping we'd never have to go there, and I really want to try to get my mind of our destination. It brings nothing but memories I want to leave behind us forever.

***

Alema Syndulla

"You will take this, and you will like it!" Ahsoka insists, struggling to get Rotta to swallow the medicine she's holding in front of him. He squirms around on the medical table instead, stubbornly refusing to open his mouth.

"Ugh, why does he have to be so stubborn?" I grumble. Finally, Ahsoka manages to get it into his mouth, and promptly jumps back and covers her nose. I'm glad I'm far enough away not to smell it very well.

"Why aren't you with Krell?" Ahsoka asks, finally turning to me now that the Huttlet has been dealt with.

"The Council decided to change my master," I explain, almost instantly tensing. I don't really want to explain the situation to her. She should know, but at the same time, I don't really want to talk about it. Especially not right now. I'm still struggling to get used to not having to watch everything I say simply because I'm afraid of what he might do. I don't have to be constantly on high alert, though I know that's nothing that will change any time soon.

She frowns. "Why?"

I shift uncomfortably. "Krell... was not the best master," I say finally. It's a severe understatement, but it's the best I can think of. "He had a tendency to get upset and well, very violent."

Ahsoka's expression darkens, obviously understanding my meaning. "And he was supposed to be a Jedi."

"Well, he was doing a terrible job at it," I mutter, scowling at the wall. The way he treated me was only one such proof.

"What's the Council gonna do about it?" Ahsoka inquires.

"He's going to be demoted from the rank of a Master, for certain. Beyond that, I don't know." I sigh frustratedly.

"They should throw him out or at least put him on a mandatory meditation leave," Ahsoka declares adamantly.

"They ought to, but I don't know. I expect they won't considering he's considered a war hero." Which he is not. Not at all. "It'd look bad on them, but I'm sure they'll do the best they can."

"I can't believe this has been going on so long, and you never said a word to me about it," Ahsoka grumbles.

I sigh. I knew this was coming. She's right, in a way. "I didn't want you to worry about me."

"Because I wasn't worried already that you're out on the fronts, and I'm stuck at the Temple and can't help at all."

"Besides, what could you have done about it? I didn't really want to tell anyone. I wouldn't even have told Master Aniya if she hadn't found out." I sit down on a bench, and Ahsoka takes a seat beside me. It's been so long since we've been able to talk to each other properly, and it's been driving me crazy. At least now we should be together a lot more. We deserve a few minutes to ourselves, and we can watch Stinky perfectly fine from here. We'll go back to find our masters shortly... just not quite yet.

"If I'd known, maybe I could've talked to Council about it," Ahsoka insists dejectedly.

I nod slightly, looking down at the floor. She's right. I probably should have, but... Maybe in part, I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want them to think I'm weak. But Aniya found out, and she doesn't think any of the things I've been afraid she would. "With the war going on, it seemed kind of unimportant..." I instantly regret the words the moment they leave my mouth.

"Unimportant?!" Ahsoka shrieks. "You thought it was unimportant that he was hurting you? If he could do that, how much else could he do?"

Silence settles over us for a few moments, me not saying anything. She does have a point. At the same time, I can't say I mind how things worked out now. At least if I'm Aniya's padawan – which I honestly am excited about – and Ahsoka is Anakin's, we can count on seeing each other frequently. "I told you you'd be taken as a padawan. That you didn't need to worry," I remark, diverting the topic away from myself.

"Yes, you were right again," she agrees, "Don't get cocky about it."

"Too late," I chirp.

Ahsoka laughs, finally standing up. "We should head back to the cockpit." She walks over to the table, gently picking up Rotta.

"How is he?" I inquire.

"He's doing better," Ahsoka reassures me, "Or at least his temperature seems to be dropping. Come on."

We step back into the cockpit to see Anakin and Aniya working together up at the front of the ship, clearly trying to fix it. Good. The thing is practically a pile of bolts pretending to be a ship. I'd be lying to say I was comfortable being in it. Ahsoka sets the Huttlet in the back of the ship before we walk up to stand behind the seats.

"The medicine, it's working!" I happily inform them.

"His fever broke," Ahsoka reports, her relief clear, "I think he's gonna live to stink another day."

"Wonderful," Aniya responds, "And now, we just have to hope the ship sticks together all the way there."

"Great," Anakin says, "Keeping him alive wasn't as easy as you hoped, was it?"

"Master, if you have taught me one thing, it's that nothing is easy when you are around," Ahsoka replies, smirking.

"Welcome to the life of the Skywalker family," Aniya replies with a grin.

"You think Master Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon made it out okay?" I question.

"If I know our old masters, they have things well in hand," responds Anakin as he turns back to keep working on the ship, "Now help us with this. I want the primary systems fully repaired by the time we reach Tatooine."

"You grew up on Tatooine, right? So, for you, this trip is like going home," Ahsoka says as she joins them at the front. I notice the twins' expressions growing grim, strained. They're struggling not to let it show, but it's not working.

"Yeah," Anakin confirms, his eyes darkening, "Home." Aniya doesn't respond, but I don't miss the sudden tenseness that's settled over her at the mention. What's wrong? I want to know, but I refrain from asking. Aniya respected me not wanting to talk about Krell until I found out, so it's only fair for me to do the same.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

At last, the ship emerges from hyperspace, revealing the painfully familiar red ball of Tatooine looming in front of us. "I was hoping I'd never have to lay eyes on this dustball again," Anakin grumbles as we approach the planet.

"Same here," I mutter from beside him, tempted to look away.

"Okayyy..." Alema trails off, clearly confused and curious, but she's not going to prod, and I'm grateful for that.

"What happened?" Ahsoka inquires after a pause. I do my best to conceal my flinch. Our mother died in our arms back there, and we showed our true colors. Is that why no one at the Temple could tolerate us? Because we were too dark? Because Darth Maul himself taught us?

"I don't want to talk about it," Anakin states flatly, sinking back down into his seat.

"Let's just say things weren't wonderful," I manage to get out before quickly changing the topic. Both my brother and I are good at that. It's something we've learned from growing up at the Temple. "How's Stinky holding up?"

"He seems to be feeling much better," declares Alema, glancing over her shoulder to where the Huttlet is sleeping atop a ledge on the wall next to Artoo. "At least he'll live."

"His fever is gone," adds Ahsoka, "And even you have to admit he's cute when he's asleep." I turn the chair I'm sitting in to look back at him. He's lying on his back covered with a blanket by Ahsoka's insistence – I thought it was unnecessary, since it literally only covers his tail – finally managing to look somewhat peaceful.

"I admit I like him better when he's quiet, but only a little," Anakin answers, emphasizing the last word. Liar. I know full well that he finds the Huttlet slightly adorable, even if it reminds us both of our past. It's a foolish hope, but I hope this one will grow into something a little better than his father.

"Hm, possibly," I concur, not planning on admitting it any more than my brother.

Artoo rolls forwards to stand right behind the padawans, beeping to us. "No, Artoo. I want the cannons operational first. Leave the rear deflector shields for later," Anakin commands.

"No rear shields, Master? That's awfully risky," Ahsoka worries.

"What if there's droids waiting there for us?" Alema points out slowly.

"A strong attack eliminates the need for defense, Snips."

I turn my attention back to the screens in front of me to monitor the surrounding area. "Attack ships closing!" I report hastily, "Somebody doesn't want Sticky to get home in one piece."

"As expected," Alema sighs.

Just then the approaching ships open fire on us. "Wow!" exclaims Ahsoka, "Quite a welcome home party!" She has a point, and it's good to know someone else wants us to stay away from that planet as much as I do myself.

"Set the approach sector and make ready to land," I command.

"Ahsoka, Alema, activate the guns!" Anakin orders.

"All the guns are locked in the forward position," I realize in annoyance as the ship trembles violently again from impact, nearly throwing the two off their feet. Alema grabs my chair to prevent herself from faceplanting past me into the control panel.

"It's too bad you decided not to repair the rear deflector shield," Ahsoka offers unhelpfully.

"Not now, Ahsoka!" Anakin yells over the commotio of constant firing and an occasional explosion bouncing off the shields of our ship, "Artoo, see if you can unlock those guns!" Oh, why did we have to get stuck in this ship? It's practically a piece of junk. We should have had more time to fix it up properly when we were in hyperspace. It's a little better now, but so little that I'm not even sure how we're going to be making it down to the surface in one piece. There was a very limited amount we could do.

"Sometimes a good defense is the best offence," I insist, "Why don't you go secure your little Huttlet friend?" At least we don't need him getting injured in this battle. Not to mention standing is the stupidest thing to do right now. The ship is jolting all over from the explosions ringing right outside it.

"I think your flying is making that a little difficult!" shouts Alema as she nearly faceplants again.

"None of us are secure with you flying!" yells Ahsoka.

"If anyone other than us were flying, we'd be space dust long ago," I holler, "And standing might not be a good idea right now." Behind us, the Padawans hurry over to the Huttlet. Finally.

"Hang on back there!" Anakin calls as he sends the ship flying forwards as fast as possible. It starts spinning wildly as it attempts to avoid the blasts.

The padawans yelp simultaneously as there's a big thump behind us. "Great! You woke the baby!" Ahsoka groans the same time a familiar Huttlet wails. Oh dear, we don't need this starting again.

"I'm a little busy here!" Anakin snaps.

"I did warn you!" I remind them. "Can you like... try to keep him quiet?" My request is met with nothing but continued wailing and groaning from the padawans.

One of the droids circle around to start firing at us from the front. I immediately start firing at it, hitting it almost instantly and it explodes. "Got 'em!"

"What about the other one?" inquires Alema from behind, and I can see her trying to sort herself out from Ahsoka while trying not to jostle the Hutt.

"One thing at a time."

"Good thing we had the guns facing forward after all," I remark. The other ship starts shooting at us again, suddenly managing to hit us. Part of the ship breaks off, but we're still capable of flying. This is bad. I don't know if we'll be able to land properly like this. Which means it will be crash landing time. Again.

"I think we needed those rear shields after all," Anakin calls behind us.

"I told you so!" exclaims Ahsoka.

"How nice of you to notice after we already lost part of the ship," quips Alema. I'm tempted to glare at her but only restrain myself upon the reminder that she wouldn't take it very well.

"Artoo, turn those guns around! Artoo!" Anakin spins the ship, throwing everyone to the far corner again – to completely the opposite side of the computer ports. Alema groans.

"Why can't you be a tiny little mouse droid?" Ahsoka groans as she struggles to push the droid up to the computer port. Alema reaches out, taking Rotta from her so she can focus on pushing Artoo over to the port, bracing herself against the floor as the ship tilts dangerously.

"Get him, Artoo!" I yell. Finally, Ahsoka manages to push him all the way to the port and he hastily plugs himself in. The guns turn around and start firing at the remaining ship. Seconds later, it blows up. "Good shot, buddy!" I complement, "You've been holding out on me."

"Ahsoka, Alema, hold on," warns Anakin. The padawans climb to their feet and move towards the front of the ship again as we continue our far too fast descend towards the planet surface. This is bad. Really bad.

"These ships really need to have four seats instead of two," grumbles Alema.

"You've got that 'we're in trouble' look," observes Ahsoka with a smirk.

"There's a look?" asks Anakin.

"You can't miss it." Rotta shrieks his agreement.

"Very funny, Snips."

"Obi-Wan, come in!" I say impatiently as the transmission finally appears.

"Do you copy?" demands Anakin.

"Here, Anakin, Aniya," responds Obi-Wan, "Have you reached Tatooine yet?"

"Almost, but we ran into some old –"

"Anakin, did you get shot down again?" Obi-Wan inquiries in exasperation.

"Yes!" exclaims Ahsoka, leaning forwards from behind Anakin's seat, carefully getting close enough to ensure he sees her on the hologram. I chuckle in spite of myself.

"This ship is too slow," grumbles Anakin, "I haven't had time to modify it yet."

"Considering it's a bucket of bolts," I insist, "You have to excuse us this time." In a proper ship, there wouldn't be a problem, but literally, we had a very hard time even getting the engines to start up. If the guns hadn't been stuck, we would have been able to shoot down the other ships immediately and escaped completely undamaged.

"We're still cleaning up your other mess, but we'll get there," Obi-Wan assures us.

"Great," I say as the hologram disappears. Well. We'll be crashing this time to be sure. I wish that didn't always happen.

"So much for reinforcements," remarks my brother as we continue speeding towards the planet. "Hang on, this landing could get a little rough." As we speed towards the surface and plunge down through the atmosphere, the front of the ship starts burning. A golden-orange glow is cast through the cockpit.

"You think?" sighs Alema, "We've been being thrown all over since we exited hyperspace. At least you have chairs."

"True enough," I agree.

"Crashes are rough. Landings are not," Ahsoka snips.

"Then it's a crash landing!"

The ship is burning furiously now, the flames casting golden-orange light in the window. Anakin and I struggle to maneuver the ship without slamming straight down into the surface as we speed across the sand and finally slam to a stop. As the ship skids across the sandy surface, the fire starts dying out, smoke billowing around the remains.

A long trail of thick, black smoke pours out of the ship as we push open the door and walk out onto the platform, which is quite far off the ground because of the odd angle the ship is titled in. The familiar intense heat of the planet surrounds us as the two suns shine brightly overhead. Since it's been so long, I seem to be having a harder time adjusting to the extreme temperatures. Maybe my dark clothes are making it worse. I glance around at the all too familiar landscape of Tatooine with sand in every direction. My stomach jolts a little as the image constantly haunting my nightmares flashes through my mind again. Our mother dead. The village destroyed. Monster. I'm a monster. I killed them all, and I don't even feel bad about it.

"Welcome home, Stinky," Ahsoka announces as she places Stinky in the backpack that Anakin is wearing – it's his turn now. He's hardly carried him at all since the mission started. I'm hardly surprised that my brother has been avoiding the stinking creature like a plague, but it's only fair he gets his turn eventually.

"Jabba's palace is on the far side of the Dune Sea," Anakin declares, looking out at the horizon.

"We'd better hurry if we're gonna make it by morning," I add. Especially since thanks to the crashed ship, we're going to have to walk all the way there. Anakin leaps off the ship's platform to the ground and I jump after. The Huttlet wails, waving his hands as it stares back up at the padawans.

"I guess it likes us more," decides Alema with a grin. No surprise. It has been them taking care of it the entire time. And it probably can somewhat subconsciously understand that they mind his presence much less.

"I'm coming!" Ahsoka calls to the Huttlet as they both leap down after us. Artoo beeps in protest as he looks down at the ground. Ahsoka pauses and looks back. "Oh Artooie, it's just endless tracts of gritty, abrasive sand. I'll clean your servos later. Come on." Artoo beeps unhappily but flies down after us.

We keep on walking and walking through the desert. Though the oppressive heat is slowly decreasing as the days goes on, it's still extremely hot. Memories of the last time we came here assault my mind incessantly as we walk in mostly silence. The twin suns are rapidly approaching the horizon. The only sound is the crunching of sand under our boots.

Finally, Alema speaks up, almost uncertainly at first. "Master Yoda has a saying 'Old sins cast long shadows.' Do you know what he means by that?" she asks softly.

"He means your past can ruin your future if you allow it," I reply quietly. It's a clever way of asking us about our pasts, for sure, but I still have no desire in mentioning a word about that to anyone.

Anakin pauses and glances over his shoulder at her. "But you forget it was Master Skywalker who said, 'I don't want to talk about my past.'"

"I wasn't really asking you to," Alema replies softly, slightly uncertain. "It's just a reminder. I'm going to follow it. I'm going to move on. I have too much of a life left ahead of me to let what happened ruin it. I... I don't really know what happened, and I'm not asking you to tell me, but whatever it was, try to do the same." She has a point, and I am honestly impressed by how well she's managing what happened to her, but what happened to us was different. She never used the Dark Side. She never had her mother die in her arms, unable to save her or do anything about it, because she came too late. It's not something a person can just let go of.

"Fine," Ahsoka sighs in defeat. "There is much more we can talk about out here."

"Like the sand," offers Alema brightly, suddenly the perfect picture of cheer again. How does she do that?

"What's to say about it? Except that you could drown in it during sandstorms," I reply dryly. Yes, most people might think we're crazy for it, but there's nothing like being outside in a sandstorm. Especially on a planet like this. The winds are strong, and it's much like being trapped outside in an extremely bad blizzard. You'd get buried in sand, and it would take a true miracle for someone to survive it. Plus, I'm pretty sure the phrase 'dry as a bone' came from Tatooine, and that's not something I'm going to think one second longer about. I'd rather not think about just how many people we used to know who had that fate.

"The desert is merciless. It takes everything from you," Anakin states darkly.

"Oh great," Alema remarks.

"That's a happy thought. It won't take us, Master. Right, Artooie?" replies Ahsoka. Well, we can hope not. But somehow, I don't think it's going to be that which separates us. Artoo beeps in response.

The sky is darkening as we continue our long, seemingly never-ending trek through the desert. I wish there was something we could talk about here. I can't get my mind off the last time we were here, heading across the desert to find Mom. And when we got there at the village far too late... And when – when we killed them...

Suddenly, a familiar cold, dark approaching presence hits me, and I recognize it. Too well.

"It won't stop," he gasps out, breathing ragged.

"Ani, hush, it's okay. You're with me. I won't let him hurt you." But I did last time. "It's okay."

A faint, strained sound escapes him that should definitely not be coming from my brother. "No, 's not!" I want it to. I want to cling to the lie that I'll wake up one morning and everything will be perfect. That's not how life works. Things have never been perfect, but now... now... "He took a part of me, Ani. It can't..." Can't ever come back, I know. This isn't fair. This isn't right. He's only twenty, maybe not quite. I don't know. We don't know our exact birthdate, only around when. Not that we'd ever say so.

There are so many things I want to say, but I can't. The words stick in my throat, and I can't seem to get anything out. I reach out, tightly clinging to his remaining hand, understanding for the first time now lucky I am to be whole. I made it out of that battle in one piece.

My brother didn't.

I failed him.

"We're not alone," I hiss, eyes narrowing angrily. I am going to kill Dooku one day. I might normally be a forgiving person, but no one hurts my family and lives, Dark Side or not.

"I sense it, too," Ahsoka says.

"What is it?" asks Alema, shivering slightly beneath her robes. "It feels... familiar somehow."

"It's the Dark Side of the Force," Anakin explains.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's coming for the Hutt," worries the Twi'lek.

"It's Dooku," I spit out the name as if it's a curse. Anger burns through me as I remember everything he's done. We trusted him. Looked up to him, even. He betrayed us all. He hurt my brother. Only I know to the full extent of what he's suffered since. He always has to pull himself together and fake composure in front of Rex and our clones, and he was Knighted right after it happened. Obi-Wan probably has no idea. My fists clench at my sides. It's not until I see Alema's startled expression that I realize how much my anger is showing. Breathe, Aniya. Breathe.

"We need the padawans to take the Huttlet there. Dooku would never expect us to entrust them with the most important part of the mission," my brother's voice comes to me telepathically. I nod my agreement. It's risky, but it's the best we've got right now. I don't like the thought of him confronting Dooku again, not after last time, but I won't let him go anywhere alone. "It's time to split up," Anakin announces, pretending nothing happened.

"We'll face it together, Master," Ahsoka insists. No, I don't like this either, but it's what we have to do. I just hope my brother's plan will work. If not... it won't be good.

"Not this time, Snips. I have a far more important mission for you two."

"More important than keeping you alive?" she argues.

"Dooku's a Sith Lord," insists Alema, "How could you defeat him without us?"

"This isn't a matter of defeating, young one," I reply, "We need to distract him while you get the Hutt to safety." Anakin and I may not have been able to beat him before, but that was only since we were electrocuted. Together, I have no doubt we could do it. Besides, we were fighting Ventress also at the time. She's not here, so it just leaves Dooku.

"But –" begins Ahsoka.

"I need you to trust us on this one," Anakin says, stepping forwards and resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

The suns have set, and darkness is cloaking the planet. In the west, there's still a faint glow from the setting suns. The moons have risen, casting their glow across the sand. It might be beautiful, but the memories I can't seem to shake are not. I can't stop remembering the last time we were here when we found our mother. Had we come one day sooner, she might have lived. Maybe. She was already badly injured, but for her to even have managed to hold out so long in that condition, she probably would have lived.

We walk side by side in dead silence, both bearing the same sense of heaviness mixed with determination, trying to focus our minds on the mission. Finally, we come to a stop at the sound of an approaching speeder. The altogether too familiar presence washes over me. The speeder comes to a stop a short distance from us. Dooku.

My anger surges again, but I struggle to clamp down on it. I can't stop remembering when the four of us ran into the hanger together. No one emerged unscathed.

Two blue lightsabers ignite, but we keep them lowered towards the ground. The Sith climbs off his speeder, eyes fixing us in a cold stare. I know a battle is about to begin, and we need to be ready. Hopefully the padawans get to the palace in the meantime.

"Surrender the Huttlet immediately, Skywalker," Dooku orders. I stare coldly back at him. If he thinks we're going to listen to him, he's an idiot. He raises his hands and blasts of lightning shoot out at us. Both lightsabers swing up simultaneously, the blue electricity crackling down the blades as we push it away from us. I don't let myself think about the memories associated with it. He might have been able to catch us off guard once, but we don't fall for the same trick twice in a row. Finally, the lightning stops, and my lightsaber jerks slightly at the lack of pressure on it. We shift into our fighting stances, staring down the Sith Lord.

Dooku ignites his blood-red blade, lunging forwards at us. We move forwards as one, parrying his first blow and instantly returning it with our own.

"Your training has come a long way," he remarks as our lightsabers continue clashing furiously.

"I'm glad we could impress you," I retort, parrying another one his blades before jumping over his head and attacking from behind. We have him on the defensive in a matter of moments. He might be good, but he's fighting two of us at once. Anakin and I know each other well enough to predict each other's movements and react accordingly.

The Sith Lord quickly realizes that he's not going to be able to defeat us like this. A sudden powerful Force-shove sends me flying backwards, landing on the ground in a heap. Calling my lightsaber back to my hand, I try to jump up but trip over my feet in a tangled mess with my robes and fall back to the ground, rolling down a small hill of sand in the process. Ughhhh. So much for not doing this in a real battle like I'd promised Anakin back on Naboo not that long ago. This is embarrassing. And frankly, stupid.

I glance up the hillside to where the fight is continuing. Anakin narrows his eyes in concentration and throws out his hand, Force-throwing sand at Dooku while he's distracted. Dooku stumbles back a few steps before raising a hand and begins Force-pushing the miniature sandstorm back at Anakin.

Before my brother has a chance to throw up a Force-shield, he's thrown down the hill, lightsaber falling from his hand and rolling several feet away. The moment the sand has settled again, Dooku leaps through the air towards Anakin. He instantly flips onto his back, simultaneously calling his lightsaber back to him and reactivating it right as Dooku's blade swings for him.

Right on cue, I jump up and race forwards. Anakin shoves Dooku's lightsaber back and scrambles to his feet, but the Sith swings his lightsaber, cutting through the backpack Anakin is carrying.

"You've failed, Skywalker," sneers Dooku, whirling around to meet my blade as I slash at him, "I have just killed Jabba's son." Always so confident of his victory. I step back, letting the fight pause for a few brief moments.

Anakin smirks. "You've fallen for my little trick, Count," he replies, pulling the backpack off and throwing it to the ground as its real contents spill out. "It's nothing but rocks. The Huttlet is with our padawans, safety at Jabba's palace."

I can't help but chuckle at the suddenly murderous look that flashes through Dooku's eyes. "I expected such treachery from a Jedi," he growls.

"I suppose that's why you were so quick to gloat about your victory," I remark, smirking, "Could have fooled me." He wisely ignores the comment.

"I assure you my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little padawans." He's far too confident, and his overconfidence will be his undoing. Ahsoka may be a padawan, but she's skilled, and Alema is quite known for her recklessness and daring methods. I blame Krell for her ending up like that, but it certainly is very effective at times. Unless he's sending an army after them, I trust they can make it through whatever he throws at them.

"They're more skillful than you think," Anakin responds, as he leaps into the duel between me and the Count again. Dooku's fighting much more furiously than before, obviously drawing on his anger over his own stupidity. It's still not near enough to defeat us.

As our lightsabers continue clashing furiously, another Force shove that I don't manage to counter on time sends me flying again. I hit the ground many feet away and roll a few more before finally coming to a stop. Anakin lands next to me moments later. Sensing the Sith Lord moving towards us, I push myself up again, prepared to keep fighting.

"You deceive yourself," sneers Dooku, "Look, I have a message from your Padawans." He withdraws a commlink and turns it on, displaying a hologram of Ahsoka and Alema, lightsabers activated. They're clearly fighting something, though I can't really tell what. And they look worried. My anger flares, and I leap to my feet, charging at Dooku with Anakin right behind. We need to hurry. I will not let them get hurt. We didn't get there in time to save our mother, but I refuse to be too late to save them.

The blades clash together once before Anakin kicks Dooku down a small sand hill, a move which I find altogether too satisfying. The commlink falls to the ground, landing at our feet, continuing to play the fight. The padawans back away, continuing to fight. Alema is fighting two while Ahsoka is fighting one, but the droids wielding electro staffs are hastily advancing on the two. They move off screen, but we hear sudden cries of alarm. An icy fear grips me. What just happened?

"After my droids kill Jabba's son," Dooku continues, still looking far too smug, "They will deliver your padawans to him for punishment for the Huttlet's murder. I can't imagine he will be merciful." He underestimates them. And he overestimates his own abilities and intelligence.

Anakin and I exchange glances, reading each other's thoughts as we always do. Dooku was foolish enough to leave his speeder right behind us. I whirl around and take off running. The fight ended right nearby where it began. Anakin in the lead, we dash over a hill and jump onto the speeder. Anakin reaches it first and I jump on right behind. Seconds later, we zip off across the desert, leaving the madly laughing Sith far behind.

***

Ahsoka Tano

Alema and I walk at a hurried pace through the sand. I hope Dooku isn't going to find us here, but he probably sent something else this way just in case. For the first time, Alema removed her outer robe so we could make something with it for me to carry Rotta. I do my best to pretend not to notice the scars on her body, but they're not that obvious unless I look closely. Even so, I'm more tempted than I ever have been in my life to beat the life out of someone. Namely, Krell.

As we round another corner in the sand dunes, I can danger in the Force a second before spotting three droids, each brandishing an electrostaff. Artoo rolls closer, a small blast of electricity from his dome striking the staff. The droid quickly positions it to block the electricity, then hits Artoo with it so he rolls down the hill with a surprised squeal of beeps.

Alema and I spin around simultaneously as the other two droids move forwards. I block the first blow, shoving the electrostaff to the side and swinging at it again.

I whirl around, blocking the third droid's strike as it advances on us, before swinging to parry my other opponent's. Alema moves over, attacking the third droid. I back up as the droid I'm fighting strikes at me with one side of the staff then the other, a repeated, persisting series of blows. Alema twirls between the two, blocking every blow with enough expertise that I'd almost think she's been on the field longer than she has.

Alema and I slowly back off a few steps across the ground as the droids continue advancing on us. This would be so much easier if I didn't have to worry about them hurting Stinky. I can only defend, not really go on the offensive.

I step back again, only to realize that there's no way to go any farther back, and the sand suddenly slips out from beneath me and I fall over the side with a startled yelp, face planting in the sand after rolling distance down. Stinky wails loudly from his place on my back.

"I thought you liked to play in the sand," I grumble, pushing myself up. Alema hits the ground beside me, and we step back into the shadows to avoid being seen.

The three droids jump down the bank moments later, looking around to see where we went. We stay in the shadows for a moment, letting them go slightly forwards before jumping from our hiding spots simultaneously, each cutting through one of the unsuspecting droids before we hit the ground. We jump back, Alema holding her lightsaber in front of her defensively as the remaining droid turns to us.

The sudden sound of an engine catches my attention, and I look up. A speeder is flying overhead, with the twins on it. "Master!" I yell.

"Master, over here!" Alema calls. There's no response, probably drowned out by the sound of the engine.

"Ugh, he never listens," I groan, parrying another blow from the electrostaff.

"We need to get there before they get in trouble," Alema grumbles, lunging forwards again. The droid quickly swings to parry her blow.

"Okay, you're going back to Dooku in pieces," I announce, spinning around it and slicing it in half. The pieces crumble to the ground and I look around, just to make sure there aren't anything else hiding in the shadows.

Stinky whines softly as I fall to my knees, panting. Being attacked by droids like these was certainly not what I had in mind when I wanted to become a padawan. "Being a padawan is harder than I thought."

"Tell me about it," Alema sighs, offering me a hand. "Come. We should hurry."

***

Aniya Skywalker

I don't catch sight of anything on the way to the palace. Good. It appears they've already gotten Jabba's son to safety. The gate rises as the speeder comes to a stop in front of it, and the two of us climb off. We're immediately greeted with three people point blasters at us, and a protocol droid. What a wonderful greeting. I am not looking forward to this at all. Even if Stinky did get here, who's to say Jabba didn't decide to break the treaty anyway? It sounds just like him.

"Where are our Padawans?" Anakin demands sharply, having no more trust in them than I do.

"This way," says the droid, turning and starting away. We start forwards, but the others don't move. Their pause seems to make the droid remember something, as it turns around again. "Your weapons, please," it says, extending its hand. We both hesitate. A few more people walk towards us from behind, blasters aimed. Clearly, we don't have a choice, but even so, we won't be defenseless. We still have the Force, and we can retake our weapons if we need them. Reluctantly, Anakin and I turn our lightsabers over to the droid and follow it inside.

We follow it down a corridor and come to a stop inside a room with many people. The familiar figure of Jabba sits in the center. "These are Jedi Knights Anakin and Aniya Skywalker. As Count Dooku said, your son is not with them."

"What?" Anakin and I exclaim, eyes darting around the room. What happened? We would have seen them if they hadn't already defeated the droids. Unless someone's lying. And considering Hutts are involved, it's likely. Sure enough, though, I don't see Rotta. Or any signs of our padawans. I don't see them. They should be in here, but they're not. Where are they?

"Your son's not here?" my brother demands.

"Where are they?" I snap, my voice leaving no room for games.

"Looking for us?" calls a voice from the doorway. I spin towards the door to see Ahsoka and Alema standing there, Ahsoka holding the Huttlet in one arm. Finally.

The guards make way for them as they approach Jabba. Ahsoka holds out Stinky who promptly begins to squeal in a baby version of Huttese. I can't help but smile at the reunion. After all that, he's finally home again. Jabba takes him from her with far more gentleness than he's capable of with any other species and then looks over at the guards and gives them an order.

"You are to be executed immediately," announces the translator droid.

"What?!" the four of us exclaim in shock. I should have guessed. Of course, Hutts would do something like this. That's why I didn't like this idea to begin with. Anakin and I instantly rip our lightsabers out of the droid's hand. The four of us stand in a circle with our backs facing each other, lightsabers raised as we prepare to fight. The guards raise their blasters at us.

"Does this always happen to you?" wonders Ahsoka.

"Everywhere I go," Anakin confirms. The Huttlet suddenly wails. Maybe he's not appreciative of the thought of us dying.

An orb in the corner of the room suddenly beeps and begins flashing, drawing everyone's attention away from us for the moment. "Your Uncle Ziro is contacting us," declares the droid, pressing a button and a hologram of Padme is projected in front of Jabba. What in the world is she doing, and how did she get involved in something like this?!

"Greetings, honorable Jabba," she begins immediately, "I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress. I have discovered a plot against you by one of your own. Your uncle will admit he conspired with Count Dooku to kidnap your son and frame the Jedi for the crime."

The hologram promptly shifts to a very panicked looking Hutt. "It was Count Dooku!" he cries. Jabba's expression turns murderous, and he roars something at him, to which Ziro replies in Huttese. I don't really care to translate what they're saying. I remember the language fairly well, but it's become rusty over years of disuse. Ziro disappears from the hologram and Padme steps up again.

The protocol droid translates Jabba's message to her. "Ziro will be dealt with by the Hutt family most severely." And I don't envy him at all.

"Perhaps now you will allow the Republic to use your trade routes and hostilities can come to an end," Padme requests.

"Jabba agrees. A treaty is in order," the droid replies.

"You will not regret this, Jabba," Padme assures him.

"The clone armies may move through Jabba's territories," the protocol droid translates again. We deactivate our lightsabers. Maybe we'll be getting out of here without a battle after all.

"Senator," Anakin says, and Padme turns to face him. "You have my undying gratitude."

"And mine," I add with a grin.

"No, Master Skywalker," she replies, "It is I, and the Republic, who owes you thanks." The hologram turns off, and then the droid translates for us again, even though we understood it to begin with.

"Jabba would be most appreciative if you bring Dooku to justice for his crimes against the Hutts."

"You can count on it, Jabba," Anakin assures him.

Just then, we hear the sound of a ship approaching. Everyone turns towards the entrance to see Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon approaching, followed by a number of clones. This may be nowhere near the end of the war, but at least it means a victory for the Republic, and a loss for the Separatists. For now.

***

I'm working on my fighter unnecessarily when Qui-Gon finds me. He doesn't say anything at first, just waiting nearby in silence. The simple knowledge that he's there is often enough to give me comfort. I scoot out from beneath it anyway, though I'm dreading whatever conversation he's probably about to have. I know what. I just can't stop myself. I haven't seen him well since Jabiim, and I hate the responsibilities that are suddenly being dumped on me.

We're on the way back to Coruscant, and I just can't sleep. Nightmares. Nothing more than usual since the war started, but machines are the only thing that can calm me.

"When I took you from Tatooine, I hadn't expected this to be the life you'd live," he says carefully. I set down the tools on the floor – wishing not for the first time that I had another astromech droid. My first had been destroyed only a month into the war, and we hadn't had time to get a new one before being shipped off to Jabiim. I brush a stray strand of hair from my face and stand up.

"Yeah, me neither," I mumble, slumping down onto the blue fighter's wing.

"Ani, I'm sorry you had to go through this."

I blink at him. "Through what?"

"The war."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "That's what we were made for, isn't it? To bring balance to the Force?"

"You're barely twenty," he answers, as if that explains everything. I scoot over a bit, just enough to allow him to sit beside me. It feels good to have him here. "What's the matter?"

I let out a long sigh. I really don't want to talk about this. I shouldn't let it bother me. I should just... be, but I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I remember Jabiim. Teth. War. Desolation. I want it to stop. "We lost Jabiim," I blurt out finally. "We just needed reinforcements. A little assistance. If Krell hadn't been there, if the Council had listened and sent someone else..." I should stop blaming them. If I had fought harder with Krell in the first place, Qui-Gon never would've been injured. He could've died because I lost my patience. "I nearly got you killed."

"You rescued Alema."

I shake my head. "I know, and she... I can't lose you," I blurt finally. "I just..."

He reaches up to rest a hand on my shoulder, and I shift to lean against him. I shouldn't want this. I'm a Knight. I should know how to get by alone, but I can't stop myself from wanting him. I shouldn't need him or Obi-Wan anymore, but I do. "Aniya, if the Force deemed it time for me to go, nothing anyone could do would stop it."

"I know!" Tears prick my eyes, but I stubbornly refuse to let them fall. I don't want him to know how scared I am. "But I'm not ready to let you go."

"You don't have to. Not yet."

"And... Master, I lost almost all my remaining forces on Teth. Almost all of them. They're my men. I was entrusted with them. I'm supposed to take care of them."

"You were doing the best you could."

"Which wasn't good enough." I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to stop my tears from falling. It doesn't work. "They were my friends. We spent weeks together trapped on Jabiim. How am I supposed to – to move on when they die?"

"This is wrong," Qui-Gon states firmly.

I risk opening my eyes and pretend not to notice how unbearably blurry he looks. "W-what?"

"The war. The Jedi should not have joined. The Separatists may not have been entirely right, but I cannot support this senseless death."

"The Republic needs us," I insist, because really, I don't know what else to say. To back out now would make me a coward. We have to do this, no matter what. We can't pull out of the war because we don't want to fight. Not when so many lives are at stake.

"Ani," he sighs. "You're doing the best you can."

"That's the problem. It's not enough." I don't even know what I'm doing. I was trained to be a peacekeeper. I have no idea how to fight in a war. Yes, I'm learning, but it's not like I had someone to teach me. The Council basically dumped an entire battalion of soldiers on me and said 'you go from here. Figure it out on your own,' and left it at that.

"We managed to form an alliance with the Hutts," he reminds.

"Who knows how long it will last? The clones are people. We shouldn't use them like... like droids!"

"I know."

My head dips in a nod and I turn away to face the rest of the hanger. I need to stay strong. I don't have time to indulge in my own feelings. I don't want to let anyone see any of it, but I can't seem to help it when I finally break and lean against him, unable to stop myself from crying.

I feel his arms wrap around me with the same assurance I've always gotten, that I'm protected. I'm an adult now, not a padawan, not his child, but I still need him, even if I shouldn't.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

I've already learned a lot about Master Skywalker after our mission to Teth, but apparently not this side of him. I stop in the doorway of our new apartment, glancing around while attempting to take everything in at once. Why in the world are there droid parts scattered everywhere? Is this what he does in is free time?

"Hey, it's not like I had time to clean up or anything," Anakin grumbles, walking past me towards his room.

"I know, but..." I look around again, trying to pick a path to where my room should be and is probably buried in stuff too. "This looks like junk."

"It is not junk!" he complains, sounding almost offended, "We work on it... between times."

"How am I even supposed to get to my room?"

"Very carefully."

"Thanks a lot, Master," I mutter sarcastically, carefully picking my way across the main area towards the smaller of the bedrooms. Why in the world does he have it thrown all over the floor instead of some table? Never ever let me see his room. If he dares mess up mine, I will not be happy. Wait, does Aniya's apartment look like this, too? I feel bad for Alema now. Especially since she has a bit more to carry around than me, considering that she's moving out of Krell's apartment. I'd wanted to go with her, but she insisted on going alone. Apparently, she doesn't care how stupid that is.

I step into my room, glancing around. It's small and plain, like all rooms are here. And thank the Force, there are not droid parts scattered everywhere in here.

I take a few steps into the room, my foot promptly catching on something, and I trip flat on my face. So much for that. What in the world have the twins done to their apartments? I sit up with a groan, scowling at the traitorous piece of machinery that made its way in here. And how did I not notice that?

"Next time, watch your step," an amused Anakin offers very unhelpfully.

"Next time, watch your mess," I grumble, climbing to my feet.

"Not like we were expecting company," he complains, "Besides, we didn't exactly have time to put everything away when I was called off to Christophsis."

"Oh. So that's why a hurricane went through here in your absence."

"Very funny, Snips."

He disappears back outside, letting me get settled in.

It's about fifteen minutes later that I step back outside my room, and immediately stop in my tracks. The twins are sitting next to each other on the couch. Anakin has his right glove off for the first time, and it takes me a few moments to realize why it looks so weird. It's... mechanical?!

"What – how – how did that happened? What in the world did you two do?!" I shriek. "How – did you –?!"

"No, I did not cut off my own brother's arm! What in the name of the Force are you asking me?!" cries Aniya.

"Stop freaking out!" Anakin interjects, though it's obvious he doesn't feel terribly comfortable about the topic. He snatches up his glove from where it is next to him and pulls it back on. "It happened the day the war started."

"How?" I ask, cautiously stepping into the room again. And how in the world did my master so carefully neglect telling me he lost his arm?

The twin's glance at each other, and I get the feeling they're having a silent conversation with each other. Finally, Aniya stands up and walks over to me. "Come with me," she instructs and slips past me back into my room. She stops a distance inside and turns around, arms crossed.

I shoot a questioning look at my master, but he doesn't seem to notice, so I follow Aniya inside.

"Let's just say we used to know Dooku," she begins slightly unsteadily. She's obviously having hard time talking about it, which I'm not exactly surprised about. He did betray the Republic, after all, but I didn't realize my master knew him. "For a short time. We looked up to him a lot. But we confronted him on Geonosis, and... let's just say no one emerged unscathed." Though she's doing a remarkable job concealing her emotions, I can tell she's extremely upset.

"He's the one who cut of Master Anakin's arm?" I conclude quietly, horrified. Aniya nods stiffly. They once looked up the man, and he did this? I know it was in battle, but still. No wonder he didn't want to talk about it.

Well, it seems like I still have a lot more to learn about my new master.

***

Alema Syndulla

Just get on with it, I remind myself. I thought I could do it alone. I told them I didn't need help. A shudder runs through me as I do my best not to think about the memories this apartment brings. I punch in the code with shaking hands, and it slides open. My hood still pulled over my head, I step through the doorway.

I steal myself against the memories that are sure to come. I've lived with Krell for practically three months, I can handle running into him a couple more times. Aniya's my master now. Not him.

I hurry across it into my old room and glance around, not that there's anything new to see. The rare times we were at the Temple, I'd spend the day in here as much as possible. Not that he really allowed me out anyway. I'd honestly feel a lot better if the Council expelled him altogether, but I really don't want to talk about what happened. Certainly not to the Council. I shouldn't, though I blame them for it to an extent. They did hand me right over to him after all.

Finally, I tentatively reach out with the Force. I just need to know... A sigh of relief escapes me as I realize that the apartment is empty. I have little desire to ever lay eyes on my former master again. It's not like it was only me he hurt either. He has no regard for the lives of his clones, just seeing them as expendable tools to reach victory. And I quickly learned that arguing with him about it would get absolutely nowhere.

I move quickly, collecting the few belongings I even have here. I've just gathered everything – a few spare sets of clothes and my datapad – when I hear the door open. I know Aniya was waiting nearby just in case something happened, but I shouldn't need her to. She shouldn't have to worry about me. But Krell, he's here. He's here. He just came back, and...My heart starts pounding and air practically freezes in my lungs. I need to get out of here. Without him seeing me. Now that I told Aniya and the Council, who knows what he might do?

He can't hurt you anymore, I can almost hear Aniya's voice reminding me, but that does little to quell my rising panic.

Come on, Alema. I've fought battles before. I can certainly do this. It's easy enough. No, it's not. Not at all.

I'm tempted to just wait in here until he leaves again or goes to bed, but my door is open, and I don't want him to come in here. If he doesn't know I'm here, I'd rather not let him know. I've never wished more I could just be invisible. He probably knows I'm here anyway, and then he'll come. If the door was closed, I could wait it out, but it's not a good idea unless it's closed. If he comes here – I know he will eventually – I'll be trapped inside with him. At least if I go out, maybe I can make it to the exit first?

I start for the door, but the thought of actually seeing him again makes my stomach lurch, and I jerk back. I'm not simply in trouble for disobeying him this time. I actually told someone. Or rather, I let someone find out about it. He's – he's gonna... would he kill me? I can't say I'd be surprised. He has fallen far enough – wait. No. He hasn't Fallen. If he has, the Council should know. He wouldn't still be here. That assurance does little to calm my racing heart.

Okay. Okay, just breathe. I can do this. Just go out there and go out the door. Not that hard, right? Nope, not at all. Yes, definitely. I'm a Jedi. I can't let my fear control me. Once I get out there, there's no going back. Come on. Move. Aniya's waiting for me. I start forwards, slipping out the door. I'm tempted to run right back, but I lower my gaze to the floor and shuffle as fast as I can towards the door.

I hear his footsteps but pretend I can't. Sometimes, just disappearing is a good idea. I can feel his gaze on my back. I force myself not to run – that will definitely draw his attention – as I hurry towards the door.

"Don't think this is over," he growls, voice low and menacing, before I finally get the door open, and this time don't hesitate to sprint away down the hall. I don't stop running until I reach Aniya's apartment and stop to catch my breath. I've never been more relieved to leave somewhere, never to return, in my life. And at least I can take comfort in the fact that Krell won't be allowed to take another padawan, unless he can prove that he's changed. At least no one else will have to go through what I did. Don't think this is over...

***

"What were you even thinking?" snarls Krell, glaring down at me, "You wasted hours going on that roundabout route!"

"We still won the battle," I protest lamely, knowing full well that he's never going to listen or care my reasoning. He slaps me hard, and I stumble back a step, nearly losing my balance.

"You disobeyed my orders!" he roars, striking me even harder this time. This time I do lose my balance, falling to the floor. He kicks me in the side before grabbing my left arm – the one with the still untreated blaster wound – yanking me back to my feet. I clench my jaw, stifling the muffled cry of pain that escapes me.

"You will never do this again," he growls lowly, and for a moment I could almost swear I see traces of yellow in his eyes.

"Taking that route saved many of the men," I mumble finally. That's the only reason I even dared to tell them to take a different route than Krell ordered. I knew following his command in that case would have been suicide, and I don't regret it.

"Those pathetic laboratory-bred creatures," spits Krell, the anger swirling nearly tangibly around him, "When will you finally understand that they are expendable?"

I bite back the urge to argue with him. It'll only make this worse and it's not like it's going to change his opinion at all.

He shoves me backwards into the wall with two of his arms – ugh, why did creatures with more than two arms ever have to come into existence? – before withdrawing and activating his lightsaber. My eyes widen a fraction. No, not this. He presses the blade against me, deep enough to do a little more than just burn.

"Alema!" I jolt awake, looking around wildly, expecting to see Krell standing over me. "Alema," Aniya calls my name again. She hovers over me, looking down with concern.

I slowly sit up, looking over at the window. A nightmare. Just a nightmare. I have them all the time, but never make a single sound. How did she know? "Sorry for disturbing you," I mumble awkwardly. I don't know how she's going to react. Krell would not be impressed. He'd ignore me altogether, obviously. Or just make things worse on purpose, whispers a small voice in my head.

"You hardly need to be apologize for having a nightmare," Aniya replies, sitting down on the edge of the bed and wrapping an arm around me. "With the war and Krell, I'd be surprised if you didn't have nightmares all the time."

"I... thanks for coming," I say finally, not really sure how to react. I'm not used to people trying to make me feel better. I shift closer, leaning slightly against Aniya. I know she won't be angry. That doesn't stop the stab of apprehension that shoots through me.

"You should be getting back to sleep," she says at last, "It's late." Yes, but I have no desire of going back to sleep all alone and in the dark, especially since the nightmares are probably going to start immediately again. Maybe I'll just stay up all night after she leaves.

With a sigh, I lay back down and stare up at the ceiling. Needless to say, I'm more than a little startled when she pauses for a moment before shifting to lay down next to me. "Figured you could use the company," she explains the unspoken question. I'm hardly even sure how to react to that. I've never, ever had a someone to do something like that for me before.

"Thanks," I manage at last, rolling just a little closer to her before closing my eyes. Maybe I won't spend the rest of the night awake or having nightmares after all. It isn't long before I drift off into an actually peaceful sleep.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I knew something was going to go wrong on the mission – it was too simple – but the last thing I was expecting was my new Astromech droid, Arthree-Essix, to turn on the tracking beacon when I told him to turn on the scanner. How could a droid even confuse those two?!

"Let's hope Grievous didn't hear that," I grumble as I finally manage to get it off. I don't have time to say anything else before a group of ships suddenly jump out of hyperspace in front of me. "Oh, he heard it, alright. Next time, do what I say, would you?" I never should have come out here alone.

When a group of vulture droids start flying towards me, I realize it's our cue to get out of here. "Come on! Activate the hyperspace rings!" I order, taking over the guns.

The fighter suddenly slides right out of it and zips aside just as a blaster shot strikes the hyperspace ring. It explodes into a shower of sparks and smoke. I really just want to facepalm, but that hardly seems appropriate when there's at least a dozen vulture droids shooting at me. I try to dive aside, glaring over my shoulder in Arthree's direction. "You know, if we get killed, you're gonna go down with me!" What in the world is he even trying to do? Unless someone else heard and comes to the rescue, I'm never going to be able to make it out of here. I try to force my panic away and let the Force guide me. It's my only hope without getting captured or worse.

Suddenly, the engines stop working and the ship comes to a complete stop. The droid beeps.

"The engines aren't working?!" I repeat dubiously. "They were just a moment ago!" Did he do something to them? There is definitely something wrong with his programming. Next time, maybe I should just go out here completely alone. Hopefully Alema and Appo caught the tracking beacon and are on their way here, or... I'd rather not think about what would happen. I can't even move the ship, and the droids are closing in on me!

I glance out the viewport anxiously just as another ship emerges from hyperspace. A shuttle. Alema and Appo are here. Finally. I glance out towards the vulture droids. The ship jolts as a blaster shot strikes one of the wings. Good thing they got here, or I'd be dead.

"The cargo bay doors are open," Alema calls over the ship's comm, "You'd better come in."

"I'd love too!" I grumble, "But Arthree's having a problem with the engines. Just like he's having a problem with everything."

The droid beeps angrily.

"I'm serious." I'm not going to be terribly forgiving of a droid that nearly got me killed for no apparent reason.

The engine suddenly fires up just in time, and I dive upwards, avoiding the shots ricocheting all around me. It's a good thing I had the shields up.

"I'll give you some cover, okay?" my padawan calls, and their shuttle dives forwards, the guns instantly starting to take out droid after droid.

I use the opening as a chance for escape, not willing to stay behind a moment longer. There's no way to know what Arthree might suddenly 'find' wrong with the ship next. I'm beginning to wonder if there's not something seriously, seriously wrong with him. I fly through the shield covering the opening of the ship and land, throwing open the top of the fighter. "I'm inside!" I call. "Get us out of here, Alema!" I need to find her a nickname. With Anakin running around calling Ahsoka 'Snips' all the time, it hardly seems fair for my own padawan to only ever get called her name.

"Power it up, Appo," Alema declares cheerfully, "We're going straight between those ships." I stand in the doorway, watching as the shuttle dives between Grievous' ships and shooting out the other end. The Twi'lek reaches over to pull down the lever, and the ship jumps into hyperspace.

I let out a sigh of relief I didn't even know I was holding. That could definitely have been a lot worse, but if Alema hadn't gotten there when she did...

"So, how was the mission?" Alema asks.

"Are you really asking me that?" I huff, shooting an irritated look at the little gold astromech droid. Now that I'm in the situation to think about it, I can't help but wonder if he wasn't trying to do something which would get me killed. All that was far too unlike what a droid would do. It was far too stupid and reckless. Slight mistakes, I understand, but he's simply way too slow at figuring anything out. "Well, for one, I'm lucky to be alive. For another, I think there might be something a bit off with my droid's programming."

He beeps angrily and zips out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Alema gives me a 'seriously?' expression.

"What?!" I shoot back. "Do you really think I'd turn on my tracking beacon when Grievous is so close?! That was his doing, not mine, and then he didn't even turn it off!"

"Maybe we should have his programming checked," suggests Appo.

"Hm, you know what? That actually might be a good idea."

***

"I should have guessed it was something like this," I growl, scowling at the encrypted programming written into Arthree's mind.

"What's wrong?" asks Alema, who's been hovering in the background the entire time I've been working on this. Anakin would have loved to be here to help, but unfortunately, right now, he's gone with Obi-Wan investigating some new secret weapon of the Separatists which apparently leaves no survivors.

"Somehow the Separatists must have gotten ahold of this droid at some point," I explain, "The droid has been programmed to deliver all our intel to the Separatists and do everything possible to make all our missions' failures."

"Oh! So that explains why it was trying to get you killed," grumbles Alema.

"Yes," I huff, "Exactly. How'd I ever get stuck with this droid?"

"Hey, don't blame, Goldie!" exclaims Alema, "It's his programming. It's not his fault. Just reset his programming and all will be good."

"I'll still have a hard time trusting him," I scowl as I get to work. Well one thing is for sure. Even after I'm done being annoyed with Arthree, I'm always going to like Artoo more.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"How's the hunt for the mystery weapon going?" I query, trying to ignore the unease at its mention. I don't like this at all. The mysterious ship has already destroyed Republic ships in several systems and the Council decided to send Qui-Gon and Plo Koon straight into the chaos to hunt for the ship.

"We've tracked it to the Abregado system," answers Plo.

"But we need reinforcements," Qui-Gon interjects, "We can see the ship up ahead. It's far too large for us destroy with the forces we have left."

I frown. This does not sound good at all. "I'll have to ask the Council. I was given strict orders to protect our staging area," I say, though I know if it gets too serious, I am going to ignore the said orders. Qui-Gon's life is more important.

Suddenly, the transmission begins to go staticky. "Master Plo?" Ahsoka exclaims. "What's happening?" The hologram disappears before she even finishes talking, leaving dread swelling within me. The transmission must have been jammed by the Separatists, which means that if they need help, they're not going to have any way of getting ahold of us.

"You heard Master Plo!" Ahsoka exclaims as I turn, hurrying towards the room where I know the Council meeting is being held. "They need our support. We have to go help them." I wish it were so easy. That's the benefit of being a padawan instead of a knight. Things seem far easier than they really are, especially when you don't have anyone else to look after. In a way of sorts, as I suspected, a padawan has slowed me down, but I can't say I mind Ahsoka being with me. I already love the girl in a way I never could anyone else. Her recklessness, her cheerfulness, her carelessness, her ability to only see everything in black and white... they're all things I wish I had.

"We have to see what the Council decides first," I explain, "This is an important meeting, Ahsoka." And hopefully a fast one, because I have no patience for this right now. We need to get going. "Remember, be mindful. And speak only when spoken to."

"Don't I always?" she chirps. No, most definitely not.

The doors slide open, and Ahsoka and I step into the room where the meeting by hologram is being held. "This mystery weapon has struck in a dozen systems and disappeared without a trace," Palpatine is saying, "We cannot afford to lose any more ships, my friends."

He turns as we enter, catching sight of me. "Ah, Master Skywalker," he greets me. "Have you had any success in finding General Grievous' secret weapon?"

"Master Qui-Gon and Master Plo were here," I say, pushing a button so a hologram of the brilliant red planet appears. "In the Abregado system when we lost contact." And if the Council doesn't want to let me go, too bad. I'm doing it anyway. I'm not about to let lives pointlessly be wasted.

"We've had no further contact with either of them since then," I add, "The absence of distress beacons indicates that their fleets were..." I trail off, almost not wanting to finish. I can't bear the thought of it, but the implications say it all. "That their fleets were destroyed like the others. We are about to prepare a rescue mission." Except it can't be true. It can't be. Qui-Gon's survived far too much for him to die on us now. I can sense that he's still alive, for now, but for how long?

"Hasn't clone intelligence reported this weapon never leaves any survivors?" objects Palpatine. None that have been found. That doesn't mean there aren't any. And if Qui-Gon was dead, I would feel it. He's still there, somewhere in the Force. If this meeting isn't over soon, I have every intent of leaving in the middle to search for him. I won't leave him there. And there is a good chance Dooku doesn't want him dead anyway, I remind myself. At least that thought brings a small measure of comfort. If he's alive, we'll be able to find him.

"The Separatists are being unusually tidy. They don't want any witnesses," Obi-Wan observes. His concern is clear, though he's managing a surprisingly good job at concealing it.

"Tragic are these losses, but prevent more we must," Yoda speaks finally.

"All our battle groups will be assigned to guard our supply convoys, including yours Skywalker," Windu states coldly, "I'm afraid we can't risk any more ships with a rescue mission."

"Wait!" cries Ahsoka, raising a hand. So much for not talking. "Just because there haven't been any survivors before, doesn't meant here won't be any this time."

"Strongly seconded," I state, looking at Ahsoka. We are going to go look for them, but that doesn't mean we have to tell the Council that's what we're doing. Fine with me. It's far from the first time, and besides, it's probably better that way anyway. At least we won't be getting any distractions while we're busy.

"Boldly spoken for one so young," remarks Palpatine, crossing his arms.

"She is learning from Anakin," Obi-Wan comments, glancing over at Windu who's eyeing Ahsoka with a slightly startled expression.

"We will deploy as you have instructed, Master," I say flatly, shutting off the transmission. If they have more to say, they can save it for later. Now it's time to get going. Every passing second could put his life more in danger. "Ahsoka!" I call when I see her walking off.

She turns around to face me. "If anyone could survive, Master Plo could!" she protests, as if that explains why she can't not do the one thing I told her not to. "I don't understand why..."

"What you don't understand," I reply, crossing my arms, "Is Jedi protocol." You don't talk back to the Council like that. Not if you're a padawan. It only raises more questions and distrust, and I don't want her to go through all the same things Aniya and I had to. I consider telling her my plan, but it's probably better if I don't. Not until we're already on the way. It would take up more time, and I don't want to draw attention.

The doors slide open again, and Yularen and several other clones walk into the room.

"Admiral, we'll split up our ships to maximize our defense area," I order hastily, "I'll scout ahead for enemy activity."

"Isn't that risky with the mystery weapon out there?" he asks.

"It might be," I agree, "But I know you won't argue with my orders. Come on, Snips." I hurry away, with my padawan tagging along. It takes all my willpower not to run to the hanger, because that would be far too suspicious, but every second counts. Each passing moment is putting him more and more in danger, and the tension is unbearable. We just need to get there. If anyone could survive that weapon, I know Qui-Gon could. It's just a question of how long.

Finally, we seat ourselves inside a shuttle. "Set those new coordinates, Artoo?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder. He beeps in affirmation.

"Master, I should tell you why I spoke up before," Ahsoka begins. It almost hurts knowing she thinks I don't already understand. This is Qui-Gon's life on the line. Of course, I understand.

"You don't have to explain anything," I assure her, pulling the lever, and the ship jumps into hyperspace. It shouldn't be long, but I'm practically holding my breath anyway. Please be alright, I repeat silently over and over. He has to be there. We have to find him. I reach into the Force, relieved when I feel our bond still intact. He's still alive, for now, though I don't know where he is. That's going to be the hard part. And I hope we can get in, find him, and get out before the Council realizes we strictly disobeyed orders.

"Artoo, set up the scanner to modulate for incoming mystery weapons," Ahsoka calls as we come out of hyperspace above the blood-red planet. Sure enough, I can feel Qui-Gon's presence.

"No," I interrupt, "Artoo tune the scanners for life forms. Highest sensitivity."

"Why would we scan for life forms to spot an enemy weapon probably just filled with battle droids?" demands Ahsoka, before suddenly freezing as she realizes what we're approaching, "The Abregado system? Oh, so it's okay when you don't follow what the Council says."

"Doing what the Jedi Council says, that's one thing. How we go about doing it, that's another. That's what I'm trying to teach you, my young Padawan."

"So, you always meant to come out here for survivors?" Ahsoka asks, sitting down in the seat next to me.

"Lives are in danger, Ahsoka. We can't just turn our backs on them."

"That's what I said back in the briefing room!" she protests.

"I know. But the way you said it was wrong." You don't argue the Council's orders because they never listen. Discreetly disobeying them without their knowledge until the deed is already done is totally different. I've become rather skilled in that area. "Hurry up. Switch on the illuminator," I urge. "We haven't got much time before the fleet misses us."

"The scanners are practically useless," grumbles Ahsoka as we fly through the ships and debris orbiting the planet. "Got anything on the emergency channel, Artoo?" This is almost making me tempted to use the Force and try to follow my bond to him. There's not time for this nonsense. We have to get there and out as soon as possible.

"Now, Ahsoka, we might find something you don't want to find," I warn, wincing at the emotions I can feel through my bond with her. I can feel Qui-Gon too, if I reach out for him. I don't know what's happening, but I know he's alive here somewhere. Somewhere amidst all this destruction. But when we get there, it's simply a race against time.

"I know, Master, but I have to believe," she insists, looking down.

"How do you know Master Plo anyway?" I inquire.

"He's one of my oldest friends. It was Master Plo Koon who found me and brought me to the Temple where I belonged," she explains, "Now he's lost, so I thought maybe I could find him."

"Qui-Gon was the one who brought me to the Temple," I murmur, looking back out the viewport. "He's still here. I can feel him, somewhere."

"Incoming transmission, Master," Ahsoka suddenly chirps, "I think someone noticed we're gone."

"Anakin, where are you?" demands Obi-Wan with familiar exasperation as his holographic figure appears in front of me.

"Oh, hello, Master," I offer, smirking slightly. At least he'll understand my reasoning. I can only hope he'll be able to keep the Council from contacting me – or finding out – until we're on our way back. "We made a quick stop in the Abregado system."

"A rescue mission, I suppose. You had other orders."

"There were lives on the line. I couldn't turn my back on them. And Master Qui-Gon is out here. I can feel him," I argue. "We haven't found them yet, but I still feel his presence." And please don't let it disappear, I plead silently. I can't lose him. Not him too. I can't have come all the way here, only for him to die like what happened with Mom. Not again.

"Whatever you do, please be careful," cautions Obi-Wan. I can see his concern. "And try not to take too long." The connection breaks, and the hologram disappears.

Artoo suddenly whistles.

"What is it, Artoo?" questions Ahsoka. He beeps again. "Artooie thinks he's got something on the emergency channel."

"Can he trace it?" I demand, hope sparking inside of me. Maybe we'll be able to get there on time. The droid whistles affirmatively. "Then let's get going." I turn the shuttle slightly, directing it in the way Artoo is indicating. "Are we still picking up that signal?" I question.

"Yes," she responds, "But why aren't we finding anybody?"

"I don't know, Ahsoka, I don't know," I sigh, continuing to fly forwards. The cruisers here were destroyed, but there are people still alive. I just don't know where. We need to get there faster, but my impatience and desperation are interfering with my focus.

"Is anyone out there?" Ahsoka calls, sending out a transmission to any nearby pods. "This is Ahsoka Tano. Can anyone hear me?" The only response on the other end is static.

"This is Ahsoka Tano," she repeats urgently, "Is there anyone out there? Come in!" The connection breaks, and Ahsoka throws herself against the back of her chair with a yell of frustration. Much like I would have done at her age.

"Patience, we're trying to boost the power," I attempt to encourage her even though I'm trying to keep my own raging emotions under control, "Hang on." This is taking way too long. I start reaching into the Force again, through my bond with Qui-Gon, only for another hologram to flicker to life on the control panel between us, breaking my concentration. Even now, I can feel his concern.

"Anakin, the Council is furious. Why have you left your post?" demands Palpatine.

"I decided we couldn't give up on Qui-Gon and Master Plo Koon," I retort firmly, holding onto my bond with Qui-Gon. I'm only half hearing Palpatine's words.

"A noble gesture, Anakin," he acknowledges, "But the Council feels your daring may put others in danger. Please listen to me, Anakin." Seriously? I might be putting my own life – and Ahsoka's – in danger, but we can get out of this. I know we can, and I simply do not have the patience to sit through and listen to a lecture about abandoning the person who raised me like his own son. I don't care if it's from the Supreme Chancellor. I flip off the transmission, uncaring of what everyone will be saying about that afterwards. Enough already. I need to focus which I can't do with him babbling in the background. I don't care what anyone says; I'm not leaving Qui-Gon to die.

Closing my eyes, I reach through our bond, ignoring the beeping of the comm channel in the background. I can feel him clearly through the Force. I reach deeper, nudging at his presence to feel him reaching out back. I grab the controls again, spinning the ship sideways and diving smoothly between more debris. I'm not watching, just flying the ship through areas I know it can fit through and diving down towards where I feel our bond pulsing from. Finally, an escape pod comes into view, then another. Master Plo and two clones are on top of one of them, which I am going to be asking about later.

"There they are!" I exclaim. "Ready tow cables."

"Cables loaded, Master!" Ahsoka calls back.

I fire out the first one, catching onto Plo's pod and pulling it into hanger area of the ship through the blue ray-shield blocking the area from the void of space. He's already literally in space so rescuing him is more urgent. As soon as he's safely inside, I fire a second one, pulling Qui-Gon's in. I dart over to his pod while Ahsoka runs to Plo.

"Are you okay, Master Plo?" questions Ahsoka worriedly, kneeling next to him and resting a gentle hand on his arm.

I pull open the door to Qui-Gon's pod and he and several other clones climb out. "Are you alright?" I demand urgently, hurrying to him. Relief floods me to see him alive and seemingly uninjured, even if the situation is still far from safe.

"I'm fine," he answers with a weak smile. I pull him into a hug, not caring that there's people around to see the very un-Jedi-like act. I'm just relieved to have him here with me.

"There's someone else in the pod," Plo tells me. Glancing over my shoulder, I use the Force to pull open his Pod again, stepping back from Qui-Gon. Another clone stumbles out and I move forwards to help him to the floor when he nearly collapses.

The door finally slides open, and a medical droid hastily enters the room, approaching the survivors. "Will they be alright?" I query as it leans over one of the clones.

"The pressure suits offer some protection, but they require a medical frigate for recovery," answers the droid after a moment, "I will stabilize them, sir."

"Your men are safe now," Ahsoka assures Plo where he's sitting next to his pod, clearly trying to recover from nearly dying in outer space.

"Tell me, were there any survivors?" he inquires after a moment.

"We couldn't find anybody else," I answer quietly.

"The hunters must have destroyed the rest," murmurs Qui-Gon. I feel sick. Grievous and Dooku just killed all his clones. Qui-Gon had already been very against the war given his compassionate nature – which he taught to me and Aniya as well – and seeing all his men getting massacred in front of him... I don't want to know how it must feel. If someone hurt Rex or the 501st like that, I don't know how I'd react.

"I'm sorry, Master Plo," Ahsoka murmurs, wrapping her arms around him.

"Come on, we need to hurry before the situation deteriorates," Qui-Gon warns, and we stand up, heading into the cockpit, leaving the droid to take care of the clones.

"We tracked the mystery weapon to this system," declares Plo as we enter, Ahsoka and I taking seats at the front.

"It's an ion cannon," continues Qui-Gon, "It neutralizes all power to ships, leaving the targets completely defenseless."

The scan in front of me is going, and my eyes narrow on it. "There's a massive vessel approaching," I observe, concern surging. This is bad. It's probably the Separatists, maybe even the mystery weapon they came here to find in the first place.

Plo and Qui-Gon are at the front of the room in an instant, flipping levers and pushing buttons to shut off the power. "Shut down the power systems before they detect us!" Plo warns urgently.

Qui-Gon reaches over to flip off the last lever, plunging the ship into darkness. The only light is from the brilliant red planet looming in front of us, casting a blood-red tinted glow through the ship. The ship comes to a smooth stop admits the debris.

Artoo whistles in confusion. "The droid!" exclaims Qui-Gon whirling around.

Ahsoka jumps up, running over to him. "Sorry, little guy," she murmurs, pushing the "off" button. Out the window, I can see a massive ship approaching us. It almost looks like a small city in and of itself from the number of lights on it.

"That is one big cruiser-crusher," Ahsoka mutters as she returns to her seat, eyes widening from the sight of the menace.

The ship flies past us slowly, far too slowly. If it sees us, we'll be dead. If it picks up readings of any kind here... Luckily, there are no electronics still active anymore for it to pick up, but that doesn't stop the prickle of fear from running through me. I can only hope we blend in well with the debris, so the droids will assume we're one of them. I've never seen a ship that big. It destroyed two entire Republic fleets without suffering a scratch. A small shuttle wouldn't stand a chance against it, but I know better than to count on weapons.

Suddenly, the ship comes to a stop, then starts turning. And moving back towards us. "Are all the systems shut down?!" I demand, voice rising with worry. If that ship noticed us, we're done for. We have no way of fighting it off. It better not find us. My heart races as the ship continues coming closer and closer.

Just then, the droid swings open behind us. "Is there a problem, sir?" questions a robotic voice.

"We forgot to shut off the medical droid!" exclaims Qui-Gon. Great. Just great. They must have been picking it up and following the signal towards us.

I whirl around, sliding back into the seat. "We've got to get the power back on now!" I exclaim.

"Can I be of assistance?" asks the droid.

"No thanks. Just get in the back and take care of the clones," I snap, hands flying over the levers as I get the ship's engine back on. We have to get out of here before they can fire the cannon at us.

"That is my programming, sir," it monotones, stepping back out the door again, as if completely oblivious to our concern. Finally, the engines start firing up. Now, it's time to make a dash for our lives. At least this way if we go down – we won't – we'll go down together.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," I exclaim.

"I know! I know!" cries Ahsoka, her voice rising with panic.

The second the power is on again, I grab the controls and zoom away from the ship at top speed. "Artoo! Program the navicomputer. Be ready to get us out of here," I call over my shoulder. No response. What?

"You forgot," Ahsoka reminds, "We turned him off." Great.

Plo hastily leans over, turning the droid back on again.

"Artoo!" I cry again, concern growing by the moment. "Program the hyperdrive!" The ship can't pursue us through the debris, but I can clearly feel the Force humming with danger. They're going to fire their weapon at us. I'm sure of it, and we need to just clear the debris area for they hyperspace jump.

He whistles.

"Anywhere! Hurry!" cries Ahsoka.

Then all at once, the enemy ship fires. An enormous purplish cloud of energy ejects from the weapon on the side of the ship. I direct full power towards the engines, sending the ship zipping forwards full speed, deftly maneuvering it between the pieces of debris. The cloud of energy pursues us, not slowed like we are from the objects in front of us. We just need to make it out of this debris field.

I can feel it, the energy swirling and pulsing right behind us, promising death. I doubt anyone knows how strongly I can feel each and every bit of it. If it hits us, we'll die. My father and little sister, two of the only people I have left in my life. If I have to go, then I will, but I will not let them die. I throw myself into the Force, focusing on nothing but diving forwards, spinning just to avoid striking the debris lingering around us.

"Master!" my padawan cries, voice panicked, but I can't let it get to me. It hurts, but I tune her out. My eyes narrow and I focus solely on the controls, spinning around what I think was once the top of a cruiser and then many other pieces of metal. Slowly, the debris start getting less and less concentrated. The ion blast is mere feet behind us now. If Aniya and I hadn't put so much time and effort into upgrading the Twilight, we would've been hit. I can feel more than see the emptiness of space dotted with a million stars in front of us.

"We're clear!" yells Ahsoka. I reach out instantly, flipping the lever. The ship lurches into hyperspace, not a moment too soon, leaving the ion cloud far behind.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"This strike force has been commissioned by the Senate to hunt the enemy's new battleship as the bulk of our fleets are engaged on the front line. We'll be on our own. General Skywalker has prepared our attack strategy," declares the Admiral, his gaze flickering between the clone troopers gathered in front of us. I stand next to Anakin, waiting for our turn to speak about the plans for our impending attack.

"Thank you, Admiral," Anakin states, stepping forwards, "While our ships are vulnerable to the enemy's attack. I believe the squad of bombers can outmaneuver their ion weapon. Our target will be the bridge and General Grievous." The ion weapon which nearly destroyed Anakin's ship – with him, Qui-Gon, and Ahsoka all inside it – only yesterday. I can't help but feel the slightest bit nervous about this, but if we're all in fighters and attacking it at once, it'll work out fine.

Ignoring the whispering amongst the clones, I continue with the plan, pointing out the hologram diagram for specifications. "Our bombers will attack at high speed to evade the enemy's ion weapon. We'll concentrate our firepower on the bridge superstructure here. We destroy General Grievous, and the ship will fall with him."

"Any questions?" asks Anakin, looking around at the clones.

"Just tell us where that metal head is," replies one of the clones, standing up.

"Yes, the wings. I can't take them out," comments another.

"Alright men. Settle down. This is an important mission. If we destroy Grievous, we can bring this war to a quicker end," my brother says.

"Pilots, prepare your bombers," I command as Anakin shuts off the hologram. The clones instantly stand up and start walking away.

Master Plo, who'd been staying with us ever since Anakin and Ahsoka pulled him out of space not that long ago, turns to us. "This is an aggressive plan. Are you sure your squadron can complete this mission?"

"That's easy to answer," I reply, "Let's ask them." I have no doubt. There's yet to be a mission we haven't been able to pull through with.

"Do you think our boys can pull it off?" Anakin calls.

"Yes, sir," replies one of them instantly, turning around to face us, "There hasn't been a mission Shadow Squadron couldn't complete."

"That's right," agrees another, "Minimum casualties, maximum effectiveness. That's us."

"I admire your confidence," Plo replies, then turns back to us again. "Even so, minimum casualties may not be enough to prevent you from breaking Grievous' defenses."

"Master," Ahsoka speaks up for the first time, stepping forwards, "Plo is right. With Grievous on the ship's bridge, it's bound to be well protected."

"Don't worry, Ahsoka," Anakin assures her, "We'll destroy that bridge and Grievous along with it." I nod my agreement. This is not a battle we can afford to lose. I expect it'll be hard to destroy the ship with him still inside, but it's worth a try. It seems like the General always manages to escape moments before his ships blow up. Coward.

"If you say so," replies Alema, smirking slightly. "I expect it's not gonna be an easy task, though."

I chuckle. "Well, who said it would be easy?"

Anakin and I head off across the hanger to prepare our own fighters. No matter what the situation is, we always lead the battle. We're always right in the front, where the danger is. Alema hurries to join me as I approach my fighter.

"You'll be my gunner," I tell her before she can disappear in search of her own fighter. In a mission like this, there's no way I'll be risking her flying her own fighter so soon. At least if she's with me, I know she's safe. I don't care if she's been in many space battles before. Her training from before doesn't really matter. That's not how to train a padawan, and I rather look down on sending a thirteen-year-old to the battlefield as it is. I don't like how the Council has been acting about it. The Separatists may be bad, but that doesn't mean sending children into war is good, either.

"What?" she exclaims incredulously, spinning around.

"You can be my gunner," I repeat, "Ahsoka will be Anakin's." I can hear a similar argument right nearby. I had the feeling this wouldn't go over well, but it's fine. Really. We're not senselessly risking our padawans. Besides, it would be easier to have them with us.

"Why? I can fly just fine," she insists. "You know I have before."

"Perhaps I just appreciate the company." The argument ends when I spot the Admiral and Master Plo headed towards Anakin and Ahsoka. Whatever it is, it's something important. I walk around the fighters, stopping where the group is now gathered.

"The enemy has attacked our convoy of medical transport near Kallida Shoals."

"Medical transports?!" the padawans cry in unison, outraged.

"Only General Grievous would go after clones who can't fight back," Ahsoka growls.

"Kallida Shoals?!" echoes Anakin, "Isn't that where a medical base is? I'll bet that will be his next target."

"He must be trying to destroy the base," I hiss angrily, "Perhaps to ensure all of the clones there die."

"There are many star clusters in that area." Plo declares, "With a ship that big, he will be unable to chart a course that's less than ten parsecs."

"Looks like we're going to have to take a shortcut," decides Anakin.

"Admiral. Warn the station what's coming," I command, turning to him. At the very least, they should be prepared. Perhaps they can at least start evacuating everyone in case Grievous begins attacking the station before we arrive. He nods and walks off.

"This journey may be treacherous. If you lose any ships before you reach the target –" Plo warns, but Anakin cuts him off.

"We won't lose anybody." There's a note of certainty in his tone as he turns back to his fighter and starts climbing the ladder.

"I will come along," the Jedi Master adds, "Fly fighter escort."

"Great," I reply, "We need all the help we can get on this."

"Any help is welcome, Master Plo. Just try not to fall behind.," Anakin agrees. Because I'm sure that'll be a problem with our flying. Our clones are quite used to it, but someone else...

I turn to Alema. "Come on. We better get to our ship." She nods and we both dash off across the hanger towards our waiting fighter. Time to get out into space.

Minutes later, we're seated in our fighters and fly out of the cruiser's hanger. "I hope you know what you're doing, Anakin," Obi-Wan says over the communication device.

"Well, if I don't, I won't be around to hear the 'I told you so.'"

"That's reassuring."

"We'll be fine," I can't suppress a laugh.

"Well, take your shortcut, and I'll take the long way, but you'd better be there before I arrive," Obi-Wan cautions.

"We'll be there, Obi-Wan," Anakin says before turning his attention back to the rest of the crew. "Shadow Squadron tighten formation. Call in."

"Shadow one, standing by."

"Shadow two, standing by." All the clones continue counting in, all the way up to twelve. Good. We should be nearly ready to go, then. Behind us, Plo's fighter arrives and joins the circular formation of the fighters in the very back.

"This is Admiral Yularen," the Admiral's voice comes over the communications to the cruiser, "You are cleared to make the hyperspace jump."

"Okay, boys. Let's go," Anakin calls. I pull the hyperspace lever, then settle back against my seat as the blue and white streaks appear.

"Master, are you sure this 'shortcut' will work?" Alema asks quietly.

"If we know how to fly a fighter, we can make it," I reply with certainly. If anyone can do it, Anakin and I can. It wouldn't be used if no one could do it. And we're Jedi. If anyone else can do it, we can too.

I sit back against my seat and wait. We're nearby. It shouldn't be long before we emerge from hyperspace. Finally, the ship jolts to a far slower speed. An enormous orange gas cloud is looming right before us. Great. We're here.

"This is where the fun begins," I announce, smirking cheerfully, the familiar cold sensation of the controls under my hands.

"If we can just manage to navigate through my shortcut, we'll be alright," Anakin informs everyone as the two of us zip forwards towards the gas cloud, taking the lead.

"A nebula. Very unpredictable. I advise caution," Master Plo warns.

"Don't worry about us, Master Jedi," assures one of the clones, "We can hold our own."

"We've dealt with more dangerous things," I reply calmly. This is fine. We can do this. Fighting battles is harder than flying a fighter through unknown territory, though it is a similar concept. Just follow the Force. Let it guide you.

"Does anyone care what the Padawan thinks?" queries Ahsoka.

"Of course, we care, Snips, but we're still going through that nebula," Anakin replies.

"How are we supposed to see anything in there?" asks Alema, "Or are we not supposed to see anything and just zoom forwards as fast as possible and hope we don't hit anything?"

"There's ways to see other than with your eyes," I remind her, "Just watch the scanners. I'm flying, anyway."

"Can you see anything?" questions one of the clones.

"Just keep your eyes on my thrusters," Anakin replies. With the two of us in the lead, we continue our journey forwards. The nebula surrounds us on all sides now. Orange gasses swirl right outside the ship, along with faint traces of red and gold.

"The scanners are useless," Alema declares, "They're not picking up anything."

"Same over here," concurs Ahsoka.

"It's like I said," I reply, shrugging, "We have to fly in blind and trust the Force to guide us."

"This is old-fashioned flying," Anakin reminds us, "You have to feel your way through. Stay on course."

"Skywalker is right," Plo's voice comes over the communication signal, "Clear your mind, young ones, and you will see the path."

"Right now, I can't see anything at all," Ahsoka grumbles. From her tone, I can almost see her staring through the glass walls of the fighter, trying to make out something beyond the haze of gas surrounding us on all sides.

"Luckily, I don't think there's anything to see. Except haze," Alema adds. I hide a smirk as I feel my brother's amusement through our bond. Qui-Gon was right. Padawans were just what we needed. It's not for training as much as it is taking care of someone. Somehow, it brings a sense of light through the darkness of the war. Sure, it's exciting and all, but the death and destruction it always brings is anything but. There is nothing, nothing I hate worse than remaining standing alone while all my friends die around me. Not spending time with them would only make it worse. These are my men, my brothers-in-arms. They're mine to command, and not knowing them would prevent the necessary trust from being established. Plus, it would mean not fully understanding the cost of war, as many of the Jedi don't.

"I always know where I'm going," declares one of the clones.

"And where's that, Broadside?" asks another.

"I'm going to blow up that battleship." Clones. They always act like brothers.

"A clear path if there ever was one," Master Plo murmurs as we continue flying. So far, I haven't sensed anything, but I highly doubt this journey will be completely uneventful. If it were, I'd be scared, because nothing in our life ever goes as smoothly as that.

"How did you know about this shortcut?" asks Ahsoka, breaking the momentary silence.

"I was about to ask the exact same thing," Alema chimes in, "Because I'm fairly certain no one learned about it at the Temple. I've never heard anything about it."

"It's an old smuggler's route," Anakin explains, "The pilots used to talk about it on Tatooine."

"A smuggler's route?!" exclaims Ahsoka, "Oh, that makes me feel better." Sarcasm drips from every syllable. I chuckle.

"At least you heard it from somewhere and didn't just decide it would be an excellent idea to fly through a nebula no one's ever made it through before," replies Alema dryly.

"We aren't trying to get everyone killed you know," I quip.

"Couldn't have guessed."

I can almost feel my brother rolling his eyes. "They call it the Balmorra Run," he informs everyone with far too much cheer.

"Balmorra Run?" echoes Plo, sounding alarmed.

"I think I'm picking up a contact," Ahsoka suddenly reports anxiously. I feel a slight ripple of danger through the Force. Sure enough, we're about to run into something unfriendly.

"Skywalker, listen to me," Plo exclaims worriedly, "We need to turn around."

"Too late for that," I state flatly.

"We can't," Anakin argues, "Not if we're going to catch Grievous."

"Another contact!" cries Ahsoka, really worried this time, "This one's much larger!"

"I'm picking them up here too," Alema yelps.

"Skywalker, this nebula is the nesting ground of the giant Neebray mantas," Plo warns. Yes, we know that. We just need to be careful and make our way around it.

"Another!" cries Ahsoka, "Another!" Just then, in between the blinding clouds of orange gases and dust, an enormous creature appears that looks a little like a way oversized brown whale, except it's floating in space.

"Take evasive action!" Anakin yells. All ships immediately scatter, flying around and over the enormous creature as it plunges forward between us. Now that we're past the densest part of the nebula, I can see much more clearly. There's a fairly straight path all the way through, but those strange creatures are swarming everywhere in here. I'm estimating at least half a dozen right in front of us. Great.

I quickly lower the ship to avoid being struck by a falling fin-like projection and maneuver around it, heading onwards towards what I know the exit is.

"Don't shoot or they'll panic," Plo warns everyone as our ships fly between several more of the monstrous creatures.

"They'll panic?!" Ahsoka practically yells. "I'm about to panic!"

"Partners!" cries Alema as our ship narrowly misses being hit again only to fly straight at another creature.

"Which is why we didn't want you two to fly," I remind, earning a long groan from Alema. The panic pouring through our bond is only increasing by the moment.

"There's so many of them!" exclaims one of the clones.

One of the clones doesn't quite manage to miss a flailing fin and the ship is struck hard. The tale end catches fire as he struggles to maintain control of the ship. "I'm hit!" he calls.

"Pull it together, Matchstick!" Anakin calls. Slowly the flames begin to dwindle somewhat, and the ship stops shaking so much.

"Okay, I got it," Matchstick declares. Thank the Force. We can't lose anyone. We can't afford it. We're going to need everyone we can if we're going to destroy Grievous' ship.

We fly onwards with Anakin in the lead, barely managing to avoid hitting the creatures every time. These things are huge. I hope they don't normally eat starships for meals. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if they did.

"These things are going to make a meal out of us!" Ahsoka worries, clearly having the same thoughts as me. There are three more right in front of us, and the gas is thickening again, making it harder to see so who knows how many are after that. Is there no end to these monsters?

"I thought we were supposed to be fighting Grievous, not giant space creatures!" exclaims Alema.

"All in due time," I respond, reaching out with the Force, remaining attuned with our surroundings. "Besides, we're not fighting these things. We're avoiding them."

"If you say so."

"All of you, line up behind me!" commands Anakin.

"Onto that, general," a clone replies as we immediately a line our ships behind his, flying between their ever-moving wings. We carefully move onwards, past two more.

"Hurry," warns Plo like that isn't what we're already doing, "They will not follow us beyond the nebula." Right in front of us, I can see another enormous creature staring at us and opening its giant mouth, revealing huge teeth.

"That one looks hungry!" shouts Ahsoka.

"He's just smiling at you!" Anakin smirks.

"Forgive my skepticism," grumbles Alema, shuddering as we fly over its head and under another wing. "What else would they eat all the way out here?"

"How about we do some research on when we get back to the Temple?" I offer.

"We're coming out of it," Ahsoka declares in relief as the gas thins out to reveal the blackness of space in front of us. Finally, our fighters fly through the last pit of the orange nebula gas and out into open space, the space station in the distance ahead. And we're the only ones here right now. We made it right on time.

"All clear," Alema reports, sagging in relief.

"Hope your shortcut paid off," sighs Ahsoka.

"Looks like it did," I respond, scanning the area. There's nothing but open space aside from the station, and if Grievous was here by now, we'd definitely be able to see the ship.

"We're not far behind Grievous now," my brother declares. And now, it's time for us to wait.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"Another contact! I thought those things wouldn't follow us," Ahsoka exclaims suddenly as we fly towards the station.

"Not following us," replies one of the clones. "Coming out of hyperspace. It's the Malevolence." Ironic how the Separatists always give their ships names like that. They always have such dark names.

Not far from us, an enormous ship jumps out of hyperspace. Lights eliminate the many stories on the huge ship, the familiar lights I recognize from before when it nearly pulverized us. The ship immediately flies straight towards the medical station.

And now the battle will begin. The fighters have now returned to their usual formation, and we fly towards the massive ship. I can see three medical transport leaving the medical station. At least they got here and were able to start trying to evacuate the clones. Suddenly, the ion cannon on the side of the ship roars to life. The familiar purple energy blast shoots out – reminding me far too much of the last time I saw it fired and we nearly ended up being caught in that blast, but I don't have time to worry about that now – heading straight for the transports which are taking the clones out of the station. Of course, Grievous would do that. The many guns on the ship open fire on the transports, tearing them apart as the ion cannon neutralizes their shields.

"We've got fighters coming in!" warns Ahsoka as we fly full speed towards the Malevolence. The droids start shooting at us, and we return the fire.

"Get those fighters off us!" I call as I maneuver out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit.

"Your crazy flying is making it difficult," Ahsoka groans as she fires a few more times at the vulture droids.

The ion cannon suddenly fires again, this time heading straight for us. "Incoming!" screams Ahsoka.

"Give it everything you've got!" I shout, instantly spinning the fighter upwards to avoid the incoming energy blast. It might be able to follow ships to an extent, but if you dive out of the way and to the side, it's path won't change. All the other fighters instantly zip after.

"Matchstick, your speed is dropping. What's wrong?" I hear Ahsoka ask as I throw the fighter into full speed.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just trying to stick together," he replies.

"You can make it," I urge, "Hang on." My statement is promptly met with a cry of alarm as his ship bursts into flames, crashing into the one behind it. Both of them spiral, burning, out of sight. And just like that, two more lives are lost to the senseless war. Ahsoka gasps in horror.

Not a moment too soon, I pull the fighter over the edge of the blast, narrowly avoiding being hit. "Shadow Squadron, check in," I command. I have no doubt more than just those two were lost in the fight. Even I barely managed to make it over the edge.

"We lost Matchstick and Tag," Ahsoka informs, "Shadows six, seven, and ten were caught in the array."

My attention is drawn back to the Malevolence as the guns on the ship turn to start shooting at us. As the fighters continue flying towards the battleship, several of them take hit from the laser fire. We keep pushing on anyway. I hate it, but this is the cost of war. We have to stick together and keep moving so we destroy Grievous. With him and this ship down, it will be a huge blow to the Separatists.

"Master!" cries Ahsoka as the red laser fire continues to fly past our ship. "We need a new plan!"

"You can make it, Ahsoka! Hang in there!" I call back to her as those of us who remain fly closer and closer. "Watch those towers, boys!" I order as I send the fighter diving down right above the Malevolence, heading for our target.

"We're too close! Loosen up!" one of the clones shouts to the others as another one of them is hit and the fighter bursts into flames. It smashes into the battleship in an explosion of fire, debris flying everywhere.

"Master, you and Aniya can make it, but everyone else is being shot down," Ahsoka protests as we continue. True enough. We need to find a new way. Time to improvise.

"If we can do enough damage, the weapon may overload when Grievous tries to fire," Plo suggests. Yes, that's perfect. And since it's away from the guns, it will be much less risky.

"Shadow squadron," I call. "New target. We're taking out starboard ion cannons." Ahsoka lets out a sigh of relief from behind me.

"Anakin. Take the right. I'll take the left," Aniya says as her fighter splits off from the rest.

"I'm on it," I agree, continuing to zoom along under constant fire from the ship before finally reaching the edge. The fighter formation breaks apart then, Aniya diving over one side and me diving downwards back towards the cannon. The cannons are within firing range just as the they start to fire up, purple electricity crackling across the weapon. We're not one moment too soon.

"Torpedoes away," I order, firing. The torpedoes hit the ion cannon, instantly exploding. The ship jolts from the force of it. Our job is done. The cannons won't work anymore. Turning, I swiftly lead the remainder of the squadron away to safety, heading towards the medical station.

The ion cannons start charging again, only to suddenly explode, violently shaking the Malevolence. Explosions ring out all over the huge ship as both sides start on fire, which quickly spreads to the surrounding areas. We won. For now.

"Good work, Shadow Squadron. Nice job, Ahsoka and Alema," Plo congratulates.

Suddenly, three Republic ship emerge from hyperspace. Right on time, Obi-Wan finally arrived. "Anakin, Aniya, do you copy?" he inquires.

"We're here," I reply.

"Congratulations. It looks like your mission was a success."

"Already fought and won," Aniya offers. "Or so far, it has been."

"Partially, but Grievous is still alive," I reply, "The battle was pretty rough on my men. We're heading for the medical station."

"We'll take it from here, but don't worry. We'll call when we need you," assures Obi-Wan.

Moments later, all the fighters are docked in the hanger bay. Ahsoka climbs out first. Just as I start down the ladder, Master Plo walks up. "Great job, Master Skywalker. Your leadership skills are most impressive."

"You didn't do so bad yourself," I reply, climbing the rest of the way down the ladder.

"Uh, excuse me!" huffs Ahsoka, "I believe it was my suggestion to change the plans."

"That's kind of true, Snips," I retort as I catch up with Plo who's started heading off, "From a certain point of view."

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

Shortly, Aniya and I find ourselves approaching the person who's in control of the medical station with our padawans. "Make sure our ships are ready. We'll only have a short time before Obi-Wan calls us for support," I tell a nearby clone before heading into the room where the person is waiting. That, I am certain of. The Malevolence is a very large, strong ship, and I'm not fully convinced it won't be able to withstand everything we throw at it.

"General Skywalker," the Kaminoan greets us, "I wanted to thank you for your valiant effort today. Do not take the lives you saved lightly."

"I don't. But nor do I take the lives I lost lightly." At least half a dozen clones died in that battle. Shadow Squadron was halved. Though they may just be clones, they're still people and have a right to live too. They don't deserve to die in a pointless battle. Aniya and I, we've always taken the lives of our clones far more seriously than nearly any Jedi. To us, they're not just soldiers. They're also people, even if they were trained for battle. I'd never admit to anyone the number of nights we've stayed up, working on fighters or anything mechanical we could get our hands on to keep our minds off the guilt of their deaths. There are so many, and they keep leaving us. Putting it simply, there is no death in the 501st or 502nd which goes unremembered.

"I see," she replies, nodding, though I know she doesn't. I hate the Kaminoans. It didn't take me long to realize they didn't care for the clones at all, or I wouldn't have had to spend such a painfully long time trying to explain to Rex that he matters.

"If you will excuse us, we must prepare for the coming battle," I tell her, turning and heading off for my ship, pushing back the swell of emotion.

"Your masters are very curious Jedi," I hear her saying to our padawans as we exit the room.

"They're two of a kind," Ahsoka grins, hurrying after us.

We head out to where the fighters are, and I do a quick check on mine to make sure it's in perfect shape. Thankfully, it is. At least mostly. "And I suggest we be joining them up in the main area of the cruiser now," Aniya calls to me. "I'm sure Obi-Wan will be calling for us momentarily, anyway."

"Good idea," agrees Alema.

"Then come on," I tell the girls, heading out of the room. Minutes later, the four of us walk into the room where Obi-Wan and Plo are watching the raging battle to hear Plo saying, "We must summon reinforcements." Outside the windows, the Separatist ship is slowly flying away from us, but the blasts from all three cruisers simultaneously striking it is causing a fair amount of damage. It has yet to start falling apart, though, which is proof of its strength. The fires are continuing to spread across the surface, but no major damage is being inflicted. Yes, it's definitely time for us to get back out there.

"Looks like we arrived right on time, then," Aniya declares.

"That's why we're here, Master Plo," I say.

"Anakin, Aniya, were you able to contact Master Luminara?" Obi-Wan inquires of us, turning around.

"Yes, Master," I reply, coming to a stop beside him, "She's busy with a fleet of Separatist reinforcements nearby. She won't be able to give us support until she's turned them away."

"At least she's holding them off," shrugs my sister.

"Then we'll have to make do with what we have," Obi-Wan decides, pointing out the windows as another series of blast strikes the ship. The flames continue spreading across it and new fires begin in several other places. The back engines have suffered extensive damage from the firing, though. I expect it won't be able to fly much longer.

"Admiral, status report," Obi-Wan says as the Admiral walks up to join us. Meanwhile, the padawans are investigating something on the controls, I think it's the scanners, but I don't really pay attention to what. If they see something, they'll tell us.

"They're not attempting to jump into hyperspace. Their hyperdrive must be damaged," the Admiral answers.

"That's great!" exclaims Aniya. "It seems this might be what we're waiting for, now that it's stuck here."

"This is our chance," concurs Obi-Wan. "All ships target the bridge. Maximum firepower." The guns go off again, and the Malevolence shakes from the impact.

"Master, I'm picking up a signal near the enemy vessel," Ahsoka reports.

"Something just came out of hyperspace," adds Alema, who's standing right next to her.

"Enemy reinforcements?" I question slightly worriedly.

"No, it looks like a Naboo ship," Ahsoka replies. Wait. What would a ship from Naboo be doing all the way out here? A surge of fear rushes through me. Please don't tell me Padme came out here. Except something tells me she did. And when I reach into the Force... I can feel the familiar presence. Not only one, but two. She's not alone. Jaufre is with her. No, no, no, no, no.

"Stand down," Obi-Wan orders, then glances over at us before looking at the padawans. "What in the blazes are they doing out here?"

"Whatever they're doing, it's not something they should be doing now," Aniya grumbles, but she sounds on the verge of panicking herself.

"Ahsoka, contact that ship!" I order hurriedly. "Naboo cruiser, identify yourself," I state as the signal reaches the ship, even though I already have a pretty good idea of who's on it.

"This is Senator Amidala." As she speaks, a hologram of her appears. Sure enough. Just what I was afraid of. Not that I'm not glad to see her. I would simply rather not see her under these circumstances.

"Padme!" I exclaim, "What are you doing out here?"

"I was sent on a special mission. The Senate was told the Banking Clan wanted to negotiate a treaty," she explains.

"So that's totally how you ended up emerging from hyperspace right next to the ship we're in the middle of destroying," mutters Aniya.

"Get out of there as fast as you can!" I exclaim.

"What do you think we're trying to do?" retorts a familiar voice, Jaufre suddenly appearing on the hologram, standing next to Padme.

"Oh, I don't know. Trying to get in trouble, perhaps?" Aniya quips. Padme pushes some of the controls but suddenly their ship seems to shake. All sarcasm instantly evaporates, and I can sense their worry.

"Padme, what's happening?" I demand, confirm flaring. I already have an idea, but –

"I'm being pulled inside the droid cruiser by a tractor bream. I will not be made a Separatist bargaining chip. Continue your attack. You must destroy this monstrous ship," Padme orders before the hologram disappears.

We need to destroy the ship, but I won't do that at the expense of their lives. I can't. We'll find another way to go about this. "Admiral, order our ships to stop firing," I command.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" asks Alema worriedly.

"We're not going to let two of our friends die needlessly," replies Aniya with finality.

Aniya and I exchange glances. We both know what we have to do. It's risky, but it's not like we're any strangers to taking risks. Turning around, we stride towards the exit. "Where do you think you're going?" demands Obi-Wan.

"Somebody has to save their skin," I reply.

"I thought you might say that," he says, walking after us as we hurry towards the hanger.

Aniya and I hurry to the Twilight, quickly taking seats. I'm in the pilot's seat, as usual, while Aniya sits next to me. We're already prepared for take-off by the time Obi-Wan finally arrives. "I trust you've already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the Senator," he states as he walks in.

"As a matter of fact, we have," I reply.

"But do we have a plan B? Every operation needs a backup," he argues as he takes a seat behind me.

"Sure. We learn to teleport," Aniya deadpans.

"I don't have a backup yet, but we do have a plan for getting on that ship," I inform him.

"Really?"

"The enemy's sensors are obviously damaged, so we'll sneak in behind them and dock at the emergency airlock."

"That's our plan? Just fly there, land, and hope they don't spot us and walk in the door?"

"Basically, yes." I can't suppress a grin.

"Oh. Brilliant! Let's get going."

***

Aniya Skywalker

"If they spot us, we'll be pulverized," Obi-Wan worries as we fly towards the flaming ship.

"Not to worry. No one knows we're coming," I attempt to reassure our brother.

"They're too busy repairing the ship. They don't have time to notice us."

"Subtilty has never been one of your strong points, Anakin," Obi-Wan argues.

"Everything I know, I learned from you, Master."

"If only that were true."

"Regardless, I don't know how they could notice us," I point out, "Not like anyone's expecting us to come. Besides, we have a tiny ship. Not like we're flying up in a cruiser or anything." We'll be fine. We're always fine.

Anakin spins the ship before docking it onto the emergency airlock with a very satisfied smirk.

"Anakin, you're crazy," sighs Obi-Wan, "Spinning is not flying."

"But it's a good trick!"

"We do not want to be spotted," Obi-Wan insists as the doors open, revealing two battle droids.

"A little late for that," I inform him, drawing and igniting my lightsaber. I slice both droids in half and turn around to look at my brothers where they still stand in the doorway. "Alright, lead the way, Anakin." Just as we're about to start moving again, Artoo beeps.

"You stay here, Artoo," Anakin tells the droid before the three of us take off down the hall. Thankfully, I don't see any signs of droids yet. Anakin's comm suddenly beeps. "Yes Ahsoka?" he answers, coming to a stop.

"We found the Senator. We're tracking her through," Ahsoka reports, transferring another signal to Anakin.

"Padme!" he exclaims.

"Anakin," she replies, relief obvious in her tone.

"Are you alright? Where are you?" he asks urgently.

"On the lower levels. We're fine, but I don't know for how long. Droids are everywhere," she replies.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking," Jaufre's voice comes over the comm.

"Obi-Wan, Aniya, and I are on board –"

"What?!" cries Padme, "What are you doing here?!"

"You were supposed to continue the attack!" exclaims Jaufre. Seriously, did they really think we were going to listen to them after we've known each other so long? I know killing Grievous and destroying the Malevolence is important to the war, but I'm not going to do that at the cost of their lives.

"We came to get you off this ship," Anakin replies before switching the signal again. "Ahsoka, how can we get to the Senator?"

"According to our scans, there seems to be a large open area in the center of the ship," she replies. "It should be halfway between the two of you."

"We're on our way," I reply, stepping close enough for her to hear me too. I just want to get the two and get out of here before running into too much trouble. We need to hurry and destroy the ship before the hyperdrive is repaired. We can't let them escape.

"Did you hear that, Padme?" he inquires.

"We'll be there," she replies before the comm disconnects.

The three of us take off running again. Surprisingly, it doesn't take too long to arrive at the meeting place. I can only hope Padme and Jaufre's trip was as uneventful as ours. Once we're spotted, they'll come after us immediately. There are several openings overlooking a much larger area, where train-like vehicles move back and forth across tracks in the gap far beneath.

"I don't see them, Anakin," Obi-Wan says, scanning the area. Nor do I. But I know they're close by. They should be here already unless they ran into trouble.

"They're here, Master. I sense it," my brother insists. I nod my agreement. The sounds of blaster bolts draw my attention to a nearby doorway, across from us and to the left. Sure enough, the two of them are there, along with Threepio. A group of droids is shooting at them from behind. Of course, we were luckier than they are.

"There they are!" I exclaim. The siblings take off running from the doorway after sending a couple parting shots at the droids. The three of us ignite our lightsabers and leap down onto the area right below and jump up onto a passing train. The three droids remaining point their blasters at us and fire. Our lightsabers swing in unison, deflecting the bolts back and simultaneously taking out each droid.

A few more droids start down the hall. Padme pushes Threepio onto a passing train before jumping down herself. Jaufre follows. Anakin and I leap down, landing on the train right next to the one Padme and Jaufre are on as they both continue to race along.

"Padme!" Anakin calls, jumping again. I instantly follow, landing several feet behind him on the train right next to Padme and Jaufre. I'm honestly surprised I managed to land decently at all. I usually don't. Maybe the war is forcing me to get a little more entuned with the Force so I can finally have some semblance of gracefulness.

"Anakin!" she calls back. A super battle droid from the entrance raises its arm and fires a blast at the bridge the siblings are nearing. It explodes, debris falling downwards onto the tracks and crushing nearby objects.

"Oh, great," I mutter sarcastically, my concern fueling. We need to get them off there. Now. Before they get killed. And unfortunately, I think there's only one way to do that. I expect neither of them will be happy about it, especially not Jaufre.

"The bridge is out," my brother calls, standing up. "You'll have to jump."

"No one can jump that far," retorts Jaufre as he eyes the distance. Just as I expected. Why does he have to be so stubborn?

"We'll have to catch you with the Force," I reply.

"You'll have to trust us," my brother agrees. Finally, after they're far too close to the exploded bridge to my liking, they both leap towards us. Anakin hastily catches Padme, while I catch Jaufre and carry him over to our train.

"I was sure you were gonna drop me there," smirks Jaufre after taking a few steps to ensure he's actually on solid ground.

"You're welcome," I retort before throwing my arms around him. A sense of relief floods me now that we finally have them so close. I didn't realize just how worried I was until right now. I can tolerate my brothers and master being in danger – probably since I'm so used to it, since now that I remember, I always used to freak out when Anakin was pod racing, and I couldn't be with him – but not Jaufre and Padme. I get they can take care of themselves, but that doesn't mean I can let go of my worry that easily. At least they're safe now. We haven't seen Jaufre for months now, ever since the day after the wedding. It's been quite a while. Way too long. I'm so grateful that we've been reunited again.

Darkness suddenly floods over us, and I pull back from Jaufre to glance around. We've gone inside a tunnel. Oh, right. We need to get moving and get out of here before the droids catch up to us. And we need to find Obi-Wan and Threepio and get out of here. There's still a battle left to be fought.

"No hello hug for me?" questions Jaufre, eyeing Anakin and Padme with an altogether too knowing smirk. I can't help but chuckle. Of course, he had to find a time to start teasing them about it.

"No, 'cause we're in a bit of a hurry at the moment," Anakin says as the train continues to speed along. Jaufre rolls his eyes and I snort. Anakin sure wasn't in a hurry a moment ago.

Just then, his comm beeps. "Anakin, I got separated from the droid," Obi-Wan informs. Oh, great, just what we needed right now.

"Threepio?!" exclaims Jaufre.

"We'll take care of it," Anakin responds, "We'll meet you back at the Twilight."

"No, we can't leave yet. I overheard Grievous. Their hyperdrive is almost repaired," Padme argues. That's bad news. If we don't hurry, we might find ourselves in hyperspace too. Not to mention the ship really won't be destroyed then.

"I'm already headed in that direction," Obi-Wan assures us.

"We need to get you out of here," I insist, glancing between Padme and Jaufre. It's too risky for them to stay. Any number of things could go wrong, and we don't need more problems now.

Anakin pushes a button on his comm. "Artoo, I need you to help me find Threepio. He's on the rail jet –"

"Is he alright? That's a very dangerous place to be!" demands Artoo sounding as alarmed as a droid can sound.

"Funny how good of friends droids can be," I remark.

"I know. I know," Anakin replies. "He does look just fine. Find him for me and I'll be there soon." Momentarily, we arrive near enough to a doorway to be able to jump through it again and take off down the halls. It's not long before a group of droids spot us and give chase.

Anakin and I draw and ignite our lightsabers again, deflecting any bolts that comes too close to us as we run down the hall. The four of us finally reach a corner and duck behind it, standing up against the wall. "Obi-Wan!" Anakin calls into his comm. "Come in. Obi-Wan!" The droids come around the corner then, and Padme fires a few shots at them.

"Fine, you deal with this. I'll go buy us some time," I say to them, then dart forwards. There are only three super battle droids here. Easy. I've fought an army of tanks before. I deflect their blaster bolts into the wall, mainly focusing on covering for the others. I could destroy them in no time if I really tried.

"What's wrong?" questions Padme worriedly as Anakin tinkers with his comm with no success. The only thing coming through is a few random words, syllables, and static which are sounding more and more like gibberish by the second. I deflect the bolt of one droid into another, then move forwards and cutting through the blaster-arm of one and kicking it to the ground while cutting in half the other. Spinning around, I turn to face the others. I expect more will be coming in a moment, and we need to hurry.

"They're jamming us," Anakin groans, answering Padme question.

"Well Aniya's handiwork might buy us some time," decides Jaufre.

"I suppose you have a plan," Padme states more than asks, glancing between me and Anakin.

"We always have a plan," I grin haughtily.

"Follow me," Anakin orders and dashes off down the hall. We race after.

"I'll give him the good news –" I hear a droid saying as we run up to the door and open it. The droid promptly is cut off midsentence upon seeing who's standing in the doorway and it looks to its companions in alarm. We ignite our lightsabers, leaping forwards in the same move. We cut the first two in half, and I Force-shove over the third right next to the control panel.

Two super battle droids simultaneously start firing at Padme and Jaufre. Anakin whirls around, throwing the two back into the door we just came out of, slamming the door shut to protect them, then turning back around to help me finish off the droids. There's no sense in anyone getting injured. The skirmish is over almost before it began. In a matter of seconds, the droids are lying at our feet in pieces.

The doors open again, and the chestnut-haired siblings walk out again. "Ever since I've known you, you've been playing with droids," Padme teases as she surveys the mess.

"We used to put them together," Anakin replies. "Now we only take them apart."

"I've gathered as much," Jaufre smirks. "But I think 'cut them up' would be a better wording." I roll my eyes at him.

"Where do we start?" inquires Padme.

"How about we get rid of these droid parts, so no one figures out what happened when they arrive?" I suggest. After all, it's unlikely they'd decide that these droids all fell apart randomly. The signs of battle are too obvious, and if we're going to get out of this one, we need to make the Separatists think nothing's wrong. When we came in here, the droids were talking like they thought they'd just finished fixing the hyperdrive.

"I'm gonna hotwire the ship," Anakin decides, "Give Grievous a little surprise." He sits down in the seat nearby, and I walk over to offer any assistance I can. The other two can handle cleaning up the room without me.

Within a few minutes, the computer system has been taken care of. "Oh, that'll do," Anakin gloats, "How's the housecleaning going?" he adds, glancing over his shoulder.

"Done," Padme announces as she pushes the last remaining droid out of the door.

"Then let's get out of here," I advise, sensing and hearing the battle droids approaching one of the doors. We scramble over to the other one and close the door behind us just as the other one opens. Right on time.

Thankfully, we arrive at the spot our droids are waiting for us without any further interruptions. "I suggest we wait here and let Master Anakin find us!" I hear Threepio fretting as the door promptly opens. Those two...

"What are you doing?" exclaims Anakin, "Don't just stand there. Let's get back to the ship. Power up the engines, Artoo." The droid instantly zips into the ship as the doors open, and I see Obi-Wan run down the hall towards us, blaster bolts raining down around him from three destroyer droids. It's about time he arrived. I was beginning to get worried.

Anakin Force-shoves some nearby crates in front of the droids. As the door slams shut, I can hear blaster bolts striking it. It didn't close a moment too soon.

"I'll contact the fleet," Obi-Wan declares as he takes the copilot seat next to Anakin. I guess Padme, Jaufre, and I will be standing this time.

"Artoo, release the docking ramp," Anakin commands. The ship glides out of the airlock and out into space, away from the still burning Malevolence. As we fly back towards the fleet, the scanners pick up approaching aircrafts. Vulture droids and another ship are approaching. Grievous, I realize before they open fire. The ship shakes violently, almost throwing me off balance. Luckily, Jaufre grabs my arm before I can faceplant onto the controls or something equally embarrassing. I feel myself flushing as I struggle to maintain my balance. Of course, I just had to embarrass myself in front of him, didn't I?

"Time for some clever tricks, Anakin," Obi-Wan quips.

"Like spinning," I advise, holding onto the back of his chair in the hopes of keeping myself steady.

"That's what I was thinking," Anakin agrees. The ship trembles again as more shots bounce off it. Outside, I can hear the cruisers open fire on the Malevolence again. "You know we have guns," my brother reminds me, "You can shoot back anytime."

"I was just going to get to that!" I retort, even though it had totally slipped my mind. He doesn't call me out on the lie as I scurry over to the screen with the gun and aim before firing, hitting one of the droids almost instantly. We exchange rapid fire when Threepio suddenly cries out an alarmed warning.

"The autoscan of the enemy's ship indicates their hyperdrive is activating!"

"Don't worry about it," Anakin smirks as the Malevolence starts moving forwards with increasing speed. It slams into the surface of the moon, followed by a tremendous explosion and flash of brilliant, white light. I grin triumphantly.

"I imagine you had something to do with that?" Obi-Wan asks.

"All part of the plan, Master."

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

I'm not really sure how I feel about this. Qui-Gon, Alema, and I were sent off chasing Nute Gunray, who'd been captured not long ago by Padme. Ventress somehow got onto the ship – which was being guarded by Luminara, Ahsoka, and Alema, and managed to escape with him. With the help of a traitorous Senate guard. Seriously, why are so many people turning traitor recently? Anakin had a clone who did back on Christophsis, which was only a couple months ago even through it feels like years already.

Alema has been recovering at a remarkably fast rate after I took her as a Padawan, though she's still extremely untrusting of people. Personally, I doubt that's a trait that'll ever change. At least she's stopped insisting on always walking around with her outer robes on, which I take to be a good sign. Maybe if we had more free time, I would be able to spend more time talking to her, helping her work through her traumas.

Luckily, I'd been able to trace Gunray's escaped ship all the way out here. Now it's just a question of if we'll be able to recapture him. It's hard to say. If he's still here – provided he hasn't left the ship here and already left the planet – there will be an army of droids waiting for us.

"This place is literally out in the middle of nowhere," remarks Alema, "I find it shocking if they could even land. That planet doesn't look one bit hospitable –"

"Debatable," I reply before turning to contact the other ship. "Master Luminara," I greet as soon as the hologram appears. "We've tracked the ship's location out to the Vassek system."

"So has your former master," replies Luminara. "He's already on the surface."

Impressive. For once, he managed to beat me. Well. "Great," is all I say, though.

"I'll transmit the coordinates for the rendezvous point," Ahsoka offers, "And sorry we lost that slimy double-dealer."

I wave her off with a nod. "Nothing to apologize for. We'll catch him if he's still on the surface."

"Good hunting," she replies as the hologram disappears.

"I'm sure he already knows we're coming," Alema remarks as I land the shuttle. I figured we should go alone and only take a few clones since we really don't know what we'll be walking into. If we need assistance, they're right up above the planet. We can always call them for reinforcements. Minutes later, our group disembarks from the ship. Stepping outside, I glance around. A thick fog has settled over the area, making it difficult to see much.

Sure enough, Qui-Gon is already waiting for us. I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing him dressed in the same type of armor as all the Jedi have worn since the war started. Most Jedi wear white, but my brother and I have black. So does Qui-Gon. His clones aren't here with him, though, just as I expected.

"Hey, Master," I call, walking over to him, "It's been a while." I haven't seen him since the Malevolence, which was a few weeks ago. He hasn't gone anywhere since then, either. I haven't really had much time to spend with him, but I know he's still trying to deal with everything. Between being forced to fight in a war, having lost so many of his men, and just recently – three months ago – learning that his former master is a Sith Lord, it's hard for him to handle. Sometimes I almost wish I hadn't been Knighted quite so soon, so I could stay and look after him. Unfortunately, that wasn't really an option.

"And I see you're still as late as ever," Qui-Gon replies.

I smirk. "It's good to see you, too."

"General, we've pinpointed the tracking beacon's location to the south end of the gorge," Appo reports.

"Then let's get moving before he escapes," I say, flipping back into my general mode. I walk across the platform to where I sense the building is located. The fog is covering it. Reaching into the Force, I part the cloud to reveal a massive structure towering before us.

"This is... strange," Alema muses from behind me, "It doesn't look like there's any guards."

I start forwards, but then come to a suddenly stop. "I sense something here. Danger. Darkness. Whatever it is, we need to be careful." Unease creeps through me. I don't have any idea what we're about to walk into. It could be trap, for all we know, and I'm reluctant to bring Alema into all this. I'd rather go alone, to be honest, but no one will agree to that suggestion.

"I sense it too," Qui-Gon replies gravely.

"The entrance is sealed," Alema states, eyeing the doorway, "Looks like we may have to resort to other methods." I'm mid-way reaching for my lightsaber before Qui-Gon steps past me up to the door.

"Patience," he chides, putting a hand on the door. The double doors almost instantly swing open.

"The further we go, the weirder this gets," I grumble, "I don't like this. It's too quiet." If Gunray is really here, how could there not be any guards or droids waiting around? He's always very well guarded. Something is wrong.

"I sense there's something here," Qui-Gon declares, glancing around.

"Scanners are negative, General," Appo informs us. I continue forwards, taking each step with caution. There has to be something here. Something is not right. I'm beginning to think the Separatists intentionally lead us here for some reason. Finally, in the darkness of the hallway, I can see light from a large room ahead of us. I step back against the wall, staying out of sight while moving forwards to get a better look. Qui-Gon stops across from me, and we look around the corner.

"All droids stay on guard. Be ready for anything," commands a voice I recognize as Gunray. Sure enough. He's here. The voice is emanating from a large chair which has its back facing our direction.

"Roger, roger."

"Double shifts for everyone."

"Uh, Viceroy?" says one of the battle droids as I take a step forward again. Now is the time to act. There's not very many here. This will be easy.

"You must protect me at all costs," he commands. Does the idiot honestly think half a dozen droids will be able to kill three Jedi and several clones?

"Uh, Viceroy, the Jedi are here!" cries the battle droid.

"I know they're near. Once those Jedi pick up my trail, they never leave me alone."

"They're right behind you!" it adds worriedly as Qui-Gon and I ignite our lightsabers. Alema ignites hers and steps forwards to stand beside me.

"What? Where?" he yelps, "Do something. You! Blast them!" The droids start firing at us, and we instantly deflect their bolts right back at them. Qui-Gon hits one with a Force-shove and I jump forwards, chopping up the remaining ones.

"That was easy," I remark, dis-igniting my lightsaber and spinning the chair around with the Force, only to reveal... a hologram. Oh. Of course. I should never have been able to fall for that kind of trick. He wasn't actually here, but it felt like it, because holograms give a very similar feel to the actual presence of a person. You have to reach out very, very carefully to notice the difference. And since he's not really here, there must be some reason they brought us here. Which means... this is a trap. But who set it? And who is it for?

"Jedi fools," cackles Gunray, "I welcome you to your doom." The call promptly disconnects.

I take a step back, shock and disbelief coursing through me. We didn't catch Gunray, but I know this was all a set up. The Separatists would have checked for a tracking beacon. Ventress would never be so stupid as to not realize it was there. It was intentional. That's obvious now. But so much is left unanswered, and the Force itself is humming uneasily. Something is going to happen, though I can't tell if it's good or bad.

"They knew we were coming," Qui-Gon realizes, "We should have known Gunray wasn't here."

"Yes," I agree, "If he was, at the first sight of us he would have run off screaming like the coward he is."

"But why did they want us to come here?" Alema wonders worriedly, eyes darting about the room.

Just then, a hologram of none other than Count Dooku flickers to life on the chair. I don't miss how Qui-Gon stiffens almost imperceptibly at the sight of him. Anger flares through me as I remember the previous times we've met. He betrayed us all and is leading the galaxy in a completely pointless, senseless war that never leaves anything other than destruction it its path. For what purpose? His own pleasure?

"Count Dooku." I spit out the name glaring daggers into the hologram. No matter how many years pass, I'll never be able to forgive him for what he did to my brother on Geonosis. We trusted him, and he betrayed us.

"I apologize for the deception, Master Jedi," he says, not sounding apologetic at all.

"You certainly have a talent for making unexpected and unnecessary appearances," I snap. "I suppose you're about as sorry as you were on Geonosis."

"It's a shame you came so far to be frustrated. While the Viceroy is unavailable for capture, allow me to offer you an alternative prize," Dooku replies before the call disconnects. He doesn't even bother responding to my accusation, and I wonder if he even cares.

"Finally," I mutter under my breath. I don't want to see him anymore. A sudden beeping fills the room, and I see a button on the chair's controls flashing red.

"This has got to be a trap," states Appo, obviously having reached the same conclusion as me. They want us here for some reason, and I'm not sure I want to know why. Whatever it is, it's not good.

"It looks like he's trying to catch someone, and we're the bait," declares Qui-Gon.

"But who has the trap been set to catch?" wonders Alema.

"How about we find out?" I decide. No point standing around. There may be something here we want, at least considering what Dooku said. Not that I trust him, but there's something here. And I want to know what it is, before that thing finds us first. Taking the lead, I cross the room, heading further into the building.

The next room we enter contains strange pictures all over the walls, which seem to emit a sensation of foreboding.

"This place looks like a shrine to that strange warrior," Qui-Gon murmurs as we keep walking... right into another room that is filled with statues. Of Grievous. This place... it must be...

"This is the lair of General Grievous," I state with certainty, the Force confirming my words. But why? Why would they warn to lure us here? To get us killed? Or is there something else we're missing here?

"Oh, so Grievous has a shrine to himself?" Alema asks, "Of all the things in the galaxy... the only one he finds worthy of worshipping is himself?" She sounds disgusted. I'm not surprised. Krell honestly seemed like that type of person himself. The resemblance between the two is almost creepy. As if that's not enough, they both have four arms. What's the coincidence there? Anyway...

"Yes, he's very humble," I agree, as my eyes scan the room, falling on a table with objects lying on it. I slowly approach to see what it is. I think it might be... padawan braids. I wince at the realization. He literally collects things from the Jedi he's murdered and keeps them as trophies. Yes, this is war, but that is beyond awful.

"Looks like these are trophies from all the Jedi he's killed," states Qui-Gon grimly.

"There's so many of them!" exclaims Alema in horror.

"Something doesn't make sense here," I frown, "Why would Dooku want to set a trap for his best general?"

"Are we the bait or is Grievous the bait?" points out Qui-Gon, "We don't know who the trap has been set for."

Suddenly, my commlink beeps and one of the clones speaks, "General, your droid is tracking an incoming ship," he informs, "It matches a description of General Grievous' fighter and it's headed our way."

"Keep out of sight and stand by for further orders," I command.

"If we captured Grievous, the tide of this war could turn in our favor," remarks Alema, hope burning in her bright blue eyes.

"And if he doesn't know we're here, we could take him down easy," agrees Appo, drawing his blaster.

Qui-Gon nods. "But we cannot underestimate him. We'll need a plan."

The sound of heavy approaching footsteps reaches my ears the same time as the Force signature of the cyborg does. He's finally here, and he's never going to expect the surprise that we've prepared for him. Moments later, the door to the dark hallway swings open. I press further against the wall, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

"Guards?" calls Grievous as he stalks into the hall, looking about obviously somewhat confused as to what's going on. "Gore? Gore, where are you?" I have no idea what Gore is, but it sounds like some kind of name. For an animal, probably. I didn't know he had pets. A few more paces... Now.

Qui-Gon, Alema, and I all leap down in front of him, activating our lightsabers. The clones leap down around him as well, blasters aimed and headlights on.

"Welcome home, General. I'm afraid I must request your surrender," Qui-Gon speaks first in feigned politeness.

"Cooperate, Grievous, and perhaps the Senate will be merciful," I smirk, sizing up our opponent. He doesn't look like a good fighter. Strong and mostly metal, but a terrible fighter.

"It is you who shall get no mercy!" roars Grievous furiously.

"Thank the Force. I don't want 'mercy' from a dimwitted cyborg clanker anyway," I inform him flatly, grinning at the rage I sense pouring off him in waves. Alema suppresses a laugh behind me, and one of the clones – Appo, I think – snorts.

Grievous ignites two lightsabers – one blue and one green – as he roars in fury. He stabs one into the ceiling randomly – why he's trying to destroy his own house I have no idea – and swings the other at me. I leap forwards, meeting his blade.

"Cables!" Qui-Gon calls to the clones, as Grievous' arms split in half, and he ignites two more lightsabers. Qui-Gon attacks him on one side, while Alema and I battle him on the other. His fourth arm flails over our heads, coming far too close for comfort more than once as he attempts to behead us. I jump backwards, pushing Alema out of the way.

The clones throw their cables at the General at the right moment, and they attach to him, holding him in place. I swing my lightsaber at him again, meeting two of them on one side and catching them in a saber lock. The three blades clash together, sparking. The general swings his other arms wildly, trying to hit Qui-Gon and Alema who repeatedly parry his blows before they finally manage to block the blades in saberlocks as well. We got this.

"Don't let him go! We got him!" exclaims Appo.

"Don't let him cut the lines!" I warn as his lightsaber break free from my mine. Okay, so much for that. He tries to cut the lines with one of his lightsabers while slashing wildly towards me with his other. I try to block both blows, but only manage to parry the one meant to take off my head before he slices through the cables.

No. No matter what happens, we can't let him get away. And now that he's free, he's going to run. Reacting nearly on instinct, I take a sudden swing at Grievous legs, cutting through them and they clatter to the floor. With a growl of rage, Grievous catches onto the ceiling with his hands, lightsabers now deactivated. He moves forwards slightly before jumping to the floor, taking off running on his four arms. Of course. I should have thought of that earlier!

He cannot escape. I leap forwards, landing right in front of him, swinging my lightsaber towards his head. He reactivates his lightsaber to block the blow. Alema runs towards us from behind.

"Stay back!" I call to her, not wanting to risk her again. She's already come too close to losing her head today for my comfort. "Don't make this harder for yourself," I warn Grievous, "You can't –" Before I finish talking, Grievous grabs my neck with one of his other hands, jumping to the ceiling again, taking me with him. I struggle against his grip; his metal hand far stronger than I anticipated. I start raising my lightsaber to cut through his hand, but the next thing I know, I'm flying through the air, the grip on my neck suddenly gone. I crash into a much smaller figure and send us both into the wall. I hit the ground, half on top of Alema.

"Come and get me," cackles Grievous and I hear the sound of his clanks fading down the hall amidst the clones shooting. By the time I scramble to my feet, he's already gone into the darkness of his castle.

"He escaped," Qui-Gon says, turning off his lightsaber.

"I can see as much," I grumble. We might still be able to capture him, but now it's unlikely. He knows we're here, and we don't know anything about this place. I doubt he's the only thing living here, which means we might get attacked again. And for some reason, I get the impression there's something far more dangerous than the cyborg lurking in the shadows of the mansion. This is not a place for Alema. Not at all. She needs to get out of here. If we're going to win this, I'll have to get her out of here, and we majorly need reinforcements.

"We need to find him," I insist, "But we need reinforcements, and this isn't a place for Alema."

"Master!" she protests frustratedly, "I –"

"No," I cross my arms, daring her to argue further, "If he was strong enough to knock me down so easily, he could easily kill you. It's not a risk I'm going to take."

Alema glares. "I can handle it, Skygirl."

"No –" I begin, cutting myself off as I register what she just said. No. She is not going to start calling me that ridiculous name. I glare at Appo when he laughs behind me. "It's far too dangerous, Icicle."

"Icicle?" Alema repeats disbelievingly.

"Your skin is light blue."

"Ice is not blue."

"But water is always portrayed as being blue. Besides, it was you who was whining about being freezing on Jabiim."

"We need to retreat," Qui-Gon's voice breaks through the argument, though he looks like he's trying not to laugh himself.

"Master," I protest, "We could capture Grievous! He's injured, and we may not know the place, but we have the opportunity. How could we let it go?"

He pins me with a look that says he won't take any further insistence – strangely enough, the same look I just gave my own Padawan a moment ago – before saying, "We have no idea what this place is like, what's here, or what we could be walking into. We could fall right into a trap without realizing it."

I huff quietly, but he does have a point. And I'm reluctant to risk Alema like that. "Alright, fine. We'll do this your way. But the clones shouldn't be sitting around the planet. And nor should the fighters. They might get destroyed."

"I'll contact them and tell them to take off," offers Appo.

I nod and we take off running down the hall towards the exit.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

We haven't even reached the door when it slams shut in front of us. Just what I was afraid of. Grievous has cameras everywhere inside, and he's not about to let us out. We're locked inside now. "Alright, any further planning we're doing through the Force," I decide grumpily. Too bad Anakin wasn't here. We always plan strategies telepathically. This is a simple way out. Just cut open the door, but first, I'm making sure the fighters take off. We need some way off the planet.

"It looks like we're going to have to fight after all," Qui-Gon states grimly.

"Get out of there now!" I call to Arthree. A confirming beep comes over the comm. Good. At least we have a way out, then.

"You've run out of time," Grievous' voice growls over a speaker system.

"I see you still overestimate your own abilities, General," I retort, eyes narrowing, "If you're really such a wonderful fighter and planner, why not come out and show us some of that Separatist hospitality? We could all do with some in this dungeon-like place."

Qui-Gon releases a sigh of fond exasperation, and Alema snorts.

"Patience," Grievous replies, but a tinge of underlying anger is evident in his tone, "In the meantime, please experience all my home has to offer. It has been prepared for uninvited guests like you."

"It's our pleasure –" I begin, only to be cut off as the floor suddenly starts rapidly dropping. Luckily, thanks to my super-fast Jedi reflexes, I manage to leap back to safe ground before it gets too far, as do Qui-Gon and Alema. I whirl around to help the clones on pure instinct, diving forwards to grab Appo's arm. The floor beneath us starts dropping downwards at a far too rapid speed, and I'm jerked over the edge in a desperate attempt to hold on to Appo. I grab the edge of the floor with my other hand. The floor drops all the way down into a pit. I don't even what to know what's down there. Anger burns through me as the screams of the clones – my men – echo in my ears.

Qui-Gon runs forwards, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back over the edge while Alema hovers behind, eyes wide with panic. I swing myself over the edge, pulling Appo up with me. I collapse onto the floor, panting. "That was the move of a true coward, king clanker," I snarl, throwing my hair out of my face and climbing to my feet. The other three slowly rise as well.

"We know you're watching, thanks for the reminder," Alema adds. I can see the rage I feel written all over her face, and I expect it's evident on mine as well. "We saw the lower levels of your home. No one's impressed."

"Good, Jedi, good," Grievous cackles like the madman he truly is, and I find myself wondering if he's gotten his legs replaced yet or if he's still running around on his hands. Preferably the latter. It's easier to fight against. "You will provide some sport for me yet. Gore, time to entertain our guests."

Gore? What kind of name is that? Yes, from the way he's talking, that thing – whatever it is – clearly has a similar mindset to him. It's probably an animal. Like a human-eating pet. Yeah, that sounds like the type of thing the crazy cyborg would love to live with. Nothing we can't handle, though. My eyes land on the camera he's been watching us with the entire time. Enough nonsense. Igniting my lightsaber, I slash it through the thing.

A furious roar of an animal reaches my ears, making me shutter. I think I was right. "Stand firm. There might be worse things here than Grievous," Qui-Gon warns as the four of us stand in a back-to-back position, weapons readied. One of the doors suddenly slides, open, revealing a huge monster-like animal. Alema releases a horrified gasp, edging closer to me.

"Looks like you were right about that, sir," Appo says, and I can sense the worry pouring off him in waves.

An enormous, horned creature emerges, advancing towards us, revealing its gigantic teeth. Bright yellow eyes stare at us from out of the darkness as it stalks towards us on its two back legs. Appo instantly starts firing, one of the shots striking its head. Alema seems on the verge of a panic attack, but I'm more disgusted than afraid. I've fought too many creatures like it. It's sickening that there are still beings in the galaxy uncivilized enough to keep animals captive to eat their prisoners for sport.

The creature – assumedly Gore – stalks closer to us, roaring in fury. Darting forwards, I circle around the creature, then jump into the air, landing gracefully on its back. I catch hold of it with my left hand, stabbing my lightsaber into it with my right. Gore roars and rears, trying to throw me off, but I hold on stubbornly. I dig my boots into its scales, trying to prevent myself from falling. His arms slash out towards Qui-Gon, earning a lightsaber burn across one of its claws. Roaring again, he grabs for Appo this time. No. No way.

Reacting on pure instinct, I throw my hand out, Force-throwing the clone down the hallway to safety. In the process, though, I lose my grip on the creature and go flying across the room. I slam into the wall hard before falling to the floor but scramble back to my feet in seconds. This time, Alema dives forwards, darting between its legs and stabbing her lightsaber up into its chest.

"'lema," I caution, then groan when she ignores me, "Alright, fine. We'll do this your way." Lunging forwards, I wait until it swings an arm at me before leaping over it and slamming the blade down onto its claw, cutting through the end of one of its limbs. Down the hall, Appo fires a few more times, the first blast glancing off Gore's head, the second missing altogether, and the third finally fully hitting it. Qui-Gon slashes off the beast's other arm, and it finally falls to the floor, howling. I stab my lightsaber down into its head, and with one final roar, it stops moving altogether. Dead.

"That was a tough one," Alema stands up, panting and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

I nod my agreement, letting out a sigh of relief and stepping back. "A close call. We need to hurry, but I still don't think running is a good idea."

"There are only four of us left," Qui-Gon reminds me, "We can't defeat Grievous alone." I sigh frustratedly, but don't argue. We should have been able to do it. We should have, but we didn't move quickly enough. Maybe we'll still get our chance.

***

The four of us stand crouched against the wall, taking advantage of the darkness of the building. Maybe it's a good thing Separatists don't believe in lights after all, or we'd be in plain sight. Grievous is followed by two MagnaGuards. He pushes sections of the door with a specific pattern before it opens to allow him through.

"This exit must lead to the control room," I declare as we approach it. Which is good. From there, we'll be able to make our way out.

Qui-Gon steps past me and pushes the same parts of the door we saw Grievous do moments ago, and it slides open. He immediately steps in. "Let's go."

I pause outside, eyes darting around the halls. Grievous is going to try to attack us and probably to separate us. It's the easiest way for him to win. We can't afford that. Alema and Appo step inside the room. I duck under the door just as it starts slamming shut again.

"Let's get moving before he attacks us with an army full of MagnaGuards," advises Alema as Qui-Gon destroys the control droid.

I call for Arthree, giving him the order to come down in our fighters for evacuation. "Meet us at the south landing platform. We'll be right there."

"I'm coming for you, Skywalker," Grievous shouts at the cameras.

"Have fun!" I yell back, pushing a button on the controls so he'll hear me, "We'll be back to Coruscant by the time you find us, oh great clanker." Not really. Igniting my lightsaber, I slash up the controls. Now he'll have some more fixing to do in his residence. Rather, the droids will. I wonder how many he has just to keep his home intact, anyway. Of all the destruction here, he's done most of it himself.

We hastily head outside into the fog, and I glance around in search of our ships. It's not back here yet. My sandy blond hair is sticking to my face, thanks to the horrid humidity, and it's difficult to see anything. "Going somewhere?" Grievous' voice comes out of the fog in front of us before he climbs up out of something on the ground which is mostly concealed by fog.

"You might have been a proud warrior once, but now you're just a pawn in Dooku's game," I smirk, as we all ignite our lightsabers, me in the center, slightly in front.

"I wield great power, Jedi fool," he growls, igniting four lightsabers, two blue and two green. He starts spinning them all in a blur in front of him.

"Is that some excellent demonstration of power?" I ask, gesturing at his flailing lightsabers. What does he even think he's doing? Other than acting like a lunatic, anyway.

"Your power will only consume you," replies Qui-Gon calmly. With a growl, Grievous charges at us and our lightsabers clash. Lightsabers spin in a blur as Grievous attempts to block all of us from hitting him. Qui-Gon and I attack him with all our strength, using our many years of fighting together to know each other's moves and exactly how to react, keeping the cyborg on the defensive.

Our lightsabers don't clash more than a few times, though. A beeping astromech catches my attention and I spot Alema's fighter. I won't question why it got here first, but it's probably a good thing. Qui-Gon's and mine will be here shortly. "Appo, get out of here!" I shout to the clone. I get the impression he doesn't want to, but he climbs inside anyway. The cockpit closes and blasts away just as a group of MagnaGuards arrives with their electro staffs. Great. Good thing he got out of here.

"Get the droids. I'll handle Grievous!" I yell over my shoulder, and the other two turn away to the group of droids.

I step back for a moment before unleashing another series of attacks. Grievous pulls back one of his arms to spin pointlessly in the air over my head. I guess he likes doing that; to me, it looks stupid. Jumping forwards, I slice off his hand, sending the still-ignited blue blade spinning through the air, landing in my left hand. "Where'd that awesome power go?" I smirk, shifting back into my fighting stance. I can't see because of the fog, but that's fine. The lightsabers glow in the mist, and I can also see Grievous' gleaming yellow eyes. Besides, I have the Force, and that's all that matters.

Grievous growls in a rage, lunging forwards. I meet his attack with one just as fierce, my blades spinning easily to parry his blows. Qui-Gon and Alema back out of the fight with him to attack the MagnaGuards. I know they can handle them fine, so I keep all my attention focused on keeping Grievous' three flailing blades at bay. It's surprisingly easy, but the hard part is defeating him. He's a terrible fighter, to be honest, but he has three lightsabers, and it's hard to defend and attack at once. Someone like Obi-Wan – who is a Master of Soresu – could defeat him with ease, but I specialize in the offensive, not the defensive. Still, it's surprisingly easy with two lightsabers.

Suddenly, I spot another group of MagnaGuards approaching. This is getting worse all the time. By staying here longer, we're giving Grievous time to bring in more droid reinforcements until we are completely surrounded. Or at least not like this. Qui-Gon is fighting three droids, and Alema is fighting two others, but there's two dozen more approaching them. Those are probably all the droids in his lair.

I brace myself against the rocks of the landing platform, pushing him back with my lightsabers crossed. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Alema ducking and rolling beneath one of the droids to duck two electrostaffs, slicing it in half. She scrambles to her feet, eyeing the four droids, but another group is rapidly advancing on her. This is bad. Where are our fighters?!

I jerk back from the saberlock, throwing a hand outwards and shoving the cyborg back so he skids backwards, all three lightsabers cutting into the ground as he tries to slow himself. Spinning around, I jump towards the group attacking my Padawan, landing between the two. As the first droid comes towards me, I twist aside, ducking under it to cut it in half. Spinning around, I block a few blows, almost instantly on the defensive. I'm a far better fighter, but there are simply too many.

My two lightsabers work together, parrying blows and landing a few whenever I have a chance. Cutting off their arms here and there, sometimes managing to behead them.

I'm not quite sure where our fighters are, but I don't have time to wonder any farther before mine suddenly comes flying into view. Arthree beeps cheerfully at me, and a sudden barrage of blaster shots rain downwards, striking the droids and demolishing them. Alema's fighter – Appo still inside – swerves back into view out of the fog, joining the fray. Qui-Gon takes the opportunity to help out Appo and Arthree destroying the remainder of the MagnaGuards.

"Thanks, guys!" I shout to them, spinning around and running back towards Grievous as he stalks towards my Padawan.

All three blue lightsabers slash upwards as one, meeting the cyborgs three blades. The Separatist general pulls back growling, then comes at us, blades spinning wildly. I step back, then lunge forwards again, bringing his two green lightsabers into a saberlock with my blue ones. Alema handles the other. I brace myself against the ground, struggling to keep him at bay. He's too strong, I realize. No wonder so many Jedi fall to him. If I wasn't as strong in the Force as I am, I would have likely lost a limb, or even my life. I take a step back, shifting one of my lightsabers and cutting through the hand holding his other blue lightsaber – the one he's fighting Alema with.

Grievous snarls in anger, stepping back. He glances around, suddenly seeming to realize that his forces are being steadily destroyed. In a flash, he backs away from us and starts wildly spinning his lightsabers again. "You must realize, Jedi, that you are doomed!" he growls.

"Your forces are in pieces. You're missing half your hands. Who looks to be doomed?" I shoot back fiercely. I don't give him any time to respond, lunging forwards, slashing at him with a blindingly fast series of attacks. Finally, our blades come together again. He reaches up suddenly, grabbing me by my neck again and throwing me over his head. I hit the ground and roll over several times, panting. One thing is for certain; I am going to have an extremely sore neck after this is over.

When I look up, he's stalking towards me, both lightsabers spinning like a whirlwind and cutting into the landing platform.

"You hold a serious grudge against your home, I see," I remark, rolling out of the way and grabbing for my lightsabers where I dropped them.

That's when Alema jumps at him from behind, her blade slashing one of his legs out from beneath him. He falls sideways to the ground with a furious snarl. I jump to my feet and run at him, spotting Qui-Gon heading our way from the other side.

It happens so fast, yet it almost seems to slip into slow motion.

The ledge starts shaking as shots land down on it – from a group of vulture droids, I realize. Appo and Arthree instantly return their attention to them. Qui-Gon reaches me just in time, deflecting a shot from one of the vulture droids that would have landed where I was just standing. Realizing I'm momentarily safe, my attention refocuses on Grievous where he's fighting Alema, half standing on his remaining leg that's long-since split in half to hold him upright. Grievous spins his lightsabers at my Padawan, and I hastily shove her aside out of harm's way and sloppily block his blow. I duck under his next flailed-attempt at a strike – not really caring how dangerous that is with him. My lightsaber cuts upwards, cutting through one of his hands and continuing the rest of the way upwards, lopping his head off.

I stumble back as the cyborg's body hits the ground at my feet. I can't believe it. We did it. We killed General Grievous himself. Just like that, we're one step closer to ending the war.

"You did it!" Alema cries finally as the shock starts to wear off, throwing herself into my arms.

I catch her instantly, and despite how unexpected the reaction was, I hold her close. "Yes, we did it." I raise my head, smiling up at Qui-Gon where his emerald blade lowers. Behind him, the aerial battle has ended, and Appo and Arthree are landing. I know we need to leave the planet, but for now, I'm perfectly content to stay here, just a moment longer.

***

"Great job, Ani!" Anakin congratulates, yanking me into a tight embrace. "We're one step closer to ending the war!"

"We hope," I reply, hugging him back tightly. "We all know the Separatists have many other generals, but the most dangerous is out of the picture now."

"I wish you'd brought me to join the fun," he pouts.

"You should be glad you didn't have to see him," Alema replies with an over-exaggerated shudder. "There's not much to see other than a towering clanker."

"Who likes strangling people," I add, rubbing my neck.

"Well, are you all okay?" Ahsoka asks.

"Oh, thanks for being the first to ask something reasonable, sis," Alema smirks. "Now, maybe instead of chatting, we should report to the Council before we're late?" Good idea. We need to get moving, and I assume we'll be called somewhere else next.

After leaving Grievous' lair, Alema, Appo, and I returned to Anakin's cruiser, while Qui-Gon went to rejoin his own men. Suppressing any further protests, I walk over to the communication console and contact Coruscant. Moments later, holograms of Yoda and Windu appear in front of me as Alema steps forwards to my side.

"I assume Master Qui-Gon already told you," I state, "But we went to Vassek. Gunray was already gone, but we found Grievous' home there. We fought and killed him." There. Short and to the point.

"Perhaps a faster end to the war, this will bring," murmurs Yoda after a pause.

"You and Anakin have been given another mission," Windu informs us. "Aayla Secura is on Quell, and in need of reinforcement. You are to go there and rescue her."

"Yes, Master," I nod as the call disconnects.

"Come on, let's get going," Anakin urges, hurrying off to the bridge. We won't be there for another hour or so, so it gives us enough time to prepare. After that, I find myself heading off to my own quarters, as the constant guilt starts nagging at me. I wasn't able to save my men, again, like on every mission.

Why is it that every time someone dies near me, it feels like I'm losing a piece of myself? It's... it doesn't matter who it is. I can't understand it. I don't kill people unless they deserve it or it's absolutely necessary, so why... why does it hurt? Grievous was a murderer; he deserved to die. So why is guilt gnawing at me now? Should we have captured him instead? It would only have made things more difficult, but we could have gotten a lot of information out of him.

The Separatists never would have let him be brought back to Coruscant, and it would only result in many unnecessary deaths. I try to let that be enough to calm myself.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

The four of us stand together, watching as the ship streaks out of hyperspace and a planet comes into view. It's mostly blue, clearly a water planet, and white clouds hang densely over the surface below. Aayla's cruiser is not far from us and already is very badly damaged from the Separatist forces surrounding it. We should have gotten here earlier. It's going to be a very difficult rescue.

"Prepare the gunships!" Anakin orders, spinning around.

Moments later, we find ourselves in the hanger boarding into gunships. Anakin, Rex, and Ahsoka get into one while Appo, Alema, and I climb into another right beside it. As the gunships take off, I see super battle droids flying off from Aayla's cruiser, flying up at us as they open fire.

The gunships swerve, attempting to avoid being struck by the blasterfire. Across from us, a droid lands on the roof of Anakin's gunship. He jumps out a second later, grabbing onto another droid and plunging down toward the ship. Of course. That'll be a dramatic entrance, to be sure. Except I don't know how smart a move that is.

One of the blasts strikes the gunship I'm in, sending it spiraling down towards the cruiser below. It's probably better anyway. We need to get there. Right away. Ahsoka seems to be having the same luck not far away. The thin atmosphere is being flooded with smoke from the burning ships, and I grip the side to keep my balance and avoid slipping over the edge.

"Oh, great," Alema exclaims sarcastically. "This is my favorite type of landing."

"Crashing is not landing," I quote Ahsoka, smirking.

"True enough, Skygirl," she replies as the gunship crashes through the top of the cruiser. I leap out, igniting my lightsaber before hitting the ground. Alema jumps out behind me along with the rest of the clones. The ground vibrates as the other gunship crashes. Ahsoka, Rex, and the others dash up behind us as the surrounding area starts catching fire from the impact.

"C'mon, boys," I call over my shoulder, taking off down the hallway. Anakin is not far from us, and I can sense Aayla just slightly farther. We've made good time. I can only hope it stays that way.

A group of droids comes into view, and I lunge forwards, cutting the first droid in half as Alema covers the clones. Ahsoka darts forwards, ducking a bolt and cutting off the droid's hand before chopping it in half. We slice through a few more before Anakin finally joins up with me. He stabs his lightsaber through the droid, throwing it down the hall into a bunch more. They fall to the ground amidst a serious of clangs, revealing Aayla and a few of her clones.

"Nice entrance, Skywalkers," she nods as we run forwards to catch up.

"We specialize in entrances," I offer.

"How do you plan to get us out of this mess?" she inquires as we run down the hall – she, Anakin, and I in front – destroying all the droids as we go. The padawans are just a step behind, the clones at the rear.

"Well, I have a ship docking in the lower hanger as we speak," Anakin replies. A faint sense of danger radiates through the Force. We need to hurry. Finally, we arrive at an area where the hall splits off to the right. A droid instantly spots us and raises its blaster to shoot as the blast door behind it opens, revealing dozens more. Anakin's only smirks, igniting his lightsaber again.

Suddenly, the faint sound of explosions echoes through the ship. They're blowing it up, with us still in it. I can feel the clones dying, wincing at the realization there's nothing we can do to save them. It's time to run. Our ship is docking right on time, but it won't do much good if the detonation catches up with us.

We take off down the hall, Anakin and I letting ourselves fall to the back, where the danger is. Ahsoka and Alema are up in front. Ahsoka reaches the end of the hall first, slamming her hand on the button to open the hallway door leading out to the currently docking ship. "We made it," she pants, pausing to look back at us worriedly as the doors start slowly opening. Hurry, hurry, hurry, I chant over and over in my head. The explosions are drawing closer and closer as the seconds tick by. Every second counts.

Anakin skids to a stop behind us. Yes, the explosion is just around the end of the hall now. I can see the orange glow of the flames reflecting off the walls. It's coming too fast right towards us. I can feel it. The door and hall won't be connected fast enough, and – "It's too late," Anakin says, the fear and determination altogether too clear in his tone. No. He better not be thinking what I'm afraid he is. It'd kill him.

I open my mouth to argue – protest, maybe – but all that comes out is a panicked cry of "Anakin!" as he throws us all down the hall which has finally fully opened.

"Master!" screams Ahsoka as the door slams shut, closing us in.

I barely register it when I hit the ground. The clones take off immediately, as I force myself to my feet. Pain suddenly explodes through my bond with Anakin, and I nearly collapse again. No, no, no, no, no, he has to be alright, because he has to be, because he can't die, he can't –

"Don't move the ship!" I hear Ahsoka yelling through the haze.

I tear over to the door, slamming my hand on the control to open it, not caring if the explosion gets through right away, not really caring what happens. The only thought through my panic is that Anakin has to be alright. I won't leave him here, even if that means killing myself in the process. I don't care.

After what seems like forever, the doors slide open enough for me to look through. Anakin is lying next to the door, alive but clearly unconscious. Of course. If he was dead, it would kill me, too. The flames slowly lick their way down the hall, heading for us, but they're not coming with the same intensity as before. He must have dissipated the explosion before it became too much for him to hold.

Without waiting a moment longer, I ignite my lightsaber and start cutting through the door. Ahsoka ignites hers as well and joins me. Seconds later, the blades meet, completing the hole. It's big enough for us to get him through.

"We have to leave now!" Aayla calls, rushing up. I don't even spare her a glance. Anakin is more important. Ahsoka and I carry him onto the ship, collapsing next to him. Alema kneels next to us, her worry evident in her expression. She quickly closes the doors as the ship takes off.

I should be relieved that we're temporarily safe now that we're not on a blowing up ship, but all I can think about right now is my brother. He nearly killed himself to save us. We need to get him to the medcenter. Right away. His injuries are beyond what we can treat on the shuttle.

Moments later, we find ourselves in the medical room of the ship. I sit down next to my brother, holding his mechanical hand in mine. Ahsoka takes a seat beside me while Alema sits across the room, hugging her knees to her chest in a way that somehow makes her look way smaller than she really is. No one says anything, and a heavy silence settles over the room. Ahsoka scoots closer to me, wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my shoulder. I slip my free arm around her, holding her tightly.

I can't tear my gaze from Anakin's motionless body. I don't sense his Force-presence leaving, but that hardly makes me feel a whole lot better about it. He could die. And there's nothing I can do to stop it.

I don't want to risk touching anywhere that might hurt him. Even if he's unconscious, he's still in pain, and I can't bear it. His right arm is the one facing me, and it drives me crazy – as usual – that I can't take his hand, like I always used to. Something I will never, ever forgive Dooku for. He took my brother's arm. I'm not going to rest until I kill him.

I reach into our bond, letting my presence touch his, trying to calm his mind, even through my fear.

I almost feel Alema's gaze on me. She's wondering if he'll be alright, like that's a question I could answer. The only thing keeping me from going insane is their presences and knowing I'm not alone.

Ahsoka hastily pulls away from me as the door slides open and Aayla steps in. "I need you with Commander Bly up on the bridge right now," she says.

Nonsense. "Can't you help him?" I retort, glaring at her. I'm not leaving my brother alone. I don't care what anyone says. No one, nothing, matters more than he does. He needs someone to take care of him now.

"We should stay," Ahsoka argues. "Commander Bly doesn't need our help. Anakin does."

"You can help Anakin by getting this ship to safety," Aayla retorts.

"So, our presence in the cockpit will speed up the hyperspace travel?" I practically snap. I don't mean to lash out at everyone around me, but she is being stupid. She doesn't understand what it's like to have a brother you love more than anyone, who you've spent your entire life with from the moment you were born, the moment you were conceived. It's not a feeling anyone can understand.

The door opens and a clone walks in, interrupting the argument. "General Secura, we have a problem."

Of course. Always another problem. Because the fact that Anakin is dying right in front of me isn't a problem enough. This is why I hate my life sometimes.

"What is it, commander?" she asks.

"In our haste to escape," he explains, walking over to a screen on the other side of the room, "The navicomputer's coordinates were inputted incorrectly, and we're headed right for a star." He pushes a button displaying the ships position, zooming towards a large star looming in front of us. Why? Why do things like this always have to happen?

I want to scream, or maybe hit something, but all I do instead is clench my jaw and force myself to stand up. "Ahsoka, you can stay here," I tell her. Alema jumps up as Aayla and the clone walk out of the room. I pause in the doorway, glancing back at my brother one more time. "And if we all spontaneously go up into a ball of plasma, you'll know this was a bad idea," I mutter before hurrying to the cockpit. Alema follows.

"It's no use," Bly calls from the copilot seat. "The navigation computer is completely fried."

I slide into the pilot seat, struggling to keep from thinking that it's usually Anakin's spot. "'lema and I will handle it," I assure everyone. Bly gets up so Alema can take over beside me. It'd be much easier to fly with her instead, considering how much we've worked together.

"Shut down all power circuits to reset the coordinates," Aayla suggests from behind me as I scan the controls, trying to think of a way of getting us out of hyperspace. Normally, I'd go ahead and do it, but nothing's that simple right now.

"That will cut off Anakin's life support," I protest. I don't know if he needs it, but still. He wasn't doing well at all, and any moment, the situation could worsen. I don't know how badly his ribs were broken, so I have no idea if his lungs are alright.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but it's a risk we're going to have to take." I very much doubt that. She might not want to see him die, but he doesn't mean everything to her like he does to me.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself enough to think logically. He was doing fine without it, so he'll probably be fine now. It's better than the possibility of getting incinerated by flying through a star. Maybe. We were always supposed to share the same fate, whether it be light or dark, fire or ice. Maybe if I refuse to let him go, he won't die. Maybe.

"Master," Alema calls softly, clearly struggling to cover the shaking in her voice.

"He'll be fine," I state, trying to give a certainty I don't have, "There's no choice. We have to do it." Our hands flip across the controls, shutting off most of the power systems on the ship.

"Ready to shut off the auxiliary power," Alema says.

"On three," I reply, then count, "One. Two. Three."

Aayla flips the lever and the ship zips out of hyperspace, the streaks disappearing from around us. The brilliant star looms in front of us. The light is so blinding I practically have to close my eyes from it.

"Resume all power," Alema calls. "Switch the power back on!" And hurry about it, before we slam into that star and get incinerated anyway.

Unfortunately, the artificial gravity shut off too, and everyone who isn't seated is floating around the cockpit. Alright, fine. There's no time to wait for this. I flip the lever back up with the Force. All power is instantly directed towards the engines, sending the ship spiraling downwards. The front of shuttle ship starts sparking, flames licking off its front.

I guide the ship down, clearing the edge of the star before spinning onwards towards a planet looming in front of us. And unfortunately, there's no way to get around it this time. "We're not going to crash into the star, but we're definitely gonna hit that planet," I inform everyone.

The ship zooms towards the surface, the flames which had almost died out from the intense heat of the star, burning brighter as we plunge through the atmosphere. The ship lurches violently as one of the engines breaks off, then again as the other does. I lift the front of the ship in time to prevent us from crashing head-on into the ground, so we instead skid across the ground many feet before finally slamming to a stop, most of the ship in flames.

"I'll get Anakin and Ahsoka," I yell over my shoulder, leaping to my feet and dashing out of the room. Ahsoka is already standing beside him. It's admittedly clumsy for us to carry him, but we manage, with me trying desperately to ignore the pain burning through our bond. Ahsoka and I barely make it through the door and out of the ship to safety before the fire reaches the fuel storage and the whole thing explodes. I lay him on the ground and fall to my knees beside him, tears running down my cheeks.

"He's still alive," Alema murmurs rushing over to us, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm just glad he wasn't awake to see that landing," Ahsoka says as she stands up, brushing herself off. "We seemed to have mastered the art of demolishing ships and almost getting my master killed."

I sigh quietly, head lowered as I stare at the unconscious figure of my twin. I absently pick up his left hand, squeezing it tightly. I'm so sorry this happened, brother. Don't leave me. Stay here. I need you. We need you.

I don't know how I could have let this happen. It hurts so much seeing him lying so helpless in front of me. Nothing will ever get me used to seeing him like this.

***

"Anakin doesn't have much time. We have to find help tonight," Aayla remarks. Great. As if I'm not worried enough right now. I hate feeling so alone. I wish Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan was here. It's stupid that I feel like I can't handle this on my own. I'm twenty now, and I'm a General. I shouldn't always want our masters to be here. But right now, I wish I wasn't alone.

I need to pull myself together. They need me right now. Taking a deep breath, I move from Anakin's side for the first time since we started setting up the camp and walk outside the tent to where the others are gathered. It's evening now, and the sun is at the horizon. I've spent the entire time next to Anakin, doing my best to keep him calm. Even if he's almost completely out of it, he's still conscious enough to sense his surroundings. It's the most I can do to reassure him that I'm there, since I haven't mastered the ability to put him into a Force-trance yet. I'm never able to find enough of a semblance of calm to do it. "You all go south. Rex, Appo, and I will stay here with Anakin."

"I can't leave him," Ahsoka argues, and I can hear the almost desperation in her tone. "If I was hurt, he'd never leave me behind." Her emotions are raging way too strongly. I want to pull her – and Alema – into a hug and tell them everything will be alright. Unfortunately, now isn't the time to go all-out protective older sister on them, as much as I want to.

"I'll take care of him, Ahsoka. We don't know what kind of planet this is, but I sense danger here. You need to be careful, and it's better if you go in a group."

She looks like she wants to keep arguing, but thankfully, doesn't.

"Master, we could split in half," Alema begins. I sigh. Not that I don't want their company, but there's not really a choice now.

"Look, there's no way to know what you might run into when you try to find a way off the planet," I point out.

"Which is exactly why someone else should stay here," challenges Alema. "We don't know what could come here, and if you're trying to protect Anakin at the same time..."

Point. "Go, Alema. I can handle whatever comes our way."

"Let's hope so," Ahsoka mumbles.

"We only need one person to watch him, and I'm not gonna leave him," I say.

"As Jedi, we need to do what's best for the group," points out Aayla.

"You three and the clones can handle whatever comes your way," I assure her. No one says anything in response to that. Now that everyone finally stopped arguing over my plan, I step past them, scanning the area. I can't shake the feeling of heaviness gripping me. I don't want to send them alone, but the situation isn't leaving me with a choice. They'll be fine. They can take care of themselves. They've faced situations far more dangerous than this. If there's a choice between them and Anakin, as much as it hurts, there's not even a question as to who I'd choose.

"General Secura, look," Bly says, walking up holding something that looks like a square piece of wood. "We're not the only ones here on this planet. There has to be some kind of life here." Aayla takes it from him, inspecting it carefully. "If you don't mind me asking, General, where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to find the people here," I reply. "There's clearly some civilization here."

"Where are we going to find them?" he inquires. "We have no idea where they are."

Ahsoka takes it from Aayla looking at it closely. "It seems to me that the people we're looking for live near giant trees," she murmurs as she inspects the drawing on it.

I nod. "Yes, clearly."

"Very perceptive, padawan," Aayla praises.

Ahsoka walks past us back into the tent before kneeling by Anakin. "Be strong, Master, just a little bit longer. Aniya will watch over you." Alema is standing in the other side of the doorway, one hand resting absently on the side of the doorway. I can tell she's giving him her own message, even if it's mentally.

I'll watch you, brother, just like you always watched over me. It was supposed to just be a thought, but I'm almost certain I sensed the slightest bit of a response. He got the message, even unconscious. For some reason, that thought is relieving.

"It's time to go," Aayla calls as Ahsoka and Alema continue to hesitate.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll take good care of him," Rex assures us. Ahsoka nods before standing up.

I step over to the padawans. "Be careful," I say softly. I'm aching to assure them both everything will be fine, but it's better if I don't get into that. Not when Aayla is standing there. She wouldn't be happy. Unable to help myself, I pull them both into a hug. Alema hesitates only a moment before returning it, as does Ahsoka.

"Rex and Appo, keep your locators on. We should be back by daybreak with whoever or whatever lives on this planet," Aayla tells the clones.

"Got it, General Secura," Rex replies.

"We'll count on it," Appo nods.

"May the Force be with you, little ones," I say, letting go. They step out of the tent with me a few feet behind.

"Hey, kid, good luck," Rex calls after them as the group starts heading off into the grass, which is literally taller than humans. I expect many animals are lurking in its shadows. Hopefully none of them are too deadly.

"Come on, guys," Bly calls. "Let's move out." They take off, disappearing out of sight as the setting sun casts its final rays across the surface.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

Once they're gone, I turn to the clones. "Keep watch," I command. "We'll take turns. I'll stay in the tent for now." Because I should really go first, but I don't know I have the strength to do that right now. Not with so much going on. Not when Anakin nearly died.

"Yes, General," agrees Appo. I step back into the tent, seating myself next to my brother. I'm glad to be away from everyone. I don't have to hold back my emotions anymore, not for now. I can hide them from others, but I can't hide from myself.

On the outside, we always seem to give the impression of being fearless. It's a notion that's sheer nonsense. We're always afraid. We can't let go of anyone. Ever. Not our mother – we already proved that when we went to Tatooine, completely disobeying orders. Not Padme. Not Jaufre. Not Qui-Gon – I definitely proved that only days after we met. Not Obi-Wan. Not Alema or Ahsoka. And certainly not each other. Without them, any of them, who would I even be? Neither Anakin nor I love anyone easily, and when we do, it's always something far deeper than most people would understand.

The Jedi call it an attachment. They say it's wrong, but I'm not entirely sure it is. Why? What's wrong about caring for someone? It might be overwhelming and hard to control, but I know it can be done. And there's always another way. We don't have to let anyone die to accomplish a mission. We just don't. There's always more than one way to accomplish something, even if the majority of the Jedi don't see it that way. That's one thing I've learned both from experience and from my master.

Sighing softly, I can only hope sending the padawans alone was a good idea. I should have gone with them, but I couldn't leave Anakin alone either. The idea is simply unthinkable.

I wish we'd gotten him back to Coruscant. I'm guessing, just from looking at him, that he has a major concussion and several broken ribs. He might not die, but he definitely needs medical attention, and I don't want to tempt fate.

I'm going to try to make our padawans learn more about healing, if possible. The hardest part about my brother and I is that drugs don't affect us. Which means painkillers don't work at all. Which also means we need someone to put us in a trance to keep us from feeling it, something we learned the hard way. It's not something either of us are able to do to each other very well. People always act like being the Chosen Twins is some sort of great honor, but sometimes, it feels more like a curse. It's all added up over time, and now it takes far, far too much to make us lose consciousness, and even then, we often don't completely. Like Anakin isn't right now.

I stretch out on the ground, rolling onto my side to lay next to my brother. I slip an arm over him, taking his left hand in mine. It somehow feels protective and like drawing comfort from his presence at once, and the feeling itself really makes me wonder why the Jedi have such beliefs about attachments. Somehow, some of the tension seems to fade from him at my touch. I scoot slightly closer to him, then rest my head on my other arm as exhaustion finally overtakes me.

Sensations of pure darkness seem to emanate off the very walls. Somehow, it seems to have extended over the entire galaxy. An all-consuming darkness.

A dark figure comes into view. I can't recognize him, but something about him and the way he moves seems familiar. He's fighting people, many people, but no one, it seems, can stand against him. He's not wielding a lightsaber, but it hardly seems to matter. He throws them down halls or kills them, easily dodging all their attacks as he stalks down the halls.

Finally, he comes to a door. A group of people are gathered, though I can't tell whether they're trying to get into the room or attack him. One of them fires at him, but the dark figure instantly starts Force-choking him, throwing him across the hall into the wall. I can't tell if he's dead, but from the way he hits the ground and the snap I'm fairly certain I heard, I think he is. And for the first time, I realize who the dead man is. Appo.

I jolt awake with a start, heart pounding. What was that? Who was that? I know I've seen the person before, but I can't place it. I never saw his face, but there's something about him... I know him. Though I don't know his name.

The next thing I know the Force is whispering warnings of danger. Something is nearby. Something dangerous. I stand up in a hurry, stepping outside the tent. The clones are standing several feet away, clearly on high alert. I stride forwards to join them. "I sense something's nearby," I tell them.

"We hear it too," Appo replies dryly as the sound of a creature walking through the grass reaches me. It sounds really big, too. Even better.

The sudden sound of movement followed by a crash from the tent diverts my attention from searching for the creature, followed by a surge of paint through my bond with my brother. Spinning around, I see Anakin laying on the ground in front of the doorway. Of course. He sensed it too, and it woke him up. And then, he tried the stupid thing of getting up to fight when he's too injured to even move.

"Anakin!" I half-hiss, half-growl, darting over to him. Rex and Appo run after. I stop beside him, dropping onto my knees and resting a hand on his shoulder.

"General, are you alright?" Rex asks with concern, stopping behind me.

"Behind you," he hisses, staring past me at something unseen.

I jump to my feet in a moment, the snap-hiss of my lightsaber echoing through the clearing. I barely have time to turn around before the creature reaches Appo, hitting him hard enough to knock him over. The clone rolls over, grabbing its huge beak-like mouth before it can bite off his head. Rex fires his blaster at it as I leap forwards, slashing my lightsaber across its leg, making it rear back with a howl. It jumps off Appo, bolting away into the tall grasses again as the clones fire after it.

Anakin sinks back against the ground behind me as I turn back to him. "Anakin," I say a lot more sharply than I intended, "How many times have I told you not to try to fight when you can hardly move?"

"I lost count," he grumbles. I kneel next to him, resting a hand on his hair. He turns his head sideways to look at me, smirking slightly despite his obvious pain.

"You know, if you don't kill me with your recklessness, you're going to kill me with worry," I inform him. "Now, let's get you back into that tent."

***

Ahsoka Tano

"I can still sense your worry for Anakin," Aayla remarks as we trudge across the darkening prairie. "Your attachment to him."

I sigh, looking down. I can't get him out of mind. I know I need to focus my attention on my surroundings, but I can't stop remembering how badly injured he was. I know Aniya was there, and she's perfectly capable of taking care of him, but if I was injured... it wouldn't matter how many people were there. He'd never leave my side. It's not a feeling I should have, but I have them. None of this makes sense. "It's just... I get so confused sometimes," I admit finally. "It's forbidden for Jedi to form attachments, yet we are supposed to be compassionate."

"And I still don't understand what the difference is," Alema interjects with a sigh.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Aayla assures us. "I went through the same process when I was your age with my own master."

My head snaps up to look at the older Twi'lek. "Really? You?" She seems like most of the Jedi, save maybe a little more compassionate.

"He was like a father to me. I realized that for the greater good, I had to let him go. Don't lose a thousand lives just to save one."

And that is exactly what I can't understand. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean I can't try to save his life."

Our journey continues in mostly silence. I sense danger nearby, but I don't see anything. It's night and the sky is completely dark now. "I don't see any signs of life," Alema observes when we finally reach the towering tree.

"Watch out!" Aayla yells. We barely manage to dive aside as a giant rock-like object crashes down from the tree we paused beneath.

"No wonder it's deserted!" I exclaim. "It's a death trap!"

"You'd have to be crazy to want to dodge those on a daily basis," Alema agrees.

"It looks like someone or something intelligent enough to figure out a use for the pods has dragged them away," Aayla notes, and my eyes fall on the track of flattened grass winding outwards from the towering tree into the night. "All we have to do is follow the trail!"

"Let's go!" Alema calls, instantly excited. Of course. Now we have a path to follow, and we should be able to find help. The help we need to save Anakin. The seven of us take off running down the path.

We've been moving at a fast pace along the trail for a long time now, but a sudden sound catches my attention. There's something out there. Something big and dangerous.

"What is that?" Alema whispers as we come to a stop at a place the path forks off. It looks like Pods were dragged to this area from somewhere else, and then brought down the path ahead of us and slightly to the side.

The snap-hiss of three lightsabers echo across the clearing, and I can clearly hear the sound of running footsteps. Whatever it is, it's coming towards us full force. Suddenly, I see it. Two creatures charge out of the towering grass. The creatures have four legs, and they're at least twice my height. I jump aside to avoid being hit. Alema dives aside as well, landing beside me. I roll over and look up. Aayla is scrambling up nearby us.

One of the creatures has a clone pinned to the ground, attempting to bite his head off. The other creature is lunging at the other two, throwing them aside. Alema is up in a flash, diving towards it.

I reignite my lightsaber as one of the remaining clones shoots the creature attempting to kill his brother. Alema's lightsaber slashes across the front leg of the second one, and it jumps back with a loud roar, throwing her aside. I freeze for a moment as my best friend hits the ground with a sickening thud a distance away. Please be alright. As Aayla and I start moving forwards, the creature bolts back into the grass, disappearing into the darkness of night.

The moment I'm certain the coast is clear, I run to Alema. She's rolling over with some difficulty. "Are you alright?" I ask, helping her up. She's standing shakily, but she seems fine at first glance. I hate to realize it, but she's probably been through far worse.

"I'll be fine," she assures me. "Just some bruises. We have to keep moving."

I turn back to the others. Bly is getting up from the other clones. "Cameron's dead. So are Lucky and Flesh," he reports.

"We have to keep moving," Aayla says finally, and we turn back to the path.

***

Alema Syndulla

The sky is already lightening when we finally reach it. The place all those pods had been taken to. There's a slightly muddy slope slanting downwards into what looks like a village. "We've made it," I breathe, relieved. I'd been afraid we weren't going to get there until even longer. We slide down the slope into the clearing, looking around.

A small brown creature, about two feet tall, approaches us. He has brilliant yellow eyes, and a very long tail. "Hello? What have you come here for?" he asks.

"We are peacekeepers," begins Aayla, moving forwards. "We are Jedi from the Galactic Republic. Our ship crashed a few miles away, and one of us is very badly injured. We need your help."

"Violence breeds violence," he replies harshly. "Jedi are no peacekeepers." Violence? I've spent my entire life fighting against it, especially since I became a padawan. Flashes of my time prior to being Aniya's padawan flicker through my mind, and I hastily suppress it.

"We're fighting for freedom," I snap, going rigid at the accusation. Ahsoka sends me a warning look, reminding me of the situation we're in. If I act hostile, it will only give them more reasons not to trust us. Yes, of course. I'm ready to accept whatever they offer despite the cost. This is Anakin's life in danger.

"And freedom and peace require fear and death?" He has a point, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. It's not the Jedi who hurt innocents who happen to be in the way. That doesn't mean this particular village realizes that, and now is hardly the time to start arguing about it. "We colonized this system to find solace from your wretched war. We came here to find peace. You must leave. You will only destroy what small amount of peace is left in the galaxy. You will only bring the destruction of us."

"Regardless of the Clone Wars and our part in them, we still need your help," Aayla insists.

"I'm afraid I must do what's best for my people. We cannot help you." He's about to walk away. That's when the desperation sets in. We need to help Anakin. We came all the way here for him, and if we don't get what we need... his situation would have greatly worsened since we left last night.

"Please, can you at least give us some medical supplies?" Ahsoka asks, practically pleading. "My friend is dying."

"I cannot ignore a plea for help," the leader says finally. While the conversation was occurring, I'd noticed many other creatures of the same species appearing in the area. They're curious. "I will send my son, Wag Too, to help your friend," he says, motioning to another creature a fair amount taller. "He is a healer," the leader continues, "But only two Jedi may go with him. The other must stay as insurance. We wouldn't want a surprise attack on our village or the kidnapping of our only healer." Must he be like that? I have to struggle to suppress the irritation stabbing at me. I absolutely do not have the patience for it. Seriously, why does he have such a negative opinion of the Jedi.

"Bly and I will stay," Aayla decides, turning to us. "Padawans, go and help Anakin."

"No!" the leader interjects. "The clone and his blaster cannot stay."

"He will go with the younglings," Aayla assures him, and I try not to show my offense at being called a youngling. No younglings have gone through and seen what I have. "Be mindful of your surroundings, Padawans. Those creatures are still out there," she warns us as we turn towards the trail.

"Of course," I nod. I've been on the field enough to know always to keep an eye out. There's no saying what can jump on you when you're not looking.

"We won't be long," Ahsoka calls, starting up the path. I bolt after, and moments later, we're running at full speed.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I pace back and forth impatiently as the sun rises. They said they'd be back by daybreak, but there haven't been any signs of life. After we managed to get Anakin back in the tent, I switched places with the clones to stand guard. Time keeps on ticking as the sun rises. It's been hours. What are they doing? Is life really that far away?

Suddenly, danger ripples through the Force again. Reaching out, I sense two creatures heading our way. Oh, great. At least it's daytime now so we can see. And at least we know what to expect. And unfortunately, that includes Anakin trying to get up again.

"Hey, take it easy!" I yelp, sensing a surge of pain through our bond as he tries to get up again. He completely ignores me, stubbornly shoving his arm under him to push himself into a sitting position. Does he have no concern for his injuries at all? How is he supposed to heal if he won't hold still? Or does he just not care?

"General, you need to maintain your rest," protests Rex.

"I can't," Anakin grunts, "They're coming. I can hear them. We must fight." This is what I mean. I am going to steal his lightsaber if he tries saying that one more time. Rex reluctantly pulls Anakin to his feet. Appo and I turn around to face the incoming creatures.

Two of them – the same as what attacked us last night, as I suspected – run out of the grass, coming to a stop at the edge of the clearing. The one in front growls, clawing the ground. I ignite my lightsaber, as does Anakin. The clones shoot at them, Rex hitting one of them, but Appo barely misses the other. We leap out of the way as it lunges at us.

I jump to my feet again in time to see Alema and Ahsoka tear up, followed by Bly. Another small creature is with them. It leaps through the air, darting between the creature's legs and wrapping a rope-like object around its front claw, tying it up.

I point my lightsaber at it, preparing for the kill, but a sudden voice stops me. "No, don't!" protests the creature – whatever it is. It grabs the rope and yanks, clearly trying to throw the creature off balance.

"Okay, okay, fine," I concede. Clearly, whatever the newcomer is, he has very different beliefs. I grab onto the rope, as do the padawans, and we pull it over. It hits the ground with a loud thump.

"Good work, little guy," Ahsoka praises as he ties all four legs together. The second I'm certain this will work out okay, I run over to Anakin – who of course is trying to get up again – with our Padawans right behind.

"Master!" Ahsoka exclaims, crouching beside him.

"Good to see you, Snips," Anakin greets her.

"Sorry for taking so long," Alema states, though it's unclear if she was talking to me or Anakin. Probably both.

I shrug. "You did your best."

"This is Wag Too," Ahsoka introduces, gesturing to the small creature which came to join us, "He's a healer. He can make you well again."

"Don't you worry," it assures us, "I can fix you right up."

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

My eyes open slowly, and I blink a few times before registering where I am. Right. We'd gone to the Lurman village, and Wag Too had taken care of Anakin last night before we went to sleep in the hut with Anakin. Except unfortunately, our padawans seem to have found a new meaning of the word 'pillow' in the night. Somehow, Ahsoka ended up rolling over half on top of me in a position I don't know how she could possibly find comfortable. And I can't feel my left hand at all, or most of my arm for that matter, probably thanks to Alema laying on top of it. I have no idea how they can find it comfortable, but they're both fast asleep.

The sun hasn't risen yet but judging from the amount of light filtering through the door of the hut, it's rapidly nearing dawn. "Okay, sleepy ones," I sigh, "It's wake-up time."

Alema groans, rolling over, finally relieving the pressure from my arm. Ahsoka stirs slightly before her eyes open, blinking in slight confusion for a moment. "Yes, that's me you're laying on," I inform her grumpily.

"Oh, sorry, Skygirl," Ahsoka laughs, rolling off me.

"Hey! Only Icicle can call me that, Snips," I grumble as we untangle ourselves. Anakin laughs, making me jump slightly. "Did we wake you up?" I ask sheepishly, sitting up.

"You certainly did with all your noise down there," Anakin replies.

I move over to his side, kneeling next to him as I appraise his condition. His head and body have been bandaged, and he's fully conscious now, thanks to having been treated by the healer last night. He still has a long way to go, but he's a million times better than yesterday between whatever stuff Wag Too gave him and his own semi-enhanced healing abilities.

"General?" Bly's voice diverts my attention to the doorway.

"Yes, commander?" Aayla asks. She's been so quiet this entire time, I almost forgot we weren't the only ones inside.

"We've got a Separatist ship incoming," he reports.

I stiffen. That explains why I woke up. I hadn't thought it was anything, but now that I'm actually paying attention, I sense a disturbance in the Force. We need to get out of here. If they find us here, I expect we're going to endanger the entire village. That's the way they are.

"This is neutral space," argues Wag Too, walking over to stand by Anakin.

"It won't be neutral for long. Not if the Separatists have their way," Anakin replies, trying to push himself up but falling back against the floor with a groan. I flinch at the pain that flares through our bond. He needs to stop doing this. "Help me up."

"Anakin," Alema and I sigh simultaneously with equal exasperation.

"Don't struggle," protests Wag Too. "I'm sorry, but you're still too injured to move." Don't we all know? Except Anakin, of course.

"What menace have you brought to our village now, Jedi?" demands an angry voice from the doorway. I turn around to see the Lurmen leader walking into the hut.

"Father, you can't blame them," Wag Too argues.

"He's right. The Separatists don't even know we're here," Ahsoka adds, standing up from where she was crouching next to me.

"And they can't know," Aayla adds. "We've got to hide."

"Your presence here endangers us. You must leave before your enemies find you," the leader informs us.

"But you'll need our help. You can't fight them alone," Ahsoka argues.

"They're probably here with an entire army. There's nothing you'd be able to do," Alema adds as she stands up, concern and determination shining in her blue eyes.

"We will not fight them at all!" the leader retorts. "We would rather die than to kill others." I understand his reasoning, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. Besides, they're mostly droids. Maybe a few living beings. A few to save hundreds. That's always what Jedi believe in, but not everyone shares that opinion.

"You're going to surrender?" demands Ahsoka, "But how can you –"

"Stop," Anakin commands, raising a hand. "If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war." He pushes himself up with one arm again, this time with more success. I don't like it, but I can't protest. There's nothing we can do. If we're going to make sure the village is safe, we have to go, even if it's not the best option. Besides, Anakin should be better soon.

"See to it that they leave," the leader commands his son. "I must see what our new visitors want." He turns and walks away, heading off towards where I assume the Separatists have landed. We need to hurry.

Wag Too gathers a few items and gives them to Ahsoka who puts them into her backpack. She pulls it on as Rex and I carefully pick up Anakin. I stumble slightly under his weight at first, until I adjust myself right. He can actually stand now – or maybe he's pushing himself too hard; that's more likely – with our help.

"Take it easy, sir," Rex cautions. "We'll assist you." The three of us slowly make it out of the hut with Aayla, Bly, Appo, and the padawans right behind. Danger whispers through the Force again. I can hear familiar clanking behind us. Battle droids have been sent to search the area, from the sound of it. Probably in search of any signs of the Republic.

"Why are they tearing apart our homes? We've done nothing to them!" exclaims Wag Too. I glance back but can't get a good look at what's happening between trying to stay hidden and holding Anakin, though the crashes I can hear are enough to tell me they're destroying everything in their path.

"Violence, that's what those droids are programmed for," Ahsoka replies bitterly.

"Can't we do anything?" Alema asks almost beseechingly.

"No, and if we are discovered, all of the Lurmen will be slaughtered," Aayla replies bluntly.

"We'll be okay," Anakin assures everyone, gaze turning back to the grass ahead of us, "If we make it to the tall grasses."

***

"You know, I can't figure out those villagers not wanting to fight," Ahsoka remarks as we sit in a small clearing. The sun has completely risen, and the pink has faded out to its normal pale blue color with no traces of the resent sunrise.

"No pride, I guess," shrugs Alema. "It doesn't make sense to me, either."

"I call it no courage," Ahsoka replies.

"Sometimes it takes courage to stick to one's beliefs, young padawan, as any Jedi well knows," Aayla answers.

"Well, anyway," I interject, "If that's what they want to do. As long as they're fine, I don't care whether they want to stay neutral or not. We can't force them to do something they don't want to. It's their choice to make, not ours."

"But what are we going to do now?" Alema inquires, eyes darting between me and my brother, "Just sit here and wait for the Republic to come find us?"

Anakin shakes his head. "That might take too long, and every extra moment we're on this planet puts them more at risk."

"For now, we need to lay low and stay out of sight," I agree.

Alema lays down on her back, staring up at the sky. "Like this type of laying low, Skygirl?" she inquires with a grin.

I snort. "If you want to, but I call it 'over doing it', Icicle."

"What we need to do is find a ship," Anakin interjects, "And I think the only one around here belongs to the Separatists. We know they have a landing ship. They might have a shuttle."

"You're already thinking about something like that." I roll my eyes. Leave it up to Anakin to plan battle strategies when he can barely stand, much less walk.

"Sir, you talking about stealing from one of the clankers? Count me in!" exclaims Rex.

"Count me in too!" adds Appo with equal enthusiasm.

"We need to find them first," reminds Aayla.

"I think we just did!" Ahsoka exclaims in alarm, leaping to her feet and point at the familiar sight of a probe droid in the grasses. I'd been too distracted by the planning to notice. Those probe droids. They're so difficult to sense. In a second, everyone is on their feet, even Anakin.

"Blast it!" Anakin shouts.

"Jam its signal!" I add.

Bly jams the signal while Rex and Appo fire at it. The attempts are in vain as it instantly takes off down the path we'd followed to get here.

"After it!" yells Ahsoka, taking off with the clones right behind, then Aayla, with me and Alema in the back. Anakin tries to follow but stops after a few feet, gasping sharply. I stop in my tracks, turning around. He's leaning forwards, one hand pressed to the bandages wrapped around him.

"I'm fine. Just go!" he commands sharply. Not a chance. He can't even stand straight. I'd have to be insane to leave him here alone in such a condition with the Separatists looking around. What if they found him? Then what? He's practically incapable of defending himself right now.

"Alema, stay with him," I order before taking off after the others. Before long, the pair forks in half, making me pause. If I keep running after it blindly when I already fell behind, I'll never catch up. Use the Force. Think. The others are doing a good enough job, and we need someone to make their way around and cut off the entrance path.

I close my eyes, letting the Force flow through me, sensing for the fastest route. It's straight through the tall grass, and I don't sense any danger there. Without waiting a moment longer, I take off through the grasses. It's not far. Thankfully. We can't waste any time, or it'll get back into sight, which means it'll be impossible to destroy.

After what seems like forever, I feel the group nearly in front of me. I leap out of the grass, igniting my lightsaber and slicing through the droid. It two halves fly past me, sparking.

"I wonder where it was headed," Ahsoka remarks. To where the Separatists are. Obviously.

"Maybe we can see them from up there," suggests Aayla. I follow her gaze to a large tree towering over the surrounding area.

I nod my agreement. "Sure. Let's go take a look. It's worth a try. We need to figure this out if we're really gonna steal a shuttle. You go on, I'll join you with Anakin and Alema." With that, I walk past the group, heading back towards the clear, reaching through my bond with Anakin to find him. It's not long later that I spot them heading towards us.

"Mission complete," I announce, walking over to them.

"I don't need two babysitters," Anakin grumbles.

"You're welcome," I nod, falling in beside him. "Aayla found a tree nearby she things we'll be able to see the shuttle from. We're heading to check it out."

"Sounds like a plan," Alema says, "I only hope it works. We can't let anyone know we're here even if we do find a shuttle, so it'll be tricky."

"But we'll work it out," Anakin replies with certainty.

Alema laughs. "I don't doubt that."

The three of us arrive at the tree some minutes later, slowly climbing to the top of the branch everyone else is congregated on. Ahsoka is looking through binoculars, scanning the area.

"I hope you're feeling better, Master," she says, holding them out to Anakin, "'cause look what we found."

"I'm getting stronger all the time, Snips," he replies, taking them from her and scanning the area himself, "But I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Found them?" I inquire. Aayla passes a second pair to me, and I look through it myself. It's the Separatists, all right. There's a shuttle right in the midst of it, but droids are everywhere, which isn't surprising. "I agree," I reply, lowering them for a moment. "You aren't ready for that yet."

"That shuttle's our ticket off this rock," my brother insists.

"It's not gonna be easy, sir," Bly warns. "There don't seem to be any flaws in their security line."

"That's fine," I reply. "Then we'll figure something else out. There's gotta be a way to do it. There always is."

A tank-like structure rolls into view. It's nothing I've ever seen before, but for some reason, I get the distinct feeling it could be dangerous. "Apparently, the Separatists have a new toy," Anakin remarks, "See if you can get a closer look." The three clones climb down the tree, heading out through the grass towards the Separatist encampment.

Suddenly, two droids break off of the large group congregated around the tank and start heading our way. Not good. They're heading straight for the clones.

"Stay down, boys," Anakin mutters worriedly. They need to be careful. We cannot afford discovery. The tank is moved forwards and the top raised. Danger ripples through the Force just as something is fired out of it. The clones take off running as it hits the ground near the droids. I lower the binoculars as the surrounding area bursts into flames.

Ahsoka and Aayla jump down onto a lower, farther back branch of the tree. I follow, as does Alema. Anakin climbs down to join us a lot more slowly, making me feel almost guilty for running off and leaving him there. It must be driving him insane to be incapable of moving as much as the rest of us can.

The three clones fire grappling hooks at the branch we're on, but Bly misfires. Aayla cuts a vine with her lightsaber, swinging down holding it and pulling Bly up onto the tree as the area he was seconds ago burst into flames.

The fire burns furiously for a couple minutes before dying out, nearly reaching all the way to the tree we were on. Close call. Anakin finally arrives to stand beside us.

"That's some toy," Ahsoka murmurs gravely. "It took out every living thing."

"I expect they're testing it, at least," Alema murmurs. "Maybe we can destroy it before it can cause much damage."

"We'll have to see what happens," I reply, "But yes. We'll do the best we can." Just as we always do.

Moments later, the Separatist ship takes off again. They're moving again, and I can only guess where they're headed. I know what's in that direction, and I can't say I'd be surprised if they decided to try it on the village next.

"Where are they off to now?" Aayla queries.

"They must be going back to the Lurmen village," Anakin replies grimly as he hands her the binoculars. "There's nothing else in that direction. Those villagers won't stand a chance."

"We have to help them!" cries Alema, jumping up. "I don't get it. How could anyone want to do something like this?"

"Because all they care about is winning," I reply bitterly. "It's not something the people support. Only the people in charge, who are also getting all the money and benefit."

Anakin nods as he rises, flipping back into his all-out general mode. "First we'll take out the droids' communication station. After we get a shuttle, we'll go back and help them." The group rises and starts heading down from the tree, Ahsoka's voice makes me pause.

"But Tee Watt Kaa said he doesn't need our help."

Anakin pauses to look back. "There's a difference between pulling innocents into war and leaving them to extinction."

***

Anakin Skywalker

The darkness of night has settled over the surface of the planet. The moon casts its brilliant glow across the landscape despite the clouds partly covering it. It's bright enough that I can see clearly, but thankfully, droids' eyes aren't made for dim lighting. The eight of us crouch in the grasses, careful to keep out of sight of the spotlight atop of the wall of the Separatists encampment which sweep back and forth. Unless we're caught in a spotlight, it's unlikely we'll be noticed. Our plan is risky, but I think it should work. We've done more dangerous things before.

Aniya, Aayla, Ahsoka, and Alema step forwards, slowly approaching the edge of the grass. Two of the spotlights start sweeping towards them. As soon as they're close enough, the girls dart between them over to the wall where the stop and wait for the lights to move again. Now, it's time for me to create a diversion so the droids don't notice the four climbing the wall and sneaking into the complex.

Reaching out, I use the Force to roll a small rock across the ground.

"Hey! What was that?" exclaims a droid, taking note of it instantly. I nudge the rock sideways as the droid points its blaster at it. I roll it across the ground again, drawing attention of all the nearby battle droids. As the droids follow it, I bring it closer towards the grass where the clones and I are waiting. The first droid who noticed it continues following while the others return to their posts, though they're doing a terrible job at it since the girls are standing not that far away.

I pull the rock closer to me and the droid waves its arms in what I take to be a frustrated motion before following it all the way over to me. I ignite my lightsaber and slice it in half before rolling the rock back out to the other droids, instantly drawing their attention.

Across the area, the girls jump into motion, Aniya in the lead. She scampers up the wall, jumping from one handhold to the next without any signs of the clumsy twin sister I once knew. Aayla is behind her, followed by Alema. Ahsoka goes last. Aniya swings over the edge and the Twi'lek's jump after. Finally, Ahsoka swings herself over, and they all disappear from sight.

Now that all the droidss attention are focused on me, I walk out of the grass with my still-ignited lightsaber. Their gaze follows the rock as it rises into my hand. My lightsaber cuts through them before they have a chance to register us, and the clones take down the others. We back into the grass as the spotlights move to focus on the area, we were standing moments ago.

Up ahead of us, the door slides open. They must have gotten there safely since I haven't heard any signs of an alarm. So far so good. Now it's time for me and the clones to get it. I run forwards, jumping through the opening with the other three behind. A group of droids is walking past inside.

I dart over to one of the creates inside, ducking down to avoid detection. I gesture to the clones to follow, and they take their own hiding places nearby. As the droids walk past, I duck out of my hiding spot and run over to the area where three droids are by the shuttle. The others should be here any moment. Appo yanks down the left droid while the other two are distracted and breaks off its head. I slice through the middle one as Rex destroys the other.

The four of us continue over to the shuttle, arriving the same time as the girls.

"Shield generators, sir," Rex informs me, pausing next to two of them. That's even better. I'm sure they can hold against the weapon if it comes down to it.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

The sun is rising again as the shuttle glides to a stop next to the village.

"I expect they're not going to be happy that we returned," Aniya warns as I head for the exit.

"No," Alema agrees, "But we have to do what we have to do. We can't sit back and watch them die!"

"Just a warning that we're probably going to end up protecting them alone. And against their will," Aniya adds.

"We got the shield generators in case they don't agree to leave. Which I'm sure they won't," I remind them. "That's why I wanted them in the first place." I knew Tee Watt Kaa isn't going to be happy about us being here, but I won't let an entire village die. I don't care if they want it. It's wrong.

"In which case they'll be attacking us with an army of battle droids," Aniya replies crossing her arms.

"They can't send anything we can't hold off," Ahsoka insists.

I lower the ramp and we walk out of the ship. Just as I expected. Tee Watt Kaa is waiting for us. Wag Too is standing nearby.

"Everyone please, please listen. The Separatists will be here in moments," I declare as I walk towards them.

"What are you doing here? We told you not to return!" the leader snaps, clearly less than happy at our presence.

"I'm afraid the Separatists don't care if you're in the war or not. We need to get you to safety before they arrive," I argue.

"We will not abandon our homes!" Tee Watt Kaa retorts.

"But they've got a new weapon," Ahsoka protests, walking forward, hands raised. "It'll burn this place to a crisp. Is that what all of you really want?!"

"If it is our destiny to be destroyed in your war, so be it," he snaps before walking away back to the houses. Seriously? That's what he's going to leave it as? Fine. Simply because he doesn't take the lives of his people seriously doesn't mean that I don't.

"I guess we were right about one thing," offers Aniya with a sigh, "Time to get to work, boys."

Not long later, we've gathered what we need and start barricading off the side of the village facing the Separatist encampment in preparation of the upcoming battle. Rex climbs to top of the objects, looking out through macrobionoculars. "Droids inbound," he calls to us. "We've got eight minutes tops."

Good. It looks like we were right on time. "Come on, guys," I call, walking over to where the group is finishing putting the barricades in place. "Let's get these shield generators in place!"

Aayla walks across the area to Bly to where he is waiting by the farther one. My twin and the padawans are standing near the one closer to me. Aniya and Aayla push some buttons on the controls to the generators, positioning them for the incoming attack.

"Halt! Stop what you're doing. Stop building that wall," orders the Lurmen leader walking up to us, with a very displeased expression on his face. "I did not ask you to defend us!"

"You didn't need to ask," Aniya retorts, looking up from the shield generator. "As long as we're here, we'll do our duty to protect the people of this planet."

"This battle is inevitable. You can stand by your beliefs, but let us stand by ours," I add. At that, he turns and walks back to his home again, a scowl on his face.

"Thank you for what you're trying to do," Wag Too says to us. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help. My father is very strong-willed and set in tradition. Many others agree with me, but we were raised under a very strict code. We must respect it, even if we don't agree." That sounds like how Aniya and I have felt our entire lives. Sighing softly, I turn back to the barricade. The attack will be launched any moment now, and we need to be ready. I won't take the time to reason with them. Even if their beliefs are frankly stupid, I'm not going to change their mind. It's not my place.

"They're holding position," Rex reports.

"They're not going to charge us, not if they can hit us from long range first. But if we can withstand that weapon, we'll draw them in," I declare.

"And when they come, we'll be waiting for them," Aniya nods smugly.

"Incoming!" yells Rex, leaping off the top of the wall and running towards us.

"Power the shields!" I shout. Aniya flips on the one next to us while Aayla dashes to the other, hastily turning it on. A blue-purple shield shoots out of the generators, joining together and spreading out perfectly to encompass the entire area.

The ground trembles as the cannon blast strikes the ground. The area explodes into flames, rapidly burning outwards towards us. It reaches the edge of the shield and stops there. It was expected, but I can't help feeling relieved. The flames burn fiercer, but they can't make it through, like I'd expected. Finally, it dies out, leaving a barren landscape behind.

"Now they'll have to get their hands dirty and meet us face-to-face," I smirk.

Between the edges of the parts of the wall, I can see a group of droids heading for us. Just as we expected. "That's a lot of clankers," Ahsoka murmurs, eyeing the group.

"We got to stop them before they get through that shield," I declare firmly, heading forwards. The shield ripples as we step out. Ahsoka steps up to my right, Aniya to my left. Rex and Appo take up their places next to Ahsoka, while Bly and the Twi'leks move over to Aniya's left. The sound of five lightsabers igniting echo across the field.

The droids start firing, and we run forwards. The three clones start shooting back, and Aniya and I reach the droids first. I can't help but find it slightly ironic that we each have our own line of droids to cut through. My still-unhealed injuries ache as I move, lightsaber slicing through the first two droids and moving on to catch another with the Force, throwing it to the ground. I do my best to ignore the pain as I work my way forwards, cutting down droid after droid. Aniya works beside me, and we move as one.

Ahsoka deflects a few bolts and jumps into the middle of a group of them, kicking over one and deflecting a few more shots. Alema leaps after, knocking one down and cutting up another, fighting her way through the group towards Ahsoka.

Aayla fights by herself, intricately tying the Force into each of her moves.

I cut down the last droid and turn back to the group.

"That wasn't so tough," Ahsoka shrugs, scanning the scraps of metal scattered on the ground.

"That was just the first wave," I correct, gaze riveted on the direction I know they'll be coming. And this time, I know there's going to be way more.

"It'd take much more to kill us," Alema points out.

"Yes, but they're not trying to kill us. They're trying to overrun us," Aniya points out. "If they get past that shield, they can destroy the generators."

The second group arrives, firing as they come. There's probably at least twice as many as before. The five of us run forwards, attacking full force. It doesn't take more than a few seconds for me to realize there's too many. We can move fast, but not fast enough. They're going to get past us and the barricade to the shield generators, and it won't be hard for a stray bolt to destroy them. Then they will fire that weapon again, and we'll all be history. The tank needs to be destroyed before the droids get past us.

"Snips, get back to the village," I call to my padawan. "I'll take care of the new weapon."

"And for once, make sure you get there and back again without almost killing yourself," Aniya calls after me as I take off running. Ahsoka tears back towards the village, cutting up droids as she goes. The others are doing the same, but from the large explosion behind me, they must have made it through the shield and destroyed the barricade and are moving on to the village now.

I tune everything else out as I run. I'm obviously not fully healed yet, considering my injuries are still hurting, though minorly, and I'm not about to let that stop me. One second too late would mean all my sisters and the entire village dying. It's not a risk I'm willing to take.

Danger whispers through the Force and I flip sideways as one of the tanks fires at me. It shoots a few more times but I jump sideways each time, then continue forwards. By the time I arrive, the tank has already been loaded and is raising to fire.

My lightsaber slashes through the firing arm of one super battle droid and cuts the other in half, and I make the rest of the way to the tank. I leap onto the tank, sapphire blade slashing across the top of it, burning through the top. It won't stop it, but it's damaged to the point it can't be repaired. As the firing mechanism continues rising to fire, I cut off the end. It crashes to the ground and I jump after, watching tensely as the bomb rolls out harmlessly.

Good. The village is safe, even if only for now. I turn back to the other droids and cut them down, then turn to where the Separatist commander is trying to make a quick get-away, running as fast as he can away. Reaching out with the Force, I pick up him, so he can't escape. "The weapon has been disabled," I inform Rex over my comm.

"Copy that, General," he calls over the sounds of battle in the background.

Minutes later, I arrive back at the village with our prisoner who we secure inside the shuttle. The remains of the droids are laying everywhere in the village, and both shield generators are gone. Just as I expected, but otherwise, pretty much everyone seems to be in one piece except for a few unfortunates of the Lurmen. But the most of them is still alive, and that's what matters.

"Thank you, Wag Too," Ahsoka says gratefully as we gather around the entrance, preparing to leave.

"Thank you," he nods. "Our village would certainly have been destroyed without your protection." From behind him, I see Tee Watt Kaa heading our way. "Father, I was just offering the Jedi our thanks," Wag Too says, turning to him.

"Perhaps we do owe you thanks, but I still wonder, at what cost?" the leader replies. His gaze turns skyward, and I look up also. Three Republic cruisers are flying overhead. Finally, Yularen and the others have found us. The battle here is done, and now it's time to go home.

***

Alema Syndulla

"So, master, I've been thinking..." I remark off-handedly once we get back on the cruiser. "If the common people of the Separatists don't support the war, why are they doing it? Why not come back to the Republic?"

"It's a two-side thing," Aniya explains slowly. "They think the Republic is corrupt. Even if it was the Separatists who started the war, they won't see it different. Besides, Dooku wouldn't let them leave." Her voice drops a little with anger.

I still don't really get it, but then again, I don't understand much about politics in the first place. Instead, I turn my attention to everyone else. Qui-Gon is talking to Anakin – more like arguing – obviously very unimpressed. "You're in no condition to be fighting –"

"I'm mostly healed –"

"You've broken at least –"

"They're better now!"

"You're going to the medcenter right now, and that is final."

"I'm just –"

"See to proper rest, all of you," Qui-Gon orders, taking Anakin's arm and guiding him out of the room, ignoring his whining.

"Consider it done," Aniya calls after, a smirk playing on her lips.

"All of you," he replies over his shoulder, giving her a pointed look.

"Alright," Aniya says, turning to us. "Orders I guess."

"It's strange to think of you having once been a padawan," I remark, glancing over at her.

"I was one only some months back. Now let's get moving. We could all use with a cleaning up." No doubt there.

***

Aniya Skywalker

The sun is setting as our gunship lands in the city of Theed. Obi-Wan, Anakin, I, and our padawans disembark the ship and approach the waiting Captain Typho, Threepio, and another Gungan. Why is there always another mess on Naboo? It's only been a couple weeks since we crashed on Maridun, and I still think we could use a longer break from battle.

Speaking of which – I frown as my gaze darts around the room to notice that Padme is nowhere to be seen. What is she getting herself into now? I don't sense her presence nearby. Or Jaufre's. I tense instantly. Someone please tell me that they didn't go and get themselves in trouble. Again.

"General Kenobi, Anakin, Aniya," Captain Typho acknowledges us as we approach. "We're so glad –"

Anakin impatiently cuts him off. "Where's Senator Amidala?"

"She went to look for the lab," he explains.

"She what?" I cry. Of course, she did that. Force, why does she have to be so stupid?

"And you let her go?" Anakin nearly yells.

"It is impossible to stop her once she has made up her mind," points out Threepio.

"Good point," sighs Anakin. "I know what you mean." That is for certain. And speaking thereof, where is Jaufre? I thought he was going to be here... unless he's with Padme. I am so going to kill them both for this. And here people tell us we're reckless. Not that I don't believe they can take care of themselves, but I have no idea what kind of situation this is, and they have no back-up. No one even knows where they're going! They could die!

"This is Peppi Bow. She was the last person to see them," Typho introduces the other Gungan standing among the group. "Padme sent her here to safety."

She steps forward. "Theysa looking for the sick-maker."

"They?" repeats Obi-Wan.

"Representative Binks and Jaufre were with her," Typho adds. Oh. So that explains where Jaufre went. At least they'll be able to take care of each other if they're together. But it is not good if Jar Jar is there. He's always getting himself in trouble. What in the universe where they thinking taking Jar Jar with them on something as dangerous as that?

Anakin turns to Ahsoka. "Go with the Gungan. See if you can find them."

"You to, Alema," I add, "And stay safe." She nods dutifully.

"We'll take care of it, Master," Ahsoka assures us as they hurry over to Peppi who leads them out of the room. Hopefully, they'll be alright, but I trust they can handle it. Especially together. They are perfectly capable.

"Why didn't you send someone to look for them?!" Anakin demands, whirling towards the Captain again.

"Considering the latest developments, we thought it was best to wait for you." That doesn't sound good. It's got to be something serious. Breathe, Aniya. Don't panic. It won't help. Even my mental ramblings aren't doing much good.

"What latest developments?" questions Obi-Wan.

"Follow me," he says, motioning for us to come before turning and leading us inside. Before long, we're standing around a large circular scanner machine with a droid head lying in the center of it.

"We did a robo lobotomy on the battle droid and came up with this piece of memory," he declares, pushing a button. A hologram appears of someone – a very strange looking person with a long skinny head. Just from looking at that smirk on his face, he is obviously up to no good.

"Who is that?" I query worriedly.

"Dr. Nuvo Vindi. The Senior medic for the perma families. He disappeared ten years ago," Typho informs.

The recording starts playing at that. "Good news, my soulless automaton friends," Vindi says, "We now have enough of the Blue Shadow virus to start filling the bombs."

"Bombs?" echoes Obi-Wan worriedly.

"We will only need to send one bomb to each key star system. Work quickly. I want them ready to deliver –" The recording cuts off there.

"If those bombs are released, we'll be facing a galaxy wide plague," Obi-Wan worries. "The war will be the least of our worries."

"That's for sure," I agree, scrubbing a hand over my face, ignoring Threepio freaking out behind us. This does not sound good. This maniac clearly wants to eradicate all life. What is he thinking? He'll go down too, or does he simply not care? Or is this part of a much bigger plan? If even one of those bombs in that lab gets out, it'll kill Padme and Jaufre both. And the entire planet would be as good as dead. No. We have to get down there and save them. I can't bear the thought of either of them dying. I can't. The very thought leaves me feeling sick.

Typho pushes a button and the hologram changes to displaying an underground map of some sort of complex. "There is some good news," he declares. About time. "Senator Amidala found the lab. She sent us the coordinate before she disappeared. We've managed to put together a geo scan of the area."

"It's enormous," Obi-Wan observes.

"They could be anywhere in there," I groan. Where would we even start?

"It looks like there are three entry points," Typho continues, "Here, here, and here." He points to three different compartments on the map, and each flashes red in turn. The last one remains red. "This one appears to be the main lab."

"And the bombs?" asks Obi-Wan.

"There seems to be an above average amount of radiation in this area. It's likely where they're being assembled." Good. At least we know a thing or two about this.

"If Padme has alerted them to our presence in any way –" Obi-Wan begins but Anakin interrupts.

"If Padme and Jaufre are in there and then we go in guns ablazin', they may get killed."

"It's a risk we have to take. Dr. Vindi and those bombs must not leave the lab," responds Obi-Wan. I scowl. I do not like putting their lives in danger like this, but I know he's right. If we do nothing, they'll probably end up getting killed at some point anyway, possibly along with the rest of Naboo. But I can't risk them getting killed. They can't die.

"And if they or we detonate one during the attack?" asks Anakin.

"Better to have one planet infected than the entire galaxy."

I cross my arms, glaring at the floor, mentally cursing this predicament. "We'll hafta be extra careful."

"No one was debating that."

With the meeting over for now, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I go to wait for a report from the Padawans. We need to get moving. The longer we wait, the more serious the trouble the siblings have gotten themselves into could be. The padawans better get back here soon. I have no idea what could be happening to them, but it's nothing good and if we can't act soon, it might be too late. The sun is setting, and it's been some hours. For all we know, they could be dead, and we wouldn't know until we go down there and then it might be too late, and we all die here. From some stupid virus.

"This is insanity. Why did they have to choose Naboo of all places to manufacture this stupid virus?" I growl, pacing back and forth near the doorway alongside Anakin. No one answers my rhetorical question. Fear clenches inside me, and I can only struggle to hold it off. I can't bear the thought of my best friends being killed. Not them also. We need to get moving already, before it's too late to do anything about it.

My thoughts are repetitive, practically tunneling through all the darkest possible options and I hope I'm not going to be sick at the mere thought of seeing our best friends dead. Or our padawans. Or Obi-Wan. Or Anakin. The memory of us crashing on Maridun, when he nearly died, flashes through my head and a shudder runs through me. I pace back and forth across the hanger, arms crossed tightly. The rhythmic sound of Anakin and my footsteps is the only thing I can focus on to keep me from spiraling into all-out panic.

"You seem a bit on edge," Obi-Wan remarks casually from his seat.

"A bit?" I scoff, "Try extremely." How could we be acting calm right now? I have no idea how he does it.

"There's a good chance we're about to destroy all life on this planet. Including ours and the Senator's, so yes, I'm a bit on edge. Why aren't you?" Anakin snaps, spinning around.

"I'm better at hiding it," he replies, somehow managing to be the perfect picture of calm, which is slowly driving me off the deep end. How in the world can he even do that?

"Master, are you there?" Ahsoka's voice crackles over Anakin's comm, cutting off a reply from either of us. Thankfully, because things just might have exploded out of control.

"Did you find them?" Anakin inquires immediately.

"Negative," Ahsoka's voice comes through. "I'm pretty sure she's inside the lab. The whole area is wired with pressure sensors. There's no way to get in without being detected, but I'm more than happy to –"

"Do not attempt to get inside. I need you to detonate a bunker bomb at the south end of the facility. It should cause a nice distraction and seal off the bomb area while we come in through the hatches," Obi-Wan tells them.

"Stay safe," I warn.

"You can count on us," Alema chirps from the other end.

"Rex and Appo will be right behind you, Snips. They'll have your back," Anakin assures them before cutting the connection.

"Come on, we've got to hurry," I declare impatiently, hurrying towards the entrance as a ship flies up. "I'll go with Anakin."

Obi-Wan gives both of us a look. "Be careful. Don't risk the mission trying to rescue them."

My fists slowly clench at my sides. He has no idea what he's asking us to do. These are the people who have stood by our side from the beginning, the only ones who helped us, our only friends. And he's asking us to let them die for some mission. Anakin's wife. My... best friend because we're not anything more. Yet. I remember the all-consuming guilt that crushes Anakin and I even now, knowing that we weren't on time to save Shmi. I can't – won't – ever go through that for anyone again. I certainly won't let Anakin feel it again.

"I know what's at stake here," Anakin snaps, climbing onto the gunship. He's shaking. The emotional overload of it all is too much for him. I reach out and rest a hand on his arm, wanting to do so much more but knowing we can't in front of the clones. They're looking at us to be strong, and it's not an image we can ruin. We have to be their leaders. We don't have time to worry about ourselves. The engines fire up, and the ship lifts off, heading for the laboratory.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

The ship flies down low over the surface of Naboo. Together, we watch as the bomb goes off, ripping a hole through the compound for us to enter through. I stand at the edge, tensed. This is by far the hardest thing we've ever done. The entire planet is at stake. Everyone. Everyone I love is here, except Qui-Gon. One wrong move, and we'll all die.

I jump over the edge, dropping down through the hole after my twin. Our lightsabers are pulled out and ignited in unison, and I hear Appo and the 502nd landing behind us. Rex and the 501st were sent with the padawans. I glance up and down the hall. There aren't any signs of guards in the long tunnel. Two rows of relatively dim lights on either side of it are the only illumination down here.

"Looks like Ahsoka and Alema's distraction is working," concludes Anakin.

"Evidently," I agree, "Now let's get moving before they find us."

With that, we take off down the hall in the lead with the clones close behind. The hallways feel endless, as if we're not covering ground as fast as we need to be. Reaching out with the Force, I can feel Jaufre, Padme, and Jar Jar up ahead... Along with another unfamiliar Force signature. Probably the crazy doctor. At least we're going in the right direction.

Finally, the hall comes to an end in front of a door. They're right on the other side. Anakin and I cut through the door in a circle, our lightsabers finally meeting at the top before we push the door down and step into the dark room.

Padme, Jaufre, and Jar Jar are tied to a pole on the floor, and the doctor is standing not far away. My stomach twists as a memory of that tent flashes through my head. When we stepped inside only to find Mom tied to a pole, beaten and on the verge of death, and –

"Take another step and your friends die," snaps the doctor, pushing a lever down and electricity crackles into the three of them. Anger is all-consuming. It's blinding. This... isn't that. It's cold, it's calculating, it's a thirsting desire for vengeance, because no one dares hurt my family and lives. That sleemo will die, and I am going to kill him. "Drop your weapons," the doctor orders.

I'm about to start forwards, but Anakin's voice stops me. "Do as he says." He crouches to set his lightsaber on the floor, and the clones follow with their blasters. The electricity turns off the moment my lightsaber clangs to the floor, having been pulled from my hands by my brother. This is stupid. The doctor is going to hurt them anyway, and we need to stop him. The guilt nags at me, that somehow everyone I love is hurt because I'm not strong enough to stop it. That I was going to let them be hurt in my anger, and it took Anakin to stop me. Anakin is looking at me, concern burning in his gaze, but I look away, refusing to meet his eyes. I don't deserve him.

The droids are surrounding us now, and I find myself fully occupied with wondering how it would feel to crush them. The doctor walks over to a shelf and lifts a test tube, filled with a swirling cloud of the virus. He sets it in a case and turns back to us with a devious smirk, and I wonder how it would feel to punch it off his face. To feel his neck snapping beneath my hand. "I realize I won't be able to hold you for long, Jedi. I will give you a choice," he offers.

"Fine with me, as long as one of the options is killing you," growls Anakin.

"How about capture me or save your friends?" he taunts before pulling down the lever and electricity leaps into the three of them again. I don't even need to think about it. I reach out, the Force swirling around me in a storm, curling tightly around the four droids in front of us and crushing inwards. The crunch and screech of metal on metal is strangely satisfying, and I dive for my lightsaber to cut down the rest of the droids.

Anakin has already made his way to the control panel, slashing through one more droid and throwing the pieces across the room to the controls, crushing them. I should've gone for that first. Why didn't I? What's wrong with me? The mechanism shuts off, and the three fall to the ground. Anakin sprints to them first, crouching next to Padme. I skid to a stop on their other side, by Jaufre. I reach out for him, touching his shoulder. "Are you alright?" I ask quietly, kneeling next to him.

Anakin reaches up, gently brushing Padme's hair out of her face. "You okay, Angel?"

"Ani, how about the next time you rescue me before you kill all the battle droids?" Padme suggests, managing a tired smile.

"You certainly weren't too late this time," Jaufre says, somehow managing a smirk despite the situation.

"Sorry," I mutter, avoiding his gaze. He reaches out, resting a hand on my arm. It's meant to be comforting, but I don't deserve it. He was hurt because of me. It shouldn't be me who's needing comfort right now.

"A little thank you would go a long way," Anakin replies, helping Padme to her feet. I offer my hand to Jaufre, but he ignores it, standing up himself. Jar Jar slowly rises as well.

"I hope you're all ready for a run, 'cause we've gotta chase after that mad doctor," I warn, glancing at the doorway.

Anakin looks down the hall towards where Vindi disappeared. "Grab your blasters. We need to find that doctor."

***

Anakin Skywalker

"Anakin, I'm guessing you didn't capture the doctor?" Obi-Wan asks through my commlink as we continue running down the hall in pursuit of the doctor.

"We're working on it," I reply. "Do you have the bombs?"

"I'm working on it. Dr. Vindi is remotely activating the bombs. They're counting down," he informs.

"Just what we needed," Aniya groans next to me.

"That's... great." Of course, he would activate the bombs now that he knows he's going to lose. We need to get going before he gets away.

"And on top of that, one of them seems to be missing. It's down here somewhere," Obi-Wan continues. Well at least it's still down here. There's still a chance of being able to stop it before it's unleashed on the planet.

"Ahsoka," I call into my comm, "We've got another situation. Send all the clones to search the facility. We've got to –" Before I can finish, we round another corner in the tunnel and run straight into Ahsoka, Alema, and their group of clones. I turn sideways to avoid crashing into them. I hastily scan the pair, relieved to see that they appear fine.

"What's going on?" demands Alema, skidding to a stop.

"We've got a missing bomb and a trigger-happy mad doctor on the loose," I explain in a rush.

"A missing bomb?" asks Padme from behind me, "I saw Dr. Vindi give a little droid a bomb." Good. At least we have some sort of lead.

"Split up. Find that droid," I order.

"I'll go with Ahsoka," Aniya tells me as I bolt off down the hallway again. Alema takes off after me. I don't understand the action, but I certainly won't complain either. I could never mind the company of any of my sisters. Alema used to have... problems being around me much, not that I blame her, so I'm glad it's been resolved. Mostly.

Soon we run up to an intersection in the hall. The clones break off one direction and Alema and I run down the other. As we turn another corner, I spot the doctor with a group of battle droids behind him running towards the now open door at the entrance.

The doctor whirls around, alarm flashing across his face for a moment before the droids open fire on us. "Jedi!" he growls. Deflecting the shots that come at us, Alema and I charge forwards quickly cutting through the few droids until they're all down.

"Leaving so soon, doctor?" I smirk, holding my lightsaber up to his back. Alema pauses a few paces behind me, watching.

"You are running out of time," he laughs, "Catch!" He pulls out a test tube, a cloud of the darkish blue virus swirling inside it and throws it over my head. Alema leaps backwards, catching it with the Force but the doctor only throws two more.

I run towards it, dropping my lightsaber as I scramble to catch one of them moments before it hits the floor. Alema barely manages to grab the other on time. "You know, I think there are faster ways to die than unleashing a virus and taking an entire planet with you," Alema yells as the door slams shut.

Jumping up, I pass the test tube over to Alema for safekeeping before running to the door. We need to hurry up. Before he escapes.

Activating my lightsaber, I begin cutting through it. "Obi-Wan," I yell into my comm, pausing the motion to speak properly. "Dr. Vindi is escaping. He's at the landing platform." We're gonna need help to control that doctor.

"All right, I'm on my way," comes the immediate response.

Shifting the test tubes to one hand, Alema activates her lightsaber and joins me in cutting a hole through the door. Footsteps rapidly approach from the other end of the hall as Obi-Wan and a group of clones run around the corner. Well, no luck with that. He'll be waiting for us anyway.

With the hole finally complete, I Force-shove it out, and we step outside to see Dr. Vindi preparing to board his shuttle. He whirls around, whipping out a blaster and firing at us. I deflect the shots away from us but motion for the clones to stop as they prepare to fire on the doctor. He has more test tubes with him, to be certain, and if they shoot him, there's no telling what will happen to the contents of the tubes.

Obi-Wan dashes forwards, leaping onto a higher part of the ship, catching onto a ledge and beginning to climb up to where the doctor is. That's never going to work. We need to take him by surprise. Leaving Alema to deflect any more shots that come their way, I dash over to the ship, disappearing around the corner in time to see Obi-Wan falling towards the ground, catching test tubes all the way down.

Jumping up the other side of the ship, I enter from behind to see the doctor standing there, his back facing me as he watches Obi-Wan, Alema, and the clones down below. The hiss of my lightsaber activating sends him spinning around in alarm.

"You're under arrest, Dr. Viindi," I state, holding my lightsaber up to his neck. He backs off a step, throwing his blaster to the ground and holding up another one of those test tubes, just as the platform the ship is resting on begins to rise into the air... up to the surface of the planet.

Trees come into view around us as we reach ground level. I spot Peppi Bow standing not far off, watching.

I sense a warning in the Force a second before Dr. Vindi throws the test tube. I dash across the platform to catch it as he takes off running, but the Gungan leaps into the way, striking the doctor with her stick. The container he was holding with the test tubes flies from his grip, landing on the ground far out of his reach. She knocks him to the ground, hitting him again with her stick and sending an electric shock running through him for a moment before backing away, leaving him lying on the ground.

I step over, lowering my lightsaber towards him again. "The bomb's going off, and we're all going to die," he laughs, "Yeah, die!"

"We know what the word 'die' means, if that's what you were wondering," Alema retorts, scrambling up to join me.

Suddenly, the detonator which was counting down this whole time shuts off. "Oops. What happened?" he exclaims in surprise.

Did it – it couldn't have gone off, did it? I didn't feel a disturbance as strongly as I should've, but I comm Ahsoka anyway. "Are you there?" I call.

"I'm here, Master," she replies instantly, "The bomb has been deactivated." My eyes close and I let out a long sigh of relief. Good. Naboo is safe. Everything's alright.

"Did you find Vindi?" Aniya asks.

"Deactivated as well. Have you seen Padme?" I inquire.

"She's right next to me," Ahsoka replies. "I'm okay too. Thanks for asking."

"Same here. You guys?" asks Jaufre.

"Fine." The connection breaks, and my arm drops to my side. Everyone else move forwards and Obi-Wan and I step aside to let them prepare the shuttle to take Vindi back to Theed. "That was close. If that virus escaped, everyone on Naboo would be dead now."

"Oh, well. Just another boring day saving the universe," Obi-Wan replies casually with a shrug.

"Boring?" snorts Alema.

"All right," I say, shooting a glare at the doctor, "Let's take this sleemo back to Theed so we can help Ani and Ahsoka clean up down there."

"You are doomed, young Jedi. Along with the rest of the planet," the doctor cackles. I wouldn't have taken it seriously if an explosion hadn't suddenly rung out, violently shaking the platform. Danger screams through the Force, and I have no doubt that whatever just happened, my sister and everyone down there is in serious danger. But all the bombs were deactivated, right?

"Ahsoka, what's going on down there?" I demand into my comm.

"The droids released the virus, but we managed to seal the lab," she says. Good.

"And Padme?" I inquire hastily.

"Haven't seen from her or Jaufre," Aniya replies. Already? I'm a little surprised they separated so quickly. There is a lot to do, I suppose, but that does nothing to help my rising panic. Aniya may be alright – thank the Force, she knows how to take care of herself – but the others...

My comm beeps suddenly, indicating an incoming call. "Anakin, can you hear me. Anakin!" I let out a sigh of relief at the voice.

"Padme, I'm here. Are you alright?"

"We're fine, but can't say for how long," Jaufre offers grimly.

"We were in a safety chamber when the alarm went off. We're wearing protective suits," Padme assures me.

"The virus is loose, but Aniya and Ahsoka have sealed off the entire facility," I inform them.

"Yes, but any remaining droids will try to break out. I'll do what I can to stop them. I cannot let that virus escape," Padme continues. Of course, she will. I can only hope they won't get themselves killed in this. I know nothing I can say will convince her otherwise, so I don't bother trying to argue.

"Be careful," I caution, before disconnecting the comm. I turn back to the doctor. We're going to need an antidote – there has to be one – and he's the only one who knows where it is. Time for an interrogation.

***

Aniya Skywalker

Suddenly, a deafening alarm goes off, blaring through the halls of the lab. "Virus leak. Get to the safe room. Come on!" shouts Rex.

Muttering a curse in Huttese, I take off running down the hall. We need to move before it catches up. It sure was smart of Vindi to put the vial in that bomb elsewhere. He seemed to have a million back-up plans if one didn't work out. The doors close behind us as we run. I can see as well as sense the blue haze of the shadow virus racing towards us. I let myself fall to the back where I always do, in the position of most danger.

"There's the safe room!" Appo yells as we run.

"Hurry! The doors are closing!" cries Rex from the very front. Ahead of us, the door to the safe room begins sliding closed.

"Everyone, get through," I shout, reaching out instinctively to hold it partly open with the Force. The clones jump through the gap and Ahsoka follows. I leap through last second, letting the door slide shut.

Across the room, Anakin contacts Ahsoka to demand what's going on while I join Appo over at the scans in the room. The door was open for an awfully long time, and I can't shake the serious concern we might not have been fast enough. Maybe I should have let it close after Ahsoka got through, even if it would have meant I would have been infected.

"No, no, no!" cries Appo suddenly, "Some of the virus got in here. We didn't close the door fast enough." My stomach plummets to the bottom of my boots. Maybe lower. Just as I was afraid of. I shouldn't have held it open so long. What was I even thinking? Now, unless Anakin can find an antidote, we're all going to die here. Me, Ahsoka, and all our clones. I can only hope Padme, Jaufre, and Jar Jar are safe. I should have let it close. Me for them. It's an easy choice. If only I'd thought fast enough, but there's no point dwelling on my own stupidity. We can't let the remaining droids break out and spread the virus to the rest of the planet. Alema and my brothers are still out there.

"We may be dead men, but we could still stop those droids," Rex points out.

"Don't worry," Ahsoka replies, "My master will find a cure for this virus. We're not dead yet."

I nod, determination surging through me. "We'll do whatever we can to stop those droids from breaking out. At least we have to confine it to the lab." Ahsoka's right. Anakin will find a cure for this. He always manages to pull us both out of the most dangerous situations. We watch over each other like that. Always have, always will.

"Is anyone out there?" I hear Padme's voice from my comm. "Can anyone hear –"

"Padme!" I exclaim in relief. "We're here. We're trapped in the safe room at the end of complex 'B.' You alright over there?"

"We're quite fine," Jaufre reassures me cheerfully, and I let out a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding at the sound of his voice. "You?"

"Are you contaminated?" Padme inquires anxiously.

Behind me, one of the clones coughs. "I'm afraid so," I answer grimly.

"We'll be right there," Padme says and the connection breaks.

***

Anakin Skywalker

My fear for them transforms into anger as I glare at the doctor. "Where's the antidote, Vindi?" I demand, igniting my lightsaber and walking towards him.

He just laughs. "You mistake my role, Jedi. My job was to manufacture a plague, not to cure it."

"We don't have time for games," I growl.

"Where is it?" snarls Alema with more fury than I've ever heard. It should be somewhat startling, but I'm too mad to care right now. My sisters, wife, best friend, and my men could die down there because of him.

"Yes, kill me now and spare these old bones the blue shadow's dire embrace, because once the first droid breaks out of that laboratory, all Naboo is doomed," he continues laughing madly as I move my lightsaber closer to his neck.

"The fastest way to save them is to get Vindi back to the capital and find an actual antidote," Obi-Wan interjects. His voice is enough to temporarily snap me out of my rage, but given he's not actively been trying to stop me, I'll take it to mean he's secretly glad. I pull back and extinguish my lightsaber before stalking over to the pilot seat.

Not long later, the three of us arrive back in Theed. Alema has been glaring furiously at nothing the whole way, which is slightly worrying me, but it's not like I feel any better. I'm tempted to run the crazed doctor though with my lightsaber for this. He'd deserve it, but it wouldn't accomplish anything. It won't change what he's already done.

As we disembark from the shuttle, Typho and two guards are awaiting our arrival. "Dr. Vindi, you'll pay for your treachery. Take him away," orders Typho.

"Now we'll need to find an antidote," Obi-Wan says as the guards lead Vindi away.

"I think I found an answer for you," Typho replies, leading us into another room. He stops at a table inside it, and we surround it. Alema takes what's usually Ahsoka's place beside me, due to her recent lack of a master.

"So, you think you found a cure?" I inquire, hope springing to life.

"Possibly. A little-known extract made from reeksa root, a weed-like vine found only on Iego, the world of a thousand moons, deep in Separatist-controlled space," Typho explains as a hologram of the said plant appears.

"Let's go," I announce immediately, turning towards the doorway.

"You must move cautiously if you –" Typho starts lecturing.

"There's no time for caution! My sister and padawan are trapped down there, and so is Padme!" I yell without thinking. We simply don't have time for this. We need to get moving. If we don't get there and back again, they could die. And once someone's dead, there's nothing you can do to bring them back.

Obi-Wan gives me a look, making me realize my mistake.

"I mean, Senator Amidala," I quickly correct myself.

"I applaud your courage, General Skywalker, but it's suicide. Once we contain the virus, we can send troops," Typho argues. Seriously? That would take way too long. Whatever it is, we can handle it ourselves.

"We can't wait," Alema retorts curtly.

I walk past Obi-Wan to the doorway. "No, Obi-Wan and I can handle this."

"I concur," Obi-Wan agrees as the three of us hurry back outside.

"And, you're not coming," I inform Alema.

She stops in her tracks, expression going from shock to rage. "What?" she yells.

"You're staying here," I say, turning around to face her, unfazed by her anger.

The Twi'lek glares at me. "I can't stay here! We need to get that antidote! You'll need my help. You heard Captain Typho. He said we'd need an army! We need every person we can get."

"I'm not risking your life too!" I retort. I can't. There are enough people at risk without me having to worry about my youngest sister.

"My master is down there!" shouts Alema. "I can't leave her."

"You won't have to. Obi-Wan and I will take care of this," I reply.

"I can't stand around while you're all at risk," she cries.

"You can stay here and ensure no more chaos ensues on the surface. The others might need your help even after they get out of the lab," points out Obi-Wan, finally intervening.

"Not as much as you'll need my help," Alema huffs, still glaring at us, but it's taken an edge off her anger.

"The longer we spend arguing about this, the worse we're making this," I declare, turning and heading for the ship, "Just stay out of trouble, Alema."

The last I see is her glaring after us with her arms crossed in a sullen silence as the ramp to the ship closes.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"They shouldn't be long," I mutter, starting to pace back and forth across the room. I don't like sitting around. They need to hurry and get here so we can stop those droids. Every second we wait the more at risk we put the entire planet. I have no intention of going down like this, and nor do I think I will, but I'm not going to let everyone on Naboo go with me.

"You're not helping," Ahsoka sighs.

"Sitting around won't help either," I point out, pausing for a moment before continuing. I can sense the familiar presences getting closer and closer.

"Senator Amidala, where are you?" Ahsoka asks through her comm finally.

"We're right outside your safety room," Padme replies. Oh, good. Finally.

"Can you get the door open?" I inquire. As if in response, the door slides open and the three of them walk into the room. The familiar blue haze floods the room.

"I'm sorry," Padme apologizes as she approaches us.

"Don't worry about us, Senator. We still have a job to do," Ahsoka shrugs it off.

"Don't worry, we'll get out of this," I insist. We have to. After everything I've been through, there's no way I'm going to die from a stupid virus. It would be beyond stupid for the Chosen One's twin to die from something like this. We'll pull through this too. Somehow. I wish I'd thought faster and let the door close. It would have been easy to throw everyone through and let it close, right? Too late now, though. The only consolation I have is that my brothers aren't here, and nor is Alema. Or Qui-Gon. Whatever happens to us, they'll be fine. How well they're dealing, though, I have no idea. I can only hope Anakin will be able to stay level-headed enough to find a cure... somewhere. "It was kind of the fault of my own stupidity anyway."

"Whatever happened, it doesn't matter. We have to deal with the situation as it is," Jaufre objects, eyeing me. Of course. He doesn't want me to blame myself for the current situation. And it really is my fault, but fine. I won't dwell on it. And that look he's giving me... I know what it means, but I won't let myself think about it right now. We have a job to do and can talk about this later.

"There aren't very many droids left," Padme speaks up again. "We saw some heading towards the south entrance."

"As long as we're able, we'll help you destroy those droids before they breach the compound," Ahsoka states.

I nod. "It doesn't matter if we go out there anymore. We just need to make sure the droids don't escape. At least we can save the planet."

Rex hands one of his blasters to Padme and Appo passes one to Jaufre.

"You take the north corridor, and we'll take the south," Padme suggests. The group splits apart, Ahsoka and I taking north and the others heading south. The droids we run into are far and few between, and it hardly takes any time to shoot them down before moving on. It's not until we reach the south entrance that I hear shooting. By the time we arrive, they have already finished destroying the droids trying to break out from there.

Suddenly, the familiar clatter of destroyer droids catches my attention. Three of them come to a stop in front of us and raise their shields, firing. Ahsoka darts forwards, deflecting bolts as she goes and jumping onto one. She slices through the droid while I lunge forwards at the second, sliding underneath it and cutting it in half.

Chaos simultaneously breaks loose behind us. "Thisa help," Jar Jar says, aiming a blaster at the remaining droid.

"Jar Jar, no!" Padme shouts, knocking him to the ground before he can hurt himself. The blaster misfires, though, striking Jaufre. My eyes widen in horror as I see what happened. He's uninjured, but the helmet on his suit is cracked. And that means – no.

"Jaufre!" I shout, tearing over to him, leaving Ahsoka to destroy the other droid.

"Your suit's been compromised," Rex worries.

"Great job, sister," congratulates Jaufre dryly as he removes his helmet, since it's pointless to keep on anymore. "I was trying to think of an excuse to get out of this thing anyway."

"I'm sorry," Padme apologizes, standing up and hurrying over to him with a concerned expression.

"Don't worry about it," he waves her off. "It wasn't your fault. Or yours." His gaze turns to me before I can start talking. "These things just seem to happen." Except it was my fault. I should have been paying more attention. If I'd destroyed the droids before they got all the way around the corner this wouldn't have happened. And now he's going to die too...

I lower my head, staring at the floor. Anakin should have been here. Or I should have been with him. We work best together, and somehow, any time we're apart, disasters seem to start showing up right and left. "Let's get going," I mutter. "We still have some clankers to stop." With that, we take off running down the hall again.

As we rapidly approach the last exit, I can make out the familiar sounds of droid voices. "How are you doing up there?"

"I'm almost through." I don't like the sound of that.

"There they are!" hollers Ahsoka, running forwards. She cuts off the head of the one lower down and throws herself up the ladder, cutting up the other before jumping back down. Ahsoka grabs onto the ladder, groaning exhaustedly. From how much shaking it's doing, I expect she's leaning her whole weight on it.

"Ahsoka!" Padme exclaims in concern as we hurry over to her.

"I'm alright," she mutters.

I shake my head in denial. No, she's not. She's exhausted. The virus is already inside her, slowly working through her system, and given how small she is, that won't be helping. She doesn't look sick yet, but it's only a matter of time. The running around she's doing isn't helping anything, either. Even the clones aren't doing so well. What I don't understand is why I feel perfectly normal. Maybe a hint of exhaustion, but that's not anything unusual for having been awake for over twenty-four hours. And fighting most of that time. I hate how Ahsoka has to go through this. She's far too young. I can't even remember what it was like to be that age anymore. It was so long ago. But I know she shouldn't have to deal with any of this. Walking over to Ahsoka, I put a hand on her head. "You're getting a fever," I frown at the heat radiating off her body.

"You don't feel any better, Master," she croaks.

"Don't I?" I object, raising an eyebrow. "I feel normal." I'd wonder if it could really affect Jedi, but Ahsoka is about to collapse, so I know it can. Maybe it's slower on me because I'm older. "I'll go take a look around just to verify everything's safe."

"I'll come with you," Jaufre offers. I nod, hurrying down the halls filled with the blue clouds while the others head back to the safe room. He shouldn't be moving around either, but the worst of it won't be hitting him for a while yet. Ahsoka and the boys resting is more important.

"Sorry about that," I mutter as we walk.

He shrugs. "It really wasn't anything you could help, Aniya. It was an accident. Sometimes, things happen."

I don't say anything, just keep walking. Maybe I should go back to the clones since everything seems fine, but I don't really want to. If not for my own idiocy, everyone would be fine. I don't get it. Why can't I do something right for once? Why is it that everything I do only gets more people hurt?

And why do I have to be a general? I'm only twenty. I feel... maybe twice my age.

I'm not exhausted or worn out at all, which doesn't make any sense. I should be. Though now that I think about it, Anakin and I almost never get sick. Not even things that affected our masters have affected us. I always chalked it up to us simply being more careful, but I really do have to wonder if it isn't something more. That maybe once in a while, being half-Force makes us good for something.

"You think they've found the antidote?" I didn't even realize it, but Jaufre is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, when I turn around to face him. He looks tired, and that's all I need to know that I've been seriously overdoing it. Again. I should have gone alone. No one needs me right now anyway, even if I want to be hovering at Ahsoka's side all throughout this. We did need someone to do a final checking, even if we're fairly certain we got everything.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "I hope so." I don't know how much longer everyone can hold out.

"Why don't we... sit down for a while? Before heading back?" he suggests, climbing onto the table in the room we're inside. I roll my eyes at his antics, but join him anyway, quite used to them by now. "We're both gonna die here, ya know," he remarks after a long pause.

"Maybe." I don't want to think like that. I can't. Ahsoka and Rex and Appo are going to die because I wasn't fast enough to save them. And all the rest of our men down here. Why couldn't I have thought one moment quicker?

"You know, you really ought to stop blaming yourself."

"I'm supposed to be protecting those people."

He rests a hand on my shoulder. "Which doesn't always mean you have to get yourself killed in the process."

I slowly look up at him, and our eyes meet. I see that look there, the same emotions burning in his eyes that were there last time we were on Naboo together. It happens so fast. He pulls me over to him and kisses me. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn't want it to interfere with you as a Jedi, but now since we're both going to die down here anyway... I figured I might as well say it. I love you, Aniya."

"I love you too, Jaufre." I can't believe I finally said it. The words I've been dying to say since we saw each other again. And now I finally realize that I can't run from my feelings anymore. Maybe if we accept them like Anakin and Padme did, it won't be so overpowering. Maybe. I'm done running. I've thought about my feelings towards him enough to understand it. They're intense, not the way I'd have imagined such feelings to be, but I know what it means. "And I hope you weren't serious about thinking of a way to take off that helmet," I grumble.

"Not entirely," he smirks, "But I can't say I mind."

I snort. "I knew you'd say that. Let's hope Anakin and Padme agree."

Jaufre nods thoughtfully, and from his expression, I can tell there's something he really wants to ask.

***

I'm insane. There's nothing more to debate anymore. There's no other explanation for why I agreed to marry Jaufre if we get out of here alive before leaving Naboo. After the conversation, we went back to rejoin everyone and contact Anakin. And this is the most ridiculous situation I've ever been in. I always thought if I ended up dying so early someday, it would be because of something stupidly reckless my brother and I did. Not from some stupid virus. No. Just, no. This thing is not going to kill me. But it seems fully intent on killing everyone else, so I have no idea why I haven't been affected yet at all. Jaufre is clearly tiring by the time I rejoin the others, though it hurts seeing everyone dying because of my own stupidity.

Ahsoka is finishing a recording to Anakin between violent coughing fits that are starting to make her sound like Grievous when we return. The connection cuts off, and I sprint forwards to help lower Ahsoka to the floor. She's shaking, leaning on Padme for support.

"General, how are you?" Appo asks, and I can clearly hear the concern in his voice. He's worried about me. I'm worried about him, too. He... this might be the last time we ever fight together. There's one thing so many people don't understand. War isn't the hard part. It's being among the survivors and being left to mourn alone.

"I feel fine." I move over to sit next to him after leaning Ahsoka up against a pile of crates. Most of the clones are already mostly unconscious, and I'm guessing the only reason Rex and Appo are still awake is that they were wearing their helmets during the battle. It must have protected them, at least for a short time.

I hover next to him for a moment before moving over to the next. I wish I knew something about Force-healing. It wouldn't be easy, but if I did, at least I could do something to save them. It's wrong. They shouldn't be the ones suffering from my stupidity. I feel Jaufre giving me the look again but don't take my eyes off the clones.

"What a waste," Padme murmurs, standing up from where she's trying to take care of one of the clones. It's not really helping, but she's trying to lower their temperatures. It won't really slow anything down, though.

"With all due respect, Senator," Rex coughs, standing up slowly. "It's what these men were born to do."

"I hope their sacrifice brings us closer to peace," murmurs Padme.

"It will, Padme," Ahsoka says weakly between coughs, "You must believe that." She falls silent, collapsing onto the ground.

"Ahsoka!" I sprint across the room in a moment, catching her before she hits the ground. If she's lost consciousness... I don't know how much more time we have. Anakin, please, you have to hurry. There is nothing more heart-wrenching then the knowledge this little girl in my arms – my very own sister – is dying. Her Force-presence is clinging to life, however weakly, but there's only so much longer her body will function. This is the child I was entrusted with to care for and raise, and she's – she's dying, and there's nothing, nothing I can do to save her, except...

Don't leave me, I whisper as I reach desperately into the Force. I can feel the virus so clearly running through her system, but I don't know how to work it out. I should be able to do this. Everything is the Force, it's a matter of knowing how to use it, and I've never done something so intricate before.

Tears run freely down my cheeks as I pull her over into my lap, resting a hand on her forehead. I know people are watching me, but for one moment I don't care for my image. All that matters is saving Ahsoka. I reach into the Force, not entirely sure what I'm looking for. I know I can do this, it's tingling beyond my reach, but under this state of mind I can't grasp it.

I got her into this mess. I should be the one to get her out of it. But I don't know how.

This scene is painfully familiar. Anakin, I need you. Come on.

"I'm here." His voice echoes back through our bond. "Obi-Wan and I are on our way back."

"I need you." It feels so... weak to beg someone like that, but this is Anakin and he's my brother, my other half, the one person I'm not afraid of being vulnerable with. Rex and Appo have moved over to me, and Jaufre seats himself nearby, and his sister beside him. Right now, there's nothing we can do but wait this out and hope it's not too late.

***

"Master!" The moment we get outside again into the blinding light, a familiar light blue figure runs towards me. It's relieving to finally feel the fresh Naboo air around me again as opposed to the cramped area below us.

"Hey, Icicle," I murmur, stepping over to her and pulling her into a one-armed hug. It's relieving to see her again. I'm glad Anakin didn't take her with him on whatever chaos he went through to find the cure.

"Next time maybe try to make sure it doesn't get unleashed on you, Skygirl," she advises.

"Yes, like I had any idea that would happen."

"Aniya!" Anakin's voice draws my attention across the platform. He sprints over to me, pulling me into a crushing hug. He's here, like he promised. I can sense Obi-Wan, too.

I wrap my arms around him tightly. There had been a moment I was afraid I might never be able to see him again. That any moment, I would be taken next, but I'm still here. And I pulled through entirely unharmed, unlike everyone else. "Hey, Anakin," I mutter, taking a moment to be grateful we're both here. Somehow, it seems whenever we're apart, chaos ensues.

"Are you okay?" he asks in a rush.

"I'm fine," I assure him, voice muffled against his shoulder. "Everyone else?"

"The medical droid expects all of you to make a full recovery." He pulls back reluctantly but keeps an arm around my shoulders.

I scan the rest of the platform. Jaufre, Ahsoka, and both clone captains are being carried on stretchers to the gunship while Padme helps Jar Jar get his helmet off – apparently, he doesn't know how to – in the background. Rex and Appo are the only clones who survived, and I still can't find it in me to stay near them. It's my fault their brothers died today, and it seems wrong to rejoice in their survival now.

I dip my head in a nod. "Thanks, Ani. For everything."

"It's what brothers are for," he offers with a grin.

"True enough. And by the way, Ahsoka did awesomely down there." I motion towards her. "You may want to have a word. There was a moment I thought..."

"Let's not talk about it now, 'kay? I did train her well," he chirps, then turns to where his padawan is laying a short distance away.

I turn to Obi-Wan next. He seems thoughtful, eyeing me contemplatively. "What?"

"I'm only wondering what made the virus affect you differently than the others."

"Oh. I don't know why it didn't affect me." It doesn't make sense.

"What's different from you and everyone else down there?"

Huh? "Nothing. We're all humans. Except Ahsoka, who –"

"Not fully human," he corrects.

I freeze. I know exactly what he's saying, and I can't blame him for not wanting to come out and say it. It's something Anakin and I have never talked about. We simply don't feel comfortable with it, but he has a point. Of course, a virus wouldn't affect someone who's physically half-Force. No wonder Anakin and I never get sick.

"We had to go all the way to Iego to find the cure," he explains, changing topics. I'm grateful. This isn't something I want to think about.

"And lemme guess, you ran into trouble on the way?"

"Aside from having to go to the bottom of a deep pit full of carnivorous plants with sharp teeth, the planet had a Separatist blockade we had to break through, it took longer than expected."

"I wish I could have been there," I remark.

"It wasn't that exciting," he insists.

"Maybe not, but it would have been a lot more fun than being stuck here, watching everyone die," I grumble.

"True," he finally concedes.

***

At the first available opportunity, I pull Anakin aside to talk to him privately. I need to tell him about it. If this is going to work, we'll have to do it before leaving the planet. "So," I begin awkwardly. "Jaufre and I were... We're planning to get married."

For a moment, he only stares at me. "I suppose it's my turn now to ask you if you're crazy."

I smirk. "Possibly."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised." he grins, "I assume you're hoping you can sneak away to have a wedding before we leave Naboo?"

"That was the plan."

"In that case... we better start by telling Padme. She's coming."

"Of course!" I exclaim. Besides, I need someone to help me get ready. I'm hardly even sure what to do, and I did help get her ready for her own wedding, after all. It's high time she returns the favor.

"Then come on," Anakin says. We turn to head down the hall as Obi-Wan walks around the corner. Wait. How in the world had he managed to get so close without either of us sensing him? Please tell me he didn't hear.

"I believe you forgot to mention an invitation for me," he declares.

"... Invitation?" I echo, trying my best to put on a completely confused look. Oh no. This is not looking good. Yeah, he heard us alright.

"What?" Anakin asks, attempting to sound confused, but it comes out far closer to incredibly guilty and half-panicked.

"An invitation to Aniya's wedding of course," he replies with way too much amusement.

"We are so dead," I send to Anakin.

"Don't even talk about it." He sounds like he's about to panic even telepathically.

"Wh...what wedding?" I blurt out, then practically cringe. I'm making us look even more guilty.

"I did hear your whole conversation, you know," he states, looking vaguely amused. He did? This is worse than I was afraid of. Anakin and I exchange nearly panicked looks.

"We're dead, we're doomed."

"Stop whispering prophecies of doom to me, would you?" my twin hisses.

"I already knew, you know," Obi-Wan announces.

"You knew?" I squeak, "How?" We were so careful, right? I almost regret not talking to them about everything in the first place, now. I suddenly can hardly remember why we didn't. Oh, right. We were afraid, but so much for keeping it a secret. How did this even happen? I have no idea.

"Someone would have to be blind not to notice that Anakin and Padme have feelings for each other, and that you do for Jaufre," he replies, "I didn't realize you were planning to marry, though."

"You're not... upset?" Anakin asks finally.

"No," he responds, "Like I said, I already knew. If I was planning to say something about it, I would have done that a long time ago. It's not like you breaking the Code is anything new. You've both been doing your jobs as Jedi this whole time, so I don't see a reason to be worried."

He's not upset. How could he not be? I know the Code is nothing he takes lightly. For a long moment, I gape at him, attempting to process everything he said. I didn't think he'd tell the Council if he knew, but I was more worried about his reaction. There's nothing I hate worse than disappointing our masters.

"Besides," Obi-Wan continues, "You wouldn't be the first Jedi to have feelings for someone. Even though most people are better at keeping it hidden."

"Were we really that bad at it?"

"Honestly, everyone on the Council probably already knows," Obi-Wan informs us. "No one's ever mentioned it, I think because they expected I'd tell them, and they didn't think you were letting it get in the way of fulfilling your duty." Wait. Everyone on the Council probably knows? What in the world were we doing? I exchange glances with Anakin. He's clearly thinking something along the same lines as me.

"If you want to come, you can come," I blurt out. "I'm not sure if we should tell Qui-Gon. I mean..."

"He already suspects it," Obi-Wan points out. "There's no reason not to confirm it. He's not going to report to the Council any more than I will." He has a point. I had always been worried about it, but Qui-Gon is much more likely not to tattle than Obi-Wan is.

"Then I guess it's settled?" Anakin asks, glancing between us.

"I guess so," I agree. This is perfect. At least both my brothers can be there for the wedding. I don't want to risk telling our padawans, even though I'm fairly certain they could keep it a secret. It will remain between the six of us, no one else.

***

"I think I'll opt for wearing my Jedi robes, thank you very much," I grumble. Padme has been trying to get me to agree to wear something fancier, but I don't want to. I never have, and I'm not about to start simply because I'm getting married.

"It's a special event!" Padme protests. "You should at least wear something nice!"

"They are nice!" I whine.

"Something a little... fancier, then?"

I groan. She just won't give up. "I think all your clothes are a little too small for me."

"We could buy something," she offers.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that's necessary," I object, "And hey, are you done with my hair yet?" She's been braiding it for an awfully long time now. I decided to at least acquiesce to her insistence about not leaving it loose. She was right. I definitely could have used help in preparation.

"Getting there," she responds.

"Good." I highly doubt Jaufre is even taking the time to get as nicely dressed as I'm attempting to. Not like I'd mind if he did.

"All done!" Padme decides. "You look wonderful. Though I still think you should have chosen fancier clothes."

"Not again," I groan, "Let's get moving or we'll be late."

Not long later, I find myself at the place it's being held. Our wedding is short, reminding me a lot of Anakin and Padme's at the beginning of the war. Except that Obi-Wan is there to. It feels a lot more... right. Like this was always how it was meant to be. Only time will tell if this was meant to be.

And I'm not at all surprised when Padme gives me an overly fancy dress as a one-week late wedding present.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

Alema and I stand atop a tank, lightsabers swinging in unison as we deflect blaster bolts. The battle is going surprisingly well. All the droids that are advancing on us are being quickly destroyed. They've been marching through the trees for a while, but they're starting to turn back now.

"Ahsoka, where are you?" Obi-Wan's voice comes from over my comm. I dodge a bolt flying over my head, spinning my lightsaber to deflect a few more shots, "Ahsoka, what is your location?" he demands again.

"About six clicks east, Master," I reply, "We've engaged the enemy, and we've got them on the run."

"They're here to extract us. We're leaving," Obi-Wan responds.

"What?!" I exclaim, swinging my lightsaber to the side barely in time to avoid being hit, "We can't retreat now, Master! I've broken through. The droids are retreating."

"We're outnumbered. You must evacuate. That is an order!"

I spin my lightsaber a few more times, eyeing the droids as they start heading away. "Anakin taught me never to let up when the tinnies are on the run," I protest.

"They are running back here to regroup with the main force. You are putting your troops' lives in danger, young one. You will get on the gunship when we arrive," Obi-Wan retorts, before the connection breaks. Seriously? We're winning! The droids are on a rapid retreat. I'm not going to leave for no good reason when we could win the battle. What's the point in stopping if we could win over here?

It doesn't take long before I hear the gunships flying overhead. "Come on, Ahsoka, we need to go," Alema's voice breaks through my concentration.

"We're winning!" I insist. "I'm not a coward!"

"We have orders!" Alema reminds frustratedly. Even so long after having become Aniya's padawan, it seems some of her previous experience is sticking with her. I'm not exactly surprised. That kind of thing tends to stay with a person for life, or at least a very long time.

The gunship flies overhead, landing between us and the rest of the battle. "What are you doing?!" I cry, waving my arm around in irritation. This is insanity.

Alema jumps off the tank and hurries towards the gunship as two seriously upset Chosen twins emerge. "Get in the ship, now!" Anakin snaps, stalking towards me.

"Can't you see they're retreating?" I protest.

"They're about to overrun you, Ahsoka," he retorts angrily. "You can't see it. Now, follow orders and get in the ship." His voice leaves no room for games, so I reluctantly stalk past him onto the gunship. He climbs on after, watching out through the door as a sudden explosion rips through the area I was standing moments before. If they hadn't come when they did, that would have been me.

"You should know by now that we don't give retreat orders for the fun of it," is all Aniya says as the gunships fly upwards, heading back towards the cruiser. Anakin doesn't say anything, though his disapproval is clear.

***

Aniya Skywalker

"A disturbance in the Force. Intruders there will be in this Temple," Yoda suddenly murmurs as we near the end of the briefing.

"Intruders?!" I repeat disbelievingly. How is that possible? How could someone infiltrate the Temple? The Jedi would be able to stop them before they got inside. Right? But more importantly, why would someone even try something like that? I'm on my feet instantly, heading for the door.

"We'll take a look at it," Anakin assures everyone, hurrying after. Obi-Wan follows and we head into the hall.

"Where do we start looking for these intruders?" queries Obi-Wan.

"What could they be after?" Anakin wonders, "I doubt they've come to hijack starfighters."

"They're obviously here to get something that they can't get anywhere else," I conclude, "The question is what?"

"Information," Obi-Wan suggests, pausing in his tracks, "The Jedi transmitter codes. Every piece of troop information in one place."

"And it's all in the east tower communication center." Anakin realizes, "I'll head there right away." Of course. What would someone be trying to find here at the Temple, if not that?

"I'll monitor the perimeter defenses from the center security station," Obi-Wan decides.

"I'll tell Alema to go stay with Ahsoka in case something gets past us," I tell my brothers, then hastily call her as the two of them bolt down the hallways in different directions. I'll catch up with Anakin later. I don't have a good feeling about leaving either of our padawans alone right now, for some reason. This could easily get out of hand, for all we know. If someone is actually able to get inside undetected, they must be really skilled and could be a ways in by the time we catch up.

Alema answers almost immediately. "Yes, Master?"

"Go to the archives immediately and stay with Ahsoka," I order. She doesn't ask why, probably understanding the seriousness of the situation from my tone. The rest of the message I send through our bond, lest someone pick up on it. I don't think that'll happen, but I know well about the dangers of communications being intercepted. Saying anything sensitive over a comm is a bad idea, and it's best to avoid when possible. "There are intruders in the Temple."

I feel a spike of alarm through our bond before a confirmation.

I take off down the hall in search of Anakin, and it doesn't take us long to reach the tower and do a quick search. There are no signs of intruders. "Either they aren't headed this way, or they haven't gotten here yet," I murmur, glancing around the room. I don't like this. I have no idea what the person could be after, not to mention how could someone even have gotten in here to begin with. I do not have a good feeling about this. It would take an extremely skilled person to do it. Someone like Jango maybe could, but he's in prison.

Suddenly all the scanners begin flickering violently, nearly going out for a moment before coming back on again. "Well, if that wasn't suspicious," my brother exclaims. Exactly. And I have no delusions that that was somewhat a coincidence.

"We should contact Obi-Wan and see if everything is alright there," I advise. He nods in agreement, hastily dialing his comm frequency. A hologram flickers to life a moment later.

"Master, we're in the tower. No intruders, but something just happened. All the scanners were behaving strangely for a moment," Anakin reports.

Obi-Wan frowns. "Yes, something happened to the systems down here too. It cannot be a coincidence."

"Arrived the intruders have," a voice says from across the room. Yoda's arrived to join us.

"But if they are not in the tower, what are they after?" Obi-Wan demands.

"The communications center, perhaps, their target is," Yoda points out.

"That's a possibility," I agree, but the most important part is where they are now, not where they're headed. I have no intention of sitting around and letting them reach their destination.

"They must be in the central ventilation system," Anakin says suddenly.

"Let me check the system," Obi-Wan replies, poking a few buttons on the machine in front of him. After a moment, his frown grows. "You're right, there has been a disturbance. It's near the top of the south tower."

"We'll meet you up there," Anakin decides as the call disconnects. Without wasting a moment, both of us break into a run down the hallway towards the South Tower. Before long, we find ourselves on the rim at the top of the Temple, which is more than large enough for us to move above standing up in. The perfect place for someone to break in unobserved.

"Well, looks like this is where they broke in," Obi-Wan observes as we stand outside the aqua ray shielded entrance.

"At least we'll have an easier time entering," I reply, raising a hand to turn the gear with the Force. The shield in front of us disappears, revealing the dark interior of the ventilation shaft. The three of us hastily scramble inside, closing the opening behind us.

We slide down cables, which go all the way down to the bottom of the shaft. "Which way do you think they want?" asks Anakin as we finally reach the bottom, which has extensions in both directions. There haven't been any signs so far, which means they must have already gotten past. I glance down the hall, reaching into the Force. We don't know who this is, so we have no way of guessing what they're after.

"The communications center is this way," answers Obi-Wan, motioning, "We'd better hurry if we're going to catch them." We move through a doorway, continuing to head down the shaft. For some reason, this reminds me for a moment of when Anakin and I were crawling around that shaft back on Naboo after being captured by Maul.

"I don't think they came this way," Anakin says, pausing as he looks around a turn in the tunnel where light is filtering in.

"Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan calls into his comm, "Are you picking up any other life signs in this quadrant?"

"Deep in the Temple, the intruders are," he responds.

"How are they managing to stay out of our way?" he demands.

"For one, they had a head start," I offer unhelpfully. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't have caught up to them already.

"Possible it is, receiving assistance they are from the inside," Yoda murmurs.

"Wonderful." Obi-Wan groans.

***

Alema Syndulla

I dart through the halls of the Jedi Temple, ignoring the strange glances thrown my way as I head for the archives level. I slow my pace as I approach the door, slowly entering, almost expecting to be ambushed by a bunch of these "intruders" Aniya mentioned.

Everything looks normal, though now with the high alert security alarm blaring, no one is currently here that I can see. I finally spot my best friend the same moment she catches sight of me.

"Alema!" exclaims Ahsoka, hurrying over to me, "What are you doing here?"

"Aniya told me to come here and stay with you," I explain, "There's intruders in the Temple."

"Are they heading this way?" she queries.

"I'm not sure," I say, as Ahsoka's comm beeps.

"Padawan, alert you must be," Yoda speaks from the other side. I stiffen. If he's calling with that news, maybe the intruders are heading this way. "Sense deception, I do. Posing as a Jedi the intruders is. Find Master Jocasta you must." Why? Before I have time to ask for an explanation, the call disconnects.

Ahsoka turns and bolts down the hall, rounding a corner before stopping. I pause behind her, waiting. She probably has some idea what's going on here. I can faintly hear talking from inside the room, though I can't quite make it out.

"That's definitely not Master Jocasta in there," hisses Ahsoka, "She's talking to someone." Right. With her enhanced hearing, it's not surprising she was able to make out words when I couldn't.

"Let's get in there now," I breathe.

We sprint into the room, stopping a few feet behind the chair. The librarian – with a suspiciously sinister smile – glances over her shoulder at us. "Who are you and what have you done with Madame Jocasta?" Ahsoka demands. My hand inches closer to my lightsaber.

"The same thing," she answers, slowly standing up, "I'm going to do to you!" She whirls around, whipping out a blue lightsaber. Ahsoka's green blade has already sprung to life, intersecting the blow. I ignite my lightsaber, slashing towards her. She parries the strike and bolts.

I dash after, and Ahsoka jumps up onto a table, then back down behind the person. She parries the blow again, glancing down the hall before shoving Ahsoka back into a table, only to meet a slash from me. The intruder swings at me again, the blow striking the table as I dart out of the way and lunge for her again.

Ahsoka jumps into the fight again as the intruder tries to take off running across the fortunately empty library. Parrying a few more blows, she races down the hall, flipping across one of the tables as I swing for her. Ahsoka runs down the center of the table, leaping across to the floor and landing right in front of her as she attempts to flee again. Of course. The intruder – while admittedly good with a lightsaber – won't be able to fend off two Jedi forever, padawans or not.

She rapidly retreats down the hallway as Ahsoka and I press our attacks, the sounds of clashing lightsabers filling the normally silent halls. It's a good thing I came here. I wouldn't have wanted to leave my best friend to deal with this crazy person alone.

As the intruder bolts for the exit again, Ahsoka raises a hand, throwing a crate in her path. She doesn't react fast enough and goes flying flat on her face.

"Well so much for that," I joke as we race over, holding our lightsabers up to her neck.

"You may have Madame Jocasta's shape, but not her skills," Ahsoka snips.

"What are you doing in here?" I demand.

"Like I'm telling you anything," snaps the intruder, shifting back into her real form.

"In case you aren't aware, you're already going to be arrested," Ahsoka reminds her. "It would be a whole lot easier if you cooperate. Not like anyone is coming to save you."

The intruder glares, not responding.

"You're here with another bounty hunter?" I ask.

"Yes," comes reluctant response.

"Where is he now?" Ahsoka demands.

"He should be in the holocron vault," the intruder responds, glaring back at us.

"And who is this other bounty hunter?" Ahsoka asks, eyes narrowed in anger. "I know he's one of the best."

She hesitates for a moment before responding, obviously finally deciding to choose herself over her fellow bounty hunter. Typical. "It's Cad Bane."

"We better tell them," I say, looking over at Ahsoka.

She nods, hastily dialing Anakin's frequency. "Master Skywalker," she says, obviously calling him the title in case Jedi are around aside from Aniya or Obi-Wan. "We've captured the imposter disguised as a Jedi."

"She says the intruder is in the holocron vault," I add, "It's Cad Bane."

I snap a pair of stun cuffs on the intruder, having brought them with me in case something like this happened. When Aniya called me with as much urgency as she did, it really gave me the impression that something not so good was about to happen.

The sound of footsteps catches my attention, and I look up to see the librarian making her way down the hall, holding a hand to her head.

"Madame Librarian, are you okay?" questions Ahsoka worriedly.

"I think I'm alright," she replies, "We must call security."

***

Anakin Skywalker

"A holocron is no good without a Jedi to open it," Obi-Wan remarks upon hearing the news from our padawans, "What are they up to?"

"They must be trying to gain access to the communications center from the vault," I conclude.

"We better hurry and get there," worries Aniya.

The three of us dart down the ventilation shaft, coming to a stop at a place where it branches off. A sudden explosion shakes the area, and I brace myself on the wall to catch my balance. I don't like the sound of this. We move forwards, and I jump down a hole into the hall in front of us. I scan the area, but I see no signs of anyone. Even if everyone is telling me one thing, the Force is telling me to go somewhere else, a faint pull in the back of my mind, nagging at me.

"Quick. The communication center!" Obi-Wan hisses before I can suggest a change of plans. Right. Follow him. Fine. I suppress my irritation and run after down the hall. As we round the corner, I spot a small droid on the floor by the hatch. Voices from the next room filter through to us.

"Bomb!" Windu exclaims.

"Bomb? What bomb?" cries the droid, sounding panicked, though I have my doubts as to whether it actually is. "Is there something going to blow up?" The droid flies back out into the hallway – undoubtedly from a Force shove – as the hatch slams closed. "No! No! No!" shrieks the droid. I spin around, as do the others, sprinting back down the way we came. We make it just around the corner, as an explosion shakes the shaft again. Sparks fly from around the corner, and the scent of smoke fills the air.

"That was close." Aniya stands, glancing down the hall towards where the fire is still burning. "We should probably get out of here." I couldn't agree more.

***

Aniya Skywalker

"General, we're receiving an urgent transmission from the planet," one of the clones calls urgently. Anakin and I hurry over to the hologram. As soon as we heard that Bane's next target was Bolla Ropal, the keeper of the Kuber memory crystals, we hurried to Devaron to meet up with the Jedi master.

"General Skywalker, our base has been overrun!" the clone from the other side of the transmission says urgently. "There's no possibility of evacuation! They've taken General Ropal and the holocron memory crystal."

"Do you know where they've taken them?" Anakin asks.

"Sorry, sir. We tried to stop them, but they left the outpost," the clone says before the hologram flickers violently.

"There's too much interference! Transmitter's been destroyed at the source, sir."

"We have to find out what ship Master Ropal is on," I declare.

"General, a Separatist command ship is fleeing the battle."

"You think they have Master Ropal on board as a prisoner?" I ask.

"I'm sure of it!"

"Admiral, intercept them before they can jump to hyperspace," orders Anakin, turning towards the door, "I'll ready the troops for boarding."

"Boarding?" echoes Yularen, "We have no boarding craft. We were prepared to land on planet, not aboard another ship. You can't be serious!"

"I am, Admiral," he replies lightly. "Thank you for your opinion."

"Target their hyperdrive," I command, "We don't want them to get away."

Before long, we're gathered in the hanger bay area. "I've rounded by three brigades, sir," Rex says as he hurries to join us, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to board a Separatist frigate, rescue master Ropal, and recover an archive holocron," Anakin answers.

"We have no assault craft, sir," he protests, "Only a couple of fighters and the Twilight."

Ahsoka looks to me and my brother. "And the plan is? Just curious."

"Something that will hopefully work," offers Alema.

Just then, the door slides open and the Admiral steps in. "I came to see if I could be of any help, General Skywalker."

"Actually, you can. Activate those walkers, Admiral," Anakin instructs.

"You are not thinking of using those to transport the clones to that frigate, are you?" he asks warily.

"We don't have time for more ordinary methods," I point out. "Whatever we do now, we have to hurry about it."

"Well, they are pressurized," points out Ahsoka, "Any they're equipped with magnetic feet. Master, you're a genius."

"Those walkers are designed for terrain, not space," Yularen argues.

"The outside of a ship will be smoother terrain than the ground. Don't worry," I chirp.

"No doubt about that," Alema agrees.

"Rex, Appo, load them up," Anakin replies, ignoring him altogether, "Let's go." They turn to the men, giving the order.

Minutes later, we're out in space, each wearing suits made for this purpose. Spacewalking is a dangerous ordeal, but sometimes it's the fastest and only way to achieve the purpose. And we have to do this, whatever it takes. Anakin and I are dressed in our regular robes minus the masks so we could breathe, while Ahsoka is wearing dark red. Alema is dressed similarly to Ahsoka, though she has dark blue.

Alema and I are standing atop one of the tanks as it walks onto the ship, and Anakin and Ahsoka are perched atop the one next to us.

A group of vulture droids fly up, landing in front of us. Blaster bolts start flying back and forth instantly, despite being in space. Fine with me. I deflect a few bolts, then glance at my padawan. "Stay here and defend the clones," I tell her, then jump off the tank towards the droids. I cut through one of its legs, grabbing onto part of its legs and swing around, throwing myself upwards towards its top. I swing over it, stabbing the blade down into the center. It sparks for a few moments, then goes dead. Glancing around, I see Anakin doing likewise next to me.

I jump to the ground, looking up to see Anakin and Ahsoka having finished off the others. Thanks to the suits, our boots are magnetized, so we can walk without floating. Unlike the droids we're destroying. There are a group of other droids, mainly battle droids, approaching us. Alema jumps down and hurries forwards to join the battle as the clones get out to join us.

The battle continues raging for a few moments, us destroying droids right and left, before Artoo finally flies up and lands behind us. The droid rolls forwards and plugs himself into a computer port, opening a door downwards, which we jump through.

The moment we're safe from the pull of outer space, Alema rips her helmet off. "I'm so glad to be rid of this thing!" she exclaims. "It's torture in disguise."

I snort but remove my own. The others follow suit. "Let's hope we don't need them later."

"Why would we?" Anakin shoots back.

"In case our fantastic plan goes dreadfully wrong?" supplies Ahsoka.

"We need to head to the bridge first," I declare, glancing up and down the halls.

"Of course," Anakin nods, and we immediately set out. We have to get there in time.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

Minutes later, the door to the bridge is sliding open to reveal nothing but droids. Bane must have already moved on from here, assuming he was here not long ago. But from here we'll be able to find the Jedi Master. Assuming he's still here, that is.

Anakin and I step in first, cutting through a few droids while the clones shoot down the rest.

"Don't shoot!" cries one of the two remaining droids, the one marked as the commander, "I'm not the commander! He's the commander!" It points desperately at the other remaining droid, which is promptly destroyed by Appo. "... I guess I'm the commander now." Two shots later and the last droid is in pieces.

"Okay, that done with. Next, Artoo," I say, turning to the droid. "See if you can find Master Ropal. He should be on board... hopefully."

The droid dutifully plugs himself into a computer port and a moment later, he starts playing a hologram of Bane. "One authentic Jedi holocron and the memory crystal I was after," the bounty hunter is saying gleefully.

"Oh no," worries Ahsoka. "He has both pieces now!"

Anakin spins around to the clones. "Rex, Appo, send a squad, lock down the hanger bay and destroy all the escape pods. Ensure no one gets off this ship!"

"Yes, sir!" Rex salutes and hurries away with a group of the other clones.

"Artoo, you have to find Master Ropal!" Ahsoka urges worriedly. "Hurry!"

Everything is counting on Artoo now. The longer it takes, the more it gives Bane time to escape, with or without the Jedi Master. Only a Jedi can open the holocron, and I find it unlikely that Bane would be able to get Ropal to open it, but it's not impossible. Even so, if Bane does have the holocron, it's not impossible someone else will be able to open it.

"Do you think he's even still here?" Alema asks, watching the droid anxiously.

"We can hope," I reply, "Unless Bane escaped earlier, we've cut off all routes of escape. Unless jumping into space counts."

Anakin gives me an unimpressed look. "Even desperate, I don't think a bounty hunter would do that. Least of all Bane."

I smirk. "That's my point." I can sense danger humming in the Force as the ship suddenly trembles from a not-so-far-off explosion.

Beeping from Anakin's comm pulls us out of our conversation. It's Admiral Yularen. "General Skywalker," he says worriedly, "One of the engines on that frigate has exploded. I caution you avoid the aft section."

"Noted," I drawl. Typical.

"How much damage is there?" my brother queries.

"I suggest immediate evacuation." Sorry, not happening. We've taken greater risks, whatever it is. Besides, if we leave, it will give Bane a chance to escape. The Jedi Order cannot afford that.

"Not until we get what we came here for," Anakin replies, disconnecting the call.

Artoo beeps suddenly.

"He's in the detention area," I translate to the padawans. "Come on, let's go!"

The four of us take the fastest route down, with the rest of the clones trailing behind. Rex has since returned from cutting off the escape routes. When we finally arrive at the level Artoo told us, it's like most such areas are. Long, dimly lit halls with faint red lights and many doors to tiny prison cells lining the halls. I've been in these myself a few too many times for my liking.

The padawans hurry forwards, checking out the cells. Anakin, Appo, and I keep watch behind. I don't think there's anything down here, but there's no way to be sure.

Ahsoka finally opens a door on the left side, coming to a stop. Alema gasps behind her. "Master... we found him," Ahsoka calls, looking away. What is it that has them so disturbed? Somehow, I don't think I want to know.

Anakin and I hurry over, pausing in our tracks. The Rodian is lying on the floor, motionless. I don't feel his Force-presence either. He's dead. "Appo," I say, stepping back from the doorway. "Have some men take Master Ropal back to the Resolute." He nods, moving into the cell with a couple other clones.

Ahsoka turns to Anakin and me, looking worried. "We might not be able to find the holocron in time, Master. But if it's destroyed with the ship, Nute Gunray won't get it either."

"Maybe," Anakin objects, "But I'd rather return it to the library personally."

"Besides," I agree, "There's a high chance it wouldn't get destroyed, just get stuck floating in space. Gunray – assuming it's actually him who wants it – could easily find it. It's not a risk I'm willing to take."

Alema's response is cut off as the ship shakes, jolted by another explosion. This time, the lights go out altogether, plunging us into darkness.

"I guess that's our cue to get going!" she yells instead.

"It is. Come on, Artoo," Anakin agrees, igniting his lightsaber. I step up beside him, and we continue forwards, our padawans taking their places at our sides. Artoo rolls up between us, turning on his light and shining it up ahead. Between the glow of three blue lightsabers, one green one, and Artoo's light, it pretty much makes up for the dimness caused by the sudden power outage.

We keep moving through the darkness, working our way down the winding halls in dead silence. I really have no idea where we're going, and we very easily could be walking right into a trap, but I trust our droid knows what he's doing. Finally, he beeps as we keep moving.

"Artoo says we're close," Anakin tells the clones. "Stay sharp."

We turn a corner, nearly walking right into a pipe sticking out partly in front of the doorway. My brother and Ahsoka duck under it, and we keep moving forwards. Rex walks head-first into it, promptly releasing a startled exclamation.

"Switch to night vision," he advises the others.

We keep moving forward, and a sudden movement at the end of the hall catches my attention. Bane. He's at the end, hurriedly turning a corner.

"There!" Anakin yells, running forwards. We all dash forwards, rounding the same corner I spotted Bane by seconds ago, only to skid to a stop in a much larger room. The door slams shut as the clones finish entering.

Lights suddenly come on again – making me wonder if it wasn't actually Bane who turned them off – to reveal the blue bounty hunter watching us with bright red eyes, standing in front of lines of both types of battle droids.

"It's a trap," warns Alema.

"Nice to know after the fact," Ahsoka whispers back.

"I knew it would be all along," I inform them.

"Welcome, Jedi," Bane greets us with an evil smirk, "We've been expecting you. Kill them!"

The droids start shooting instantly, and we move forwards, spreading out to avoid and return fire. I instantly sink back into the familiar fighting pattern, deflecting the bolts and covering for the clones, using any opportunities I find to destroy the droids. Anakin's sole focus is Bane, though. He lunges forwards, only to be met with a series of blaster fire. His lightsaber swings, deflecting the bolts as he continues to press forwards.

"Let's make this a bit more interesting," Bane declares, pressing a couple button on his wrist. I barely have time to shout a warning before the magnetized system of the ship turns off. I'm floating. Not in space, but at the same time, I am. It's a very strange feeling, but I've gotten used to it thanks to the amount of spacewalking Anakin and I have done. My siblings and the clones are floating, too. Yes, this does complicate things, but it does not make them impossible.

"Magnetics!" Rex calls from where he's migrated towards the ceiling. "You were trained for this!" He grabs a hold of something on the ceiling, and the other clones start joining him. Seconds later, they're all walking on the ceiling, shooting down at the droids below.

"This is insane!" moans Alema, attempting to move towards the droids. It's not really working, given she's stranded a good distance away from them. I reach out, using the Force to yank one of the super battle droids onto my lightsaber, then kick myself off it towards the group of droids. The droid sails away across the room, but at least I'm heading the right direction.

"Artoo, turn the gravity generators back on!" Anakin yells, moving towards the group of droids also. The droid starts flying, levitating himself towards the nearest computer port.

Anakin is trying to work his way towards Bane but instead flies past his head, turning around again to keep moving towards him, leaving the bounty hunter to shoot a couple more clones. The One of the clones shoots a battle droid, and it rolls down the fuel cells lining the walls, knocking one of them off the pile. It joins the droid pieces floating about the room.

"Check your fire!" Rex yells. "Hit one of those shells and this fight is over for all of us!"

Artoo finally reaches one of the computer ports. The padawans are focusing on defending the clones, jumping from droid to droid and destroying them before they can injure anyone. I yank one of the super battle droids to my lightsaber again, shoving it off again to knock over several battle droids.

Anakin disarms two super battle droids, flipping over with unnecessary show and cutting them in half. I shove the only battle droid separating him and Bane to the side, clearing the path. My twin moves forwards, his boot slamming into the unsuspecting bounty hunter, throwing him forwards. Bane drops the holocron, and Anakin instantly reaches for it.

That's the moment everything seems to start happening at once. I spot Artoo plugging himself into the port, instantly realizing that Anakin won't be able to reach the holocron if the ship is magnetized. Bane is reaching for it also, and he might grab it first if everything suddenly falls to the floor.

I deflect a blaster bolt from behind me, simultaneously throwing my left hand out towards my brother, Force-shoving him forwards. His hand closes over the holocron the same second gravity reclaims the ship. I hit the floor face-down, pausing to recollect myself. Crashes and clangs sound out from everywhere in the room, people and objects hitting the floor.

I push myself up to see Anakin scrambling to his feet. Bane jumps up also, raising his blaster and aiming it at Anakin. The blast strikes my brother's right arm, and it jerks, but being as stubborn as he is, he doesn't let go of the holocron. Besides, it was only the mechanical part it. Before Bane can shoot again, everyone spins into motion.

I jump over my brother, kicking Bane back. Alema – ever the worrier – runs to Anakin, probably to see if he's okay. I'll take reassurance in the Force for once that he's perfectly fine. Ahsoka lunges at Bane, and the clones turn to take out the few remaining droids.

Seeing he's outnumbered, Bane bolts for the doorway. We run after, Ahsoka somehow making it past me. As we near the door, I get the distinct impression what he's planning. To separate us. Not happening. I reach out, grabbing onto Ahsoka and yanking her back as the door slams in front of us. "We'll do this together," I tell her.

"You let him get away!" she accuses, glaring.

"He could have defeated you if you were alone!" I shoot back, stabbing my lightsaber through the door. Ahsoka is still glaring, but she joins me at the opposite end. Fine. Let her be mad. I'd rather that then her not being here at all, or whatever could have happened to her had she crossed the doorway.

We've barely made any progress through the thick, metal door before there's a sudden exclamation and an explosion rocks the area. I throw Ahsoka to the ground, hitting the floor and rolling onto my back, raising my hands in an attempt to shield us as the ceiling caves in around us.

I manage to catch it inches above me, slowly raising it and pushing the debris aside. I pull myself to my feet, glancing at where Ahsoka is lying partly covered beside me. She's unconscious.

The beeping from my comm draws my attention. "Aniya!" It's Anakin, and he sounds on the verge of an all-out panic attack. "Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

"As in alive, yes," I confirm, shaking the dust off my robes, "Ahsoka got minorly buried, but I think she's fine. Bane got away." I should have gone past Ahsoka. I could have stopped him... but then again, my sister could easily have been injured here had I not been able to shield most of the debris.

Anakin breathes a sigh of relief, audible even through the connection. "Good. The clones are heading for the hanger, with Alema and the holocron. We have to find Bane before getting off." It cuts off, and I hurry over to Ahsoka, pulling the debris off her.

"Ahsoka," I call urgently. "Ahsoka!" Her eyes finally flutter open, and she looks up at me where I crouch next to her. Reaching through the Force, I scan her over. Nothing broken, but she'll have a few too many bruises for my liking. And if we're chasing Bane, she can't come. "Can you stand?" I inquire. She frowns, moving her legs, then wincing. "I'll take that as a no," I reply, then look up. "Anakin! You need to get over here!"

There is some movement from the other side, then part of the debris is pulled away to reveal my brother standing there amidst the smoke. He glances down at Ahsoka, expression instantly becoming one of concern. "I thought you said she was minorly buried!"

"I'll be fine, Master," she insists.

Anakin looks on the verge of launching into a rant, but his comm beeps before he can start. It's the Admiral. Again. "There's a power surge heading toward the bridge. If you're there, get out immediately. You must abandon the mission," he warns.

My brother and I exchange glances. This is not something we want to do, but it hardly looks like there's a choice at this point.

"We have the holocron, but not the memory crystal for it," Anakin objects.

"The ship is tearing itself apart!" protests the Admiral.

"I can tell that!" I grumble, reaching down to pick up Ahsoka, ignoring her whining.

"Move off to a safe distance, Admiral, and await my signal for evacuation," Anakin orders, disconnecting the call.

"Master, I hate to say this, but I think we have to leave," Ahsoka points out. "There's not much you can do against Bane alone, and I know you're not leaving me here. Besides, who knows where he could be by this point?"

I lower my gaze, sighing softly. As much as I hate to admit it, she has a point. "Come on, then," I state. "Let's get going."

***

"Well, it looks like the holocron memory chip was destroyed," Alema murmurs as the shuttle lands back on the cruiser. "But at least the Separatists didn't get it."

"Yet," I object, "Bane has to be dead..."

"But I can still feel him," Anakin and I chorus, exchanging glances. It seems like that trait has never abandoned us and never will, no matter how old we get. Our bond is too strong. It runs deep enough that often even our thoughts are the same.

"Which is weird," Alema agrees.

The ramp lowers, and I spot the Admiral waiting for us. Anakin and I disembark from the ship, having left Ahsoka in the care of Rex and Alema. They're going to take her to the medical bay immediately.

"So," the Admiral asks as we approach him, "Did you manage to recover the holocron or capture the bounty hunter?"

"We have the holocron, but not him, or the memory chip," I offer.

"... I see. So, the mission was your usual version of success, then?"

"If by success you mean 'I won,' then, yes," Anakin confirms cheerfully, then casts a sideways glance towards where Ahsoka and some of the injured clones are being taken to the medical bay.

I glance around, unable to shake the feeling that something is seriously off. I think Bane must have escaped, though I have no idea how that could have happened. There wasn't a way off, but the Force is telling me he managed it somehow.

"General!" Appo calls from inside the ship. "There's something I think you should see."

"Go on," I wave to Anakin, gesturing for him to go instead. He nods, hurrying up the ramp and disappearing. I glance around, trying to see anything suspicious. I don't see anything... wait. I do. There's a clone walking away from me, slowly. Something about the way he's moving is wrong. Is he alright? My concern spikes instantly, and I hurry over to him.

"Trooper, are you alright?" I inquire, frowning when he doesn't respond. He should respond to his own general. Maybe he hit his head and isn't thinking clearly? I have no idea, but something is definitely wrong. I hurry forwards, moving to stand in front of him. That's when I notice he's covering his left arm with his hand. He's injured, and he's trying to hide it.

"Wait," I command. "You're injured. It might be serious."

Finally, still not speaking, he removes his hand. Reaching out, I gently take hold of his arm. It's not the injury I notice immediately, or what really matters. It's his blood. It's not red, like human's should be. It's... it's green. Wait... wait. My grip tightens instantly, and my head snaps upwards, almost certain of who's behind that helmet.

"You are no clone," I hiss. I barely have a chance to react before his knee jerks upwards, hitting me in the stomach. A sharp pain shoots through me, and I stumble, but don't let go. I twist his arm, throwing him to the floor. It's Bane It's got to be. Somehow, he got a clone's armor and put it on, using it to disguise himself as one of ours.

I don't even notice it until it's too late. He's ripped the armor on one of his arms off, and his hand clamps down over my ankle. I cry out as pain engulfs me, electricity running through my body.

"Aniya!" I hear Anakin yelling through the haze of pain overwhelming me. I'm on the ground, panting, the electricity finally stopping. Bane's trying to run. I won't let him get away. Anakin is chasing him, but he might not be fast enough.

I'm a General, a Jedi Knight. I won't let anything get me down, not even the worst of pain. I roll over, scrambling to my feet, ignoring how shaky my legs feel. Bane is in the fighter now, trying to take off. Anakin jumps onto it, but it's flying at such speed I know he's never going to be able to hold on and stop it at once, not until it leaves the hanger.

I don't know where the thought came from. Maybe the extreme amount of desperation I'm it? It hardly matters. I am the twin of the Chosen One, created from the Force itself. And the Force flows through all things. Raising my hands outwards, I reach out with the Force, feeling it flowing through me, through everything. Tendrils of every wrap around the fighter with an unbreakable grip. The ship jolts to a stop, Anakin sliding off from the sudden change in speed. Bane tries to put more power to the engine, but I won't give in. Not now, not ever.

Throwing my weight against it, I try to drag the fighter back towards the floor of the hanger, closer inside to safety. I barely register that I'm skidding towards it until Appo grabs my arm to prevent me from moving too far forwards, helping anchor me.

Anakin is suddenly beside me, yanking the fighter back in and to the ground with surprising ease. I nearly collapse from the sudden disappearance of the strain, only being steadied by my clone captain.

Anakin runs forwards, yanking the glass enclosure off the top of the fighter. Bane yanks out a blaster, only for it to be cut in half by Anakin, who levels his lightsaber at the bounty hunter's neck. "You're under arrest, Bane," he growls.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"You're late," Obi-Wan says as Ahsoka and I walk into the room where him, Qui-Gon, Aniya, and Alema are congregated to prepare for the upcoming battle.

"Sorry, Master," I reply, "Ahsoka and I were busy routing the Seppies near Dorin."

"Of course," Aniya smirks.

"My squadron alone had fifty-five kills," Ahsoka brags.

"Yeah," I turn towards my padawan with a smirk, "But mine had seventy-six."

"Showoff," she huffs before turning away. Aniya laughs at our bickering.

"To be fair," Alema interjects, "We are still much younger than you and haven't even been Padawans for a year yet."

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves," Obi-Wan interrupts, glancing between us.

"Don't we usually?" chuckles Aniya.

"Hey, it's just a little friendly competition, Master," I argue. "Nothing to worry about."

"What I worry about is the way this war seems to be drawing out with no end in sight," he replies, expression serious again before he turns back to the hologram in front of us.

"Which is why our invasion of Geonosis must be successful," interjects Qui-Gon. I can't believe we're going back there again. Honestly, this is another one of those planets I never want to lay eyes on again. At least my entire family is here. I don't know what I'd do if they weren't. This place holds very bad memories. We went there after Mom died. It was where the war started, where I learned one of the few people I looked up to was a Sith, where – no. Don't go there. That doesn't mean I can stop remembering the blinding, searing agony unlike anything I've ever felt. I left a part of myself here. Literally. I'd like to leave it behind for good, thank you very much. I am so going to enjoy burning this place to the ground.

"Whatever they throw at us, we can handle it," chirps Alema. "Right, Master?"

"Sure thing, Icicle," she grins.

"Never be too overconfident," Qui-Gon cautions, a teasing note in his voice.

Obi-Wan clears his throat. "In case you've all forgotten, we have a battle to be attending to." Right.

"Ahsoka, contact the Outer Rim Command," I instruct, "We're ready for our briefing." No point waiting. The sooner the battle on Geonosis is won, the better.

Moments later, we find ourselves surrounding a hologram with the map of the area. Holograms of Yoda, Windu, Luminara, and Palpatine are standing around it also.

"Our ships are in position, and we are ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians," Obi-Wan reports.

"And what about Poggle? Any report on his location?" Windu inquires.

"They're already waiting for us."

"It seems he's holed up at the primary droid foundry here," Obi-Wan responds, pointing to the spot on the map. "The factory is protected by a shield generator. We shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield." Three green arrows appear pointing to the destination. "Once we've landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target."

"Isn't it risky committing four generals to one area of the attack?" argues Palpatine, "If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow."

"Whatever it is, we'll come out alive," offers Aniya brightly.

"To ensure that rise again Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must," insists Yoda.

"Of course," the Chancellor nods, "As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi."

"Our thanks, Chancellor," nods Qui-Gon.

"May the Force be with you," Windu says as all the holograms but Luminara's disappear, and our clone commanders walk into the room. Time to get down to business.

"We all ready, Rex?" I ask as Ahsoka and I board the ship not long later.

"Yes sir," he confirms, "General Kenobi is already underway."

"Well, he's got a head start. We'll have to catch up," I respond as the gunships leave the cruiser. Before I know it, we're surrounded on all sides by the familiar sounds of battle. Explosions rip through the air. Even as we go, I can sense the nearby gunships being taken out one by one as we make our way towards the landing spot. The ship jerks suddenly and starts plunging towards the ground. We're hit, just enough to knock us down but not enough to be deadly. It slams into the ground with a crash, leaving a trail of smoke and flames behind. Well, we will be late again, but that's not my fault.

"Come on!" I call, shoving the door open and jumping out. We'll have to make it the rest of the way on foot. Ahsoka and the clones follow as the bugs start shooting back at us. Leaving the rest of the group, I start pushing forwards, cutting through droids as I go.

Explosions ring around me as the Geonosians continue firing nonstop. I dodge out of the way of a blast from their weapons hits the place I was standing moments before and keep pressing forwards, Ahsoka following. We work our way up to a ledge where the clones can take shelter behind as we stand in front, continuing to deflect the blaster bolts.

"Rex, what's the word?" I inquire, jumping over the ledge so we can talk, "Can Obi-Wan send support or not?"

"I don't so, sir," he replies, "Cody says General Kenobi never reached the landing site. They think his gunship got shot down." Not good. Not good at all.

"Great," I groan. "The one time I actually ask Obi-Wan for help, he's nowhere to be found!"

"Well, what if something happened to General Kenobi?" Ahsoka asks worriedly, stepping around the mound to take shelter next to me, "He could be injured or –"

"No time for that kind of talk," I interrupt. I can't stop to think about all the possibilities. I can't let myself get distracted right now, or we'll all die here. And then everything will be pointless. He's still alive, whatever it is, and we need to get done with this part of the battle so we can go back and find him. "Any word from Aniya?"

"No, sir," he replies. Just as I was afraid of. I reach through the Force, but they don't seem to be in any danger right now. At least not mortal danger. Qui-Gon is injured, and with a second thought, I think Obi-Wan is too. I try not to think about the possible implications. At least they're still alive. Aniya is worried but seems in perfect condition. I certainly would have felt it, even though the battle, if something happened to her. I can only trust they'll be able to make it out. "Rex, we need to mobilize, now! Get the men together. We're going to rush the guns."

"Yes, sir." Rex stands up and hurried away.

I reactivate my lightsaber. "Ahsoka, you're with me. We need to give Rex cover when we attack."

"Got it, just give the word," Ahsoka replies. She's trying to stay focused, but I can sense her distraction, her concern.

"Hey, I'm worried about him, too, but you have to keep your mind in the here and now, otherwise we'll never be able to help Obi-Wan."

"All here, sir." Rex and several others hurry over to us.

"Ready? Now!" I shout, leaping over the ledge and charging forwards. I throw myself into the Force, as I always do, letting it carry me forwards. The battle moves past in a blur, but I press forwards. We finally come to a stop again, momentarily taking shelter behind another ledge on the rocks. Around the corner is that giant wall we'd seen on the hologram earlier. Great. The exact place I'd promised Ahsoka earlier we wouldn't be going to. So much for that. Well, it is what it is, and we might as well take care of it now that we're here. The droids atop the wall start shooting at us, and we hastily dive for cover along the wall.

"Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into," she huffs.

I duck instinctively as an explosion rings out nearby, debris and rocks exploding across the area. The air is thick with smoke. "What? Hey, it's not my fault! You were supposed to study the holomaps!"

"I did!" she retorts, "Remember when I reminded you about the giant wall and you said, 'don't worry Snips, we won't be anywhere near that'?"

I duck again and shield my eyes as debris flies everywhere. "Just get ready to climb!" I order, pointing to the nearby wall. We get up, making our way around the rock formations until the wall is right in front of us.

"So, what's the plan, General?" Rex inquires.

"Just keep us covered, Rex," I reply.

"There's too much laser fire for all of us to make the climb," he observes.

"Ahsoka and I will handle this. Just be ready when that wall comes down," I warn. We stop to double-check our backpacks carrying the bombs for the walls, then take off. The air is dark with smoke, and blackened sand swirls up from the explosions ripping through the ground. I keep running, ducking beneath the blaster bolts, focusing solely on the distance between us and the wall. I glance sideways, just to make sure my padawan is still there – I can never know who will be next to fall on the battlefield – and keep running.

We reach the wall at once, instantly firing grappling hooks which catch onto the rocks atop the wall. Our ascent is only a matter of minutes, but even as we go, I can sense my men dying. We need to move faster. I scramble over the edge of the wall, then turn to help up Ahsoka before reigniting my lightsaber. The droids on the part of the wall right below us spot us instantly and start firing. Our lightsabers swing in unison, deflecting bolts. "How many droids have you shut down so far?" I call after a couple minutes of fighting, hurriedly taking the droids down one by one. The sooner they're down, the sooner we'll get the wall down.

"Twenty-five," she yells back over the noise.

"Ah, you're falling behind. Let's go!" I leap over the edge with Ahsoka right behind, attacking the battle droids in front of us. There's not too many left here, just enough for jumping straight in not to be too dangerous for Ahsoka. As we cut them down, the other battle droids and super battle droids on the top of the wall turn and begin advancing on us, leaving a more open space for the clones to attack them back from down below. Perfect. Just according to plan.

"Look for a hatch," I tell Ahsoka once all the droids in this area have been destroyed, "We need to put explosives inside the wall."

She takes a few steps over and looks down at something. "Found one!" Except a destroyer droid suddenly flies out of the hole in question, positioning itself in front of her. I move in front of her instantly, having no intention of letting her face it. Except after its shields raise, and it starts firing at me, another destroyer flies out of the other hatch behind me. Ahsoka flips over my head to cover me. We're standing back-to-back, and we have to figure something out fast. We're not going to last forever here. If Ahsoka wasn't there, I would have jumped aside altogether, but that won't work without hurting her.

That's when I sense Rex. He's climbed the wall as well, approaching the one facing Ahsoka from behind. I send a mental thank-you at him though I know he can't feel it. He's doing what he knows I want: rescuing Ahsoka, knowing I can handle this myself. The moment her destroyer falls, I skid forwards, sliding beneath mine. I slice it in half and shove the parts aside, standing up. I'm eternally grateful for the 501st.

A battle droid is rising up out of the hatch again, and I pull off my backpack and toss it down. The stupid droid promptly catches it. Ahsoka throws hers after. Good. The bombs are about to go off, and we need to clear out. Ahsoka and I exchange glances, and I pick up Rex with the Force, throwing him over the edge. I pull Ahsoka to the edge, and we jump off together. The three of us plunge downwards, me in front, as the deafening sound of the bombs going of rips splits the air. The entire wall explodes, a cloud of flames and smoke and debris billowing off it.

I catch myself with the Force, Ahsoka hitting the rocky ground beside me, and reach up to catch Rex. He stops only inches from hitting the ground, and I lower him the rest of the way. The debris start raining down on us, and I raise my hands to catch the remainder of the wall, waiting until the worst has settled before throwing it aside. It crashes to the ground a short distance off. The air is thick with smoke, and I cough against it but pull myself up and offer a hand to Rex, which he accepts, letting me pull him up.

"Next time just tell me to jump," he advises, accepting my hand and letting me pull him up.

"Now what's the fun in that?" I smirk in response.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I blink a few times when light floods the damaged ship, then jump out. The ship landed hard, but I managed to shield us from the worst of it. We've all survived the crash with minimal injuries. "What's the status?" I ask, glancing around. The area is a complete wreck. Most of the gunships have crashed on the way to the surface, and I'm more than a little worried at the conditions of my brothers and former master.

"We got hit pretty hard," Appo replies, "I think only Kenobi's forces made it through to the landing zone."

"What about Anakin?" I demand, unable to cover the worry creeping into my tone.

"Captain Rex reported they're still in the middle of a firefight. Skywalker's tanks are gone, and they're still trying to contact General Kenobi's forces for support and in the meantime, press on the rendezvous point."

I nod. "Very well. Load the injured onto the tanks. We'll make for that reach. Maybe we'll meet up with Anakin on his way to Obi-Wan's position."

As soon as my orders are underway, we begin moving forward across the sandy surface, only to encounter a line of poles sticking up out of the ground. Alema and I cut them down with our lightsabers, allowing the tanks to pass over.

"General, I left a score to protect the tanks." Appo tells me, walking over to me from the remaining group of clones after having contacted the admiral, "Are you sure this is the shortest way to the landing zone?"

"It is," I confirm. I can feel it in the Force, just up ahead. We turn a corner into a towering, dark structure.

"This place is creepy," Alema mutters. We ignite our lightsabers to illuminate the path in front of us.

The land slants steadily downwards. I reach out with the Force, sensing for anything nearby. A sudden feeling of approaching danger strikes me, and I raise hand, signaling for everyone to stop.

"Wait a minute," murmurs Appo, "I have a wing vibration up ahead." The clones get down on one knee, blaster raised in preparation to fire.

"Incoming!" shouts Alema as a sudden swarm of Geonosians fly around a corner. I swing for the nearest one, slicing through it as they two of them grab one of the clones and flies away with him. They try to grab another, but Alema stabs it.

All at once, a barrage of green blaster fire rings around the corner as they start shooting at us. "We have to move forwards!" I call to them, lightsaber spinning in front of me.

With Alema and I in the lead, deflecting blaster bolts back at the bugs, we push on through the tunnel, the clones and bugs continuing to exchange fire. Green, cannon-like shots blast out of the Geonosians' weapons, much like the ones we had to deal with in the first battle here. Defending against those is almost impossible.

This is ridiculous. The space is too small, and we can't fight properly crammed up in here. Especially when it's so dark. And speaking of the dark... "Appo!" I call. "Turn the lights on. It'll blind them." And we can make quick work of them and run.

The lights turn on at once, and I don't even wait until my eyes adjust to the sudden lighting before acting. I throw my hands upwards, using the Force to rip down a good portion of the ceiling. It crashes down atop the bugs where they're pouring in through the doors.

We move forwards, quickly destroying the remainder that weren't already crushed.

Alema and I stop at the edge of the wall. Looking down, I catch sight of Anakin and Ahsoka and their troops rapidly making their way towards us.

"Aniya, do you read me?" Anakin's voice crackles through my commlink as I stand on the wall in the place where we're attacking. Flames, the remains of the ongoing battle, are dwindling around me. Alema edges closer to me.

"We're here, Anakin," I call into my comm, "We took a slight detour that put us out of communications for a time."

"This has been a day for detours," agrees Anakin.

"It has, hasn't it?" I reply, eyeing the structure in the distance, "But at least now I can see the landing zone. It doesn't look good."

Danger is rippling through the Force. We need to get over there. Our masters are in danger. As we continue heading that direction, I see a group of clone fighters come in to stop the advance of the Geonosians.

"Master Kenobi! Master Jinn!" I hear Ahsoka exclaim ahead of me. She stops and kneels next to these crates, deactivating her lightsaber. Obi-Wan reaches up to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Qui-Gon is seated next to him, leaning up against the crates. Relief floods me when I see them safe. I'd been worried the situation was a lot worse here.

"Late, as usual," calls Qui-Gon as we arrive.

"Well, what happened to you?" asks Anakin.

"I might ask you the same question," responds Obi-Wan with a smirk.

"Why are the only people injured here the masters?" wonders Alema.

"Because they're getting soft in their old age," I grin and Anakin snorts. Obi-Wan gives us both a glare that I'm pretty sure isn't fake. Qui-Gon ignores the comment altogether.

As soon as the other clone commanders have arrived, we turn on a hologram of the city so we can continue our planning. "Our combined forces should be strong enough to destroy the shield generator," declares Qui-Gon, inspecting the map.

"Anakin, you'll need to take a small squad through the shield, as close as you can get to their gun emplacements. From there, you'll be able to temporarily jam their scanners so they are unable to target the incoming tanks," Obi-Wan decides, "Aniya can go with you. Once the tanks knock out the shield, Qui-Gon can bring the rest of the troops in with the gunships."

"Consider it done, Master," Anakin grins smugly.

***

"So, Master, what was your total?" questions Ahsoka running up as Anakin helps Obi-Wan to the gunship.

"Not now, Ahsoka," he groans, making me laugh.

"Come on! Are you afraid you lost this time?" she smirks.

"Fine," he huffs, "Fifty-five, that's my count. And you?"

"Sixty, looks like I won," decides Ahsoka triumphantly.

"Yeah, but I called in the air strike. Tie!" Anakin argues.

"You're impossible," she groans.

"I beat both of you," I interject cheerfully, "Sixty-one. Plus, I'm the one who got the idea to pull down the ceiling." Actually, that's not true. I remembered what Dooku did on Geonosis before when fighting us. I hastily push the memory out of mind. Best to fill the aftermath of battle with the usual banter.

Alema huffs. She doesn't say her number, so she must have lost. Like it's much of a surprise. She was fighting in pitch blackness, and I had to mostly rely on the Force, which she doesn't and never will have nearly as strong a connection to.

"I'll never understand how you can simplify these battles into some kind of game," Obi-Wan groans as we finally arrive at the ship, and he gets on board next to Qui-Gon.

"Well, take care of yourselves."

"I expect to see both of you back here by the time we've destroyed the main factory," Anakin tells them.

"We shall do our best," responds Obi-Wan.

"Sixty-five, Anakin," Qui-Gon suddenly speaks up.

"I'm sorry?!" Anakin exclaims in confusion as I burst out laughing, realizing what he's saying.

"My total is sixty-five. So, what do I win?"

Obi-Wan smirks while Anakin glances between the two. "... my everlasting respect, Master Qui-Gon."

"... I didn't have it already?"

"Apparently not," I offer.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"You know, Master, my briefings might go better if you didn't interrupt me every time I tried to –" Ahsoka begins ranting after the briefing to the clones on the upcoming part of the mission is completed.

"I wasn't interrupting. I was trying to help you," Anakin objects.

"Which I would appreciate, if you didn't interrupt me to do it," Ahsoka snaps, "I just think maybe you don't trust me to give the briefing." Oh no, let's not start this again.

"It's not about trust. It's about getting the job done right."

"So, you don't trust me to get the job done right! I knew it!" she exclaims.

"Snips, I never said –"

"No. No, it's okay. I understand. I'm the Padawan. You're the Master. Well, if you don't trust me, maybe you should send me back," grumbles Ahsoka. Looking past the squabbling duo, I can see Luminara get of the ship with Barriss and head towards us. I haven't really seen them since the last time we were on Geonosis, and I can't really say I mind. I didn't like either of them much, anyway.

"Don't tempt me, Snips," Anakin warns.

"If you're both finished with your little discussion," Luminara interrupts, "We do have a factory to destroy." Then she turns to her own padawan. "Well, Barriss? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Barriss bows way too dramatically. I can't help the stab of irritation I feel. It's a gesture of extreme respect, which she offered our padawans but not us. Not that I want her respect, but no one ever gives it to us. No one. "Padawan learner Barriss Offee at your service."

"Glad to meet you. I'm Ahsoka," she introduces herself.

"And I'm Alema," my own padawan says, stepping forwards from where's she's been standing in silence since the beginning of the argument.

"It's good to see both of you again. I wish it was under more peaceful circumstances," Luminara says.

"A frontal assault is risky. Our losses will be high. But not as high as they'll be if that factory comes online," I reply.

Luminara shows us a hologram of the factory. "Indeed, but there is an alternative. Every Geonosian building has a series of catacombs beneath it that run deep underground. Some of the tunnels are close enough to this cliff wall so that you could cut a hole and make an entry point. Once inside, we could find the main reactor, plant the explosives and blow the factory inside out," Luminara suggests.

"Well, looks like a good way to get lost if you ask me," Anakin deadpans.

"For the unprepared, perhaps," she replies, "But I have instructed Barriss to memorize the labyrinth, all 200 junctions."

"You always were thorough," I complement. I don't want to say it's the redeeming quality of her – she's a Jedi Master and therefore, above me – but I can't really agree with her on anything. She's far too cold and uncaring.

"It pays for one to be prepared," Luminara responds, "Right Barriss?"

"Especially when other people's lives depend on your success," she agrees.

"How do we keep the Geonosians occupied while someone else is setting the bombs?" questions Ahsoka with a frown.

"Good point, Snips. If whoever is going in there is going to be successful, we'll need to create a diversion," Anakin concludes.

"Precisely," agrees Luminara, "That task will be carried out by you two and I, while the destruction of the factory falls on the Padawans." Wait – what?! No way. Has she gone mad?!

"Now hold on. Who decided that?" demands Anakin, obviously no happier than I am about it.

"That's extremely risky," I argue heatedly, "Walking into that factory could be suicide!"

"Not if you and I are successful holding Poggle's attention at the bridge," Luminara responds, unfazed.

"It's still not a risk I want to take. Anything could go wrong in there." I cross my arms stubbornly.

"Master, I can do this!" Ahsoka pipes up from the side, "I've had riskier assignments."

"With all three of us together, it shouldn't be that difficult," insists Alema, "And we all know how you two sneaking around always goes." Point. But that doesn't mean I agree. There's got to be a less dangerous way to deal with it. Besides, I know Barriss. If she thinks there's a situation where they could get themselves killed to blow up the factory, she'd take it without a second thought. All Jedi are like that, save my brother and our padawans. Even if there is definitely a different, much less dangerous way of dealing which won't involve letting people die senselessly. I do not trust her with my sisters' lives.

"But unlike Barriss, neither of you are prepared for this mission," Anakin replies, giving them both a look.

"You never know what you could walk into, especially if you got lost," I insist. I do not like this idea at all. I can't put both of them in danger like that. If they get stuck somewhere, they'll have to rely on Barriss to pull them out. She could easily make the stupid decision of getting them all killed even though there's an obvious escape route right nearby, one only our padawans would notice.

"Not to worry," Luminara interjects, "My Padawan is reliable. She can lead them all through the maze."

"We'll be in and out Master," reassures Ahsoka, "See? Dependable Barriss will get us through." That is, assuming she doesn't make a mistake that will get everyone killed. One wrong move... And no offense to Luminara, but I don't believe it's possible to not get mixed up down there. Mistakes can happen, and I'm not about to trust the lives of my little sisters to someone like Barriss.

"Don't worry, Master," insists Alema, "As you well know, we can follow orders."

"It's decided then," Luminara concludes, and I can't suppress a scowl. At the very least, one of us ought to go with them. But that's not really an option.

"I guess it is," Anakin reluctantly agrees.

"We'll monitor your progress on these chronometers," Luminara states, passing us the devices which we all put on our wrists, "Synchronize on my ark. Three, two, one, mark." The devices beep, flashing green.

"Let's get going," says Barriss, starting to walk away.

"After you, Barriss," Ahsoka replies. I watch as the three of them take off running down the path before disappearing from sight. I draw in a deep breath, trying not to let myself worry too much. They'll be fine. They have to be. They can handle themselves, but if they actually knew the way around down there themselves, I'd feel a lot better about it.

"You feel Ahsoka and Alema are not up to the task?" Luminara inquires.

"I never said that." Anakin thankfully answers for me. I don't trust myself to talk right now. If they die, it's going to be all her fault.

"What is it, then?" she presses. Something known as caring about your padawan and not wanting to put them in unnecessary danger when someone more experienced could easily have done the job. That's apparently also something you aren't the least bit concerned about. But of course, I'm not going to be saying that, no matter how badly I want to.

"Nothing," I say shortly, turning away.

"Let's prepare the men," Anakin changes the topic. We walk back over to the hologram map of the factory to get moving and plan.

"We'll have to make a bold move if we're to draw them out of the factory and keep their attention on us and not the Padawans," declares Luminara, coming to join us a moment later.

"The best way to do that is to march our troops straight up the middle, parade style. They can't resist that," Anakin decides.

"With no cover?" I ask, eyeing my brother. That's a large risk which is bound to get many people killed.

"Well, we have to make it tempting."

"True enough," I agree, "Let's get moving." The sooner we distract them, the better. Every moment we waste is putting the padawans in greater danger.

We head off for the bridge immediately, the three of us in the front with the clones and tanks in a long line behind us. "Here come the droids. Everybody steady," Anakin warns as the door to the factory begins to slide open to reveal long lines of battle droids, followed by super battle droids.

"Steady. Keep marching," I order.

"I hope the Padawans have made it to the bridge by now," Luminara remarks. Hopefully. The sooner they're out of there, the better.

"That looks like a lot of droids," I comment, turning my eyes to the oncoming processing.

"Well, it is a droid factory," Anakin points out, "As long as we can destroy them faster than they can make them, we'll come out on top."

"I love your simply logic, Skywalker," Luminara smiles. Sure, she does. If only she also loved the simple logic that the Jedi Code does not forbid us from having the slightest sense of caring for people and not wanting to waste lives.

All at once, the advancing droids open fire. "Here we go!" I shout, igniting my lightsaber as the fight begins. Without waiting for the droids to come any closer, the three of us charge them, several of the clones close behind, shooting them down.

The Geonosians begin flying down at us from above, shooting. Great. I keep cutting through droid after droid, but we have a long way to go. I expect we won't make it all the way to the factory even before it blows up.

"They should have entered the catacombs by now," Luminara remarks.

"I sure hope so," I murmur, not looking at her.

"I hope they're not lost down there," Anakin replies.

As the battle continues, blaster bolts flying every which direction, four destroyer droids roll up and start shooting, raising their shields.

"Rex? A little help here?" Anakin calls we start deflecting the bolts. Rex hurries forwards, stepping between us and firing a rocket at them. The droids explode into pieces, and a tank rolls closer, blowing up the next line of advancing droids. Our tanks start shooting, and we keep pressing forwards with surprising speed. Right now, it sure seems like we are being successful in destroying faster than the factory can produce.

The door to the factory slide open again and huge tanks begin rolling out. They're not a kind I've seen before. Perfect. There's no way we can stand here and fight these. They must have made a new kind of weapon, one that is no doubt more dangerous than the normal ones.

"Looks like the Separatists have a new toy," observes Luminara as we deactivate our lightsabers.

"Rex, pick your targets," Anakin orders.

"Yes sir! Elevation 427!"

All the cannons fire, and explosions ring out in the doorway of the factory. But even as they keep on firing, nothing at all happens to the Separatist tanks. They must have shielded it. Smart, but we can still take them down.

"Sir, nothing could withstand that. They must be ray-shielded," Rex declares worriedly.

"Pull back!" I shout. We back up and duck behind some of the rocky structures covering the surface as the light on the device we're wearing suddenly turns green. "Green light. The bombs are active!" Anakin exclaims in relief. Now it's only a question of if they can get out of there safely, because I'm honestly most concerned about that.

"The Padawans did it," Luminara murmurs,

"And just in time!" I agree. As if in response, the Separatist tanks suddenly open fire, shooting missiles high up into the sky aimed right at us. I whirl around in time to see the blasts striking the cannons, blowing them up. The clones take off running to get away from the burning remains of our weapons.

A huge explosion tears through the ground where a group of them are attempting to flee, blowing up a bunch of them. And this is why I hate war, because it kills senselessly. And there's no way to stop it. There's nothing like the feel of lives being ripped from the Force right next to us, lives we were entrusted with and supposed to protect. Every battle, we lose a piece of ourselves. Sometimes, I wonder how much it'll take until there is truly nothing remaining.

More explosions rain down on what's left of our weapons, decimating everything. We run for cover, jumping over a small ledge to take shelter behind it with a few of the clones, having left our previous hiding post only seconds before it was blown up as well.

"Rex! Tell the men to fall back!" Anakin orders.

"But, sir, you can't be asking us to turn tail and run!" he argues.

"I'm not asking you to run, Rex."

"We need to draw those tanks out onto the bridge," I add as Anakin pulls out a bomb and holds it up.

"I see what you have in mind," Luminara realizes.

"We always come prepared, Master," Anakin responds, "Let's go!"

The three of us take off, heading forwards to the bridge. Our clones have mostly cleared off to safety while the Separatists are rapidly approaching us. Anakin and I take shelter behind one of the structures at the edge of one side of the bridge while Luminara stands behind the other. Anakin motions to her and we all swing off the bridge, holding on to the bottom side of it as we make our way across it, planting bombs as we go. I try not to think about how long a drop we have below us as we go. I've had worse. It doesn't really matter, as long as we get this bridge down.

Finally, we reach the far end of the bridge right by the entrance and swing over the ledge, landing behind the tanks. We quickly run to the edge of the bridge and then Anakin pulls the trigger. Explosions ring out across the bridge and the center half breaks off altogether and plummets with the tanks down to the bottom of the pit.

Everyone cheers.

***

Alema Syndulla

I can see – and hear – the battle beginning up on the bridge as we make our way down the steep slope, scrambling down to the bottom of the almost endless pit. "The entrance is nearby," Barriss tells us as we drop to the ground, hurrying over to the wall across us.

"Nice work. Well, here goes nothing," Ahsoka praises as Barriss cuts a hole through the wall. She listens for a moment, then uses the Force to pull out the piece, leaning it against the wall next to it.

"Come on," I urge, stepping up to the opening. We need to get on with this.

"I should go in first. I know the way," she reminds, slipping past me.

"Be my guest," Ahsoka replies. Casting a tentative glance over her shoulder as if to see if anyone is watching, Barriss steps through the opening. Ahsoka and I hastily dart in behind her. As we move as fast and silently as we can through the tunnel, the light from the entrance soon disappears, leaving us mostly in darkness.

The long halls with numerous turns in different directions are mostly silent, but I can sense living presences lurking far too close for my liking. Barriss suddenly stiffens, motioning for both of us to get back as she hastily presses herself against one of the walls. Ahsoka and I back against the opposite one, waiting.

With Barriss out of my line of sight, I spot two Geonosians hovering near a brighter turn in the tunnel at the far end of the hall. As soon as they move out of sight around the corner, the three of us hurry onwards again.

We continue creeping down the hall in dead silence until we come to an area where the ceiling is lower. There's many Geonosians in there, though they're asleep.

"They're sleeping," hisses Ahsoka, eyeing the figures.

"We have to find another way," I agree. Disturbing them would not be in our best interests, to say the least.

"We don't have time," Barriss hisses, "This direction is the fastest."

"Maybe you're wrong," Ahsoka objects.

"Trust me," Barriss insists. I don't. Maybe I should, but I don't. I don't really trust anyone I don't know. Too many bad experiences. Besides, there was a reason behind why the twins were acting like that. We have done riskier things, so I get the feeling Barriss might be part of the problem. Ahsoka doesn't appreciate their protectiveness, but after what happened to me, I can't find it in myself to be upset about it. I'm still not used to it, but it doesn't frustrate me the way it does her.

Ahsoka and I crawl in first, doing our best not to disturb any of the creatures. I hear a quiet sound behind me and spin around, only to see Barriss stuck next to one of the bugs that decided it would be a good idea to grab her head in its sleep for whatever reason. "I told you this was a terrible idea," I mouth at Ahsoka, who moves forwards to grab the bugs arm so Barriss can duck out from it.

I breath an inaudible sigh of relief as we round the corner away from the bugs, though I can't shake the worried feeling that we may have been spotted. "Dead end," observes Ahsoka, suddenly coming to a stop. Looking around, I realize that there's no exit on any of the walls. Did we seriously possibly draw attention to ourselves all for nothing. "If we make a wrong turn, we may never find our way out."

"You remember the way, right?" I frown, turning on the oldest padawan.

"Of course, I do," she insists, "It's not left. It's up." She points to the top of the tunnel where there's a closed opening. "It's this way." For some reason, the farther we go into this, the more I get the feeling this was a very, very bad idea.

"This is it," breaths Barriss as we cautiously peak out of the top of the passageway into the power generator room. The room is silent, other than the buzz of the generator that's fueling the factory.

"Come on," I urge, scrambling out. Ahsoka and Barriss quickly follow suit and we dart over to the power generator at the center. Ahsoka and I pull our packs off, withdrawing several bombs and circling around the generator, setting them in place. The faster we get this over with, the better. We need to get out of here before some of those bugs come in here and find us.

I can sense approaching danger in the Force as we finish setting everything in place. Ahsoka pushes a button on her comm, sending a signal to Anakin that we're ready. "Now we make ourselves scarce," she hisses, and we take off running for the exit again.

But a second too slowly. With an ominous creek, the doorway on the far side of the room begins to slide open. We'll never get out of here on time, and if we did, they'd deactivate the bombs. No. We'll have to stay and fight them, even though it could easily end up being suicide.

Standing side by side, we all activate our lightsabers as the droids and several Geonosians stride or fly into the room, with a tank behind them. All at once, the battle breaks loose. The bugs start shooting at us with green blaster bolts, which explode in a way that remind me more of cannons than blasters. No wonder so many Jedi ended up dying here during the first battle with this kind of weaponry.

I lunge forwards, cutting through one of the bugs, only for six more to take its place. The lead Geonosian says something in their language which I don't manage to make sense of.

"You heard his Highness. Collect their pathetic little bombs, then we'll kill them," orders the droid. Oh no. This is not good. We have to stop them from getting the bombs, or we won't be able to destroy the factory.

The lead Geonosian pushes a button, closing the door. Probably to avoid getting injured in the ensuing fight. What a coward. I'm about to start moving towards the bugs heading for the power generator, but the tank starts firing at us. The bugs hastily gather up all the bombs.

"See if your stupid tank can take this," Ahsoka smirks, throwing one of the remaining bombs at the tank as it rolls closer to us.

"Our tank is impenetrable," begins the droid, only for the bomb to explode. The pieces fall to the floor, sparking.

The droids continue shooting at us, and the tank moves closer to us. The Geonosians start flying upwards, and Ahsoka jumps after, grabbing onto two of them, attempting to pull them back down. I deflect a couple more bolts and look up at them in preparation to join her, only for her to lose her grip, falling all the way down. She hits the top of the generator, rolling across it until she hits the floor, motionless.

"Ahsoka!" I cry, running towards her. The tank turns, aiming its blasters at us. Barriss moves to stand beside me. That's when it flashes through my mind again, the memory of Aniya and I jumping from tank to tank, destroying each and every one of them. Why not? Barriss is here to defend Ahsoka, and I know she will.

Running forwards, I jump onto the tank, using the Force to rip open the top. I land inside, cutting through the droids and throwing them back. Reaching forwards, I shove open the front part and poke my head out. Ahsoka is standing up slowly, looking relieved upon seeing me. I offer a smile. "Come on in. We may have lost the bombs, but this might be enough to destroy the generator."

The girls hurry over to me and climb inside, Ahsoka taking a seat next to me and Barriss standing behind us both. "If we use this... it will collapse on us," Ahsoka points out.

"I know." I sigh, wincing when I think about how our masters would feel. I can't quite comprehend the thought myself. We have to destroy the factory... but to get ourselves killed in the process? Kill Ahsoka? I don't think I could bear to let my best friend die, but then again, I wouldn't be alive to talk about it either. "But... this tank is very strong to have been able to withstand that bomb you put on it. It might be able to withstand that too." I nod towards the shield generator.

"Given the circumstances, it's worth a shot," Barriss agrees.

Ahsoka and I exchange glances. Yes, it is. There's a good possibility we'll make it out anyway, though I'm not sure. Now it's the question of how to tell our masters.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"Where are they?" mutters Anakin worriedly, looking around, "Those bombs are gonna go off any second now."

"I have no idea," I reply with concern. They should be back, unless they got stuck inside. No, they can't have. They can't be killed for the sake of a stupid mission they shouldn't even have been sent on. I could never forgive myself if that happened.

Anakin presses a button on his comm. "Rex, any sign of the commanders on your side?"

"No, sir."

Anakin and I exchange nearly panicked glances. Force, they have to be alright! "But this place is getting ready to blow!" I exclaim.

"The evacuation ships are arriving. I suggest you get on one," Luminara replies oh-so-calmly, like she doesn't care one ounce if the padawan she's been training for several years now dies because of her own stupidity. And this is why I can't stand most Jedi. They're so cold, emotionless, and uncaring, the polar opposite of what they're supposed to be.

"Not without our padawans," Anakin retorts.

"No," I snap, not even bothering to try and sound nice.

"My padawan will not fail," Luminara insists as she has been this whole time. That's nice to know, but it's really not helping us right now.

"Ahsoka, can you hear me?" Anakin calls into his comm.

"Alema, where are you?" I finally call into my comm. Neither of us get a response. What are they doing? What have they gotten themselves into this time?

"Where did they go?" Anakin groans.

The door slowly slides open, and another group of droids comes pouring out. I'm grateful for the momentary distraction so I can finally stop worrying about them.

As if in response, a long-awaited voice comes through his comm. "Master? Can you hear me?"

"Ahsoka, set off the bombs! We're trapped!" Anakin orders as we continue to fight.

"Master?" Alema's voice comes through my comm.

"I'm here," I assure her.

"I'm sorry, Master. We can't make it out," Ahsoka says softly.

"What?!" I cry, horror ripping through me. No, no, no. This can't be happening. I can't fail them too. I can't.

"Can't make it out?!" Anakin repeats, horrified. My brother's emotions are pouring through our bond far stronger than he's intending, and it's making it so much worse.

"Wait!" I protest, "Wait. Don't – there has to be another way!"

"Ahsoka, wait!" shouts Anakin.

"Fire!" yells Ahsoka.

"I'm sorry, Master," Alema says before the comm goes eerily quiet.

In response, an explosion shakes the factory followed by another and another. I stop in my tracks, numbness settling over me. They didn't listen. Of course, they didn't because they consider the mission more important than their own lives. I stumble backwards instinctively as the factory starts breaking up.

"No, no, no, no..." I'm frozen, rooted to the spot, until a familiar metal hand clamps down over my arm, dragging me after him. Anakin pushes me behind a pile of rocks, shielding me as the entire area explodes. The dust clears surprisingly fast, revealing nothing but a pile of rubble. We're standing at the very edge of the stable ground left from the factory's destruction. The entire area is burning. Our padawans are in there.

"Ahsoka?" calls Anakin frantically, "Ahsoka! Can you hear me? Come in!"

"Alema!" I shout into my comm. No answer. No, no, they can't be dead. They have to be here. They can't have –

Luminara kneels amidst the destruction. Maybe she's grieving Barriss' probable death, I don't know. All I know is that I can't get the overwhelming panic out of me. I can't bear the thought of them being dead.

"Master Luminara, don't worry," Anakin says, kneeling next to her.

"Be at ease, Skywalker," she replies. Has she gone mad? Wait, that's obvious. She's completely insane.

"At ease?!" my brother and I shout simultaneously, "We need to act now!"

"The three of them may still be alive down there," Anakin continues.

"There's not enough time," Luminara replies, "I sense them drifting away."

"No!" I yell, glaring at the Jedi Master, "They're still alive! I can feel them! We'll find them!"

"We'll get them out!" insists Anakin. He turns to me, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We'll find them." He's trying to sound calm for me, but I can feel every bit of his emotions. His fear, his pain, his frustration. How he can find it in him to even try to be calm, I'll never understand, but I nod anyway. There's moment I think he's the only person who manages to keep me level-headed and sane. No one else can understand us the way we do each other, even for as much as we love everyone else in our family.

"I know." The gunship lands behind us, and we instantly turn towards it.

"The tank lifters are here to move the debris as ordered, General." Rex reports.

"Get to it, Rex," he replies before turning back to Luminara, "We cannot abandon our Padawans."

"You misjudge me," Luminara responds, "I too, care for my apprentice, but if their time has come –" Sure, you care for her. In the twisted, messed up, Jedi sense.

"You're giving up without even trying!" I snap heatedly.

"I refuse to let Ahsoka and Alema die," retorts Anakin, "They will find a way out."

"If my Padawan has perished, I will mourn her," Luminara says. Really? She's capable? Had me fooled. "But I will celebrate her as well through her memory." Sure, you will, because that makes so much sense. The entire situation would be laughable if my younger sisters' lives weren't on the line.

"Well, I still plan on celebrating this victory with my Padawan, in person," Anakin replies. Then he suddenly freezes. "Wait, I'm picking up a pulse on Ahsoka's comm channel. It's coming from over there." He points to the place in the wreckage.

I'm off and running before he even finishes talking. I skid to a stop at the edge of the wreckage he'd pointed to. Sure enough, I can feel the three presences right beneath. The entire area is covered with debris, and they'll need our help. I raise my hands instantly, closing my eyes in concentration as I start lifting it all. Another presence joins me, intertwining with mine. Luminara joins in also, but the debris is almost completely moved by the time she arrives. We drop it to the ground a distance off, and a second later, the three padawans stumble into view.

"Barriss!" exclaims Luminara.

"Ahsoka, Alema!" Anakin and I cry simultaneously.

"I knew they were still alive," I declare.

"Told you we shouldn't give up on them," Anakin says, throwing a smirk over his shoulder at her.

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

Anakin shakes his head in an indication he's questioning her sanity, which I wholeheartedly agree with. "Of course," I retort, snorting, "When the time comes. But that won't be now, or for a long time."

Anakin steps over to the edge of the pit, helping Ahsoka out. I pull Alema up also, instantly tackling her in a hug. She seems surprised for a moment, but promptly returns it. "I seem to remember you saying you're good at following orders," I tease.

"We learn from the best," Alema chirps with far too much cheer for the panic she just put me through.

"At least I try not to scare my master to death," I grumble.

"I knew you'd come looking for us," I hear Ahsoka saying. They're two seconds from hugging each other also. Probably only won't because they have an audience.

"I never doubted you for a second," Anakin nods with a smile. I let go of Alema, pushing Anakin aside so I can hug Ahsoka too.

"Padawan, you did well," Luminara nods.

"Thank you, Master," Barriss responds, "But if it weren't for Ahsoka and Alema, we'd still be down there."

"Indeed," Luminara replies, before turning to look at our padawans, "Your Masters never lost faith in you."

***

"What could be taking her so long?" Anakin wonders, pacing back and forth in the room as we wait for word from Luminara. She's out tracking Poggle, even in the middle of a sandstorm, never mind how stupid that is, but it's been a long time now.

"Something must have happened," I frown uneasily.

"Patience, you two," Qui-Gon chides. "It's a delicate operation. I'm sure we'll have information soon."

"That doesn't make running out blindly into a sandstorm any less stupid and suicidal," I object, glancing out the window of the ship. Sand is blowing around so fiercely we can't see anything at all. It's reminding me far more of a typical day on Tatooine than I like. It could easily kill someone, and I don't want Luminara to die like that. I don't want anyone to die like that, though I can't say I'd be terribly sympathetic if the slavers on Tatooine did.

"I must admit, I am troubled that we've not heard from her," Obi-Wan confesses.

"Let's not start worrying yet," Qui-Gon advises, "Luminara's not one to take unnecessary risks." Not with her own life, you mean. I sigh frustratedly.

Just then, a beeping on the comm indicates an incoming call from her. Finally. Qui-Gon answers a hologram of her appears.

"Master Kenobi, we tracked Poggle to the Progate Temple, but now there's no sign of him," she informs us.

"Go no further until we can send support," Qui-Gon orders.

"The storm is making things difficult. We can barely read your transmission as it is," Obi-Wan adds, "Are you sure he went into the temple?"

"Yes, we saw him enter, but I think he's gone down into the catacombs below," she replies, "Those catacombs go on for miles. I fear we may have lost him."

Suddenly Luminara whirls around, activating her lightsaber. "Get yourself out of there!" Anakin cries as the hologram promptly flickers off.

"Master Unduli? Master Unduli!" Obi-Wan calls but there's no response. "We've lost the connection." So, we can all see.

Anakin steps back from the table and starts heading off. Of course. He's going to find her, and I'll follow without a second thought.

"Where are you going?" demands Obi-Wan.

"Take a guess," Anakin replies.

"We'll never get to her in this storm," Obi-Wan argues. "The gunships can't handle it."

"We can't wait!" Anakin retorts.

"It'll be too late!" I insist, crossing my arms.

"Ani, we have no choice," Qui-Gon interjects finally. I let out a defeated sigh. "We must be patient and trust in Luminara."

"We'll leave as soon as the storm lifts," Obi-Wan adds. Awesome. Time to keep waiting for the indefinite future.

Thankfully, it isn't too long before the sandstorm finally begins to let up. As soon as it's clear enough for us to travel, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I get on a gunship and head off for Progate Temple. Qui-Gon stays behind because he insists he's too old for this kind of stuff. Not that I can argue with that. I completely agree. I'd honestly rather him not be here in this. It could turn out complicated, and he's really not one for war. It's taking a toll on him, more than most everyone I know.

"Stay alert, everyone," Obi-Wan warns as we start walking.

"Spread out and look around," I order, glancing around. I don't see anything, but I can sense danger nearby. They spread out, looking around through the entrances of the complex.

"General!" one of the clones suddenly calls us urgently form inside a doorway.

"What is it?" I ask as we hurry in after him.

"Buzz is dead," he says, looking through a small opening in the ground.

"Any sign of Luminara?" my twin queries.

"No, sir."

"There was a struggle," Anakin observes as we look around the room. "This is not a good sign."

"Luminara's lightsaber!" Obi-Wan calls from another corner of the room. We hurry over to him, and he holds it out to Anakin who takes it.

"Poggle didn't do this," Anakin murmurs.

"But maybe that did," Obi-Wan says, looking pointedly at a large statue on the wall. It's an overly large sculpture of a Geonosian with a doorway beneath.

"That is one ugly bug," I observe.

"I haven't seen one that looks like that before," Anakin declares.

"I don't believe anyone has," Obi-Wan replies.

"It could be the Geonosian queen," Anakin suggests.

"The bugs have a queen?" I wonder.

"Rumored," Obi-Wan says, "But we haven't found any proof of her existence. Until now."

"This was," decides Anakin. We walk forwards towards the opening, using our ignited lightsabers for light. It goes into a long dark tunnel complex, with many points where it splits off. We use the Force to guide us as keep walking.

"This leads to a dead end," one of the clones realizes as we reach one end in the tunnel.

"This one goes down the furthest," another clone observes, turning to a different path in the tunnel. "Sir, I'd say that's our best bet."

"I'll go first," decides Obi-Wan, leading the way into the increasing darkness of the new tunnel. Anakin and I are close behind, with the clones following us.

"Master Kenobi!" Luminara's voice suddenly comes through Obi-Wan's comm, making me jump in surprise. A hologram of her appears in his hand. "If you're following me, you must leave this place. Just get out!" Not happening. "I repeat, fall back!" She whirls around, the hologram going dead as a bunch of bugs attack her. What, she thinks we're going to turn tail and run at the first sign of danger? Is she crazy? Oh, wait, we already know the answer to that.

"She must be close by," I conclude, "Come on!"

"I don't like the look of this," Obi-Wan worries as we keep going down the tunnel, faster than before. We have to reach there before it's too late. She's definitely in trouble, whatever is happening.

Obi-Wan suddenly stops in his tracks as we turn another corner in the tunnel, the lights on the clone's helmets revealing a bunch of the bugs, moving zombically towards us from both directions.

"Look out!" he warns. The bugs advance down the hall towards us as we stand there waiting of them to come. As soon as they're close enough, we attack. The clones open fire and Anakin and I attack them with our lightsabers. I swing my lightsaber through one and cuts off one of its limbs, but it keeps moving towards me as if nothing happened at all. What? "What are these things?!" I yell, chopping it in half as I shudder in disgust.

"Bugs!" shouts Anakin, cutting one in half himself.

"Back, everyone! Back!" orders Obi-Wan upon realizing that our attack isn't getting anywhere. These things aren't dying, no matter what we do, however that is even possible.

We try to back away down the tunnel, but the bugs continue advancing.

"Take out the tunnel supports! It's the only way!" Anakin yells. The clones line the walls, firing at the creatures as we dart between them. They shoot down part of the ceiling, temporarily blocking the way. The clones start jumping through the opening, scrambling through. Anakin and I stand against one side of the opening and Obi-Wan on the other, waiting until all the clones are safe before diving through ourselves.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"What were those things?" I ask as soon as we're safe from the creatures, "We couldn't kill them."

"I've heard stories about a Geonosian hive mind so powerful, so strong, that it can maintain connection with its warriors even after they have died," Obi-Wan declares. How does that work?

"And you think that's why we couldn't kill them?" Aniya inquires, "Because they're..."

"Already dead, yes," Obi-Wan agrees.

"That can't be true. That's impossible!" I protest. I thought zombies were a thing of horror holofilms, not reality. Apparently, I was wrong. Gross. How many other things are real that I don't realize yet? I have to wonder.

"Impossible or not, these creatures keep moving after we cut them up or shoot them down," Obi-Wan points out. True enough.

"Call for reinforcements," Aniya orders the clones.

"There's no signal," Appo reports, "We must be too deep underground." Great. How did I know this was going to happen?

Obi-Wan turns two others nearby. "You two, head back to the surface and contact General Jinn. Tell him we need reinforcements."

"Yes sir." The two of them turn and march away. I hope they're going to make it out of here alright. Never know what they could run into. There are few stranger things I've run into than zombie bugs, after all.

We stand in silence, waiting for their return. Suddenly, I hear the not-so-far-off sound of blaster fire before the two clones come running up again.

"We didn't have a chance to get through to him," one informs, "The bugs attacked us immediately."

I scowl. This is insanity. These stupid bugs are not going to get the advantage over us just because they have a bunch of zombie soldiers. "I'm going to the surface to alert Qui-Gon myself," I decide, turning to the entrance.

"I think that would be a foolhardy move, Anakin," Obi-Wan objects, "We can't divide our troops again. We don't have time to double back to the surface."

"I think we better keep moving," advises Aniya, "I'm sure we can figure something out. Every moment we waste puts Luminara in greater danger."

"Let's go," Obi-Wan orders finally, and we head off through the tunnel network again. It's dead quiet aside from the sounds of our footsteps echoing off the halls. We keep all lights off to avoid giving the bugs any warning that we're coming.

"The air is warmer here. We must be getting closer," observes Obi-Wan.

But it's not the heat I care about. "Forget the heat. It smells down here," I grumble disgustedly. And I see some weird objects all over the floor. I seriously hope they're not bones, but that's what it looks like. It smells worse than a Hutt in here.

"Keep your voice down," cautions Aniya, looking even more disgusted than I feel, if that's even possible.

"I'm just saying."

"Well so was I."

We finally reach the edge of the tunnel, and I cautiously peer around the corner. It opens into a much large room which is almost completely dark. The only illumination is at the front of them, revealing a strange looking throne.

"This planet is rotten from the inside out," I grumble.

"Oh, tell me about it," sighs my sister.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," murmurs Obi-Wan.

The strange, especially ugly bug seated on the throne says something in their language. "It must be the queen," I observe.

"Any sign of Luminara?" asks Obi-Wan.

Cody steps forwards, pushing a button on his helmet to switch it to night vision. "I see her," he reports, "She's suspended near the throne."

"Perfect," I exclaim in a whisper, "What about Poggle?"

"He's speaking with the queen."

"Good," I say, "You two take the soldiers. I'll take the queen."

"Must you always rush into things?" demands Obi-Wan.

"Got a better idea?" retorts Aniya.

"Oh no," I groan, "You don't actually want to talk to it, do you?"

"Matter of fact, I do." He better not be serious. Talking to that queen Geonosian is not going to get us anywhere except make them aware of our presence and make it even harder to defeat them when we do attack.

"Are you crazy?" blurts out Aniya, gaping at him in horror.

"Don't you wonder why they took Luminara captive?"

"She's leverage," I answer simply, "She's a hostage."

"Leverage for what?" Obi-Wan retorts, "No, there's something else going on here, and these zombies are connected to it."

He has a point. We ought to at least try to figure out what's going on with these zombie creatures since we're already here on the planet. We could run into them anywhere, not just here. Doesn't mean I don't think this plan is stupid, though. "Fine. We'll try it your way," I grudgingly concede. I know when he reaches the point it's impossible to change his mind, and it's best to back down when he gets like this, no matter how stupid this plan is.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Aniya grumbles next to me, "But whatever you say." I silently concur with her.

"So glad you agree," Obi-Wan quips, before taking control of the situation, "Cody, set your men up around the perimeter. These creatures live in darkness. The light from your helmet should blind them temporarily. Turn your lamps on at my signal. They should create enough confusion for us to get Luminara out of here."

"But what happens when the bugs pursue?" Cody objects, "You've seen them in action, sir. We can't kill them."

"We'll have to bury them. It'll at least slow them down," I interject, "Shoot out the support pillars and this whole place will collapse." It's the only way we'd be able to stop them. The collapse will take time, and we should be able to make it out to the exit by the time everything comes down.

"Let's get moving before they realize we're here before we have time to get into position," Aniya advises impatiently.

Obi-Wan nods, turning to the clones. "Let's go."

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

The three of us march straight into the room towards the queen. The clones immediately follow us, stepping to the sides of the chamber, behind the pillars, to wait. The guards tighten their positions around us as we approach.

"I can't believe this," mutters Aniya as none of the Geonosians make a move against us. Nor can I. What are they up to?

"How did you know they wouldn't just attack us?" I ask.

"Because I make observations, while you think with your lightsaber," Obi-Wan states.

"Well, that quick thinking of mine is usually needed when your observations get us into trouble," I huff.

"Exactly," smirks Aniya.

"The queen took Luminara hostage. She wanted a Jedi, now she has three more. I want to know what she's after," Obi-Wan replies.

"Something we might regret later," Aniya argues.

"Well, when this doesn't go as planned, I'll be ready," I decide.

"That is so reassuring," Obi-Wan retorts as we finally come to a stop not far in front of the throne.

"I thought I told you not to follow me, Master Kenobi," Luminara sighs from her position against the wall. Like we were going to listen.

"Yes, well, I took a lesson from Anakin and decided not to follow orders."

"Hey!" I glare at him as Aniya snickers.

"You – you are the creatures that attack Geonosis," the queen growls, leaning forwards. Creatures? Well, I suppose we are, for them. "Why have you come before me?"

"Your Majesty," Obi-Wan begins, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and these are Anakin and Aniya Skywalker. It is our sad duty to inform you that your rule is at an end."

"You do not dictate to me, Jedi!" she hisses, "My empire is forever!" Someone is clearly delusional.

"In your dreams, perhaps," mutters Aniya under her breath.

"I'm afraid it does not appear that way, Your Grace," continues Obi-Wan, ignoring my twin's comment, "You shall release the Jedi Luminara and submit to Republic law."

"I won't submit to you!" shouts the queen, shaking her fists pointlessly. The guards in front of us suddenly turn and raise their weapons. Aniya and I immediately activate our lightsabers, preparing for the fight.

"No patience, Wait," chides Obi-Wan. Seriously?! This negotiation is not getting us anywhere and is wasting everybody's time. And it's going to put us in more danger. But for now, until it actually gets us in trouble, I'll follow his lead. At least if it goes wrong, I can blame him for it later.

We both deactivate our lightsabers but stay on high alert as Obi-Wan continues talking to the queen. The guards back away from us again and fly back over to the queen. "Majesty, destroying us shall only make the Republic's judgement of you harsher."

"No, Jedi! No!" she growls, "I no destroy you, I devour you! I control you! I had but one Jedi before young Poggle bring me, but now I have four! Now watch as my child enters your Jedi friend, and once inside, her mind becomes my mind, her thoughts my thoughts." Oh, great. So, she wants to start using mind control on us? No way. I'm not going to stand by and let that happen. One of the bugs flies over to Poggle, handing him a strange looking round object. Poggle raises a wiggling green worm and looks up at Luminara.

"It's a sort of mind control, a hive mind," Obi-Wan observes, "She thinks she can possess us."

"Great. Found out everything you wanted to know?" I question.

"No, wait, I want to see how it works," he insists.

"Excuse me, but why in the world do you want to stand there and watch Luminara be possessed by a worm that might kill her?" groans Aniya, giving him her best you-can't-be-serious look.

"I don't think Luminara wants to see how it works," I point out.

"No, I don't!" she cries, sounding panicked.

"I'm curious," Obi-Wan insists, "The more we know, the better."

"I disagree," I snap as Poggle approaches Luminara holding out the worm.

"So do I!" Luminara yelps her eyes widening in horror.

"I'm think this is... about time to get out of here," Aniya says disgustedly, slowly backing away. Poggle puts the worm on Luminara's head, and it begins to crawl around.

"Come, now, the nose or the ear? Which do you think it will enter?" Obi-Wan demands.

"I think the nose," I reply.

Aniya squeaks in disgust. "Why are we even debating this?! I'd rather never have to find out! Are we going to stand here and watch while this cray-cray queen takes control of our minds or try to do something about it?!"

"I hope this is part of the plan," Luminara says worriedly.

"Isn't it always?" asks Obi-Wan before suddenly turning, "Cody! Now!" Finally.

The clones rush out of the darkness, turning on the lights on their helmets and shining it at the Geonosians. The queen screeches in rage and surprise, covering her eyes. What, did she really expect we'd walk in here without a plan?

We react simultaneously, grabbing our lightsabers. I pull Luminara's to me where the guards have it and attack with both of them. Obi-Wan grabs the worm off her as I run to cut her free and hand her the lightsaber. She points it at Poggle.

"You're coming with us," I inform him, snapping a pair of stun cuffs on his wrists and dragging him after us as we head for the door. Aniya and Obi-Wan are cutting down any of the guards who come too close trying to block our exist. Most of them have still been thrown into chaos and blinded from the lights.

The worm somehow manages to squirm out of his hand as the battle continues, landing on the floor. "Obi-Wan, look out!" I yell as I run over to him. It keeps squirming on the floor. Enough of this. I promptly stomp on it, feeling it crush under my boot, ignoring my brother's shrieks.

"What? Anakin, no!" he cries in horror.

"Got it," I declare, ignoring him.

"What are you doing?" he shouts, "I was going to study that!"

"Study the bottom of my boot!" I yell back over my shoulder, taking off towards the doorway. "Come on, let's get out of here!" The others are right behind. We're way outnumbered, and if we don't get moving, we're not going to make it out of here. At least most of us won't.

"Here they come," warns Aniya as the zombie Geonosians start flying towards us. The clones open fire, covering for us as we run. "Take out the support!" Aniya calls back to the clones, "It'll slow them down!"

The clones start firing at one of the nearby supports. After a few shots, it gives out, and the surrounding area starts collapsing in on itself. The ground trembles as more supports give way from the sudden weight thrown on them.

"They're still coming!" cries one of the clones as a few zombies manage to crawl through the small openings. Of course. Those bugs are ridiculously small and can get through just about anything.

"We just have to run!" Aniya shouts.

"This is our way out," Luminara calls from the front, taking off running again. After a few minutes, we arrive at a long tunnel-like passageway that leads way up, and from the light pouring through the cracks at the top, I assume it goes all the way to the surface.

"Start climbing," I order. Luminara jumps up and grabs onto the side, pulling herself up. Aniya and I go next. Obi-Wan follows, dragging the reluctant Poggle with him.

The structure trembles violently as we scramble for the opening. It's falling in on itself. Suddenly, the sides start caving in as the rumbles and crashes from the interior of the building start expanding outwards. A torrent of air rises upwards, taking us with it. I land on the ground not far from the opening. We scramble to our feet as the nearby ground starts caving in as the structure beneath collapses. We dash for safety, stopping only once we're safely away from the Progate Temple.

"All things considered, that went better than I expected," I remark as we watch the building disappear into a sinkhole behind us.

"I wish we could have gotten one of those worms," grumbles Obi-Wan.

"What is up with your obsession with those creatures?" groans Aniya. Exactly my thoughts.

"Knowing how the queen controls her minions could have proven valuable," he insists.

"Well," I reply, eyeing the rubble, "Hopefully the secret is buried with her."

***

Alema Syndulla

"I'm afraid we have a complication," declares Qui-Gon, walking down the ramp of the ship that the clones led the captive Poggle up. I still can hardly believe he was finally captured. Hopefully, this time, we can ensure the Separatists never reclaim Geonosis. I am so done with this planet. I never liked dark, closed spaces much form the start, and being trapped in one so recently hasn't helped my fear in the least.

"Of course, we do," Aniya deadpans as Barriss, Ahsoka, and I come to a stop behind our masters and Obi-Wan.

"Don't we always?" Anakin replies

"I've just received a distress signal from our forces on Dantooine. Master Windu's defenses held, but at a great cost to his men. They need medical supplies immediately. We can obtain these supplies at the medical station near Ord Cestus," Qui-Gon explains.

"We're delivering Poggle to Coruscant and Cestus is not exactly on the way," Anakin points out.

"The Republic must begin debriefing Poggle right away if we're to get useful intelligence from him," Luminara declares.

Anakin walks over to us and throws an arm around Ahsoka and I. "Master, I suggest we let our padawans handle the supply mission," he advises.

"Whatever needs to be done, Master. I'm happy to help," Ahsoka declares.

"Same," I nod happily.

"As am I," concurs Barriss. I don't understand how she and her master can always act so reserved. Ugh. I'm so glad I didn't end up with one of those Jedi as my master. I may be friendly with them, but I never give my trust to anyone easily. If not for the twins and Ahsoka, I probably never would have recovered from what Krell did to me.

"Very well," Obi-Wan agrees, "Take a medical frigate. And after we've delivered Poggle to Coruscant, we'll rendezvous with you for the voyage to Dantooine." With that, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Luminara turn and head up the ramp to the ship.

Anakin and Aniya pause for another moment, looking between us.

"Stay safe and don't get into any trouble," warns Aniya.

"Excuse me," I object, "But who's the trouble magnet? Me or you?"

"Both," she concedes with a grin.

"May the Force be with you," nods Anakin before the two of them head off to the ship as well.

"Come on, let's get going," Barriss advises.

***

I roll over in the bed, closing my eyes and attempting to fall asleep in the darkness. I'm not really tired right now, and I'm not able to sleep. I feel restless, and something, though I can't pinpoint what or why, feels wrong. I hate the darkness of the room. I'm on the top bunk, the one right above Ahsoka, and hearing her rolling around beneath me isn't helping. The ceiling is too close to me. The walls are too dark. There's not enough light.

The crushing darkness surrounds us, the air filled with smoke, the only light being from our lightsabers. I'm squeezed against Ahsoka, back pressed against the wall. The debris is only inches over our heads, and I have no idea when it'll come crashing down. We're stuck down here. Trapped.

A shiver runs down my spine, and I turn away from the wall, trying to focus on Ahsoka's presence. I reach for Aniya again briefly, relieved when she responds in kind. Her presence hums in the back of my mind, glowing and as brilliant as a star. It's not as overwhelming as Anakin's, but the sheer intensity of it is sometimes enough to overwhelm me. How can they contain so much power?

"What? What is it?" Barriss asks finally from her position on the other side of the room. She doesn't seem to be having nearly as hard a time.

Ahsoka lets out a groan. "It's too quiet. It's a big change from all the fighting the last few days."

"And something doesn't feel right... I don't know what," I grumble, sitting up, unable to tolerate lying there anymore. Something is wrong, and I feel like we should be up and about. Something might happen, though I don't know what.

"You should enjoy this peace while it lasts," Barriss advises calmly.

I sigh. "It's not that easy." Not at all. I've often had problems sleeping, ever since I became a padawan. Between Krell and the battles, it was always hard. Nightmares... they're pretty much a given. I can't even count the number of times I've woken up in the middle of the night, Aniya trying to comfort me. We'd usually end up sharing the bed. Maybe I miss the feeling of someone lying next to me. It's not something Ahsoka and I would ever do in Barriss' presence.

"I can't," Ahsoka groans, "Let's go eat." Good idea. At least that'll finally be something to do.

I climb down from the top of the bunk bed as the other two get up as well. We file out into the hallway, the bright light blinding me for a few moments until my eyes readjust. As we walk through the halls of the ship, the unease inside of me only increases. I don't know what's wrong, but it's beginning to drive me insane. Something is off, I know it for sure now. I almost wish that Aniya could be here with me. It would make me feel a little better.

The rest of the ship still seems to be completely still as we make our way to the cafeteria and takes seats around the same table. I sit next to Ahsoka with Barriss across from us.

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier," Ahsoka finally interrupts the silence that had fallen upon us. I'm glad because the silence is only making me more on edge. That was most of the problem when we were still in bed. "About enjoying the peace while it lasts. As a Jedi, I'm not sure I know how to do that. Master Windu has said we are keepers of the peace, not warriors. However, once the war is over, it will be our job to maintain the peace. Yes, but will we do so as keepers of the peace or warriors? And what's the difference?"

Very good questions, and everything I've found myself wondering so much. What will we do when the war's over? And what will happen to the clones? The Jedi won't have need of an army anymore, so where will they go? For that matter, what's the point of this whole war in the first place? There's so much I don't understand.

"I honestly don't see much of a difference between being a warrior and keeper of the peace," I remark, "After all, if you're keeping the peace, you'll kind of have to be a warrior, right?" At least that how it seems to me.

"I don't have all the answers, Ahsoka and Alema. Like you, I'm a learner. What do your Masters tell you?" Barriss asks.

"Anakin?" replies Ahsoka slightly warily, "Oh, um... You might find some of his thoughts on the future a bit radical."

"Same for Aniya," I agree dryly. Most Jedi would. Doesn't mean I agree with them.

"Really?" Barriss inquires interestedly, "Why?"

"Let's just say our Masters will always do what needs to be done," Ahsoka shrugs, "I'm not even sure how peacetime will agree with them."

"I honestly wonder myself," I reply, shoving another bite of food into my mouth.

Silence reigns once more and I feel the presence of clones approaching moments before the door slides open. Two clones – Ox and Edge – appear standing in the doorway. Over time, I've learned to tell the majority of them apart. They're not as similar as they seem at first glance. Aniya's spent a lot of time teaching me about their individuality, and how to look at them as people instead of beings with the same face. It wasn't always easy to remember at first, not after I'd been taught to more or less ignore them. It's frustrating how much of that has been left over.

"Evening, Ox, Edge," Ahsoka greets them, "Would you like to join us?"

They continue to stare at us, expressions hardly changing. What's happening? Why aren't they saying anything?

"Is something wrong, troopers?" she inquires hesitantly.

In response, they march into the room, raising their blasters and taking aim at us, as if they finally reached a decision. What in the world? I pull out my lightsaber and deflect the bolts on pure instinct as they open fire. Ahsoka jumps onto another nearby table and flips it over. She ducks behind it, and I leaps over it, taking shelter from the shooting. Barriss joins us a moment later.

The clones approach the table, preparing to shoot us again. Barriss leaps to her feet, cutting the end of the first one's blaster in half, and punching him to the ground.

The other prepares to fire, but Ahsoka and I raise a hand simultaneously, throwing him across the room into the wall. He slumps to the floor, unconscious. We step around the table, crossing the room and approaching the two unconscious men.

"Why would they have done this?" I wonder aloud. It doesn't make any sense.

Just then, the door slides open again and two more clones march into the room, aiming their blasters. More of them?

We whirl around, activating our lightsabers and pointing the blades at them. "Troopers! Stand down!" Ahsoka shouts as their raise their blasters and take a step back nervously.

"What are you doing?" one of them exclaims in confusion.

"Two clones just attacked us," I snap in response.

"What is going on?" demands Barriss, "Trap, do you know what happened to those troopers?"

"Couldn't tell you, Commander," he replies, "I'm just as confused as –"

"You're in charge of those men!" Barriss retorts, "Did you order them to kill us?"

"No, sir! I did not," he protests.

"Then what's happening?" I demand.

"Why would they do this?" argues Ahsoka. I think they might be telling the truth, but at the same time, it doesn't make any sense. There's no reason for the others to randomly attack us like that.

"We don't know. We heard shots," one of them explains.

"Why should we believe you?" Barriss retorts.

"Look, no guns," one of them offers. They both lower their weapons to the floor before standing back up again. I hesitate for a moment before deactivating my lightsaber. Ahsoka and Barriss follow suit.

"These men wouldn't just attack us without reason," Barriss declares.

"My Master had a clone betray them once," ventures Ahsoka, "A traitor who was paid off by Ventress."

I'm shaking my head even before she finishes. "I thought of that already, but I get the feeling this is far more complex."

"It can't be that simple. At least it didn't feel like that," Barriss says.

"Excuse me, sir," one of the clones speaks up, "We should make sure that we're still in control of the bridge." Good idea.

Barriss steps over to the other clones and frowns down at them for a moment before dialing into her comm and contacting them. "Bridge, this is Barriss. Respond." No answer. Great, just great. Whatever is happening, it must be more widespread than just these two. What is going on?

"We need to get up there," declares Ahsoka.

"We need to find out what's going on," agrees Barriss.

"Somehow," I concur.

"But these two will be coming around any minute," Barriss objects.

"Havoc can watch them until we check on the bridge," offers Trap.

"Good idea," I agree. "Let's go." Havoc picks up his blaster and turns to Ox and Edge while Trap grabs his. We take off out the door back into the hall with him close behind.

As we are about to head down the hall, ray shields appear all throughout it. "Someone doesn't want us going up there," Ahsoka concludes.

"I'll attempt to override the controls," Barriss decides, walking over to them and crouching in front of them. As I stand there watching, I suddenly sense... danger.

Barriss and I and whirl around simultaneously as Trap raises his blaster to fire. She deflects the bolt and I chop his blaster in half, not wanting to hurt anyone. Apparently, he has other ideas. He lunges forwards at Barriss, slamming her into the wall as Ahsoka and I watch in alarm. A long yellow-green worm slithers out of his mouth to my horror, wiggling around as it attempts to crawl from him onto Barriss.

Oh. Oh. That explains it all then. So that must be what's making all of the clones turn against us.

"He's infected!" yells Barriss, obviously rapidly coming to the same conclusion as me, "Get this thing off me!"

She reaches over, calling her lightsaber back to her hand and activating it through Trap's chest. I wince as I feel the life-force rapidly fade from the body. She shoves him away from her and yanks the worm off her neck. Ahsoka pulls it away from her with the Force, chopping it in half and letting the pieces fall to the floor. Barriss carefully rubs her shoulder before coming to look at the smoking worm, the two ends of it still squirming around on the floor.

Okay, this is downright disgusting. Why did this of all things have to be our encounter on the journey? "What is that?" I exclaim.

"Looks like some type of parasite," concludes Barriss. "It must be controlling their actions."

"Mind control. Well, that explains a lot," Ahsoka sighs, "Trap was my friend. He would never try to kill us."

"What it doesn't explain is how they even got here," I sigh.

"Exactly. How did these things get on aboard in the first place?" wonders Barriss as the two pieces of the worm finally go still. They kneel down, and each of them pick up one of the pieces.

I shudder in disgust. "Are you sure you should touch them? What even are those?"

"They must have infected the clones while they were on Geonosis," Ahsoka points out. True enough. They came from there, and there's no other way they could have gotten here.

"We'll have to quarantine the ship," I decide. There's no other way. Imagine if these things got loose off the ship. Hundreds of clones could be turning against us.

"We should also contact Master Fisto and let him know about the situation," Barriss points out.

Ahsoka jumps back to her feet. "Let's go!"

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

The three of us bolt down the hall, weaving our way through the endless turns, before finally coming to a stop once we approach the room we need to get through next. There are clones in there. I can sense and hear them. We stop at the doorway, carefully remaining concealed while watching.

The clones are surrounding one of them – who is the only one not infected from the looks of it – and one of them approaches him holding a worm.

"We have to help him!" I hiss as he tries to break free from their grip. The worm crawls from the hand of one of them and into the other's nose. He starts struggling even harder to break free from them, but it's no use.

"It's too late," Barriss replies. He lets out a final groan before finally going still.

Suddenly, one of the clones runs down the hall from behind us, shooting at us. We pull out our lightsabers and deflect the bolts, backing into the large room. I slam shut the door to prevent him from getting through, but now we have a much bigger problem on our hands. We've just alerted all the clones to our presence, and we're trapped inside.

One of them stalks towards us, holding two greenish-yellow spherical objects in their hands. Just, great. Now they're going to try to infect us. I don't know if they can work on Jedi, but it's not something I want to try and find out. Alema and I react instantly, ripping them from his hands and slicing them in half.

With a growl, the clone in the front open fires on us. Thankfully, we already had our lightsabers ignited this time. The others immediately follow suit.

The doors behind us open and I spin around to defend Barriss and Alema as they try to keep up with the other clones. Barriss yanks down two of the many crates, as we fight our way towards them. I deflect one of the bolts just right, taking down the one attacking us from behind. I really don't want to kill anyone, but there's nothing else we can do right now. It's either them or us.

Alema runs over to the crate, ducking back against it. Barriss and I join her, remaining on high alert. I look around the room, trying to think of a way to get out of here. There's too many, and we'll never be able to fight our way out. I can only think of one thing, and in fact, it sounds perfect.

"Alema! Barriss! Let's go for the vent," I hiss. Alema nods sharply. I take off forwards, leaping up onto a high pile of crates, then jumping up onto a beam much higher above. The other two land right behind me as the clones start shooting at us again. All of the blaster shots miss, blowing holes in the walls. We dash down the beam, stopping as Alema rips off the covering on the vent and jumps through, with Barriss and me right behind. We start crawling forwards through the darkness as the vent cover slams to the ground with a huge crash behind us.

We pause at a place we can see down below. Clones are running past down there. I think everyone on the ship is infected by now except for the three of us. "I'll go to the reactor room and disable the thrusters," Barriss suggests. "Both of you can head for the aft comm center and send a warning to Master Fisto. We have to stop the ship from reaching the medical station."

"I don't know Barriss," I object as we start crawling forwards again, "I think we should stay together."

"I agree," Alema replies forcefully, "The clones are everywhere here, and the last thing we need is one of us infected." Agreed. That would not be a good situation.

"Unfortunately, that's not a luxury we have right now," Barriss replies. I wouldn't call it a luxury, but anyway. "One of us must succeed. If you need to, you'll do what must be done. I know it." Yes, I will. But I don't like the implications of her words.

"Yes, of course. Then we'll see you soon," I reply reluctantly, and we split off there. Alema and I head towards the comm room while Barriss goes the opposite direction.

"I don't know why, but I have a very bad feeling about this," Alema murmurs as we go.

"She is right," I point out. As much as I hate to admit it.

After a few minutes of hurriedly crawling, we manage to find a clear area and jump out. We arrive at the room with surprisingly little difficulty and make the call.

"The Geonosian worms infected the clones on the ship," Alema informs Fisto.

"As long as these things are on board," I continue the report, "We dare not dock with the medical station."

"You must bring that ship in. The only way we can stop these parasites is to analyze them," the Jedi Master argues.

"You don't understand how terrible these things are," I protest, "What if they get loose?"

"We could get everyone there infected," Alema warns, "I don't know if Jedi are even resistant to it!"

"We will take precautions," Fisto insists.

I let out a sigh. "I have a bad feeling about this, Master Fisto, but I will follow your instructions."

Just then another call comes in. "Cargo ship TB-73, this is Clone Captain Rex. Please respond." Thank the Force. That's the call I was really hoping would come in.

I immediately answer it. "Rex, this is Ahsoka. Boy, am I glad to hear your voice!"

"Likewise, sir," Rex responds, "I've got someone here who wants to speak with you."

Rex steps to the side and a very worried looking Anakin and Aniya appear on the screen.

"What's going on, are you both okay?" demands Anakin with concern. Aniya's expression is equally worried.

"Well, not exactly," I reply.

"To the best of our knowledge, the entire ship has been infected with the mind control worms," Alema explains.

Anakin and Aniya exchange glances, as if communicating silently. They do that a lot – communicate with looks. "Make sure you both have a wrist comm," Anakin instructs after a pause.

"We do," Alema confirms.

"And keep it on," Aniya adds.

"We're going to interrogate Poggle. He might have some answers. Find Barriss and wait for my signal," Anakin finishes. The screen goes black, and I turn around to see Barriss standing in the doorway, still behind the glass.

"Barriss, you're back!" I exclaim, "Were you successful?" She stares at me not responding... just like...

"Oh no," breaths Alema, fear flickering in her eyes.

"Barriss? What's wrong?" I ask, though I'm certain I already know. She raises a hand in response.

"Barriss, no!" we yell in unison, but she ignores us, shattering the glass with the Force and throwing the millions of fragments at us. I throw my hands up to shield myself, as does Alema. We both leap out of the way to avoid injury, barely managing to escape unscathed.

"We're your friends, Barriss!" I cry.

"Snap out of it!" yelps Alema. Barriss gives us a dark smile, lightsaber hissing to life in her hand. Alema and I immediately activate our own as she attacks. We manage to push her back several steps before the three blades swing up, meeting in a saberlock.

"Barriss, it's not you, it's the creatures! Fight them!" I urge. She shoves hard against my lightsaber sending me stumbling back. Alema jerks back and slashes at her again, meeting her next blow.

We need to get out of here and find somewhere to hide until our masters contact us again. I kick Barriss back, throwing her to the floor. I don't waste a moment before sprinting out the door and down the hall. Alema runs after, slamming a hand on the button to close the door. We dash down the empty halls, rounding the corner as the door reopens and Barriss stalks out. Great. It's literally the two of us against everyone on the ship now.

A Force-shove throws me down the hall, into the wall. I slide down onto the floor, raising my head as Barriss slashes her lightsaber towards me. Alema blocks it, having sidestepped the Force-shove. Lucky for her.

I scramble back to my feet, parrying the Mirialan's next strike before Alema and I hastily begin backing down the hallway away from her. She pursues us, swinging wildly, her movements only half-resembling her normal fighting style. This is not working. We need to run, which we can't do with her pursuing us. I kick her legs out from under her, and we bolt down the hall, hastily rounding the corner. This had been the same place we came out of to get to the control center. The grate is still off.

I jump up, Alema joining me half a second later. "Let's put it back in place," she hisses, snatching up the grate and settling it back over the hole. I nod, moving forwards. It would throw Barriss off our track if she doesn't know that we came back up into the shafts. It's a trick we've learned from our masters. The ventilation shafts are always the safest place. I still think there's some story behind that they never talk about, but I won't bug. It seemed pretty dark.

Now, we're going to have to wait until they call us. And hope that no one else finds us in the meantime.

***

Anakin Skywalker

Aniya and I head for the detention level in a grim silence. We should never have given this mission to our padawans. We should have checked more closely to make sure everything was all right. And now they're there on their own facing down the entire ship. I'm certain Poggle knows how to get rid of the worms, though. The Geonosians should know how to kill their own creatures, and I will make him talk by whatever means necessary. I'm not going to let my sisters die. I won't.

The clones guarding his ray shielded cell stand at attention as we approach. "Leave us," I order. The moment the clones leave, we step inside the cell to confront Poggle. A protocol droid stands next to him.

"You will answer my questions," I growl, throwing a strong Force suggestion into my words.

Poggle makes a sound in his language, which sounds very much like the bug he is. "Your feeble Jedi mind tricks do not work on Geonosians. The other Jedi already learned this," the droid translates. If we can't mind trick him, then... we're going to have to do this differently. I don't want to, but... my anger is rising by the moment. I will do whatever needs to be done to save Ahsoka and Alema, even if it's beyond what Jedi would normally do.

"Mind tricks?" Aniya scoffs, "We don't need mind tricks to get you to talk." She throws him across the room into the wall with a wave of her hand, blue eyes burning with the same fury I've only seen in her once. Back that night on Tatooine. But I'm upset enough to not even care.

Poggle makes a sound again, and the droid interprets it to, "I will never talk, Jedi."

I stalk forwards, shoving the droid aside. "We'll see about that, Poggle," I growl. I raise a hand, wrapping the Force around his throat as I lift him off the ground. Aniya watches the struggling figure, her eyes cold and burning with anger. I finally release him, and he falls to the floor, gasping for air.

"And unless you're hoping for a repeat of that," Aniya growls menacingly, "I suggest you answer our questions."

"How do you destroy the worms?" I demand.

"Extremely low temperatures will kill them," the droid translates Poggle's response.

"And how would they have gotten there in the first place?" I press.

"After you destroyed the Queen's temple where they were staying before, they needed a new host."

Several minutes and questions later, we exit the cell. We have the information we need for now. There's no time to spend any more time talking to him. We need to contact our padawans as soon as possible

"I made contact with Ahsoka and Alema," I inform as we hurry back onto the central area where Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Luminara are gathered.

"What's their status?" Obi-Wan asks.

"The Geonosian parasites have infected the crew," Aniya answers tensely.

"How did they get on board the ship?"

"Poggle said the parasites needed a new host after we raided the Queen's temple," I answer flatly.

"You interrogated Poggle?" Luminara queries, sounding surprised. I really don't have time to deal with her – or any of this – right now. We just need to contact our padawans.

"I did," I answer curtly, "There wasn't time to get the rest of you." Or we'd still be down there, pointlessly trying to get him to answer us.

Qui-Gon eyes us for a moment. "How did you get him to talk?" Something in his tone implies he has suspicions, and he wants us to verify them. I can't. We're supposed to be Jedi. I know what we did was wrong, even if it was the only way to save our padawans. I don't want to let him down.

"Does it really matter?" Aniya counters.

"Look, all that matters is that he told me how to stop the worms," I agree.

"And we need to contact them before it's too late," Aniya asserts, turning to the communicator.

***

Ahsoka Tano

"This is Ahsoka, come in," I call in a whisper through my comm when it starts beeping. We don't have much longer. The clones are walking around in rows below us, and if one of them spots us, we're pretty much done for.

"Ahsoka, listen to me," Anakin's voice comes through instantly, "The worms are affected by the cold."

"Cold?" I echo, "That's how we stop them?"

"That's nice, but the ship is anything but cold," points out Alema. She falls silent instantly, and I jerk backwards as a clone stops, hearing the conversation, looking up towards us.

"Rupture the coolant system," Aniya orders.

"Do you hear us?" Anakin asks, a sense of urgency slipping into his tone when we don't respond immediately, thanks to the clones right below us. "Rupture the coolant system." I wait until they're out of sight to respond in a low voice.

"The coolant system. Got it," I murmur, disconnecting the call. Footsteps echo down below and soon the clones move out of sight. Alema carefully pokes her head down there, looking up and down the hall to see if we've missed anything.

"Come on," she hisses finally, dropping to the ground with a thud that feels altogether too loud. I jump to the floor next to her. We both spring down the hall, hoping against hope that we'll be able to get to the temperature area without another huge battle.

It doesn't take us long to reach the control room, but I can hear the clones pursuing us. Just as we make it around the last corner, a group of clones emerges from the other side of the hall. I barely manage to activate my lightsaber in time as they instantly open fire on us.

"This... isn't working," Alema says as she frantically spins her lightsaber in an attempt to keep up with the shots. "Go in there and do it. I'll hold them off."

"I can't abandon you!" I cry, gaping at her in horror. "We can barely hold them off as it is!"

"Then hurry about it. We can't wait," Alema calls back. I glance back at her, knowing that however much I hate to do it, it's what I have to do. I push open the door and dart inside, closing it behind me.

I dart in between controls to the center of the room where the control is. Where is what I need? And why did the sounds of blaster shots just die off? I don't like this. What's going on out there? I can sense a surge of panic through my bond with Alema. Is she all right?

Finally, my eyes fall in the controls I need, and I quickly push a few buttons, then yank the lever down. The temperature seems to plunge almost instantly, and icy vapor starts pouring out of the walls, clouding the room.

Good. It's working.

Throwing a final glance over my shoulder, I bolt for the exit, forcing myself to keep moving even though I'm already freezing. And it's only going to get worse. The door slides open in front of me, where even more icy vapor is pouring in from the vents, clouding the hall. I don't have time to make it any farther out into the hall before the Force screams a warning. I jump sideways as Barriss lands right where I was standing, ignited lightsaber in hand.

"There you are," she hisses, "You can't hide from me."

I dodge out of the way, into the freezing clouds jumping into the vent to avoid her. There's no way I can fight anyone properly right now. I wait until I hear footsteps receding before pushing the vent up and peering around the hallway. There's no one insight.

Where is Alema? What happened to her? Shoving the grate aside, I scramble out of my hiding spot and sprint down the hallway of the ship. I need to find her, but I have no idea how to go about doing that. The temperature is rapidly plunging, and wherever Alema is, she's probably also turning into an icicle. I no longer find her nickname amusing. I'm shivering so much, even moving a grate is almost impossible.

I can still faintly feel her in the Force – though I can't really focus on it since I'm way too cold – so at least I know she's still alive. The clones didn't manage to kill her. Maybe she's hiding somewhere. She probably is. Now I need to get to the bridge and contact Fisto before someone else sees me.

"The bridge. At last," I mutter as I stumble down the hall and through the doorway, hastily taking the seat.

My hands are shaking so much I barely manage to send the signal through, but I start talking the moment I do. "We're coming in awfully fast," I mumble, poking some more buttons. "This is Ahsoka Tano, can you hear me? I'm shutting down the engines. I'll try to reverse the –" I don't get any farther before a blue lightsaber slams down onto the control panel.

I look up, eyes widening in horror when I see Alema standing over me, the same numb expression Barriss had on earlier. She swings her lightsaber towards me again, and I jump out of the chair. The Mirialan darts into the room behind her. Spinning around, I grab ahold of the pipe, shoving it in Alema's face. It's the only way.

She staggers back, lightsaber slipping from her grasp as she falls to the floor, holding her head with a cry. Barriss lunges forwards only to meet the same fate. The pipe slips from my grasp and I stumble to the floor, shivering uncontrollably. Ice is beginning to form over everything in the room.

"Kill me. Please," Barriss requests suddenly, pushing herself slightly up off the floor. The formerly possessed look in her eyes isn't there at the moment. What?! No way. We may not have known each other for long, but the thought of her being dead... because of me...

"I can't," I protest, staggering back to my feet and sliding into the chair at the control panel. Everything is all iced over now, and I'm starting to go numb. I can see the ship rapidly approaching the base. We're almost saved. Except that I don't know if the worms are dead yet.

Barriss is suddenly on her feet again, slamming me backwards into the control panel. A long green worm begins crawling out of her mouth, trying to get onto me. I shove her to the side before kicking her back into the wall, activating my lightsaber again.

Alema rolls over, seeming on the verge of standing up, but she doesn't. She must be fighting it. Given we've known each other far longer, she's having an easier time trying to resist it. Or maybe she's fighting harder, I don't know.

I swing my lightsaber down, cutting Barriss' worm in half before collapsing next to them. I scoot over to Alema, pulling her against me for warmth before darkness overwhelms me.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"How long do you think it'll be?" Aniya asks. She hasn't moved from Alema's side since the moment we arrived. I'm sitting at the foot of Ahsoka's bed, watching the other ships outside the window.

"They've been out for a while. It shouldn't be too long," I attempt to reassure her. I'm glad no one pressed for information as to how we got that knowledge from Poggle. I'm not about to get into it with anyone.

Suddenly, Ahsoka stirs. She jerks awake with a start, bolting upright. Her eyes are wide, and fear pours through our bond in a rush. I jump up, hurrying to her side. "It's all right, Ahsoka," I assure her immediately, resting a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. You're safe." I push her back down on the bed, pulling the blanket back over her.

"Alema?" she asks worriedly, "Barriss?"

"They're okay," Aniya assures her, getting up from next to her padawan and coming to join me on the other side of Ahsoka's bed.

"They're fine, thanks to your efforts," I reply, "And so are the clones."

Alema jolts suddenly, eyes opening. She sits up, looking around in alarm. "Alema!" exclaims Aniya, running to her.

"Is Ahsoka alright?" she asks worriedly, eyes darting around.

"I'm right here, and I'm fine," my padawan calls.

Alema nods, sinking back against the bed. She still looks worn out.

"What were those things?" Ahsoka inquires.

"I think I can help answer that," a familiar voice comes from the doorway. I look up to see Fisto approaching. "We had the parasite worms analyzed. They are the same type of creature you found on Geonosis, Master Skywalker."

"We'll have to inform the troops on Geonosis," I point out, "This parasite might explain how they recaptured the planet the first time. I don't want it happening again."

"Agreed," Aniya nods emphatically. "It's senseless to refight a battle we've already won."

"Master Skywalker," Ahsoka calls, "May I have a word?" Fisto nods, then exits the room.

"Master, on the ship," she begins, "Barriss was gone, and she wanted me to kill her. She told me..." She trails off, unable to finish.

"But you couldn't do it," I conclude.

"No," she confirms, shaking her head, "No, I couldn't. But should I have? I mean, it worked out now, but if we had failed, if the ship docked and the worms spread and..."

Her mind is spiraling into a doomsday scenario again. I understand her concerns better than I could ever say. "Ahsoka, it's your duty to save as many lives as you can. Barriss knew you could save thousands if the worms were destroyed. Which she thought meant destroying her, too. But you did the right thing." At the end of the day, that's all that matters, isn't it? Not what was done and how it was done, but that it was right? "You knew the freezing cold would kill the worms. Letting go of our attachments is a difficult struggle for all of us. You followed your instincts. I'm sure she would agree that you made the right choice."

"Anyway, are you alright, Alema?" Aniya inquires. "Like... if your mind is alright?"

"I'm fine, I guess?" she insists, though she doesn't sound entirely certain.

"It's not a crime to admit it if you're not okay, Icicle," Aniya reminds.

"You know... that name has a whole new meaning to me now," Alema grumbles.

"And you know, you should follow that more yourselves," chirps Ahsoka, earning a glare from both me and my twin.

"You should get some rest," I tell them, standing up. "We'll be back later." Ahsoka nods, rolling over towards the window and closing her eyes.

***

Alema Syndulla

I roll over, groaning softly. I can't sleep. It's the same as it was back on the ship, before... I shudder at the memory, trying to force it out of mind. There is nothing like the feeling of being forced to try to kill your best friend, like the sensation of another presence in your mind. I know this will be added to the long list of memories that will haunt me forever. It shouldn't be any surprise I can't sleep. The change between that and the non-stop action and constant danger to a sense of calm and safety does not sit well with me. Especially not now.

I roll over again. Maybe if I stopped rolling around nonstop, that would help. Hmm. It's a possibility. I close my eyes, struggling to drift off to sleep. Maybe I'm afraid to sleep. I don't know what kind of memories will haunt me if I do.

Nearly suffocating darkness wraps around me, surrounding me. I can't see anything, but I don't need to see. The destruction is radiating through the Force.

"You did this," comes a whisper from behind me. Suddenly, the scene fades into view, and I instantly find myself wishing I was just confused rather than actually seeing the sight. I'm standing in the middle of a building, a place I can't recognize even though I get the distinct feeling it's extremely important and should probably be obvious. Around me, everyone... everyone is dead. I can't make out the looks, but I don't even need to. Every single person in the building is dead. Except me, and the dark presence behind me.

I can't make out who anyone is at all, but I instinctively know there were Jedi here. Many of them, and they're all dead too. Just gone. But they're not the only ones here. There's many, many more. Two of them become slightly less hazed over, and I release a horrified gasp as I recognize them. Rex and Appo. They're lying beside each other; both stabbed through with a lightsaber.

I stumble backwards, stunned and horrified as I stare at their bodies. You failed them. They fought beside you for years – no, it's been only several months, but it feels like years – and you let them die.

"No," I breathe, voice shaking from utter horror. "No!" I try to tear my gaze from them, but I can't. This is your fault, insists a voice in the back of my mind. As hard as I try to believe otherwise, I can't. I don't know what happens, but I should have been able to save them. My greatest fear has always been failure, and now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I failed them. I failed everyone.

"You left me. You abandoned me. And this is what you caused," the voice – the one that had started talking earlier – says from behind me. I whirl around to face the figure standing behind me. She's wearing all black and a hood covers her face, so I can't see who she is.

Who is she? Who did this? And why did this happen? More importantly, what is happening? I feel strangely numb. There were many Jedi here – I instinctively know it – but they're all gone. Where are Ahsoka? Anakin? And my master? Should they be here with me and their men? I can't understand it. Unless... a horrible thought forms in my mind. What if the figure – clearly a Sith – killed them too? A sudden sense of dread floods me. I reach out around me. All three of them. They're... gone.

She killed them. My sisters. My brother. All my friends. Without even thinking about how she could possibly have defeated them all, I jump forwards, lightsaber igniting as I go. She blocks the blow easily with her own. Wait. Why is her lightsaber blue? Shouldn't it be red? She's a Sith! No one else would be capable of the destruction around me. No one else would have a reason to do it, either.

Aniya. Anakin. They're dead. Both gone. From the Force, from my life, when they were supposed to be the Chosen Twins. Infallible. Ahsoka. My first friend at the Temple, the only one who'd stuck at my side from the very first day. I was only four, but still I faintly remember complaining that I missed my sister – my older, non-Force-sensitive sister I've never seen again. "Then I'll be your new sister!" five-year-old Ahsoka happily informed me. And she'd kept her promise. But now, they're all gone.

"You did this," she repeats accusingly. She's telling the truth; I can feel it through the Force. Whatever happened, it was my fault. I let them all die. Every single one of them.

"You're a monster!" I yell, tears filling my eyes as hard as I try to hold them back. They're all gone, and I don't even know how to react. My gaze turns back to the Sith, and anger floods me. I slash towards her again, fully intent on killing her. She deserves it.

"I am what you made me," the Sith replies coldly, yellow eyes nearly glowing as they stare at me from beneath the hood shadowing her face. "I told you. We warned you, yet you never listened. Not even for a second. You were selfish! You failed!" The fury in her tone rises every syllable. The Dark Side surges without warning, and I'm thrown backwards into a wall when I try to slash out again, angered more and more with each word.

"You didn't listen, did you?" the Sith questions, stalking closer to me, lightsaber still ignited. "Or is it that you never really cared? Your master is dead, child. You killed her. Her and your so-called brother. They're gone. Because of you."

The truth in her words is mind-numbing, and I shake my head furiously. "No," I breathe, "They can't be. Nothing can kill them." It's impossible, yet the Force feels strangely vacant when I reach into it, trying to sense them.

The Sith doesn't give me any more time to think about it. She grabs my arm and yanks me up, spinning me around to face one of the bodies lying near me – one I somehow hadn't noticed before. It's – no. It can't be! I nearly collapse, probably would have if not for the Dark Sider holding onto me. Her expression still the one of fierce determination that I've known my whole life, Ahsoka is lying there. Cold. Motionless. Dead.

Ahsoka, the only person who always was there. The one I promised never to be separated from again, no matter what. She's gone.

"No!" I cry out, knees buckling from beneath me. And then I'm falling, falling through a never-ending darkness.

All at once I jolt awake, sitting bolt upright. I make out the figure of my master hurrying towards me though the dim lighting – she thankfully had remembered to dim the lights before leaving, since she knows how much I abhor sleeping in bright lights – with a worried expression. She settles next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm here, 'lema," she says softly, comfortingly. As always. Reminding me it was a nightmare, just a nightmare. Everyone's here.

My hands twist into the blankets as I stare up at her. For some reason, while she was walking towards me, she almost reminded me of the Sith from my vision. I shake the thought from mind, nudging our bond to reassure myself. She's here, and whatever it was, she won't ever let anything hurt me.

I can't shake the images from my mind. I know seeing Ahsoka's cold, lifeless body is something that will haunt me forever, especially knowing that I could have done that myself. If she hadn't managed to get the coolants on when she did...

Unable to help myself, I throw myself into Aniya's arms. "It'll be fine," she tells me, attempting reassurance. But no, it won't be. Not really. It's nice to believe it, but it hardly makes it true. However un-Jedi-like it may be, I can't hold back the tears stinging my eyes, and the emotions of the past several days pour out. I almost died – once buried under the factory and again back on the ship.

***

Aniya Skywalker

A sensation of protectiveness envelopes me. I want to comfort her, but I'm hardly sure how to go about it. Effectively, anyway. I wonder what it was she saw, but it's practically a guarantee her nightmares have become a whole lot worse now. I was feeling everything she was, even if I couldn't see it. Confusion, fear, anger, pain. Was it another nightmare, or was it... a vision? The thought is more than a little unsettling. I've had both, and I know the difference. It's not something I can tell with certainty for anyone else, though.

"I'm here. It's alright," I sooth, trying not to let my own worry overtake me.

"I was in this building, and they were all dead," Alema chokes out, voice muffled. "'Soka..." She doesn't say the rest. She doesn't need to. It's pretty obvious. Ahsoka was dead? No. No. We cannot go through that again. I can't. The thought of losing Ahsoka – or any of them – is unbearable. Force, wasn't our mother enough? Why do I have to be worried about losing my sisters also? I – we can't. We need them, more than we realize. We've practically raised them, and I certainly have no regrets in agreeing to take them. They've brought a light into our life we really, truly needed with Mom gone, and the war starting.

"What if it was real?" Alema asks. She's shaking slightly beneath my grip, and I send a wave of calm through our bond, though I'm afraid it did very little to reassure her.

"Don't worry," I say with a sudden certainty, "I won't let it happen." I let go of her, holding her at arms-length as I look at her. "I won't leave you, little one. Ever." And I mean every word I say. I'm not going to leave her behind in this life. I'll stay with her and protect her. Always. Alema nods, lowering her head. "We're all still quite alive – for now – and I'm perfectly intent on keeping it that way," I reassure her.

"Sometimes, things aren't necessarily under your control, master," she murmurs so quiet I can barely hear. Oh, I know. Too well. Tatooine was proof of that. I flinch at the memory, sharply looking away.

The memories still plague me, and it's all I can do not to think about it at times. And really, it's the Council's fault it happened. If not for that mission we were on, she'd be safe and still alive. Anakin and I did everything we could, but even that wasn't enough.

And the aftermath, I can't say I regret it. I'd do it again. And again. But that doesn't make me any less horrified that I'm capable. Was it Maul? Was it being captured by the Sith and taught the Dark Side at such a young age make us... different? Wrong? Everything that happened that day – and the next – still feels like some falling short on my part. Like I should have been able to stop everything – should have been strong enough – but I wasn't. We should have been. They call us the Chosen Twins, after all. We should be capable of anything, and if saving those we love doesn't count, what does?

"Master, what's wrong?" Alema demands, her voice filled with concern. And that's why I love my younger sisters so much, because no matter what they're going through, they're always more concerned with me and Anakin. It shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't need help from them. We're supposed to be the ones taking care of them.

I shake my head, sighing softly. "Nothing. It's nothing. We should go back to bed."

"Hey." Across the room, Ahsoka stands up from her bed. "Is everything alright?"

"For now," I confirm. "Alema had a nightmare." She's still not talking. Whatever it was she saw, it must have been for more than what she could handle. Especially right now. "We should sleep, now. We'll be back to Coruscant tomorrow." For now... sleep sounds wonderful. I move over, lying Alema back down the best I can when she won't let go of me.

"You need to rest," I assert, pulling the blanket back over her, "I'll be right here." A quiet sigh escapes her as she sinks back against the bed, closing her eyes. I can feel some of her raging emotions through our bond, and it's a long time before I finally hear her even breathing, indicating that she's fallen back asleep.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"I've been meaning to tell you this for some time," Qui-Gon tells me and Aniya. We're finally back at the Temple together, though I doubt it's going to last for long. It never does. We get to go on meditative leave occasionally, the same as all the other Jedi, but we're simply too skilled to not spend most of our time on the fronts. I try not to be upset about it, but I can't help it sometimes. Still, I know there's a war that needs to be won, and that's much more important than my own feelings.

"What?" I inquire.

"I'm planning to leave the front," he drops the bombshell, leaving me momentarily speechless.

"What?!" we exclaim. "Why?!" And why the suddenness?

"Because I don't agree with the Jedi being involved in the war in the first place," Qui-Gon answers, "The Jedi were never meant to fight in a war for the Senate. It's only increasingly in intensity with no signs of either side winning. The only way for me to do anything about it is by dealing with it on Coruscant."

"But who would fight if we didn't?" I point out. The Republic has no army beyond the clones who need leaders, though I agree with him. The Jedi were never meant to be soldiers.

"No one," Qui-Gon replies, "There has to be a peaceful solution that doesn't involve unnecessary bloodshed on both sides."

"True," concedes Aniya, "But that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, so all we can do right now is fight."

"I know," he says, "That's why someone has to do something about it." But if he's off the front, it means we won't be able to see him as much anymore. Staying on Coruscant for more than several days at a time is becoming increasingly rare. It goes in phases, I suppose, but it's bad enough not being able to see Padme and Jaufre for so long all the time. I don't want to hardly be able to see Qui-Gon either.

"If you're going to be mostly staying on Coruscant..." I remind, "We won't be able to see each other very often anymore."

"You are still on Coruscant periodically. You can see me then. Besides," he adds, looking amused for a moment, "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."

"Well, that is true," agrees Aniya. On a more positive note, Qui-Gon staying on Coruscant will mean that he's going to be mostly out of danger. At least I won't have to constantly worry about losing him too. Because that worked out so well for Mom. Don't go there right now.

"I think you did a long time ago," I reply lightly, hoping my tone doesn't convey any of my momentary spiral of dark thoughts. Right on cue, my comm beeps, interrupting the conversation.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" I respond automatically, answering the call.

"We need to be leaving soon so you better not be late," Obi-Wan quips.

"You can count on it."

"On you being late?"

"That too," chirps Aniya from the side before I end the call.

"So we'll be seeing each other after this mission is over," Qui-Gon says, smiling for a moment, "Make sure to let me know what Mandalore is like after so many years."

"We'll tell you all about it," agrees Aniya. We heard briefly that he and Obi-Wan went to Mandalore once a long time ago. Apparently, Obi-Wan and the Duchess of Mandalore are... close friends. Something tells me I'm really going to enjoy this trip.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"You know your marching orders," Obi-Wan declares from where he stands at the front of the circle of clones. "The safety of the Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The Death Watch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the Senate."

"The Death Watch may be backed by the Separatists," I cut in, stepping out of the dark corner into the illuminated center of the room, "So stay sharp. Artoo, use your scanners to probe for any suspicious droid activity." The droid whistles.

"Anything else, sir?" queries Rex.

"No, that will be all," Obi-Wan responds. The clones turn, filing away into the lower parts of the ship to keep watch. Rex, Appo, and Cody pause for a moment, then turn to follow us.

Obi-Wan's comm suddenly beeps. "Yes?"

"The Duchess and her retinue request your presence."

"Very well," he replies, looking to Aniya and me.

"Let's get going," advises my sister. The three of us followed by our commanders file into an elevator.

"I sense some anxiety from you about the Duchess," I remark casually, "She couldn't be in safer hands." He's worried, though I know he'd never admit it. He must have known her better than I realized from before.

"Yes, I know," Obi-Wan replies, stroking his beard.

"Then why –" I begin asking.

"Never mind," he hastily cuts me off, trying in vain to suddenly act perfectly calm, "It's all in the past."

"I knew you knew her," Aniya says with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You were close to her?" I press.

"I did know her," he confirms, almost scowling for a moment, "A long time ago." For some reason, this elevator ride is almost reminding me of the one before I met Padme again in reverse. Aniya exchanges a smirk with me. This will be fun.

"War is intolerable!" I hear a distant voice ringing out from the room at the end of the hall. It must be Satine. "We have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it. I say the moment we committed to fighting, we already lost."

"Excuse me, your Grace," a different voice interjects, "Are you suggesting we oppose the war on humanitarian grounds?"

"I'm going to oppose it as an affront to life itself," retorts Satine as we step into the room to see her seated on a fancy seat with several steps going up to it. Pillars are on either side of the seat, with red curtains draped behind it. Two guards stand on either side of the door and numerous other people mill about in the reddish colored room. "As the designated regent of one thousand five hundred systems, I speak for thousands of worlds that have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war."

"And yet some might argue that the strongest defense is a swift and decisive offense," Obi-Wan breaks in as he crosses the room, approaching the throne.

Satine stares at him for a long moment, looking very unimpressed. "You are quite the general now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?" she retorts finally.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness, I mean no disrespect." Obi-Wan does not sound particularly apologetic. I do my best not to smirk from my place near the door.

"Really?" she responds coolly, her gaze flickering across the room to where several other Senators are gathered, "Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

I guess he'd annoyed her too much. Aniya chokes on laughter beside me and attempts to cover it up with a cough but fails miserably.

Obi-Wan looks like he's trying to suppress his flair of annoyance, and finally says, "Your Highness is too kind."

"You're right. I am."

"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi, Anakin and Aniya Skywalker," Obi-Wan breaks the awkward silence that settled on the room, stepping aside to gesture the two of us.

"At your service, my lady," we chorus, giving a slight bow.

"I remember a time when Jedi were not generals, but peacekeepers," she comments, taking a glass off a tray that someone was holding out to her. I can see her obvious displeasure. She doesn't like that we got involved in the war, either. That is no surprise. Most people don't.

"We are protectors, Highness. Yours at the moment. We fight for peace," I clarify.

"Sometimes, it takes a war to bring peace," Aniya responds.

"What an amusing contradiction," Satine deadpans.

"What they mean is that we are acting at the behest of Your Highness to protect you from the Death and the Separatists," Obi-Wan declares, stepping forwards again, "Who don't share your neutral point of view."

"I asked for no such thing," she retorts. She's almost beginning to remind me of Padme now, grumpily refusing to take her own safety seriously. Aniya's watching the two with a knowing smirk, as am I. Their feelings are so purely obvious, but they're both much too stubborn to admit it.

"That may be so, but a majority of your court did."

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses," she snaps.

"I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities," Obi-Wan counters.

"I am certain we all agree Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have proven there are two sides to every dilemma," announces the Twi'lek Senator, pacing across the room to stand in between the two of them.

"Indeed," agrees Senator Tal Merrik.

"Now, in regard to the Senate vote, we think –" continues the Senator.

"I think a multitude makes discord, not good council," Satine responds.

"Right again, my lady," the Senator agrees.

"There may be two sides to every dilemma, but the Duchess only favors hers," Obi-Wan unhelpfully offers. She glares at him but doesn't respond right away. "A republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists," he adds a moment later, taking a few steps towards her again. She stands up, striding down the steps of her throne.

"Even extremists can be reasoned with." If only. If they could be, we already would have. The war wouldn't even be going on.

"Not these," Aniya mutters, and I nudge her into silence. This isn't our conversation to get involved in. It's Obi-Wan's, and the woman he loves. We're not interfering. Even if all they do is spend the entire time trying to pick a fight with each other.

"Perhaps, if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids," he quips.

"The sarcasm of a soldier," she scowls, stopping only a foot in front of him.

"The delusion of a dreamer," he retorts, glaring back at her.

"The smugness of the spectator," I whisper to Aniya, who attempts to glare but chokes back a laugh again and looks away, elbowing me.

"Duchess, Master Jedi," Merrik finally speaks up but neither of them moves, "It's been a long trip. I think we could all use a little rest and refreshment."

"Hear, hear," the Twi'lek Senator interjects obviously getting a little uncomfortable with the situation as they continue their staring match. "Now let us put politics aside until after dinner."

"Fine!" the pair snap simultaneously, finally looking away from each other. Satine pushes past Obi-Wan and marches towards the doorway without a backward glance.

"You and Satine have a history," I remark as the three of us make our way down one of the long, fancy, red-carpeted halls of the ship. Several other people and droids pass us as we go.

"An extended mission when I was younger," Obi-Wan replies.

"The one Qui-Gon mentioned where he and you were on Mandalore for like a year, then?" questions Aniya.

"Yes," he confirms, "We were constantly on the run for a long time, living from hand to mouth."

I give him an evil grin. "Sounds romantic." He shoots me a glare as we enter the elevator.

"When's the wedding?" chirps Aniya.

"What wedding?"

"Oh, anyone else having a sense of déjà vu right about now?" I smirk.

"I certainly am!" Aniya laughs when our brother glares at us both. "Come on, don't tell me you and Satine won't have one."

"Drop it," he advises threateningly. I suppress a laugh. Finally, the chance to get back at him for constantly teasing me about Padme.

"A civil war killed most of Satine's people," Obi-Wan continues as we step out of the elevator again, "Hence her aversion to violence. When she returned, she took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world alone."

"You didn't stay to help her?" I question as we enter a darkened cabin.

Obi-Wan takes a seat on the chair. "That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere."

"Demanded?" I repeat dubiously, "But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision." He insists he's not disappointed with me about Padme, but I sometimes wonder anyway. I still feel like I let him down. I wasn't strong enough to make the choice I should have, the one he did.

"Oh, it did," Obi-Wan agrees, "But I couldn't let my attachments interfere with my decision. I was more inclined to follow the Code, even with the undercurrent of remorse."

My gaze drops to the floor. Of course. He always puts the Jedi above everything, even those he cares for. Even if, in this case, it wouldn't technically have been the wrong choice. Satine needed his help, yet he refused it. I wish, for once, that I could be the person he wants me to be. I can't do what everyone else does. I can't... let go.

Aniya must have sensed it because she instantly shifts closer and takes my hand. I send a mental thank you at her, but it's hardly enough. I know she will always support me, but we do everything together. She's not someone I can... get advice from. Running chaotically head-long into things together doesn't count.

"I'm sorry, Master," I offer quietly. "I –" I don't know how to say it. That the fear of disappointing him crushes me. That I know it was wrong, and I should have done better and –

"Anakin." He stands and approaches me, resting a hand on my shoulder. The contact is warm and comforting, grounding. "Your choice wasn't wrong. The circumstances were completely different, and Padme makes you happy. That's what matters."

I raise my head, hesitantly meeting his gaze. I'm always afraid that one day I'll push him too far, that I won't be good enough, and he'll reject me, but all I see in his eyes is love, for once not demanding or asking anything, just there. I throw myself into his arms without a second thought, burying my face in his shoulder. I couldn't say a word aloud even if I wanted to, so I let my emotions slip through our bond, knowing that he can feel it.

Aniya shifts over to us, and I reach out, tugging her over to us. I'm not going to let myself cry – not when we might have to go any moment. I can't afford to lose composure, but the tears burn my eyes anyway.

"Can't say I mind," Aniya mutters, "We never would've met you if you left."

I'm grateful when for once, Obi-Wan doesn't try turning something emotional into a joke, except of course a very familiar shrill beeping splits the air. I groan. "Just ignore it?"

"They wouldn't be calling us unless something important is happening," he reminds and pulls back. "Yes, Captain?"

"General, something's wrong with Skywalker's astromech. Scared him really good, sir. I've also lost contact with two of my men."

"I'm on my way down to assist you." He stands up, heading for the door.

"We can go, Master," I offer, stepping forwards. "You can go stay with Satine, if something happens, and if there's something dangerous down there, we can handle it."

"How did I know this was going to happen," Aniya mutters as we run through the hall towards the elevator.

"Because we tend to attract trouble?" I offer.

"Yes, well, at least things are staying interesting," she offers.

"Alright men. What's the problem?" I inquire as we step into the darkened room, the door sliding closed behind us. "We're missing dinner."

"We're not sure yet, sir," Rex responds, "But there's still no sign of Mixer and Redeye."

Artoo beeps urgently, rocking back and forth as he rolls closer to us.

"What's the matter buddy?" I ask, looking down at the droid. He beeps a response, rocking back and forth. Whatever happened, he's pretty spooked. "I know, I know. But I'm here now."

"We'll get your back, Artoo," Aniya promises. "Use your scanners. See if something's out of place." The droid immediately extends the sensors on its dome and rolls towards the next room. Aniya and I follow in the front with the clones close behind, turning on their headlights so we can see. Artoo shines a light back and forth between several crates on the ship before continuing to roll forwards, stopping in front of a mysteriously opened one.

"Well, what have we here?" Appo exclaims in surprise, moving forwards.

"Looks like the contents of this box are missing," Rex says.

"Or it got up and walked away," I reply. Something could have been smuggled onto the ship in this. Something dangerous. Like a droid. I've seen that happen before.

"This may just be what we're looking for," Aniya murmurs.

"All right, fan out, separate squads," I order, turning to the men, "We'll contact Obi-Wan." As they move away in search of the area, I immediately call him.

"Anakin? Aniya? What have you found?" his voice finally comes through.

"A large container is open with mysteriously missing contents," Aniya responds.

"And we still have two men unaccounted for," I add.

"That's not good," Obi-Wan murmurs, "Keep things quiet. I'll stay with the senators."

"Got it."

Artoo whistles, rolling forwards again. "What's up? Did you find something?" I ask urgently. Artoo continues moving forwards between the narrow rows of crates, shining his light around before suddenly coming to a stop.

In between the crates, I manage to make out the figure of a clone. "There you are. Redeye, where have you been? You've had us all worried."

He continues to move closer to us, not responding. "Redeye?" Aniya asks worriedly, noticing the same time as I do that something about the way he's moving looks wrong. It's hard to tell since it's so dark, but there is definitely something off. Besides, I don't feel anyone.

A few steps brings him right into the spotlight. And there certainly is something wrong. He looks like something's holding him from behind, and my gaze falls on the arm-like object suspending him over the ground.

In a flash, both of us ignite our lightsabers. The thing suddenly throws the body at us. I dodge aside, looking up to see an enormous spider-like assassin droid, red lights glowing all around its head, just before it charges.

We lunge forwards, cutting through several of its front legs. It staggers back, sparking, before leaping towards us again, only to be hit by blaster fire from behind us. The clones swarm around the corner, quickly reducing the monster to rubble.

Another one suddenly darts around the corner, straight for the exit. "The lift!" Aniya and I realize simultaneously racing after it. I skid to a stop at the doorway, looking up to see it rapidly disappearing up the shaft.

"Obi-Wan!" I shout into my comm. "There's assassin probes down here! One made it up the lift."

"There might be more down here," warns Aniya, "Spread out and find it." She doesn't even have time to finish before a sudden noise catches our attention. Spinning around, I see identical, but tiny, copies of the spider-like assassin droid scrambling out the numerous holes in the large one.

They all run forwards like an army. The clones open fire. Aniya and I start cutting through the droids as fast as we can, but it's hard given their enormous number and tiny size. Artoo finally rolls forwards, shooting electricity at the swarming droids, frying all of their circuits. The battle lasts a while, but soon enough, all the droids are down.

"Good work, men. You too, buddy," I congratulate.

"Assassin droid," sighs Appo, "How did that monster end up in the hold?"

"No, it didn't just end up there somehow," Aniya objects.

"The question is," I agree, "Who smuggled them onboard?"

"It seems like there's a traitor among us," she points out, "Let's go find the droid in charge of the carbo bay."

Making our way through the crates, it doesn't take long to find a silver-colored protocol droid sitting next to one looking highly alarmed. "I'm looking for the droid that services the cargo bay," I announce, walking up to it.

"Uh, yes, sir," the droid worries, slowly standing up, "Are all those creatures dead?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Aniya retorts.

"You're in charge of the cargo manifest, right?" I demand as the droid approaches a control and pushes a few buttons.

"Uh, yes, I have it right here," it replies, approaching us with a datapad in hand.

"Well, where did they come from?" I press.

"It is right here on the manifest."

I jerk away the datapad, frowning down at the information on it. "There's no name on this chart!" I exclaim, looking up, "There's no indications of who shipped it."

"No, sir, just the Senate stamp, always accepted for transport here aboard the Coronet," the droid responds.

Aniya and I share an unreadable look. "We need to get up there and tell this to Obi-Wan in person," she decides.

Minutes later, we're back on the floor with the Senators, where destroyed droids lie scattered all over the room. He steps out into the hall as we explain the situation to him. "One of our four distinguished senators appears to be a traitor," I inform.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes for a moment, concentrating. "I sense it, too," he declares gravely, looking back to me. Just then, a movement on the floor catches my attention.

"Well, look what we have here," Aniya remarks as one of the tiny assassin droid darts towards the table.

"It looks like one of our little visitors is still alive," Obi-Wan observes, looking thoughtful. "I have an idea how to expose the turncoat. Return to the hull of the ship. Destroy the last assassin droids. I'll find out which of the senators is the traitor."

Aniya nods as we hurry out of the room heading back for the lower levels to resume our search for any remaining droids. Aniya, Artoo, and I move silently through the darkness, using our lightsabers for light.

"Anakin! Aniya!" Obi-Wan suddenly calls through both of our comms, "Tal Merrik is the traitor, and he's taken Satine hostage."

"Copy that," I reply, "But I've got problems of my own right now."

"We'll be there as soon as everything is taken care of down here," Aniya informs.

"Cody, Rex, Appo, have you found anything?" I demand.

"All quiet over here, sir," comes the reply.

"Wait a minute..." Cody exclaims a moment later. I hear the sound of blaster bolts, and we dart around the corner. The clones are on the floor, a small assassin droid jumping all over them. Aniya swings her lightsaber, cutting through the last of the small droids.

"Well, we found the little ones," concludes Rex.

"What about the mother?" I ask.

"Haven't seen it," he replies as a warning ripples through the Force. The giant assassin droid leaps out from behind the crates, sending one of the clones flying across the room. It lands on top of him, and he kicks it away, rolling over and shooting at it.

Aniya and I race around the corner as the assassin droid starts running up the wall. I throw my still ignited lightsaber towards it, and the blade spins through the air, finally reaching its target and cutting through several of the droid's legs. I grab my lightsaber again as the droid clatters to the floor. Rex charges across the room, jumping on top of it and blasting it repeatedly. Finally, the red lights around its dome flicker off, and it falls limply to the ground.

"Time to go looking for the Duchess," Aniya decides.

"Guard the escape pods," I order hastily. "Don't let anyone in them." With that, my twin and I bolt out of the room, taking the elevator up to the floor Obi-Wan was on.

We dash out of the elevator the moment it arrives, taking another turn in the hall only to run straight into Obi-Wan. "Did you find them?" he pants.

"No, but I've stationed troopers at every escape pod," I reply as we skid to a stop next to him.

"Merrik will try to signal his allies for help. We have to find him," Obi-Wan says urgently as we step into another lift.

I can sense his extreme anxiety and worry for her, and it reminds me of something else I've been wondering this entire time. "This may not be the time to ask, but were you and Satine ever –"

"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand," Obi-Wan snaps, glaring at me.

"It doesn't," concedes Aniya, "But I would like some answers... later." Our brother does not look impressed.

Just then, the ship jolts indicating that we've come out of hyperspace moments before an alarm starts to blare. "It appears we have company," Aniya remarks. More than likely, they were timing this so the attack would happen before we came out of hyperspace, where they may have more forces waiting for us.

"We'll take care of this, Obi-Wan," I decide as a group of clones runs down the hall, "You go find your girlfriend." Since that seems to be the main thought on his mind right now, honestly.

Aniya and I take off running down the hall, ignoring Obi-Wan's shout of, "Right – No, Anakin, she's not my –!" The rest is drowned out as we continue after the clones.

We're deep into the ship when we finally come across the battle. The clones and Mandalorians are fighting a group of super battle droids. The walls here are blue, though the carpet is still red. I dark around the corner, jumping into the middle of the group, vertically slicing through one of the droids as I land. Aniya lands next to me, cutting through another. We continue down the hall, cutting through the super battle droids as the Mandalorians and clones fight the ones advancing on them.

As we near the end of the hall, I spin around, throwing the three remaining droids into the wall and flicking off my lightsaber. I know exactly where I need to be heading now. I can sense them nearby. "Careful," I warn my sister. She nods, following me in dead silence as we creep down the hall.

Voices reach my ears as we continue to go. "I don't quite know how to say this," Satine is saying, sounding far more vulnerable than I've ever heard, "But I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago."

"I don't believe this," scoffs Merrik.

"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for –" begins Obi-Wan, but then trails off with a sigh, "Alright, had you said the world, I would have left the Jedi Order." He would have left the Order for her? I knew they were close... but I didn't realize it was that much. I know Obi-Wan is far from perfect, but that doesn't mean I was expecting the admission.

"That is touching, truly it is, but it's making me sick, and we really must be going," Merrik sneers.

"You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik," snaps Satine, "And slugs are so often trod upon." The statement is followed by sudden movement. Cautiously peeking around the corner, I see Satine now aiming a blaster at Merrik while Obi-Wan stands across from him, holding his ignited lightsaber.

"Interesting turnabout," comments the Senator calmly, "But even if I do not deliver the Duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The second I'm away, I'll hit the remote and blow the Coronet to bits."

"I will not allow that!" Satine fires back.

"What will you do?" Merrik mocks, "If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear. And you, Kenobi, you are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship. Almost everyone. Come on, then. Who will strike first and brand themselves a cold-blooded killer?" Killing one crazy person to save everyone on the entire ship hardly makes someone a cold-blooded killer.

I soundlessly move forwards, carefully stepping up behind him and activating my lightsaber through his chest. His hand unclenches, and the trigger to the explosives falls from his hand right into mine. I feel his presence fade away as his body falls to the floor. Satine tosses the blaster she's holding across the room, and it clangs to the floor.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan sighs, giving me an exasperated look. That's the look he only gives a very disobedient child, and I really don't appreciate the indication.

"What?! He was gonna blow up the ship!" What else was I supposed to do? And just like that, the same desperate determination crashes down, and I have no idea where I went wrong this time.

"Obi-Wan, I –" begins Satine, slowly stepping closer to him, as Cody rushes around the corner.

"General Skywalker, the last of the droids have been defeated, sir," he reports.

"Very good, Cody," responds Aniya automatically.

"I must get back to the business of diplomacy," Satine decides, turning to walk away.

"As you say, Duchess," Obi-Wan sighs, bowing slightly, "Some other time."

"What?" Aniya asks crossly once Satine and the clones disappear down the hall. "What were we supposed to do, if not kill him?"

Obi-Wan still looks mildly irritated. "You were listening the whole time, weren't you?"

"Like you did any better some months back," I mutter.

"Maybe next time, don't have private conversations in a public place?" Aniya suggests dryly. "And we ought to catch up with the others."

"Right," Obi-Wan agrees.

Finally, this is over. Hopefully, the short remainder of the trip will be uneventful.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

"Padme," I call as Anakin and I enter the room. The sun has set already, and darkness is slowly starting to cover the surface of Coruscant. Padme and one of her handmaidens are setting the dining room table. "We've secured the perimeter. The outside is clear."

"I didn't think we'd find anything, either," Jaufre agrees, coming to a stop beside me. I try not to make it obvious that I move a little closer to him. I've really been missing him over the time we weren't on the planet. We don't see each other very much, and it's been driving me out of my mind. I guess Anakin and I are both lucky the Council agreed to let us stay on Coruscant for a short while before going back out to battle. It's been a year since the Clone Wars started now. An entire year, with no signs of the war slowing down and certainly not of stopping.

"Thank you for helping out," Padme replies with a smile.

"My pleasure," I chirp.

"The negotiations with the Aruthurian delegates are critical, and there are a lot of people who don't want them to happen. You know, it might not be such a bad idea if you stick around," she remarks.

"You know I hate politics," I protest.

"Well, you could always sit in the corner and mediate or something, so you don't have to hear anything," Jaufre smirks.

"Because that's so much better," Anakin retorts, rolling his eyes.

"And after that, to make up for your suffering, perhaps we can watch some Earth Wars together," proposes Jaufre.

"Earth Wars?" echoes Padme, "Jaufre, I think they see enough war already without having to watch it in holofilms."

"But it's a lot more fun to watch it with technology from millennia ago," he insists.

"Maybe," I shrug. I used to love it, but really, I'm unimpressed with the latest turn of events in that series. Can people please stop killing off all the best characters? Life is full of enough tragedy already, without you adding to it, thank you very much.

"The technology is useless compared to what it is now," objects Anakin, "But I'm sure it will be fine."

"Great. Then we have a deal," chirps Jaufre.

Padme sighs but doesn't argue.

The handmaiden, dressed in brilliant orange as they always are, rounds the table. She's occupied with setting the table for Padme's guests, not really paying us much attention. Even so, something feels off. I don't think it's her, though. There's something else, something I can't quite place. Something about the dishes on the table catches my attention. I step over to it, scanning the objects. They're all fancy, not like anything else can be expected for having dinner with a senator, but that's not what catches my attention.

"I do have a question, though," I state slowly, pausing as the handmaiden turns and starts heading out of the room. My sister-in-law looks at me questioningly. "Why'd you set the table with utensils? Aruthurian delegates never use them."

"They might find it insulting," Anakin finishes for me.

Padme eyes the table with a slightly confused expression. "Hmm. You're right. And I was very specific in my instructions." She turns to the handmaiden, who's almost at the doorway now. "Excuse me," she calls, "What is the meaning of this?"

The handmaiden pauses in the doorway for a moment before suddenly whirling around, a blaster in her hand. Anakin and I instantly whip out our lightsabers, activating them barely in time as the handmaiden – or whoever she really is, because they're like Padme's sisters, and I know they'd die before trying to hurt us – opens fires.

"Is she on the guest list or what?" Anakin asks as we deflect the shots away from Padme and Jaufre.

"No," Padme says emphatically, pulling out a blaster of her own and firing at the intruder, hitting her in the leg. She staggers back, falling to the floor, the blaster sliding from her hands. As my brother and I spring towards her, she suddenly begins shifting into the true form of a changeling. I was already beginning to expect as much. One of Padme's handmaidens wouldn't suddenly go crazy and try to kill her any more than I would spontaneously go crazy and try to kill Obi-Wan or something.

Throwing off the orange cape, the changeling jumps up, pulling out the trigger to a bomb. I lunge forwards, tackling him. He tries to push it, but I yank it away, throwing it to Jaufre, who smoothly catches it, before I turn back to the bounty hunter, knocking him unconscious before he can cause any more damage. Turning, I see Anakin detaching the bomb from the bottom of the table. It certainly was smart of the bounty hunter to hide it there, given no one would have been able to see it until too late.

"A smart move," Anakin remarks, "Good thing we stayed after all."

"Well, the delegates should be here anytime," Padme says, stepping over to the table and quickly gathering up the utensils, "We need to get this room straightened out."

"Yes," agrees Jaufre, "They'd probably be pretty spooked to see an unconscious bounty hunter lying in the corner."

I snort. "Definitely. But, it looks like we might have to make that choice after all."

Anakin sighs, glancing around. "I guess so. We can go around the apartment watching security."

"For now, maybe," I agree.

"Do you think you'll be able to stay here overnight?" Padme inquires.

"Hopefully..." Anakin says after a moment. "Our padawans are busy right now."

"Oh, and by the way," Padme adds, "There's a Senate meeting in the morning. And I was wondering if you wanted to come."

"Sure," I agree, "And maybe we should bring our padawans too, so they don't ask us where we've been so long."

***

Ahsoka Tano

I sit up sleepily, glancing at the window. The sun is just starting to rise, casting its first rays over Coruscant. Anakin would never be up at this time, but, well, I am not the same as my master. Alema shifts in the bed next to me, opening an eye sleepily.

"Already time to get up?" she inquires.

"You can wait until I'm ready if you want," I say, jumping up and heading for the 'fresher after casting a glance back at her. She still looks tired, which isn't surprising. The only reason we're sharing was because our masters aren't here, and we all know better than to leave Alema alone at night. She often has nightmares, and I'm not much better off. Ever since the war started, dreams of the destruction have haunted me. It's gotten better as time goes on, but only a little.

The morning breezes by as usual, with us getting ready and eating. The twins still aren't back, and I wonder what exactly they've been doing. At least I am, until my commlink beeps.

A hologram of Anakin and Aniya appears as I answer the call. "Yes, Skyguy?" I answer. "And Skygirl?" I add a moment later.

"We're going to attend a Senate meeting," Aniya informs. "You can fly over if you want to join us."

"A Senate meeting?" groans Alema. She definitely shares our master's hatred for politics.

"Well, that's a first," I chirp.

"We thought it seemed like a perfect learning opportunity," grins Anakin.

"We're Jedi, not politicians," whines Alema.

"Which doesn't mean you don't need to know how the system works," objects Aniya.

"Okay, we'll come over," I decide after a moment, considering, "I'd like to get out of the Temple and do something before we're called on another mission anyway. When's the meeting starting?"

"Very soon, so you better hurry," Anakin warns.

"I don't think it will hurt if we're half an hour late to another boring debate," mumbles Alema under her breath.

Aniya gives her a look. "It might not, but you'll be even more confused."

"Alright, alright," she moans finally.

"We're gonna be with Senator Amidala, right?" I inquire for confirmation.

"Of course," Anakin confirms, making me wonder what they were doing all night, anyway. Well, it hardly matters now, I suppose.

"Come on," I decide, disconnecting the call, looking over at Alema. "I'm sure you're as eager to see the Senator again as I am." We've grown very friendly since we met, and I'm glad to get to talk to her again.

***

The entire meeting flies right over my head. I don't even get how any of what they talked about is relevant, except something about bringing more clones to fight. The twins spent the entire time standing on opposite sides of the doorway, arms crossed. Neither says a word, but I can tell from their posture and the darkness swirling around them that they're both extremely upset by this. I'm almost beginning to regret coming here in the first place, but at least it's a nice break from fighting battles.

"You should ask the Jedi Council to speak with Chancellor Palpatine," Padme tells the twins right after we exit the Senate meeting.

"Don't involve us in this," Anakin objects.

"A peaceful solution is the only way out of this morass of war," Padme argues.

Aniya doesn't look any happier than Anakin, and quite frankly, I'm not sure why they're refusing. "You know there's nothing we can do about it."

"Why not?" Alema interjects from where she walks next to me, right behind the other three.

"The Council would hardly listen to us of all people," Aniya reminds, glancing over her shoulder. "My master has tried, and even that didn't go anywhere. That's why he came off the fronts in the first place." I can sense her frustration pouring through our bond.

"And it's not our role," Anakin agrees. He's been standing with his arms crossed the entire time, a telltale sign he's uncomfortable, though I'm not quite sure about what.

I hurry to catch up with the three, finally deciding it's time to start getting my endless questions cleared up. "Why not?" I demand. "Why isn't it? Aren't we Jedi Knights? Isn't it our duty to speak our minds to advise the Chancellor?"

"Yes, why can't we?" Alema asks. "I know there's a difference between the roles of the Jedi and Senate, but this doesn't make sense. We should be trying to bring peace, not continuing to fight."

Anakin glances at us and sighs. "I suggest you teach our young padawans a thing or two about politics."

"I concur," seconds Aniya.

"After today's debate, I was hoping they'd learned a great deal," the Senator objects.

"Truthfully, I don't understand any of it," I deadpan. "I know the Separatists are evil, but all anyone argued about was banking deregulation, interest rates, and almost nothing about why we're fighting in the first place." And this is having me more and more confused by the moment.

"War's complicated," Anakin states, stepping in front of us, "But let me simplify it. The Separatists believe the Republic is corrupt, but they're wrong, and we have to restore order." Aniya pointedly raises an eyebrow at him. "I'm simplifying it," he insists.

Alema glances between the adults. "Really? That hardly explains why everyone's clashing heads like a bunch of younglings."

"Well," Padme interjects, "I'm sure you have other duties to attend to. Come on, Ahsoka and Alema." She heads off down the hall, and with a glance back at our annoyed masters, I follow. Alema hurries after.

"Hey!" cries Anakin.

"You told me to teach them about politics. So, I'm going to," Padme shoots back.

Alema chuckles. "Ever notice how those two literally argue like our parents half the time?" she whispers.

I don't quite manage to suppress a grin. "I know, right?"

We follow Padme through the halls, finally reaching her office. We've been in her office for a while as she works, with me growing more and more bored before Padme finally starts talking again. "If only I could talk to Senator Bonteri."

"Who's he?" I ask in confusion. It's not a name I'm familiar with, even if I have known her and many of her friends in the Senate for a while.

"He is a she," she responds, sitting down beside us, "A senator in the Confederacy of Independent systems."

"Your friend is a Separatist?" I exclaim in surprise, "One of Dooku's pawns?"

"Why are you friends with a Separatist?" squeaks Alema, gaping at her.

"The Separatists used to be a part of the Republic," she reminds, "I was close with many of the senators who left. I may not agree with them, but they're more than pawns." Oh. That explains it. I never even considered that she's probably lost many friends in the conflict.

"If only they knew they were being misled by the Sith," murmurs Alema, "This whole war could have been avoided."

"If you think negotiating is the right thing to do, let's talk to her," I suggest. If she could facilitate talks with the Separatists and end the war, all the better. Why has no one done that already?

"The Senate's made it illegal," she sighs.

"Illegal?" I exclaim, surprised.

"They say official meetings would only legitimize the Separatists," she explains.

"Now, that is just stupid!" cries Alema, "Aren't they already a legitimate government anyway? Why is that a reason to waste lives on both sides?"

"Master Skywalker and I hold what we call aggressive negotiations all the time," I reply, "It's a shame you can't hold more peaceful talks when you want."

Padme suddenly brightens. "You just gave me an idea. You're both Jedi, which gives you special clearance."

"Right...?" I confirm, not really sure what she's getting at.

"And Jedi are allowed to travel to neutral worlds like Mandalore. Where we could then board a cargo ship to a Separatist system," she continues.

"W...wait a minute!" protests Alema, eyes widening.

"Are you suggesting I use my status as a Jedi to smuggle you behind enemy lines?" I ask, almost incredulously.

Padme sighs, "It's just that you could get us through to meet with her. I haven't seen her or her family in so long."

"Relax," I assure her, "We'll help you. Besides, Anakin said you should teach us about politics."

"Hey good point," smirks Alema. "I don't think either of our masters will be terribly happy about this, but that's fine. They don't have to know until we're back."

"You know, you and our masters have more in common than you think," I remark, looking back at the Senator, "It's no wonder you get along well."

"Of course," Padme says, with an almost knowing smile as she stands up, "We better prepare for the journey before they notice you're missing."

***

Padme, Alema, and I walk at a hurried pace off the transport, hooded cloaks covering us to avoid recognition. Sneaking through to the Separatist capital was far easier than I expected, but it's still dangerous, for Padme especially. Anakin and Aniya will absolutely murder us when we get back to Coruscant, assuming they realize where we've gone. At least if we can get some progress here, I suppose it would be worth it. That's all that matters, right?

A tall, brown-haired woman walks forwards to greet us. She seems genuinely happy to see us, which I still don't understand. How could Padme be friends with one of these people? And she looks like an ordinary person. Not... evil. She feels so peaceful in the Force, too.

"Hello, old friend," she greets Padme, coming to walk beside us.

"Ahsoka, Alema, this is Mina Bonteri. She was my mentor when I was growing up on Naboo," Padme explains. That answers how they know each other, but I'm still confused. How can she be so... cheerful? Friendly, even? It doesn't really make sense.

"You're a Separatist?" I ask warily.

She laughs softly, the sound surprisingly not unpleasant. "Well, of course, my dear." There's no hostility in her voice, either. She sounds friendly, cheerful. "What were you expecting? Now, come. I have a transport waiting." She starts heading towards a nearby speeder.

Alema and I exchange glances. "Looks like we might have a lot to be learning, after all," she remarks. I nod my agreement. This is so... strange. If I didn't know better, I might think that everyone here was the same as it is in the Republic – corrupted but many of them still have some sense. Which doesn't make sense. The Separatists are evil. They're being led by the Sith, killing countless people and pointlessly starting a war.

The city is fairly decent, I have to admit that. It's nowhere near as beautiful as Coruscant, though, which isn't surprising. The Separatist group is still much smaller than the Republic. Thankfully.

Somewhere around ten minutes later, after a mostly silent ride, we're pulling to a stop at a fairly decent sized house. There is a staircase going up to the front door. A boy, probably in his mid-teens, is standing near the staircase going up to the front door. Assumedly her son. They share many similarities, though the boy's hair is a much darker shade of brown. Blue eyes appraise us curiously.

"Lux," Mina calls as we get off the transport. "Come down here and help our guests with their luggage, please."

He jumps down, hurrying towards us.

"Padme, it's so good to see you," Mina says to the other Senator, finally dropping all sense of her prior formality and wrapping an arm around her former student's shoulders.

"Yes," she agrees, "How things have changed since the last time we met."

I don't understand it. I know they used to be friends, but the Separatists left the Republic. They've betrayed everyone, and I'm not sure how Padme can trust them. The very fact that we're here on the planet and will be going to one of their homes has me on fully edge. We're in the heart of Separatist territory, and I have no idea if someone is going to spot us. It would be so easy.

"Let's go inside. There's much to discuss," Mina agrees.

The adults head for the house, and Lux walks over to us. "May I?" he inquires, reaching for the luggage I'm carrying.

I can't help myself, shooting him a glare. Even if Padme can act casual around them, I can't. I've experienced first-hand what Separatists do. I will absolutely not remain in such close proximity with one. "I can handle it," I all but snap, moving forwards. Alema is silent, though I can sense her annoyance and confusion clearly through our bond. None of this makes any more sense to her than it does to me.

I follow Padme inside with Alema. Lux follows but stops outside the door again. "He's grown so much, Mina," I hear Padme remarking right after we enter. The walls are very light in color, somehow managing to portray a sense of peacefulness. The three of us remove our cloaks, no longer having a need for them now that we're inside. Fortunately, this is a place of many species, so we can blend in well otherwise. I can just hope no one will take notice of us while we're here. I shudder at the thought of being caught in Separatist territory when no one knows where we are. That would not be good, but we know how to be careful. We'll have to make sure not to accidently attract attention. It couldn't possibly be that hard, right? I mean, we do very dangerous things on a regular basis.

"Time won't stop, even if we are at war. And I'm afraid these events are shaping his young life," Mina relates.

"With all due respect," I ask finally, unable to help myself. "As a Separatist, didn't you create this war?"

"Ahsoka!" Padme exclaims, giving me a sharp look.

"It's all right," Mina interjects, almost as though she was expecting one of us to ask the question. "That's a very polarized point of view, my dear. Would it surprise you to know that many of the people you call Separatists feel the same way about the Republic and the Jedi?" She asks. "Lux's father was like that." What? That's ridiculous. It was my master who was captured in that first battle. The Jedi were fighting in self-defense.

"Maybe we could speak with him?" suggests Alema. Which would be a good thing. Their family seems like decent people. I'm not sure how they managed to end up like this, being manipulated by the Sith. If we could talk to them, maybe we'd be able to change their minds.

"If only you could," Mina replies softly, a sudden air of sadness settling over her, and she glances out the large window on one side of the room, overlooking the yard and city beyond. "A year ago, next week, he was setting up a base on Aargonar when the clones attacked. My husband fought bravely in self-defense but was killed."

This is all too much for me to take in. All this time, I've always thought of the Separatists being evil. I never really thought much about what the civilians on their side were like. I'd never seen any before, not until right now. And to think of how many people were killed in the war on this side, how many families lost people they cared for... To think that an innocent boy now has to grow up without his father because of the war... How many more families are like that?

And Mina, I can feel her sadness, and she knows I'm a Jedi, that I'm on the opposing side, yet she doesn't mind our presences. She hasn't objected to us being in her home or tattled or... anything.

"Excuse me," I mumble, turning to the door. "I think I'll get some air."

"... Me too," Alema agrees softly, slipping out of the house after me.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

The fresh air greets us, a slight breeze blowing across us. Lux is sitting on the left side of the railing-like wall, and I can feel his gaze on us. "You're Jedi, aren't you?" his voice makes me stop in my tracks, and I glance back at him. He sounds genuinely curious, and given how his mother was acting, I doubt he'd hold it against us. I sense no ill-intent whatsoever. Besides, denying it would be pointless. We both have our lightsabers in plain sight.

"Yes," I confirm.

"How did you guess?" Alema adds.

"It was an educated guess," Lux explains. "It was the only way Senator Amidala could have gotten here. You know travel legally has been banned."

Alema can't help but smirk at the statement. "Well, disobeying senseless laws is excusable."

"Why did you ask?" I inquire, veering back to our original topic of conversation.

"Before the war, I was always told the Jedi were good," he answers, shifting.

"And now?" I prod, curious.

Lux jumps off the ledge, falling in line with us walking the rest of the way down the stairs. "I don't know anymore," he admits. "There are a lot of terrible things happening, a lot of killing. And now my friends are saying the Jedi are to blame."

"They're wrong," Alema supplies, sounding a lot less sure than she did before.

I nudge her in reminder that's hardly the right approach. "We're the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't we?" I inquire. Because otherwise, there's hardly a way a person could really believe that.

"Well, yes," Lux confirms.

I cross my arms, smirking. "Look at me. I'm not so bad, am I?"

He runs his eyes over me, from the top of my white and blue montrals, which have lengthened since I became a padawan, down to my dark red boots. "No, not bad at all."

I roll my eyes at him. "It seems boys are the same whether they're Republic or Separatists." I know that look. Why are boys always like that? They seem clueless there's more to a person than look. Alema laughs softly, the mood somehow seeming lighter than it has been since we left Coruscant. We turn to start heading down the path.

"Wait!" calls Lux, hurrying to catch up. "How many Separatists have you met?"

"What?!" Alema and I chorus, slightly surprised by the question. We've literally fought in many battles since the war started, and he's asking us that?

"I mean, you think we're all the bad guys. But how many of us have you actually met?" Lux inquires. "And droids don't count."

"Ventress?" offers Alema, then shrugs. "And Grievous. But they're both military officers..."

"So, none, I guess," I tell him. "You and your mother are the first."

Lux stops walking, staring at us with a half-smirk on his face. "Look at me," he says, "Am I so bad?"

"... Okay, I see your point," Alema concedes. There's definitely nothing evil about him. When I look at him, I don't see anything beyond a normal teenage boy, though he's had more than his fair share of loss in this world. He, like us, is already being pulled into things he's too young for, though there's a sense of peacefulness about him – still untainted by the chaos of battle – that draws me to him.

We turn to keep walking down the path, and this time, he doesn't interrupt us again. "I'm still having a hard time adjusting to this," I admit finally. "We've always been told all the Separatists are evil..."

"But they're just misled," finishes Alema. "I know. And now it's making me question the war again. Is there really a reason to be fighting like this? I don't get why – why we can't talk this out. There's got to be a peaceful solution without killing anyone."

I nod my agreement. "That's why Padme wanted to come here, but as long as Dooku is controlling what happens, I expect the war will continue dragging out."

"But at least it gives us a small measure of hope," she remarks finally. "Maybe if enough people on both sides demand an end... they'll be forced to find a peaceful solution."

"Which again brings me back to wondering what will happen when the war is over." I murmur. It's something I think about a lot, and we've talked about it with Barriss on a number of occasions. Everything will be too different for the Jedi Order to go back to what it was like before. We've suffered severe losses since the beginning of the war, and it could take a long, long time to be fully restored. And the clones. What would happen to them? The Republic would have no need for an army anymore. Where would they go? But every time I think about it, I get the dark feeling that when the war actually does end, there won't be much to worry about.

***

"How many lives on both sides have to end before we see the futility?" Mina demands, her voice ringing through the Separatist Senate room. The three of us are standing along the upper balcony, watching the meeting. It reminds me a lot of the Republic Senate meetings from before, honestly. Only the amount of darkness cloaking the room has me on edge. Dooku is here via hologram, though we're safely out of his sight and are doing our best to shield ourselves. This is dangerous, but we are all wearing our hooded cloaks again. No one should notice us, right? It's not like we don't know how to shield ourselves.

Mina stands in the center of the room, addressing the Senate. "Surely there is room in the galaxy for Confederate and Republic planets to coexist. I move that we immediately open peace negotiations with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant."

The room immediately explodes into an uproar in a way that reminds me way too much of the Republic Senate. Ugh. Are all politicians the same, regardless of what side they're on?! Dooku quiets them, calling for a vote. The have an unfathomable respect for him it seems – he is their leader I suppose – but I don't get it. Don't they know it was him who started the war, even if not all the Separatists are apparently evil? I don't fully understand it, even now, except it seems many of them are being manipulated. Or at the very least, everything isn't black and white.

"The ayes have it," Dooku decides at last, pulling me out of my thoughts. I sense Alema's instant elation through the Force. Mina looks our way for a moment, exchanging a silent smile with Padme.

As the Senators begin to disperse since the meeting is over, Padme steps away from the balcony, motioning for us to follow. "Come on," she says, "We should hurry and leave before everyone else."

"Good idea," agrees Alema anxiously, and we hurriedly make for the exit.

Before we know it, we find ourselves back at the Bonteri residence, preparing for our immediate departure from Raxus. This certainly has been an eventful day, and it's given me quite a lot to think about.

Mina and Lux accompany us outside to see us off. As the women exchange final goodbyes with one another, Alema and I turn to Lux. We spent a decent amount of time together during our trip, and he's a friend, even if I may never see him again. Lux turns to Alema and I. "Goodbye," he says.

"I wouldn't want to meet you on the battlefield, for your sake," I remark, giving him a smile which he returns.

"Me too," offers Alema, "Hopefully, thanks to our illegal trip, we can bring a much quicker end to the war."

Lux dips his head in a nod. "I hope so."

"Go, you three, quickly," Mina urges as our transport arrives.

"We'll be careful," promises Alema before climbing on.

***

I didn't think anything would go wrong, but I'm still relieved when we arrive back on Coruscant. Even so, I'm glad we managed to get such an up-close perspective of the war on both sides. I don't know why Anakin made it sound so black and white earlier. "Do you want to go back to the Temple yet?" Padme asks as we finally arrive back at the Senate.

"We can stay a while longer," Alema answers for me. Our conversation is interrupted when she catches sight of the Chancellor passing by further ahead in the hallway.

"The Senate will no doubt be calling a meeting. I must attend," Padme says and moves forwards.

"This is quite a stunning development," remarks Palpatine.

"Your Excellency, we would be remiss, if not irresponsible, to reject the Separatists proposal," Padme points out. Alema and I follow the two a short distance behind, curious to know how the conversation is headed.

"Of course," the Chancellor replies, "And end to the fighting would mean there's no need to borrow money for clones. I can see why you would want so badly to believe that the Separatists desire peace."

Padme frowns. "I don't understand..."

"In the past, whenever we've reached out our hands in peace, they've been slapped away," he points out, "Can we believe that they're ready to sue for peace so easily?"

She eyes him for a long moment, before glancing around the hallway as if to ensure that no one else is listening. Well, other than us right around the corner which doesn't matter. "If I might speak with you confidentially, I know that this is sincere. I have been in contact with my old friend Mina Bonteri, and the origin of the proposal is with her." For some reason, I don't think it was the best idea for her to tell anyone. Word has a tendency to get around, and if it reaches the wrong person... Dooku may not want the war to end just yet.

"Bonteri?" echoes Palpatine, "How was this dialogue establish?"

"Does it matter, Chancellor, if the result is an end to the war?" she points out.

"I see your point, my child. Then we shall put the vote on the floor," Palpatine decides.

"And before you ask," Alema declares, "No, I think I'll pass on attending this meeting. I've had enough of that for a while."

"I want to see how this goes," I object.

She groans. "Alright, fine. If you insist."

***

Of course, more chaos had to erupt right before the Senate can reach a decision. I'm not at all impressed to hear the damage, but I can't say I necessarily mind it when the three of us run into our masters again in the red-tinted halls. "I'm returning your padawans," Padme announces.

"I'm sorry your talks with Bonteri failed," Anakin remarks, crossing his arms. What?

"How did you know?" I demand, raising an eye marking. The only person who Padme told was the Chancellor, and I know the twins may be relatively close with him, but I don't know why he'd bother telling them something like that. Besides, it's not like they even would have had time to talk each other yet. I don't think.

"We have eyes and ears everywhere," Aniya replies harshly, glaring at us, "Did you really think on a trip like that no one would recognize you? How, after all the time I trained you, could you have done something so stupid and reckless?!"

"Well, it was you who trained me," Alema retaliates.

Aniya jerks back as if struck, expression flickering from angry to hurt.

"It was dangerous and careless, not to mention illegal," Anakin lectures. He's doing a surprisingly good job maintaining calm, but I can feel his anger, his fear. "You went too far." Padme looks complete unphased, even in the face of their anger.

"You would do the same. You do the same all the time," I point out.

"Break the law?!" Aniya yells, finally completely exploding. "We do not! This was stupid, dangerous, and reckless! You could have been killed, all of you, and there's nothing we could've done to help! How stupid can you be, seriously?! What do you think we would have done if we heard it? Felt it, huh, Ahsoka? If I felt you die, what do you think that would do to me? To Anakin?"

"We're in dangerous situations all the time," Alema offers quietly, subdued.

"Not alone," Anakin replies with a voice of steel, "And Padme? I don't want to hear you dragging my children into a situation like this ever again without explicit permission from me. You're friends, and I don't want to have to break off contact between you." Before I have a chance to argue, he catches my arm, spinning me around and pulling me down the hall. He's scary when he's angry. I never realized before how much. Maybe because it's never been directed at me before, not like this. I think I hear Padme calling after us, but neither of the twins respond. Given the circumstances, I don't think I should try, either.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"I overreacted earlier," I say, uncomfortably, "And I'm sorry."

It's the evening after what happened, and Aniya and I found the opportunity to drop by at Padme's apartment again. I admittedly feel guilty for lashing out like that, even if we had every reason to be upset. We very rarely argue with Padme – and even less so Jaufre – and it's not something I can let rest until it's set right.

Padme sighs. "I understand why you were upset," she admits grudgingly, "But I was doing it for the Republic. I thought we might be able to bring a peaceful resolution to the war." Which didn't end up working out in the end anyway since Mina mysteriously died and the Separatists decided to withdraw the peace proposal since they blamed the Republic. Of course, I can only guess who's really responsible.

"I know," Aniya responds, "But our padawans are young, and there's much they don't understand. They don't understand the laws or that they were literally committing treason by aiding you."

"Or the consequences of treason," I add.

"I suppose I didn't consider what the consequences could be to them if we were caught," she admits after a moment. "I was focused on my goal."

"I know why you did it," I sigh, "But it was still... illegal."

"I won't do anything like that with them again, if it helps," Padme assures. "I didn't mean to put them in danger."

"I would suggest not trying something like that again whether with or without them," Aniya informs her flatly.

"I'll do what I have to do for the Republic," she insists, which does very little to make me feel better, "But I won't try something like that again."

"Good, just... be careful," I tell her finally. This is Padme, so I know she won't really take her own safety seriously if it's for the Republic, regardless of what we say, but I don't want her in danger needlessly. And I definitely don't want her taking our padawans into a situation like that ever again either.

I don't think she will, and I'm going to let the matter drop for now since we seem to have sorted it out, but I'm still wary about leaving the padawans alone at the Senate again.

***

Ahsoka Tano

A few weeks later, we decide to drop by at Padme's again. We haven't seen her since what happened last time. I'm hardly surprised when Jaufre answers the door for us.

"Hey, Ahsoka, Alema!" he greats us cheerfully, "It's good to see you. I heard about your little excursion."

"Which is something we also shouldn't be talking about in plain sight of any passerby's," Alema reminds. "May we come in?"

"Of course. Do you really think we'd abandon you in the hall?" he smirks, stepping aside and allowing us to enter.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe if you were being as grumpy as Anakin was," I offer.

"They were both being cranky for days," Alema rolls her eyes.

"They're worried," he replies crossing his arms. I turn around, facing him. He might have started flipping into that overprotective mode. Oh boy. "They have a right to be. You could have gotten yourselves killed."

"As Jedi, we're supposed to be willing to sacrifice ourselves it if means being able to save thousands," Alema points out. Which is the truth, but looking back, it was a very stupid, reckless decision.

Jaufre rolls his eyes. "You'd have thrown your life away, is what would have happened. Do you think the Separatists would have been willing to listen to Mina at all if they knew why she was suddenly proposing this? You all would have been killed, and everything would have been pointless." He's far more upset than I realized.

"I get why you're upset," Alema grumbles, "But can everyone quit making such a big deal about it? Things worked out fine."

"Yeah, but they easily might not have." Jaufre's expression darkens imperceptibly. "As it was, they somehow figured out you were there. How else do you think Mina was killed?"

"What?!" I hiss, eyes going wide. How could they...?

"I don't know, okay? But it's all too suspicious. That happened, and suddenly, Mina died. Maybe they didn't know you came, but if she hadn't tried it, she'd still be alive."

And Lux would still have his mother. It's bad enough he lost his father not long ago. Who knows what this might do to him? He doesn't deserve any of this. Not any more than any of us do. But deep down, I know Mina would have tried something like that eventually. We unintentionally sped up the inevitable.

"Don't take the blame or anything stupid like that," he grumbles, stepping forwards. "Just think twice before you put yourselves at risk like that again. Your masters have lost enough. They don't need to lose anyone else." My gaze follows him as he walks out of the room, the pauses by the doorway. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Padme's at a meeting, and she'll be back shortly."

Alema and I turn back to each other once he's gone. He is right, in a way. I don't know very much about the twins, but I know they were taken to the Temple way later and that their childhood was very hard. That much was obvious with how they reacted to going to Tatooine again. No one should act like that about their own home-planet. I know the Council took a lot of convincing before accepting them, but not much other than that. Padme and Jaufre have known them for far longer, but I still find myself slightly frustrated that there's so much they know we don't.

"I never thought about how dangerous this could be," the Twi'lek mumbles finally, kicking at the floor.

"Neither did I." There are a few moments of silence before I head after Jaufre. "Come on."

We find him on the couch in the living room. He looks rather frustrated about something but brightens a bit when we enter.

"Sorry about... all that?" I offer finally.

He concedes with a nod. "I just hope Anakin and Aniya agree." He's also awfully loyal, I can't help but note. No wonder Aniya likes him so much. I still can't help but get the feeling there's something between then, just like I do with my own master and Padme.

"We were hoping to bring a faster end to the war, if we could," Alema explains quietly.

"It's too bad all Jedi aren't like your generals. If they were, the war would have already been won." It's moments like these I can tell he's not all playfulness. He's being affected by the war far more than he ever lets on to admit.

"Yes, there's rarely a battle they can't win," I agree, "Especially together." Without Grievous, the war has taken a tide for the better. The Republic is winning, but it's very slow, painful progress. None of the other generals the Separatists have are good at fighting, even if they are good at strategy. Still, the losses are significant. Obi-Wan and the twins have been making a name for themselves, being the only Republic generals that always seem to win.

"I'm just afraid someday someone will come who can replace Grievous," Alema murmurs with a sigh.

"Very possible," Jaufre agrees, "But until then..."

"We'll have to hope the war is over by the time such a person arises," I conclude.

***

Anakin Skywalker

I've been on edge maybe a little too much recently. I could've lost both my little sisters because of a stupid mistake, because they don't understand danger or have any sense of self-preservation. I thought Ahsoka was growing out of that, but clearly, I was wrong. It's my fault, really. I should have taught them more about dangers, about laws. They're still young, but with the responsibilities on all of us, I have a hard time remembering that.

I have a hard time sleeping these days. Have since the war started. It hasn't gotten any better since I realized I nearly lost our padawans and Padme because I wasn't paying enough attention. Because I put too much blind trust in them. Really, how close do I need to keep them to stop them from getting themselves killed? I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to handle this. Sleeping is... hard most of the time now – always plagued by nightmares – but I try anyway.

"You took everything from me."

The voice filters through the darkness, an image flashing before my eyes. A black clothed figure standing out against a rushing river of lava behind, cloak flapping as wind whips across him. The figure slowly turns around, and with the hood up I can't make out any features of the face, but I can see glowing yellow eyes staring back at me. And why does something about the person's features look so familiar?

The sound of a respirator seems to suddenly echoes in the background before the image dissipates, replaced by another one. A tall orange skinned Togruta, about twenty, is standing with her blue lightsabers drawn, in a very familiar fighting stance. Wait a minute, is that Ahsoka? She looks... so old. And why are her lightsabers blue? That can't be right.

There's a sudden movement in the shadows behind her and Ahsoka whirls around just as dark robed figure – the same one from before – leaps out of the darkness, red lightsaber humming in their hand as they attack her. She's quick to parry the blows, but then another – this one slightly shorter – steps out of the shadows. A sudden Force shove catches her off guard, and she's thrown backwards into the shadows, the image disappearing again.

Another scene appears in front of me. A black-haired boy in his teens is standing across from what looks like another Sith, holding a blue lightsaber, a look of determination on his face. The Sith takes a few steps closer, and this time I suddenly can make out features. The face off an all too familiar Muun stares back at me, one I'll never forget even if I only saw him once.

I jolt awake with a start, heart pounding. Ahsoka, what was happening to her? Who were the two Sith she was fighting? It might have been happening far in the future, but I can't shake the images from mind.

And the Sith master, the one we haven't heard or seen a single trace from ever since back on Mustafar. I don't know who he was fighting or at what point in time such a thing might be happening, but the vision definitely proves one thing. He's still out there, wherever he is, directing things behind the scenes, likely Dooku's master, though why he agreed to join the Sith after everything, I don't know.

We need to find him. Somehow. The war will never be over until we do.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

It's earlier in the evening than I was expecting when Anakin and I finally finish up the things we needed to take care of at the Temple, and head over to Padme and Jaufre's apartment, with our former masters in tow.

Our padawans have been hanging around at the Senate building for the past several hours now, so I'm sure they're at Padme's apartment too, by now.

Threepio opens the door as soon as we knock, ushering us inside. Padme hurries into the room, greeting us with a smile, though she stops short of embracing Anakin when she sees who else is there with us. (Even if Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan technically know, it's not like we're going to actually show that in front of them.)

"Are the padawans here?" Anakin inquires.

"They're in the living room," she replies, "I'm sure Jaufre would be more than happy for you to go join them."

"What are they doing?" I query.

"I'm sure you can guess," Padme replies, mildly amused.

I share a glance with Anakin. Yes, we can. Jaufre does happen to be a little obsessed, after all, and he may have gotten both of us and our padawans to being a fan of Earth Wars too. Since it's long after work hours for him, I can guarantee he's doing something of that nature.

"Ready to start the next episode?" I hear Jaufre asking cheerfully as the five of us file into the room. The three of them are sitting on the couch, with Jaufre in the middle.

"I want to listen to that part again," Alema objects.

"We already re-watched it three times!" Ahsoka protests, though she sounds amused.

"I was never expecting them to include something like that!" Alema insists, "And I love the song!"

"I think what you actually love is hearing Loki singing," Jaufre chuckles. Perfect way to make things awkward, and wait a minute – Did he just say...?!

"Did we miss something?" asks Anakin, raising an eyebrow.

"A lot, actually," Jaufre smirks, "Did you even hear about the Loki series?"

"Uh... yeah, actually," I answer, crossing the room and taking seat on one of the other couches. Anakin and Qui-Gon move to join me, and Obi-Wan takes one of the armchairs. Padme stays in the doorway. "We watched parts of the first episode right after it came out, but we've been gone on a mission ever since so we haven't had the time to see any more of it."

"Then that is absolutely what you need to do while you're here. It's six episodes and each one gets better and better! Well, actually my favorite one is the fifth since there's so many Loki's around, but still." Wait, so many Loki's?

"I don't think we'll have to watch something that long tonight," Obi-Wan states dryly, "That is... how many hours?"

"Two? Three? Maybe four? I didn't count," says Jaufre cheerfully.

"How about we do the best parts of everything, while seeing enough for it to make sense?" suggests Ahsoka. Alema makes a quiet noise of disappointment but doesn't object.

"Okay!" Jaufre agrees cheerfully.

Five minutes later

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchange glances and they both start laughing. "What?" I demand as the screen pauses with Loki and female Loki frozen in perfect mirror images of each other.

"They're just like you and Anakin," my former master informs me smugly.

"Are not!"

"How many times has that happened?" Anakin huffs.

"At least three," Obi-Wan smirks. "Once when you were fighting over the last candy you shouldn't have had in the first place –"

"Okay, okay, let's just continue," I interrupt, blushing. Must he bring that up in front of our padawans?!

We watch most of the third episode in silence, only interrupted when I have to drop the comment about how much they actually are reminding me of me and Anakin. (Jaufre cracks up every time, and I still don't get it.) "At least you're not as mischievous as Loki," Ahsoka giggles.

"I wouldn't say that," Obi-Wan huffs. "He certainly can be."

"I'm honored," Anakin says.

"He even sounds like him," Obi-Wan adds.

"Can we just continue?" Alema groans.

I still think we all took an unhealthy amount of pleasure in seeing Loki nearly take off Sylvie's head. "He's even like Anakin when he's drunk," I smirk.

"Excuse me," Anakin objects, "I don't drink!"

"Usually no," I agree with an evil grin.

"Her shriek matches yours perfectly then," he retaliates, "All the way down to jumping willingly out a window and pulling her sword out."

"It sounds more like Obi-Wan's luck to be thrown out a window," Alema chirps, whereupon the Jedi Master glares at her. She returns it with her best innocent smile.

"I still think he's lucky he didn't break anything," Padme states flatly.

"So I think every time one of my padawans pulls such antics," Qui-Gon replies with mock sadness.

Many minutes later

"How could they have ended there?!" I shriek when the third part finally ends.

"It was torture," Jaufre assures me hastily. "We had to wait a full week."

"You had to wait a full week," Padme corrects.

"Hey, Sabe likes it too! So does Rabe! So does... everyone!"

"It's amazing though," I concur.

"Just wait until you see Black Widow. It was the best!" Jaufre exclaims.

"It's his new favorite," Padme sighs.

"I've been waiting for years for them to make a movie about you, sis, and they finally did!" Wait, what?!"

"I am nothing like Natasha, so stop saying that!"

"Yes, you are! You've both been fighting since you were really young –"

"That means literally nothing," she cuts him off.

"And you're both obsessed with hair!"

"I am not!"

"You change your hair every hour!" Jaufre insists. "I mean, come on!"

"I do not!" Padme retaliates, "And Natasha is definitely not obsessed with hair!"

"I mean, she changes it in every movie, and that's often enough."

Padme glares at him.

"And she's always doing all these unnecessary camera poses, and you literally spend your entire life doing that! I mean come on, that's your favorite part about being a politician. Admit it."

Padme outright glowers at him, and I'm mildly surprised he can remain completely unfazed. I certainly wouldn't be. I'd backtrack hastily in his place.

"And you also have a younger sibling you can't stand," Jaufre concludes with a proud smile.

"Excuse me," she huffs. "Natasha has a very sweet little sister –"

"She tried to stab her with a kitchen knife," Jaufre cuts in.

"Who is nothing like you!"

"Since when does Nat have a younger sister?" I demand.

"Since she was a little girl," Jaufre replies. "Let's watch it, and I won't give any more spoilers."

"You know we'll never have time to see that tonight," Anakin points out. "Especially if we don't get going, and some of us would like to know how the chaos twins don't get blown up."

"Crushed," I correct.

"Oh, fine," Jaufre concedes, "Whatever. We'll be skipping most of this anyway..."

Thirty minutes after watching a very butchered episode later...

"What? Did he just die!?" I yelp. "No way! They can't have killed the main character!"

"Loki never dies," Ahsoka replies proudly.

How long after seeing Infinity War did I hear the padawans stubbornly insist that?

Five minutes later, after starting the next part...

"That alligator reminds me of the pets you tried to convince me to have when you were young," Obi-Wan states dryly.

"We only took care of them for a few days!" Anakin protests.

"It does look like something you'd pick up though," Qui-Gon argues.

"Like you wouldn't?" I object. "You're the one who would bring tookas home for me to take care of every other day!"

"A tooka is better than a crocodile," Qui-Gon replies.

"If the twins found crocodile versions of themselves, I'm sure they'd be carrying them around like babies, too," Jaufre laughs.

"I think I would too," Alema says.

Anakin and I exchange glances. "Actually, we'd carry each other's," we say in perfect unison.

Many minutes later

"I still don't get how a Loki seems to have adopted himself," Ahsoka speaks up.

"I do," Anakin and I chorus again.

"Old Loki is the only sane adult around," I continue, "Of course, he's gonna look out for a child."

"He'd know how to raise him," Anakin adds, something odd in his tone. I glance his way again, instinctively reaching through our bond to him. I know what he's thinking about: how Obi-Wan had no idea how to raise a child for a long time and their relationship was... very strained for a while, for as much as they loved each other. That, in the end, I think is the reason they're still here, together.

Minutes later

"Excuse me," Anakin groans as the fight breaks out and Loki eats his own hand. "I don't want to be Loki anymore."

"Sylvie had her timeline deleted from existence," I tell him dryly. "I don't want to be her, either."

"This is ridiculous. Why are they all fighting?!"

"Loki is the god of chaos," Obi-Wan sighs exasperatedly.

"And you already look more tired of an on-screen him than you ever do of me," Anakin quips.

"They're probably bored," Ahsoka chirps.

"That's a reason to eat somebody's hand?!"

"It's the same idea as a human eating a plant," Jaufre replies, boredly. "I wish we'd seen more of the fight. It would've been fun. Don't tell me you'd never fight with yourself."

Obi-Wan shudders.

I groan, falling back against the couch. "I can't even imagine it, thanks. It sounds like a nightmare."

"We'd have an infinite supply of siblings," Anakin points out. "That would be..."

"Weird," I supply.

"The clones do," Alema interjects.

"They grew up with a million brothers, and I don't know how they survived," Padme sighs, "I can barely survive with one."

"You survive because I'm here to keep you out of trouble," he grins, receiving yet another glare.

"You're the one who gets me into trouble most of the time!"

"Imagine a world without me," Jaufre continues loudly over her. "You'd probably be dead already."

"Or in a year or two," Ahsoka agrees smugly, turning traitor. Padme gives her a betrayed look.

"Not if I was around," I argue. "Or Anakin."

"While we're on the topic of alternate timelines," Qui-Gon interjects, "There might be one where you weren't."

"Hear that?" I ask, nudging Anakin. "Imagine a life without me."

He shudders. "No!"

"Imagine a life where we didn't need to worry about the intricacies of a corrupted Senate," Padme grumbles.

"One without war," Alema adds.

"Imagine a life where everyone I know didn't argue with the Council all the time," Obi-Wan sighs.

I can think of a lot of other things to say, but they all start rapidly spiraling down a dark path, and I don't want to ruin the night with this conversation.

Many minutes later...

"HOW COULD THEY KILL OFF LOKI?!"

"He's not the main character this time," Anakin assures me, "But with Loki, he might not be dead."

"We won't know until the next season," Jaufre agrees. "Now shush."

Not that saying "shush" ever matters...

Minutes later

"That man is insane," Ahsoka declares incredulously, as He Who Remains finally comes on screen.

"We can all agree on that," Anakin replies.

"How can a lunatic succeed in so much?" Alema wonders.

"Ask a Sith," I mutter, and she snorts.

"My master isn't insane," Qui-Gon grumbles.

No one argues, but it's obvious no one agrees.

Minutes later...

"He's completely out of his mind," declares Alema flatly.

Minutes later...

"Is it bad that I almost hope Sylvie kills him?" I ask.

"Revenge is not the Jedi way," my ex-master scolds.

"He's a madman who thinks he can control the galaxy," I argue, "Or actually all galaxies in existence. I think he deserves to die, and it's not like he'll stop."

"For once, I agree," Obi-Wan states dryly.

"Imagine if this was true in our galaxy too," Alema mumbles.

"I'm sure we would've heard about them by now," I tell her, flatly.

"Well, seeing as they basically wipe memories and everything..." Ahsoka points out.

Okay, this kind of makes me even more glad that the on-screen maniac is dead.

Minutes later...

"I really hoped it wasn't going to come to this," Anakin mutters.

"Is it a surprise? She's not in her right mind," I grumble, and I can't help but think if Anakin had been sane the night our mother died (not that such a thing is possible), I would've gone through him, too, to get my revenge. I know how that feels, thank you very much. Frankly, it only makes me like her even more.

"Let's hope this never happens with us," Anakin agrees dryly.

"As if," I huff, "I'm not going to have my universe deleted from existence!"

Now I'm paranoid about fighting everyone in my family. Great...

A few minutes later

"WHAT?!" Anakin and I scream in perfect unison, again. "WHY?!"

Jaufre cackles, and I glower at him.

"You could've warned us!"

"Oh, no. I think seeing your reaction made it worth it."

"That's gross!" I yell.

"Hey, it jumped on me, too! It's only fair."

"That's a lie," Padme retorts, "You had a warning in Episode 4, which you conveniently skipped."

"Great. I have an evil, traitorous older sister just like Yelena," Jaufre deadpans. Who's that?!

"For Force's sake, can you please get that off the screen?" Anakin groans.

"Yes, can we please continue?" Ahsoka asks from where she's been sitting silently throughout the exchange. I glance at her, snorting when I realize she's sitting with her hands over her eyes.

"Honestly," Alema grumbles. "I would maybe not have minded if you weren't joking about them being just like you so much!"

"Well, it wasn't me who started pointing that out," Jaufre quips.

"You could've warned us," I groan.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"I don't see how you think dumping that on us by surprise is fun," Anakin grumbles.

"You would've done the same," Jaufre insists smugly, and I decide not to bother continuing with the argument.

A few minutes later, it finally finishes playing. And it's already getting late – late enough that we need to be heading off to bed because who knows what catastrophe could be about to occur – but I certainly don't regret getting the chance to spend so much time with everyone in my family all at once. That happens... almost never.

"Why did they have to end it like that?!" Ahsoka practically wails.

"They are making another season, right?" demands Alema.

"Yeah, but I don't even know when," Jaufre groans.

"How am I gonna go to bed when I'm dying to know what happens next?"

"Maybe we can watch something else first, to get your mind off it," Jaufre suggests.

"I hate to say I don't think we have time for that," I interject.

"Something short! Like that scene you both love?" Jaufre asks, looking between the padawans.

Padme sighs. "You cannot be serious."

"Yes!" Alema exclaims, eagerly.

"What are you talking about?" Anakin asks, giving them an odd look.

"You know, that scene with Yondu and Rocket fighting off the rest of the Ravangers," Ahsoka explains.

"You are still obsessed with that?" I grumble.

"The music is epic!" Alema protests.

"It just doesn't seem like a very Jedi-like thing to fan over."

Qui-Gon coughs, and looks very much like he's about to start laughing.

"What?"

"Does anyone else distinctly remember two other padawans who were obsessed with that scene when they were younger?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Obi-Wan agrees.

"I have no idea who you might be talking about," I grumble.

"In our defense were just obsessed with the Guardians movies for a while because Yondu and Peter were two of our favorites," Anakin insists.

"Well my favorites are definitely Loki and Loki and Loki," Alema decides, thankfully changing the topic before it gets embarrassing.

"That's a lot of 'Loki's," Padme states dryly.

The Twi'lek shrugs.

"My favorite is Tony," announces Jaufre, "And Natasha, of course, because she's like Padme!"

His sister glares at him again. "If you like me so much, why are you so annoying?"

"I ask Anakin that every day," sighs Obi-Wan.

"Hey!" Anakin protests.

"Anyone else got a favorite they care to share?" chirps Jaufre.

"I can't even choose," Ahsoka declares.

"I don't know. Steve, perhaps?" Obi-Wan offers, "At least he follows rules."

"Um, excuse me, but did you watch The First Avenger?" I object.

"... yes?"

"He literally became a captain in the first place by not following rules."

"Maybe he sees Steve as the most Jedi-like," Jaufre chirps.

"... In a way," Obi-Wan replies.

"Or the most like him."

I choke. "Obi-Wan is nothing like Steve."

Ahsoka leans way back on the couch, out of Obi-Wan's line of sight, mouthing something. Alema stifles a giggle.

I turn so I can get a better look at what she's saying and try my best not to burst out laughing aloud.

Thor.

The maniac who overturns tables in his temper-tantrums. Well, it's not far off, not that anyone would dare say so. Obi-Wan has a temper and has the bad habit of getting... disturbingly violent if he loses it.

I choke back a laugh, and hastily look away.

Obi-Wan frowns. "Did I miss something?"

"Not at all," Qui-Gon assures him, sounding equally amused.

"Well it is getting late," Padme speaks up, "So I do recommend that we finish up here and get to bed."

"You didn't need to spoil the fun," Jaufre fake-pouts.

"Some of us do have important Senate work to do in the morning," she retaliates.

"We should probably head back to the Temple now," Obi-Wan decides, at last.

Or more correctly, he, Qui-Gon, and the padawans are going to head back to the Temple. Anakin and I will stay here, if we can do so without our padawans... wondering. Although seeing as they know how good friends we are Padme and Jaufre, I doubt they'd even question it.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"Rex? Rex, do you read me?" I call. Where are they? I don't see the ships, though they should be here already. "We're at the rendezvous point awaiting your arrival. Where are you?"

"Sir, we're at the rendezvous point and there's no sign of you on our scanners." His voice crackles over the communicator.

"What?!" exclaims Aniya, looking like she's not certain whether to be amused or worried.

"Oh, come on. That's impossible!" I cry, "Something's wrong,"

"We're at the exact coordinates where the distress signal originated, but there's nothing here," Aniya informs the others from her place in the co-pilot seat.

"And Rex is at the exact same coordinates, and he's not here," I finish, both confused and frustrated. What in the galaxy is going on here?

"This is getting interested," muses Obi-Wan.

"Interesting to say the least!" exclaims Alema, who looks almost exasperated. "Seriously, how is this even possible?!"

"It's not possible," I supply.

"Unable to find you. Where are you, sir?" asks Rex. The hologram flickers, suddenly disappearing.

"Something's blocking the signal," Ahsoka worries. Just then, the power to the ship promptly shuts off. There is a strange ripple in the Force which I don't understand, either. Something is happening, or rather, is about to happen. Everything seems tense, and energy seems to be gathering around us and the ship unexplainably.

"Something is very wrong here," mutters Aniya as the two of us began flipping controls, trying in vain to get the power to the ship to come back on. Nothing happens.

"Not good," Obi-Wan murmurs.

"Everything's dead. Even the life support," Ahsoka realizes, checking some controls on the side of the ship.

That's when I make out a strange, glowing light in front of us, slowly splitting apart the darkness of space. "This is really strange," I mutter.

All at once, the power to the ship suddenly flashes to life again. "There. See? Nothing to be concerned about after all," I decide.

"You sure about that?" counters Alema, eyeing the strange light outside the window which is continuing to grow. The Force is flowing strangely around it, almost like it's drawing us and the ship towards it. It reminds me vaguely of a black hole, pulling in everything surrounding it.

"It's pulling us towards it," Aniya remarks worriedly.

"Everyone, strap yourselves in!" advises Obi-Wan. "Looks as though we're going for a ride." We're being drawn towards it faster and faster, the brilliant white light finally completely encompassing the ship.

The next thing I know, I'm blinking awake, and push myself up from the control panel. Glancing up, the ship is suddenly on the surface of a planet, though I know I never landed it. Nor did I see us approaching a planet. "I must have blacked out," I conclude at my lapse in memory. The next thing that filters in – it was actually the first, but only now do I register it – the Force feels... different. Too concentrated. It feels as though I am a vessel to the Force itself, only waiting to do as it tells me. It's like my battle mode, except I'm more... in control. And I feel it without even having to try.

"Then who landed the shuttle?" queries Obi-Wan from behind me.

"All I know is that it wasn't me," supplies Aniya, sitting up slowly and looking around in confusion.

"It wasn't me, either," Ahsoka agrees, equally confused.

"Or me," concurs Alema, "And what kind of place is this, anyway?"

"Some kind of organic mass," Ahsoka informs us, glancing at the scans beside her, "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid, but at least the atmosphere is breathable."

"Well, this is getting more unusual by the minute," Obi-Wan frowns, as he looks around the controls "I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are, of if we are even in our own galaxy."

"I don't see how we could have gotten to another galaxy without teleporting," Aniya remarks.

"Which would be less weird than some of the other things have happened today," I suggest. Like our ship mysteriously landing while everyone fell asleep for no reason and being at the same coordinates as another ship but sensing and seeing nothing at all.

"So, now what?" Alema demands, voice tinged with worry. "Where even are we? And what is this place?"

"I guess we'll have to see," Aniya replies, standing up.

"By just going out there?!" protests the Twi'lek. "We don't even know what kind of planet this is!"

"And we won't find out either by hiding in the ship," I point out, "Let's get going."

"Well, the ship's systems seem fine, but for whatever reason, nothing's working," Ahsoka states, standing up and lowering the ramp to the shuttle, disappearing outside like the overly brave, reckless padawan she is. I follow a little more cautiously. The grass is a brilliant green and the sky a bright blue. The planet itself seems to radiate a sense of peace, though something tells me it doesn't always. And there are literally rocks suspended in mid-air, but given the strangeness of the entire circumstances, I'm not exactly surprised.

I scan the mountains, hills, and trees lining the horizon. "Hey!" Ahsoka exclaims suddenly, "I saw something. A reflection, up on the hill."

"I don't see anything," Obi-Wan objects, pulling out a pair of macrobinoculars to look around.

"I saw it too," Aniya murmurs, thoughtfully. "What kind of... strangeness is this, anyway?"

"Not from our galaxy?" I offer.

"Are you the One?" a woman's voice echoes, though I can't make out the source.

"What the... what? Did you hear that?!" I exclaim.

"I don't hear anything," Obi-Wan interjects again, continuing to look around. Alema shakes her head, and Ahsoka looks thoughtful. Seriously, shouldn't at least she have heard it? After all, Togrutas have a far enhanced sense of hearing compared to humans.

"Yes?" offers Aniya. "And I'm getting more and more confused by the moments. Is this place haunted?"

"Are you the One?" the voice asks again, and this time, I sense the blindingly light presence behind me, and turn around. A woman who's almost literally radiating light is standing there. She's dressed in white and gold, light green hair reaching down to her waist.

"Hello?" I ask cautiously, "Who are you?"

"I am Daughter," she responds, her voice echoing as if she were in an abandoned warehouse, not the middle of a field. "Are you the One?" Daughter? What kind of name is that?

"Excuse me?" Aniya exclaims incredulously.

"Uh... the One what?" I inquire slowly.

"I will take you to him," she continues, as if that explained everything. I'm getting more and more confused by the moment.

"Him, who?" demands Ahsoka, raising an eye marking.

"Did you bring us here?" Obi-Wan inquires, moving forwards.

"Only he can help you," she insists. What in the galaxy is she talking about?

"That answers nothing," Alema mutters under her breath.

"There is little time. Follow me. We must have shelter by nightfall," the towering being continues, turning and walking – practically floating – away.

"And we thought the planet was strange," I remark, tilting my head towards her, "How about this one?"

"Crazy?" offers Alema, and Aniya snorts.

"We'll be fine as long as we stay together," points out Obi-Wan.

"Or so we hope," mutters Alema as we slowly start walking after the 'Daughter'.

"Shush," advises Aniya, "We'll be fine. We just need to figure out what in the world is going on."

"How about what world it is?" pipes up Ahsoka.

The Daughter is moving towards the towering rock structure near the ship, and we hurry to catch up with her. Wherever she's going, it might help us answer some of the endless questions I have. We move across the winding slopes in silence. The sides are covered with bright green plants of all sorts. The path is narrow, but there's enough room for all of us. It's probably been an hour, maybe more, before Obi-Wan finally starts talking.

"Have you noticed the seasons seem to change with the time of day?"

I glance at the plants, now a darker shade of green, as if it were summer. "Yeah," I confirm.

"And there are no animals," adds Ahsoka.

"Maybe this planet is governed by different rules of science than the rest of the galaxy," Aniya suggests sarcastically. No question about that, considering there's literally hovering rocks here.

"Provided this even is our galaxy," mutters Alema.

"And you sense it?" Obi-Wan inquires, ignoring the girls' conversation.

"Mmhmm. Since we arrived. The Force is very strong," I reply.

"An intersection unlike anything I've ever felt before," Obi-Wan cautions, "Be wary."

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Aniya asks, ducking under a plant growing off the side of the cliff, "It's hard not to be wary in a strange planet like this."

I take another step closer to the Daughter to get her attention. "Excuse me... Who are you taking us to?"

"The Father, of course," she answers as though it were the most obvious question in the world.

"Of course?" echoes Ahsoka.

"Yes, I fail to see how that's obvious," Alema agrees crossly.

"And what exactly are you?" Obi-Wan inquires.

"We are the ones who guard the power," she replies, glancing over her shoulder though never slowing her pace, "We are the middle, the beginning, and the end."

"Glad she cleared that up for us," I mutter to the others.

"Tell me about it," mutters Aniya. "I'm getting more and more lost by the moment. Let's just hope we can actually find our way back to the ship by the end of the day."

"Do the days end here?" Alema pipes up.

"Good point," I agree. "I have to wonder."

As we turn another bend in the cliff, the plants slowly begin to fade from dark green to the dark red of fall. A ripple in the Force catches my attention, and I look up to see a rock detaching itself from the top of the wall. "Hey!" I shout. "Look out!" I shove the Daughter aside, diving out of the way myself just in time for the enormous rock to come hurtling down towards where I would have been a moment before.

By the time the rock has crashed to the ground far below, the Daughter is still on the ground. I step forwards, reaching out to see if she's alright, but she stands up and turns around. "It is forbidden for you to touch me."

... excuse me? "Sorry. I was just saving your life," I retort. She doesn't make an ounce of sense to me, but then again, nothing about this place does. How was I supposed to know there's apparently some... rules I have to follow on this strange planet? Not like I had time to research.

"That was my brother's work," she observes, eyeing the place the rock had fallen from. Her brother just tried to kill her? How nice of him. Good thing I don't have any siblings like that. "You are in great danger. Wait for me. Do not leave this place." With that, she turns and started heading off.

"Hey!" I shout, more than a little annoyed. "Wait!" She doesn't listen, only walks off, soon disappearing from sight around another turn in the cliff. I groan. Fine. We'll have to do this the hard way, then.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I spin around and break into a run, but not fast enough. The rock slams into me, throwing me sideways towards the cliff. "Master!" Alema yells, spinning around from where she's darted to safety. For a moment, I think I'm about to go over the edge, but I manage to catch on, digging my black-gloved fingers into the rocks edge. Obi-Wan is a few feet down from me. Alema runs to me and Ahsoka to Obi-Wan, both pulling us back up over the edge.

"Thanks," I pant, heart racing. I should have been more alert and reacted faster. I had sensed it coming, just hadn't been on quite as much a lookout as Anakin. And speaking of Anakin... the rock has taken out the path between us. We can't get to each other, not without a lot of risky clamoring over very dangerous ground.

I dial his frequency into my comm, not because I have to but just to let the others hear it, too. They also deserve the reassurance that he's alright. "Anakin, are you there?" I call, "Are you okay?"

His voice crackles back across the connection. "Yeah. But our friend here has run off! Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. I'll follow her and find out how to get off this rock."

"And if this is a trap?" Obi-Wan steps forwards to ask.

"Then I'm not gonna wait around to find out," he retorts.

"Hey! You're not running off without me!" I protest.

"Anakin, stop! Wait for us to find you another way around and meet you," Obi-Wan exclaims, but the call is already disconnected. "... Anakin?"

"He cut it off long ago," I inform him cheerfully.

The padawans let out exasperated sighs precisely in unison.

"So reckless and impatient," sighs Obi-Wan.

I huff, glaring at him with annoyance that isn't entirely feigned. It's frustrating to see how he still thinks we only follow ourselves instead of the Force. I've tried to show him. I really have! "I suppose that applies to me too?"

"He'll find her," assures Ahsoka, stepping forwards.

"Yes," agrees Obi-Wan, pointedly ignoring me, "And what else?"

"We have to go after him!" I insist.

"We can't," Obi-Wan objects, "By the time we'll have gotten around to the other side, he'll already be long gone."

"We can't leave him!"

"Uh, he left first," points out Alema.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry," Ahsoka attempts to assure me, "We should do what he said first of all and maybe then reassess the situation." I don't like this at all, but she has a point. Besides, I'm not terribly keep on leaving the three of them alone by themselves to get back to the ship or dragging them along with me in a hopefully not fruitless attempt to find my runaway brother.

"Fine," I grumble reluctantly, moving to the front of the group. "Everyone's senses on top alert. We don't want another... nearly deadly rockslide." I stalk forwards across the rocks, hearing the other three following. I do not like the thought of leaving my twin alone here. Something tells me that there are many other deadly things on this planet, and I get the feeling there was a person behind that rockslide. Someone made it happen, and the person who did it is still out there. He might try to do something again, and this time, Anakin is alone.

The sky is steadily darkening as we make our way back towards the landing sight. "Storm's coming," I remark, looking up at the dark clouds slowly covering the sky. There's danger rippling through the Force, too. Everything here on this planet is so different from what I'm used to. Everything changed in the blink of an eye, perfectly in sync with the Force around it. And right now, I can feel an approaching Force-storm.

"The ship's gone!" the padawans cry in unison. I glance up, looking around the area where we left it. Sure enough, it's nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, I see that," Obi-Wan agrees warily.

"It was here, no question!" Ahsoka cries.

Darkness completely covers the area, shivers running down my spine. Something is wrong. I sense a dark presence, and perfectly in sync with that sense, all the plants start turning brown. "And look, everything's dying," I observe.

"This planet is crazy," Alema declares flatly, looking around. I couldn't agree more.

"Did you lose something?" the deep, mocking, sinister voice rings out from behind me. I spin around, as do the others, Ahsoka instantly whipping out her green lightsaber and aiming it towards the towering figure. My eyes widen as I take in his appearance. He is clothed almost entirely in black and has dark gray skin with the exception of the bright red stripes running across his face and down onto his clothes. Unlike the 'Daughter', he seems to draw all the light into him, both seen and unseen. Instead of the yellow eyes you'd normally see on such a black hole in the Force, deadly glowing red stares down at us. "You didn't do as you were asked." His voice echoes, the same as hers did.

"And what was that?" Obi-Wan asks before I can say something I'd regret.

"My sister said to wait," comes the casual yet warning response.

"Did she, now?" my older brother retorts. "Well, we were unfortunately separated. We'd like our ship back, if you don't mind." Oh, right. He's the one probably responsible for stealing our ship. I'm starting to get the feeling this being was also the one who tried to kill us earlier. The presence seems vaguely familiar, and I had started getting a faint impression of the same thing right before it happened.

"Not yet." He steps closer towards us, and I move to stand in front of the padawans, glaring at him. I won't let him get close to them. His gaze is right on me when he asks. "Is it true that he is the Chosen One?"

That's all it takes for me to whip out my lightsaber, blade aimed straight at the being's neck. Obi-Wan's and Alema's are out too, and Ahsoka is holding her golden blade as well now. "Don't you dare lay a hand on my brother!" I snarl. "I don't care who or what you are. If you touch him, I. Will. Kill. You."

The being outright laughs at my threat, making me growl angrily. I don't know who he thinks he is, but whatever it is, he could never defeat me. Or Anakin. He's nowhere near as strong as us.

"What do you know of such things?" Obi-Wan demands sharply.

"What is about to happen shall occur, whether you like it or not," the being replies simply, completely unfazed by my anger. With a flick of his wrist, all four lightsabers are extinguished in unison.

"You're a Sith!" I shout.

"Sith?" He laughs again, the sound dark and dangerous, though what he finds funny is beyond me, but it's tempting me to stab my lightsaber through him and be done with it. "Yes and no." His amusement disappears and his arms fall to his sides again. "The storms here are quite lethal. If you want to live, I suggest you find shelter." There is a sudden surge through the Force, and the being transforms into something larger. It's a bird like creature that stands before us, not a person. With a few flaps of its huge wings, it rises into the air and disappears amidst the rain starting to beat down around us. Thunder rumbles in the distance dangerously.

"What in the universe was that, Master?!" Alema practically shrieks, voicing the only thought on my mind.

"I've never heard of anything like it," Ahsoka adds.

"I have no idea!" I exclaim, turning to Obi-Wan for an explanation.

"I'm not quite sure," Obi-Wan admits, then glances around. "Quick! There's a cave over there. We've found shelter." He hurries towards it, and I follow with a little reluctance, casting a final glance over my shoulder. Anakin is still out there. I can only hope he'll be alright.

***

Anakin Skywalker

The rain beats down around me as I scramble over rocks, lighting crackling repeatedly down from the sky. I hardly know where I'm going anymore. I'm following the nudging from the Force, which, for once, I can feel without even trying. Everything is so... different here. The planet is stronger in the Force than anything I've ever experienced, and the Force-storms here seem to be just as strong.

I jump aside as a lightning bolt crashes down next to me, darting forwards. I hate lightning. No thanks to you, Dooku. The thunder is worse. The sound is keeping me on high alert, a constant reminder that I need to stay present and people – my men – could be dying and I need to help them, except they're not here. Thankfully.

I need to find shelter, and I need it soon. Looking up, I finally spot a towering building standing out against the darkened skyline. The Force hums, drawing me towards it. I need to go there. Whoever it is I'm looking for is going to be in there. Of that, I am certain.

Before long, I've made it to the long staircase and start ascending. It winds around the building until it reaches a platform. There's a large, open doorway, which I step through. A long hall leads into a much larger room. The place is huge, ridiculously so. A giant chair – more like a throne – is opposite the doorway. A towering figure with a long white beard, clothed in aqua, is seated in it. His eyes are closed, and I can feel the Force swirling around him, a strange mixture of both dark and light that flows in a way I've never felt anything before.

He doesn't move when I approach. I can't very well meditate like he is – I sense he is judging by how the Force is swirling around him – so instead I take a seat on the floor facing him. If I were to try, especially in a place like this, the Force would completely overwhelm me. As it is, it hardly feels like I'm here sometimes. It's all I can do to hold on and not let myself be carried away with the currents of the Force. I suppress a shudder at the thought.

"Welcome, my friend." The voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I look up. The man studies me with piercing aqua eyes. He looks human, more so than the Daughter did, though he's even taller than she was. And he's obviously far older than her. I don't know this person, but on some level, it feels almost as though I do, and I don't like it. It's unsettling.

"What is it that you want from me?" I demand, on full alert.

"To learn the truth about who you really are," he answers cryptically. "One that maybe you have known all along." He rises gracefully, stepping towards me. "One you must believe in order to fulfill your destiny."

Destiny. Right, the Chosen One. That, again? Qui-Gon believed it, but I don't want to. I don't want to be some sort of supernatural, sub-human freak, thank you very much. I'd much prefer to pretend I don't know. It's so much easier that way, but now – now this person I've never seen before in my life is talking about it. And he brought me out here just for that... for my power? "Enough with the riddles, old man," I snap, anger rising. It's not directed at him, exactly, but it is at the same time. "Tell me what's going on here."

"As you can see, there is nowhere else to go," the man responds, walking towards me. "It is late. You will be my guest tonight." Hopefully, that means he's going to start answering some of my many questions in the morning. If he will, I guess I can live with that. Maybe the others will have found a way to get here by morning. And maybe we'll be able to... get off this planet.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

I roll over again, the lightning from the storm casting an eerie glow across the room as it flashes repeatedly, the glow coming in the large window running across much of one of the walls. This entire situation has me completely unnerved. I don't trust this man, whoever he is. I felt the Dark Side in him, and I know better than to trust someone like that. The storm outside isn't helping, either. It's making me unbearably restless. I can't stop worrying about everyone else, either. Something bad is here, I can feel it. Something dark. It could hurt them. It feels that if I let go for even a moment here, I'll... disappear into the Force. I turn over again, eyes closed against the eerie glow of the continued lightning. I keep trying to reason out how I'll be fine, but with the Force flowing so violently around me, I can't help it.

"Wake up," a sudden, soft voice purrs, and a hand brushes my cheek. "I must tell you a secret."

I jolt awake, all thoughts of sleep abandoning me as I scramble out of bed and across the room. The figure formerly standing next to me approaches me. She's dressed entirely in black, her face covered by the hood of her robe. Sithly-yellow eyes stare at me from beneath the hood, practically glowing in the darkness of the room. Who is she? Something about her seems familiar, but that's impossible.

"Who are you?" I demand sharply, my hand inching towards my lightsaber. And how did she get in?! She reminds me of the person I'd seen in my vision not long before in a way, of the person fighting Ahsoka.

"The shadow of someone who was once a Jedi, a daughter, a wife, and foremost, a sister." She moves closer to me, voice soft, yet dangerous. She raises her head a little more so I can actually make out a face behind her hood. It's... no. That's impossible. It's not Aniya. There's no way my twin could have – could have become a Sith! And the darkness pouring off her... It's not her. It can't be.

"What kind of black arts is this?" I cry, "You – she's no Sith! You can't be my sister. Who are you, really?"

"I have a secret to tell you," she replies, completely ignoring my question.

"Then tell me!" I snap impatiently. I don't know who she is or what she wants, but I want to get her as far away from me as possible.

"Everything you have done, everything you have learned, has led you here," the Sith continues. "Your Jedi training has served you well, but you are more than a Jedi. We both are."

"You're a Sith," I say finally. "Why should I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me," she replies, "Only to see what the future holds."

"And why should I believe you?" I shoot back, hand resting on my lightsaber.

"It's hard to believe you used to be this stupid," she purrs.

"You –" I snap, practically in a growl, stepping forwards. I have no idea what I'm planning to do, beyond causing some serious harm.

The Sith interrupts me. "You have much darkness in you," she chuckles, "But it's wild. Uncontrolled."

"I do not," I deny pointlessly. I'm not going to give in to her claims. She's trying to manipulate me, and I have no idea what her end-goal is, but I'm not letting myself fall for it.

"Don't you?" she counters, stepping closer. "Remember it? Remember that night on Tatooine?"

My heart skips a beat the mention of that night, the worst night in my life. The one I try to forget, never to think about. The night I failed everyone. What would our mother say if she knew what we did?

"Guilt does not define you," she murmurs. "You define your guilt."

I shake my head, stepping back from her. Whatever game she's playing, I'm tired of it. "Who are you, really?" I snap sharply.

"Your fate!" hisses the Sith, suddenly transforming into a towering black being. Darkness, deeper than the darkness she contained moments before, radiates off it. It's a bird of sorts, though its body is more like that of an animal. It flies straight towards the window and outside into the storm.

Even with the being gone, darkness remains permeating the entire room. I back up against the wall, watching the area where the being flew out the window as if it might suddenly return. What was that? I've never known anything that could do that. How did it know all those details about me? How did it know about that night, that one night I've hardly breathed a word about to anyone?

My fear morphs to anger as I struggle to recollect myself. I shouldn't have stayed here. Maybe this was a trap, after all. And it's the fault of the person who brought me here, whoever exactly he is. The 'Father' I think the Daughter had told us. Assuming that's who he is. I was right not to trust him, but I shouldn't even have trusted him enough to stay in this place. Enough of this. It's time for answers.

Spinning around, I stalk out of the room, heading back to the main area of the mansion. The Father is kneeling, his eyes closed. Meditating again. It's not until now that I actually notice how strong the darkness swirling around him is. Which means I was right. This is his fault, though I have no idea how. And how did I not notice it before? Was that creature who talked to me actually him? I walk towards him, igniting my lightsaber and holding it in front of him.

"Cannot sleep?" he asks, though his eyes still don't open. "To strike an unarmed man is hardly the Jedi way."

"You're a Sith Lord!" I growl, lowing the blade a few inches, but keeping it pointed at him. Why wasn't I more careful before agreeing to stay here? I should have known better. Why do I keep trusting Sith only to be betrayed by them? It's better not to answer that. I don't want to think about it.

His eyes finally opening, his gaze sharp and piercing. "You have a very simple view of the universe. I am neither Sith nor Jedi. I am much more. And so are you."

His cryptic-ness is beginning to make me run out of patience. I need answers, and I need them now. "I see through your spells and visions, old man!" I snap angrily. "Tell me what is going on here!" The darkness in me – the same one I know that Sith who appeared was talking to me about – is rising again.

The Father raises his hand, the Force gathering over it in a way I've never known it too. His hand clamps over the end of my lightsaber, and he slowly pushes it away from him, then shoves the tip of the blade back into the hilt. And it didn't even burn him. What?! Lightsabers cut through anything, even metal. Who is he? How can anyone be so... so... powerful? "Some call us Force-wielders," he explains, rising to his full height of nearly three feet taller than me.

"The Jedi have never spoken of this," I say finally when I manage to find my voice, staring down at my now extinguished lightsaber. Sure, you can turn off other people's lightsabers with the Force, but how can you touch one? I'd say it's completely impossible, except it just happened.

"Hmm. Few still know of our existence." Well, I guess that would explain why important secrets like that have been lost. Dooku was right about a few things, including that much important knowledge from before, when the Sith were still known to be around, has been forgotten over the centuries. I shake the strangeness out of mind, getting back to the topic I came out here for in the first place.

"In that room," I say, motioning towards the doorway with my lightsaber, "My sister came to me, but it wasn't her. It was something else."

"Hmm. Is she not on the planet as well?" he inquires. How does he know?

"She is," I confirm, "But she's not here. And she's not a Sith."

"Ah. My son, I suspect," the Father decides. So, it wasn't the Father. I can sense the truth behind the words, but that doesn't mean I trust him. And I assume his son was the same person the Daughter mentioned to me earlier who tried to kill us on the hill. "We can take many forms. The shapes we embody are merely a reflection of the life force around us." That... might make sense. Maybe. I always knew there was much more to the Force I never knew about, but shapeshifting? Seriously? He moves forwards, watching me. I can feel him brushing my shields. "You carry a great sadness in your heart."

"Anakin!"

I spin around at the sudden voice, eyes widening at the sight of the figure in the doorway.

***

Ahsoka Tano

"Are you happy, child?" a voice calls, making me jolt awake. I sit up, glancing around the cave for the source of the voice. "Your master, does he treat you well?" My gaze zeros in on the Togruta standing next to the campfire we'd built before going to sleep. Her skin is orange, the same shade as mine, and her markings even look eerily similar. Even her clothes are similar to mine, only she's an adult. Who is she? How did she get here? I stand up, instantly on edge.

"What concern of it is yours?" I shoot back, tensed and ready to reach for my lightsabers. I don't know who she is, or how she got here, but if she's planning something, I'm going to be ready.

"I am your future, your potential," she says.

That's impossible. The snap-hiss rings through the cave as my lightsabers activate and I raise them, glaring at the figure. "This is a trick," I snap. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if it's that same person I'd seen earlier. After all, he seemed capable of transforming himself into anything, though I have no idea how that's possible. And he's trying to trick me now, probably.

"There is a wildness in you, young one," the Togruta retorts, pacing back and forth next to the fire. It doesn't even seem to bother her. "Seeds of the Dark Side planted by your master. Do you feel it?"

"No!" I shout angrily. How can she talk like that about Anakin? He may not be an ideal Jedi, but he's the essence of what they were meant to be. He's proved it time and time again, as has his sister. She's – she's trying to turn me against Anakin, and I won't let that happen. "He is like no other Jedi. Passionate, impulsive, but I trust him with my life."

"There are many contradictions in you. And in him," she replies lowly, then steps back right inside the fire. My eyes widen at the sight. This is no ordinary person. It's... who is it? "Be warned!" she says forcefully, raising her voice. "You may never see your future if you remain his student. Leave this place!" With that, she disappears, smoke flooding through the area she was in moments before.

I jolt awake, for real this time, to see Obi-Wan hovering over me. It was a vision, I realize. Maybe it really was my older self, after all. She was trying to warn me. Anakin. Something's happening to my brother. We need to get to him as soon as possible. Maybe letting him go alone wasn't such a good idea, after all.

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asks.

"I had a vision," I explain, "I think Anakin may be in trouble."

***

Alema Syndulla

"Alema," a voice calls, and I blink awake. Is the storm already over? Is it already time to get up? No... it's not. Something isn't right. I push myself into a sitting position, instantly spotting Ahsoka and Aniya still sleeping. On second glance, Obi-Wan is too, though it sounded like it was his voice calling me. What?

I scan the campsite again, eyes finally falling on a figure standing out against the dark opening which leads out to the stormy night. It takes me a moment to realize that it is Obi-Wan, only a much older version of him. His hair is white, and he looks much older.

"Obi-Wan?" I ask cautiously, uncertainly. "What... what's happening? Why are there two of you?"

"I came to warn you," he says, walking closer to me, rounding the campfire.

"Of what?" I query hesitantly.

"Of what the future may bring," he replies ominously, "The twins are in danger."

"Danger?" I ask anxiously. "How?" I pull myself to my feet, still confused as to how he's here. The planet is really strong with the Force, though. Many strange things have already happened, and this is probably the least of the strangeness. It's a vision. I think.

"From the darkness," he answers, "You will know when the time comes. Don't act too late."

Without another word, he disappears, leaving me feeling shaken. It was definitely a warning, a warning of a very bad possible future. What is it that's going to happen? I can't help but shiver at the memory of the dream I'd had right after Geonosis. Are they... connected?

"Alema!" Ahsoka appears at my side, concern written clear on her features. I throw my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Everyone here is safe... for now.

"Was I the only one who just had a vision?" I ask, glancing up at Obi-Wan where he is a short distance away.

"I was about to ask you that!" exclaims Ahsoka.

"I take that to mean you both did?" Obi-Wan inquires.

"What did you see?" Ahsoka inquires.

"An older version of... Obi-Wan," I respond, "He said he was here to give me a warning."

She raises an eye marking. "I saw my older self... who was also giving me a warning, I guess. A very strange one."

"I saw Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan remarks, "He was warning me that this is a dangerous place."

"Which means..." I summarize. "That we need to get out of here. This place has something bad in store for us, especially the twins." I cast a glance at my master's sleeping form. She's twitching slightly, and the strange mixture of fear, confusion, and anger flooding through our bond is a clear indication she's having a vision, too. Maybe with hers, we'll be able to get a clearer picture of what's going on.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I can't explain what it was that woke me up. Maybe it was the sudden oppressive darkness hovering oppressively through the cave, the coldness penetrating every last corner. I raise my head from where I lay against a ledge, glancing around. The other three are still comfortably sleeping. That's when I realize the sound echoing through the cave, loud and repetitive. My eyes fall on the figure it emanates from and I gasp, scrambling to my feet.

He's over six feet, clothed in black. A cyborg, like Grievous was, only I know he was once human. His clothed entirely in black, darker than the night sky, with a cape long enough to drag on the floor. A lightsaber is clipped to his belt, and from the darkness pouring off him, it instantly tells me who he is. He's a Sith Lord, though I don't know how he got here. There are a lot of things on this planet I'm not sure of, it seems.

"What do you want?" I demand, voice almost in a growl. There's something about him that's eerily familiar, and that sets me even more on edge.

"Aniya." His voice is deep, altered slightly by the helmet he's wearing, but I somehow still seem able to pick up on his emotions. There's anger, of course. But the strongest is pain, so much I'm not sure how one person could bare it. He steps towards me, and it's all I can do to hold my ground. There's so much darkness, it sends a shiver down my spine.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I demand again, reaching for my lightsaber.

"Why did you leave me?" he asks. Even through the vocoder, I can tell how betrayed he sounds.

"... I beg your pardon?" I reply, giving him a confused look. What in the world is he talking about?

"You weren't there when I needed you." His voice starts taking on an angry tone. "We were supposed to do everything together, but you left me."

No. No. That's impossible. It's something I've kept for anyone, but the only person I never made that promise to was my brother. But it can't be true. That's... it's impossible. "Anakin?" I breathe, shaking my head. Deny it. Let him deny it. I take a step backwards but can't move any farther back because of the rocky ledge I was sleeping on.

"I was," he confirms, "But that name no longer has any meaning to me."

I look away. This – this is not possible. There's no way – there's no way Anakin could become like – like this. The darkness seeping off him permeates every inch of the cave in an almost suffocating haze. Anakin's presence is brighter than a star, even now. "That's impossible," I mutter faintly.

Except it is. Somehow, I know it is. And how could he have become like this? He couldn't have... but... I would never leave him. There is no force in the galaxy that can tear us apart. Nothing. Then I see it. There are flashes of something, memories. His memories, perhaps? I don't even know.

I can see the fire, burning everything. No, wait. I can feel it. And it hurts, Force, it hurts so much.

"Anakin!" I cry, bolting upright. Anakin, I need to find him. Where is he? Why isn't he here?

"Aniya?" Obi-Wan asks worriedly.

"We have to find Anakin!" I yell, jumping up, struggling to suppress the images.

"What's wrong?" he demands.

"I... had a vision. I need to go," I scramble to explain, bolting for the entrance.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan exclaims. "The storm is still going on."

"Not an option," I call over my shoulder, dashing out into the pouring rain. It feels like I'm soaked instantly, and the wind is howling, ripping across mountains and hills relentlessly. Lighting flashes in the distance, then nearer.

I can hear Obi-Wan and my sisters calling for me to come back, but I don't. I can't. I have to find my brother. Breaking into a run across the rocky ground, I vaguely register that I hardly know where it is I'm headed. It doesn't matter. I'll find him. Our bond will always lead me to him, no matter what.

Lightning flashes, striking right next to me and I spin sideways, not losing my pace. I can't let anything slow me down. As I run, I can almost hear Sith-Anakin's voice in my head, even though he's not here. 'You left me, you failed me...' But I couldn't; I never could, or maybe I did, I don't even know. I feel so confused, so lost, and I hate it more than anything. I shouldn't need our masters to guide me through everything anymore, but I almost regret leaving without Obi-Wan. Almost. I wouldn't want to bring him into this crazy storm.

Was that supposed to be some sort of warning of the future? Whether it is or not, whatever it was, I won't let it happen. I won't. I'll die first. I should never have let Anakin go alone. I should have – should have followed him. I don't know if Sith-Anakin was talking about right now or not, but regardless, I could have let my brother face serious danger alone because I didn't try hard enough to follow.

Tears sting my eyes, and I don't bother stopping them from falling. No one's here to see anyway, and my emotions are too wild for me to control. There's so much fear, fear of losing the one person I thought I never could, the one person who's stood beside me through thick and thin until now and will forever.

Closing my eyes, I reach through our bond, letting it guide me. The dark being who we saw earlier was right. This storm is deadly, but I'll make it through this and more, whatever this planet decides to throw at me.

At long last, a tall narrow building comes into view. Anakin is there. I know it. Our bond pulses strong and bright, as does his presence, through the darkness of night. I dart up the staircase, stepping inside the building. "Anakin!" I call, stumbling to a stop in the doorway. He spins around, seeming more than a little surprised to see me.

"Aniya!" He exclaims, hurrying towards me. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Relief floods me to see him safe – at least temporarily. I run over to him, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "I had to find you," I mutter, burying my face in his shoulder.

"Through the storm?" he repeats disbelievingly. "That... it could have killed you!"

I shake my head. "It didn't matter."

"Didn't matter?" Anakin exclaims. "What happened?"

"I saw..." I trail off, unable to finish. How am I supposed to tell him I had a vision of him as a Sith Lord?

"Maybe... we should talk about this later?" my brother suggests suddenly, pushing me back, but he doesn't take his hand off my shoulder. I move to stand beside him, fully taking in the scene for the first time. An old man, several feet taller than Anakin, is standing there watching us. "I was in the middle of... an important discussion."

"This wasn't important?" I mutter, but don't argue. I've long since started disliking anyone watch us when we're being... well, twins, thanks to the Jedi.

"So," Anakin says almost awkwardly, "What were you saying?"

"My children and I can manipulate the Force like no other," the man – was that the 'Father' the Daughter had mentioned to us? He certainly looks old enough. "Therefore, it was necessary to withdraw from the temporal world and live here as anchorites." I hardly know what's happening, but it sounds like my brother was actually getting some answers to what's going on around here. Amazing.

"As a sanctuary?" my brother questions.

"And a prison," he nods information, walking farther across the room. "You cannot imagine what pain it is to have such love for your children and realize they could tear apart the fabric of the universe."

"I'm lost," I whine.

"The Daughter and... the... Son?" Anakin offers, slightly uncertainty, "Are his children." He looks back at the Father. "I don't understand," he admits finally.

"It is only here that I can control them," the Father continues, "A family in balance. The light and the dark. Day with night." He pauses his pacing, glancing back to look at us. "Destruction replaced by creation."

"Then why reveal yourselves to us?" asks Anakin.

"There are some who would like to exploit our power," the Father responds, "The Sith are but one."

"Which is why I don't understand why you'd reveal yourselves," I deadpan.

"Too much dark or light would be the undoing of life as you understand it," he continues, "When news reached me that the Chosen One had been found, I needed to see for myself." He turns around to face us, awaiting our responses.

"But how do we know that's really who we are?" Anakin counters.

"Why don't we find out together?" he replies, "I'd very much like to know. Pass one test and I shall know the truth. Then, you and your friends may leave." For some reason, I feel like I'm not going to like what he has in mind at all. There's something about his smile that has me on edge, but right now, it hardly seems we have a choice.

Now that that topic of conversation is completed, the Father turns to me with a curious expression. "You weren't supposed to exist," he says finally.

Umm? "What do you mean?" I inquire, more than a little confused. What is that even supposed to mean?

"The Chosen One was not foretold to come with another. Your presence has changed the world."

"... Is that a bad thing?" I ask, hardly sure how to react to it. I always wondered myself. There was only talk about Anakin, no mention of me.

"That remains to be seen," he replies, "Just know that your destinies are forever intertwined." Yes, that much I could have already guessed. Flashes of my vision flicker through my mind again, but I try to suppress them. No, I would never leave him. Not now, not ever. Especially not now. The future... it's dark and stormy, clouded by the dark side, but one thing remains certain. We will never, ever be separated. Of that, I will see to. Be it light or dark.

"The test will have to wait until the morning," the Father finally decides, looking out the window at the still darkened sky, a flash of lightning occasionally illuminating it, "You may return to bed. We will talk in the morning."

Anakin sighs, clearly not happy with this, but he doesn't object. "Come on," he says, walking through a doorway on the other side of the room.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

He pauses just inside and glances around as if expecting someone to be there, but there's nothing. We walk inside and I look around the rather large room, but there's nothing in it besides a bed. Which we'll have to share, but that's fine with me.

"So," I say, walking over to it and sitting down, "What happened?"

"Yes, I would very much like to hear why you ran out into a deadly Force-storm to find me when I was just fine," Anakin retorts, crossing his arms. He's never going to let that go, will he?

I groan. "I had a vision, and I guess I wasn't thinking. Now answer my question."

"Well, I came here, went to bed, saw a strange creature in my room, went to talk to the Father, and then you came here. Simple as that."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"It's true!"

I roll my eyes. "Do I really need to ask for details? What creature did you see?"

Anakin frowns, taking a seat beside me. It's obvious this is something he doesn't want to talk about, but I asked, and he won't refuse to tell me. "At first, it was pretending to be you... Well... a Sith version of you. But then it turned into a bird-like creature and flew out the window." Wait. He saw it too. Why is this happening? It's more than a little unnerving, and I can't shake the feeling that it was more than a coincidence. Whenever we have visions, they always happen, unless we do something to stop them.

"I saw the creature too. The Son, I'm guessing. Before we went into a cave for shelter," I explain, "And... I saw, well... the same thing as you. But it was you." There, simple as that.

Anakin sits back. "This... I don't know what to make of it. Did the others have visions too?"

"I don't know," I admit sheepishly. "I ran out before they could talk to me." I carefully refrain from adding the last thing I saw. After all, how could you go about telling someone such a thing, anyway?

"Hopefully, they don't follow the same course of insanity and come to find us as well," he teases.

"Hey!" I protest, whacking his arm. "I left you alone on a place like this with a creepy, shapeshifting Dark Sider, if that's what he is, flying around!"

"I was the one who left, by the way," he cheerfully reminds me.

"I don't care! I let you run off!"

"Actually, it was the falling rock that let me do that." He smirks when I glare at him.

"Okay fine," I groan. "Let's go to bed."

"Afraid you lost?" he grins evilly.

"Be quiet!" I yell, unable to stop myself from grinning too.

"But yes, we better get some sleep. Who knows what the Father has in mind for tomorrow?" Anakin decides.

"For some reason, I don't think I want to know," I grumble, flopping out on my side of the bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Anakin lays down next to me, and I close my eyes, letting myself relax in his presence.

***

Alema Syndulla

"Now what?" I ask, looking between Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

"We wait," Obi-Wan sighs, looking more than a little concerned. "We have to wait until the storm lets up. Until then, there's nothing we can do."

Ahsoka sit back down, frowning. "What could she have seen that would upset her so much?"

"I have no idea," I agree, "I've never seen her so upset before."

Obi-Wan shakes his head, sitting back down also. "We'll have to wait to ask her."

"Great," I sigh. "Now what?"

"We sleep," Obi-Wan decides.

"I don't like this at all, but there's not much we can do now. Not without risking getting killed in that storm," Ahsoka reminds.

I stare out at the entrance of the cave as thunder crashes outside, practically shaking the ground. Yes, there's definitely no way we'll be going anywhere in that storm. I'll have to hope that Aniya, and Anakin, wherever he is, will be alright.

I stretch out on the ground again, willing sleep to take me. I'm scared, but at long last, I finally drift off, this time into a thankfully nightmare-less and vision-less sleep.

We awaken at the first signs of light in the bright blue sky. There are no traces of the storm from the night before, aside from a few clouds dotting the sky, which seem to be a natural occurrence here. The only difference is that everything is still dead, like it was last night.

"Morning, everyone!" I call cheerfully. "Mission here."

"Good morning to you too," grumbles Ahsoka. "Did you even sleep or were you sitting up wide awake?"

"Still sleeping?" I ask, jumping up. "We have a mission and two run-away Chosen Twins to find. Think you're up to the task?"

"Anytime," Obi-Wan calls, standing up. Ahsoka gets up a little slower, and we head out into the grass. As we start walking, a sudden surge of the Force passes over everything, running right across the ground beneath my feet and onwards. As it moves, the formerly dead grass and plants spring back to life, the brilliant green covering the planet once more.

"Okay, seriously. The longer we stay in this place, the weirder it's getting," I exclaim.

"It appears the planet is renewing herself," Obi-Wan remarks.

"What about the twins?" Ahsoka inquires.

"They will not be easy to deceive," Obi-Wan says, but we don't have a chance to get any farther before a sudden noise draws my attention skyward.

Two bird-like creatures, one just like the one we see last night, and the other which may very well be the bird form of the Daughter, come flying down straight towards us, swooping downwards. "Uh oh," I mutter, trying to take a step back.

The dark creature grabs Ahsoka and I before swooping back up into the sky. The light one, holding Obi-Wan, flies after. I struggle against the creature's grip, but he's way too strong. Impossibly strong. We'll have to sit this out – more like dangle it out – and see where they're taking us.

Soon I realize that the creatures are flying towards a large building in the distance – which I can see now, thanks to being so far off the ground. There's a glowing diamond floating above the tower. As they swoop over the top of it and suddenly begin to descend, I make out three figures standing on a platform near the top of it. Anakin, Aniya, and an old man dressed in grey.

As the black creature flies towards the far end of the platform, he drops me over Aniya, who instantly catches me with the Force. "What kind of greeting was that?" she yells at him, glaring.

He growls a noisy response in bird-language, red eyes flashing. The light creature hisses something else as it lands on the other side of the platform.

"Whatever he wants, don't do it, Master!" Ahsoka yells.

The twins turn around to glance at Obi-Wan where he struggles to break free, but he's not strong enough. I knew this wasn't a good place to be. Maybe we should have stayed in that cave after all. Or maybe not left the ship in the first place.

"Let them go!" Anakin shouts. "I will not play your games!"

"Oh, but I think you will," the man retorts, "I have ordered my children to kill your friends."

"What?!" I shriek.

He paces around us, and I feel the Force suddenly surging and spin around. He's standing atop a ledge a distance away. How did he get there so fast? "The question is, which one will you choose to save? Your master? Or your apprentice?" he continues, completely ignoring the interruption. "You must now release the guilt and free yourself by choosing."

"No!" the twins yell with identical angry glares.

"Their powers are too strong for us, Anakin!" Obi-Wan calls. "Save Ahsoka!" Anakin's eyes widen sightly at the words, and he turns around. Ahsoka struggles uselessly in the Son's grasp.

"We can do this," Aniya mutters, eyes narrowing on the Son. "Together –"

"You and your apprentice cannot interfere, Skywalker," the Father interrupts her. "This test is for your brother alone."

"You think you can tell me not to 'interfere', and I'll just listen to you?" my master asks incredulously.

There is a heartbeat of silence before a sudden wave of the Force catches Aniya and I, throwing us back to the stone wall behind us. And I didn't even see the Father make a movement. What kind of beings are these things? They're so, so powerful. I try to get up, only to realize that I'm pinned against the stone wall.

***

Aniya Skywalker

"Let. Them. Go!" Anakin yells, glaring at the Father.

"Only you can make my children release them," he retorts. He raises a hand to hold me back where I'm struggling against the invisible restraint keeping me back from helping my brother. Nothing can stop me from helping my family. Nothing. "As for your sister, I will release her and her apprentice when the test is complete." Not going to happen. I'm stronger than him. I'm stronger than everyone, aside from Anakin. I can do this. We can do this.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice rings through the clearing. "The planet is the Force. Use it."

We're children of the Force. Anakin lowers his head and closes his eyes, drawing deeper into the Force than I've ever known him too before. Both sides of the Force, drawing on them as one, the same way I feel the Father when he uses the Force. He opens his eyes finally, throwing his hands outwards towards both of them. A surge of energy nearly strong enough to be seen rips outwards, sending the Son and Daughter stumbling back, dragging their captives with them.

Following my brother's example, I gather the Force to me. I draw on my anger at the entire situation, and the impossibly strong feelings I have towards all my siblings, letting them flow and mix together in a way that feels so right, though it's nothing like I've ever done before. The Father's grip on me comes off with surprising ease and I drop to the ground, turning to free Alema.

In the center of the platform, Anakin raises his hands, lifting the struggling Force-wielders with them. The sky above slowly shifts and changed, transforming from the light of day to the darkness of night. The floor beneath my brother nearly glows, cascading a brilliant light across arena. The Force swirls like a violent storm, a whirlwind felt but not seen, and Anakin stands in the center of it all.

"You will let them go!" Anakin yells, his voice echoing much in the same way the Force-wielders did. It must be caused by how deeply you reach into the Force, I realize. There are so many things I don't know. Even now, it makes me feel like a tiny being in a galaxy of unknowns. I've never felt anything like the power coursing through me, or through Anakin, right now. Alema comes free, landing lightly beside me.

The Son and Daughter let go almost at once, and their captives land gracefully below. I'm tempted to move forwards and help Anakin, but really, he doesn't need my help right now. He's handling it fine on his own.

He moves them closer together, then blasts them apart into the walls where they fall unceremoniously to the ground. Lightning flashes out from the partly clear, star-filled sky. The Force swirling around Anakin is only growing stronger by the moment, and it makes me realize this is truly the first time he's ever tried reaching his full powers. I don't even know what they consist of. And I can feel it all to a point, rushing through our bond and pouring off him in crashing waves. It's almost intoxicating to feel it rushing through him, through me. It's just so... strong. Sometimes, I can't even believe we can contain this power, but I know we can – if only because we're a part of the Force itself. We were designed to. There's none of the normal anger that comes with that thought this time, making me wonder if finally, we're beginning to accept it.

Ahsoka scrambles away from the Son, stopping and igniting her lightsaber when he flies towards her again. Obi-Wan does the same when the Daughter starts flying at him.

"Down!" my brother yells, catching the Son, and jerking him back. He grabs the Daughter, dragging her away from Obi-Wan and depositing her next to the Son. "On your knees!"

The Daughter is the first to obey, slowly shifting back into her natural form. The Son follows after resisting a few more seconds. Obi-Wan deactivates his lightsaber, and Alema and I move to join our brother in the center. Clouds blow past overhead, swirling away to reveal the bright blue sky. Sunlight once again covers the area.

I shake my head, trying to comprehend what I have seen. That was far from the strongest Anakin could do. What even is the strongest? Is there even a limit to his power? We've done crazy things before, even accidently brought on Force-storms – that's more common than I want to admit – but never have we actually... done it on a planet-wide scale.

"And now you see who you truly are," the Father says, walking forwards to join us, "Only the Chosen One could tame both my children." He looks at me, "And only a child of the Force could have beaten me."

"I've taken your test," Anakin snaps, still less than happy, "Now fulfill your promise and let us go."

"Ah, but first, you must understand the truth," the Father replies, unphased.

"I thought we did understand the truth!" I retort. Why can't he let us go? We need to get back. I don't know how long it's been, but we have to get back to the front lines. Who knows what kind of chaos could have occurred in our absence?

"There is more," he replies, "Now, all of you, leave us."

"Do not trust him," Ahsoka warns.

"You think?" Anakin replies.

"I said, leave us!" the Father repeats when no one moves to go.

Alema slips past us, clearly unhappy with this, but heads out. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka follow. The Son and Daughter finally stand up, walking away together. I thought he was trying to kill her yesterday... whatever happened to that? Or two days ago, since the test took an entire day and part of the next. Apparently.

"Do you feel your destiny?" he queries once the three of us are left alone, "You must see it now. I am dying, and you two must replace me."

"Replace you?!" Anakin exclaims. "We can't stay here."

"But this is yours," he insists, "It has been foretold that the Chosen One will remain to keep my children in balance."

"We can't," I object, "We have – we have a life out there. The galaxy needs us. We can't abandon everything."

"I cannot force you to do this. The choice must be yours. But leave, and your selfishness shall haunt you." It's almost like a threat, except it's not. Not really. It is true. If something happens with his children – why do they go everywhere from getting along to trying to murder each other every other in a day? – because no one is here to keep them in balance... it will haunt us. I almost want to listen, to grant him one of his last wishes. Even if he did nearly kill Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, he's the first person who ever tried to help us grasp who and what we are. It was something so in depth that not even Qui-Gon, for all that he's done for us, was able to give. And I... am grateful for it, even if I don't like that method or result.

I know Anakin is having the same internal conflict as I am, and I reach over gently to rest a hand on his arm. I can feel the slight tremors running through his body. He may look fine, but the test took a lot out of him. He needs to rest.

Anakin shakes his head finally. "If you knew about us, shouldn't you know about everything else too? There's a war. The Jedi need us. The Republic needs us. We are some of the best generals. If we leave, the Sith and Separatists will win the war. And that will definitely haunt the galaxy."

The Father doesn't say anything more as we turn and head off the direction the others went.

No one speaks as we head back to the ship. Everyone still seems to be a bit in shock after what happened, but I do catch the worried looks Obi-Wan keeps shooting us. Even I'm feeling worn out. Ugh, I can't wait to leave this place. The feel of the Force here is too overwhelming.

It doesn't take that long for us to return back to the former landing site. Surprisingly, the ship is there again. I'm not going to ask what the Son did with it, or why he suddenly decided to let us have it back, but I'm not complaining. It's time to go... if we can get the ship started, that is. Anakin pauses at the bottom of the ramp, looking out across the area before coming. He's still uncertain, even though he looks ready to crash for the next week. His body is, after all, only human, and he was wielding a power far beyond what it can contain.

***

Anakin Skywalker

I'm standing in a large groove of trees, in front of a large lake when I hear someone calling me. Glancing up, I see someone walking towards me. Wait, no. Not just someone. Me? This is definitely a vision.

"It's true, what they say. You are the Chosen One. Join me," he says, before suddenly shifting in height and form shifting into the Son. Of course, I should have expected it. He does seem to have a thing for taking on the appearance of others. "Together we can change the balance of the universe, my friend," he asserts.

He's trying to get me to join him, to Fall. But... I can't say with a certainty I couldn't. Even the best can Fall. I've experienced that firsthand. "You must know I will never join the Dark Side willingly," I shoot back, standing my ground. And if I did... I would only do it to save my family.

"How simple you make it. Light and Dark, as if there is one without the other. Aligned, you and I can restore balance wherever we go. Peace to the universe," the Son insists.

"By becoming a Sith?" I shoot back, "Never!" Though the thought of restoring peace is appealing, I would never do it at a cost like that. I won't – ever – betray my family that way.

As I turn to wake away, I suddenly hear the sound of flames crackling behind me. Turning to look back, I see flames leaping up around the Son. "We will destroy the Sith! And the Jedi!" he shouts, suddenly transforming into his bird-form again. He lunges towards me, and I instinctively raise my arms to shield myself.

I jolt awake with a start. "Are you okay?" my twin asks, at my side in an instant.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Ahsoka inquires.

"Something like that," I supply lamely. It's happened so often, she always knows.

"Okay, I get it," announces Alema cheerfully, stepping into the room, "Never sleep on Mortis, even if your life depends on it."

"It did depend on it." Aniya frowns at her.

"If you're done napping," Obi-Wan calls from the cockpit, "I could use a little help here."

"I'm coming!" I yell back, jumping up. I'm about to step through the doorway into the cockpit when Ahsoka gasps behind me. I whirl around.

The Son stands behind Ahsoka – where did he come from and how did he get inside?! – casually lifting her by her neck. "Leaving so soon?" he asks mockingly. The door behind me slams shut before I can yell for Obi-Wan.

Did he see my thoughts? That I wouldn't ever Fall, unless – unless it meant saving my family? The icy cold fear that floods me freezes me in place. No, no, no don't let her be hurt because of me not again.

"Let her go!" Aniya shouts, lunging forwards, only to be thrown back into Alema.

"Not without this, you won't," the Son continues with a smirk. He opens the door to the ship and jumps out, transforming into a bird.

"Ahsoka!" I cry, running forwards, but even as they disappear into the fog, I can hear her screams.

"We have to go after him," Aniya hisses.

I open the door and sprint across the room, jumping into the co-pilot seat. "What's going on?" demands Obi-Wan as I frantically hit controls, firing the ship's engines.

"The Son took Ahsoka," I reply in a rush. Aniya is behind me, gripping my chair, her fear and determination flooding my senses. Alema hovers behind Obi-Wan's, as if she can't quite bring herself to sit down.

"What in the blazes are you talking about?!" he exclaims.

"Move, let me fly!" I shout, grabbing the controls. Obi-Wan complies without an argument. I can see the Son out the viewport, diving between the towering mountains. The area is foggy, but I can still see a distance. We swerve between the peaks, winding our way across at least a dozen before he sudden dives, disappearing from sight. I pause for a moment, almost afraid I'd lost him, until I pinpoint his darkness in the Force. I dive forwards full speed. A tower almost materializes out of the mist, looming in front of us. It's very different than the Father's; this one green instead of bluish white and aqua.

"Look out!" Obi-Wan warns we nearly crash into it, turning his wheel to the side. What in the world does he think he is doing? I spin mine the other way, trying to send the ship back the direction it needs to be going, risky or not; it's the direction I felt the Son go. The ship spins sideways, thrown off balance and spiraling downwards.

"Brace yourself!" cries Aniya. I can sense the girls scrambling to their seats while I hurriedly pull the ship up as much as I can. It hits the ground, throwing my brother and I head-first into the controls. I must have hit my head somewhere during the crash because stars are dancing in my vision when I push myself up with a groan.

"I didn't think you saw it," he grumbles. In other words, the closest he's ever come to admitting he made a stupid mistake that nearly got us killed.

"It was a giant tower!" I snap, standing up, "Of course I saw it!"

"Yes, um, he's not blind?" supplies Aniya unhelpfully. "But seriously, are you two okay?"

"Perfectly alright," I grunt, rubbing my sore head.

"Come on, let's go," sighs Alema, jumping to her feet and heading for the exit. The rest of us hurry after her.

"Any sign of him?" I question as reach the end of the ramp, looking out into the fog. I don't see anything at all. I don't see anything nearby. We've lost Ahsoka to a crazy Dark Sider, and I have no idea what he wants to do with her. If I had reacted a little faster... The Son could so easily use her against us.

Obi-Wan peers through a pair of macrobinoculars. "No," he declares finally, "But I think it's obvious where he's taken her."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aniya demands.

"We must hurry," I declare, starting forwards.

"Anakin, Aniya, this wasn't a mistake," Obi-Wan sighs, "He brought us here for a reason."

"Which is why we need to get going," Aniya retorts irritably.

"We must not get involved," he continues, ignoring the interruption, "Any conflict here could have dramatic repercussions for the universe at all."

"I don't care!" I snap. Okay, maybe I do, but I'm not going to leave my sister to her fate just because. "He's too powerful for Ahsoka. I won't leave her alone." He could – he could do literally anything to her. Now is one of those moments where I know something terrible is going to happen, and I won't sit by and let it. Maybe Obi-Wan has a point, but I can't see it. All I can feel is the all-consuming panic and desperation to protect her. I can't sit back and let things play out.

"We can't," Aniya interjects, "We have to find her. We can't leave her here!"

"We won't," Alema agrees fiercely.

"We are in the middle of something we don't truly understand," Obi-Wan argues, resting a hand on my shoulder that I know is supposed to be calming, but it doesn't have the affect here it normally would. "We'd be wise to confer with the Father, first."

Go in search of him? How long would that take? Never mind that we don't know where to go, and that he'll even agree to help us. He'll make me figure out myself, again, and by that point who knows what could have happened to Ahsoka? "There's no time!"

"Maybe we should split up. Two of us go to talk to the Father, and the other two go after Ahsoka?" proposes Alema. Thanks, sis. How she can be so reasonable and level-headed right now, I have no idea. I can scarcely breathe through the panic crushing me. It's always bad – I know I feel emotions far deeper than any other being, even Aniya – but it's so much worse here, and it hurts. That's why I'll never be a proper Jedi. I'm too emotional. Too uncontrolled.

"Anakin and I will find Ahsoka. You and Obi-Wan go find the Father," Aniya orders immediately.

"This is what he wants," Obi-Wan has to ruin the only reasonable resolution, "To divide us."

"We'll be fine!" Aniya snaps harshly.

He's asking me to leave her. I can't do it. I already failed her; I can't do it again. "It's my fault he took her!" I yell, spinning around. If I hadn't frozen up, I could've stopped him. If I hadn't... told him he wouldn't have known.

"You must feel how strong this part of the planet is with the Dark Side," Obi-Wan cautions, "The Father will know what to do."

He's worried about us, I know. He knows how close we are to the Dark Side, and he's afraid we'll be tempted. Well, he's not entirely wrong. Some of my anger deflates but I turn around anyway, facing the tower. "He can't help us," I reply bitterly. He won't, not any more than anyone else I've ever known. "We have to go." I'm grateful when Obi-Wan doesn't keep arguing. He knows, as always, when to stop. The Force is drawing me towards that tower, and maybe on some level, he knows that.

Alema starts moving forwards to follow us, but Aniya stops her. "You should go with Obi-Wan. And stay out of trouble, Icicle."

Alema snorts. "You too, Skygirl."

Without another word, my twin and I set out through the darkness.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

"You cannot keep me here!" I yell. He's got to be here somewhere, though I don't see him. I can sense the darkness permeating the building and the area. "You hear me?"

"Save your energy," comes a strange voice as I struggle against the restraints again. I'm chained to the wall, and I don't think there's a way to get myself free. There's a small, dark creature moving out of the shadows.

"You have been left to die," it informs me.

That, I'm honestly not surprised to hear. The Son wouldn't want anything in particular from me other than to stop Anakin from leaving. "Then I will escape!" I retort. I'm a Jedi. They can't lock me up just anywhere in some stupid prison.

"Impossible," the creature retorts, scurrying closer. "I have been here for more years than I care to remember."

"I am a Jedi," I argue, "We don't give up easily."

"Jedi?" he replies, climbing up the wall next to me. "Hmm. But so young. Where is your master?"

"He will come for me!" I snap, leaning away from the creature as it prowls way too close for my liking. Hasn't anyone told it a thing or two about personal space?

"And if he does not?" it counters.

"He will!" I know it.

It climbs over my head, towards where my hands are restrained. "What makes you so sure?" Because he always does, of course. He'd never leave me. Never.

The chains suddenly snap off my wrists and I stubble forwards. "Thank you," I say gratefully. Now it's a matter of finding an exit and hoping the Son doesn't stop me before I get anywhere.

"The chains. The chains are the easy part," he retorts, then points at his head, "It's what goes on in here that's hard." Is it? I know for a fact Anakin will come, and he will find me. Eventually. And if not, I'll get out, anyway. I don't need him to come rescue me.

"Don't you see, child?" it demands, "You are alone now. If you are to survive, you must forget your master."

I rest my head on my hand for a moment, sighing. I need to get out of here and find the others before the Son returns. I don't have the time or energy to deal with this creature's strangeness. I need to find some excuse to get out of here and make it leave me alone. Or maybe get it to help me, that's an option to. "I don't think I –" I begin, but am cut off as the creature grabs my right arm and jerks it downwards.

Fang-like teeth bite into my arm, pain shooting through it. "Ow!" I yelp, jerking away. Amidst the pain, darkness courses through me like poison. Was that what it was? What is that?! "What have you done?!" I hiss as my strength starts rapidly draining. Whatever it is that's coursing through me is dark, so dark. It's crushing against my mental shields, draining out every last ounce of my energy, both mental and physical.

I fall to my knees, struggling to hold it off, but I'm not strong enough. I fall to the floor, twitching. Darkness is starting to blur my vision.

"You are mine now," it gloats before the world turns dark.

***

Alema Syndulla

I'm fully on edge, and I can't shake the very bad feeling that something is happening to Ahsoka right now, but I have to help Obi-Wan find the Father. Somehow. "We probably need to head back to his home... which is a long way from here," I point out uncertainly.

"Yes," he agrees, "So let's get going."

We head out across the endless stretch of rocks and grass, heading for the Father's tower. Using the Force to increase our speed, it doesn't take us long to reach it.

As we walk up the steps, I can sense the presences of all three beings. I can hear talking inside, though I can't actually make out any words. Until – "I hate you!" It's the Son, standing in the doorway. Blasts of blinding, crimson lightning shoot off his fingers into the Father, throwing him down the steps from the Force of it.

"What a greeting," I mutter, unable to help myself. Still, I'm frozen in place. They were family, at least they were supposed to be. They shouldn't – they shouldn't hurt each other! I can't help but think something about this scene feels horrifically familiar as the Son runs forwards, transforming into a bird and swooping so close overhead we have to duck for him to pass by. He disappears into the night sky.

"Father!" The Daughter comes running down the steps, hurrying to her father's side. I stop to scan the area, to make sure the Son is truly gone, while the Daughter takes the Father back up inside and puts him into a healing trance. "We will leave him to rest," she decides.

"I must talk to him," Obi-Wan protests, kneeling opposite her.

"Not until he's stronger," she replies.

"But your brother is losing himself to the Dark Side," he argues, "He's taken our friend."

"Then he must have his reasons," she declares.

"Is that it?!" I retort angrily. "You're going to leave her, and let him do whatever he wants with her?"

"The same reason he had for attempting to murder your father?" Obi-Wan asks.

"He would never do such a thing," the Daughter denies flatly.

"But we saw him," I inform her. "When we were coming. That's what happened." Didn't she know? Wasn't she like right there?

"It is not his fault," she insists, "My nature is to do what is selfless, but my brother's will always be to do what is selfish."

"Then know you must help us," Obi-Wan asserts.

"If you truly do what is selfless, why can't you help us?" I challenge. "My friend –" sister "– needs your help!"

"I cannot interfere with the ways of the Force. My father forbids it," she objects.

"Your brother will flee this place and wreak havoc on the universe!" Obi-Wan argues. "You, Anakin, and Aniya combined have the power to stop him."

She sighs reluctantly. "Come with me." She rises and heads back down the stairs, moving across the landscape.

I don't know how long it's been by the time we finally reach a cave. It could have been several hours or even a few days, given this planet's craziness. We walk through an opening, coming to the edge of a cliff.

Aqua fires burn down below, and there are a number of rock structures coming out from beneath it. They burn in a circle around one of them, and there's a strange looking object inside. What kind of place is this? Wait, I already know. It's Mortis. Stranger things have happened. Maybe. Aqua fire isn't quite as unsettling as shapeshifters.

We make our way across a ledge with long drops on either side. The Daughter finally comes to a stop. Obi-Wan steps up beside her, while I hover behind the pair.

"I can go no further. When you reach the altar, it will give you what you need."

"I don't understand," Obi-Wan replies.

"He who wields the blade will be able to control my brother," she explains. Obi-Wan moves forwards, jumping onto one of the floating rocks. It lowers until he's level with the one containing the strangely striped hilt. He steps forwards between the pillars of aqua flames, reaching out and picking up the hilt. There is a swirl of aqua, bluer than the flames, around it, and a long, pointed edge materializes. He turns it over in front of him, watching as the haze dissipates.

I can only shake my head in wonder. What kind of thing could do that? I can feel the power radiating off it, and it has me more than a little curious. What is it?

Obi-Wan jumps back to the ledge, landing next to the Daughter and me. "Come on," I advise, "We better hurry. The twins have probably found Ahsoka by now."

"Yes," he agrees, "And who knows what else?"

"I can fly you to where my brother is," the Daughter offers as exit the cave again. Wait, fly us? Images of being well... practically kidnapped by the Son and Daughter earlier flash through my mind. I'm not sure I have any desire of taking another ride like that, but there's more important things to worry about right now.

"Sure," I agree, "The faster we get there, the better."

A few minutes later, I spot the same building we'd seen earlier. She lands gracefully, setting us down and transforming back into her human form.

We enter the main room to see the Son standing at opposite end of it, facing his back to us. "Sister! What a pleasant surprise," he says, before finally slowly turning around, "And you brought friends." He's playing innocent, and it infuriates me.

"What have you done, Brother?" she demands accusingly.

"Done? I have done what is right," he replies casually, moving to sit down on a chair, "Or what is wrong, depending on your point of view."

"Our father is dying. Did you do it?" she demands.

"He is just so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I decided to move things along," he shrugs it off. That's an excuse? He's out of his mind. Not that it's a surprise. The Dark Side does do crazy things to people's brains. Finally, he stands up again. "Now, why are you here?"

"I won't let you leave this planet," she replies with determination.

"You are not strong enough to keep me here."

"Not alone she isn't," Obi-Wan interjects.

The Son laughs. "Are you referring to your friend, the Chosen One? And his sister? You might want to check up on them. They're a little preoccupied right now."

I practically freeze, exchanging a glance with Obi-Wan. What has the Son done? Whatever it is, we need to get out there and find them. Now.

***

Aniya Skywalker

I'm not sure how long it's been by the time we finally reach the tower, but it's still dark out. I'm beginning to think it's always dark on this part of the planet. After all, the entire night did pass in, what, two minutes earlier today. Or... yesterday. Whatever.

We climb side by side up the almost vertical slope, finally dragging ourselves over the edge. I'm worn out, but I know the real fight is yet to come. Probably the only reason I feel so exhausted is because I haven't really slept much since before we came.

Finally, I catch sight of a Togruta standing on the other side, up on a ledge. She's facing away from us. Ahsoka. She's here. But something about her feels... off.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin calls. She doesn't respond.

I walk a little closer. "Ahsoka!" I try again. I frown. "Something's wrong with her," I send through our bond.

"You're safe now. Let's go," Anakin urges when she still doesn't move.

When she finally talks, her voice is strange. Distant. Not her. "Are you proud of me, Master?" When she speaks, I can feel something... else. The Son. I don't see him, so why does it feel like he's right here?

"What?!" Anakin exclaims, glancing around. "Of course, Snips. Of course, I'm proud of you. Now let's get out of here."

"He's right," she responds instead, "Right about everything." She turns around, and instead of the normal bright blue, there's blazing golden, like the eyes of a Sith. I draw in a sharp breath. Yes, there's definitely something very wrong with her right now. This does not look good at all. What did the Son do to her? What is happening? "You must join him. He only wants what's best for the universe."

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Anakin demands bluntly.

"Always with the criticism, Master," she growls, "Never really believing in me, trusting me. Well, I don't need you anymore."

"Ahsoka, Ahsoka listen to me," Anakin urges, "He has done something to you. Snap out of it!"

"This isn't you, Ahsoka," I insist. I know she's not in control of herself, but the comment still stung. "Come to your senses!" That's not the girl I've taken care of over the past year. Not at all.

"Isn't it me?" she retorts, "I feel more like myself than I ever have." A weird, very un-Ahsoka-like chuckle escapes her. "He asked me to give you a message."

"What?" I demand, narrowing my eyes, though I don't think I want to know.

"He said if you don't join him, he will kill me," she replies smugly. What?! No way. I'm not going to let it happen. Of course, he would do something like this. That's what I was afraid of; him using our sister against us.

"I won't let him!" Anakin retaliates.

She takes a step closer to us. "Then you will be forced to kill me!" She holds out her hand, pulling one of her lightsabers to it. The green blade hisses to life, and she leaps down straight for us. No way. I am not going to fight her. I won't. Can't. I won't raise a hand against her, not even now. I don't care if she's really a Sith, and I know she isn't doing this of her own freewill.

Our own blades are activated as she hits the ground, hers clashing with Anakin's. He takes a step back, and she lunges forwards again, their blades clashing before she takes a swing at me. I hastily parry her blow, stumbling back a few steps. Now that she's up close, I can get a better look at her. Somehow, the Son is controlling her. Her skin looks so much darker than its normal bright orange, and there's faint black lines running across it. It's the physical indication that he's... inside her. It doesn't matter. She's still my sister, and I'll never hurt her. Ever.

Her eyes blazing with fury, she wildly swings her green blade at us again, not even coming close to striking a blow. She's even acting as though she's possessed. Clearly, the Son has absolutely no idea how to use a lightsaber.

"I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka," Anakin says as she lunges forwards again, their blades clashing again.

"You need to snap out of it," I urge, blocking her next blow and taking a step backwards once more. I'm not going to fight her. We'll have to block her attacks until we figure out what we can even do. We have to break the connection, but I have no idea how to go about doing it. He's trying to use her to get to us. He thinks that if we really think she turned to the Dark Side, we'll kill her, which he knows will make us Fall ourselves. But that won't happen. I don't care who she's become or what she's done, she will always be my sister.

Ahsoka shoves me aside and I step sideways to catch my balance. She kicks Anakin back, throwing him to the ground. His lightsaber slips from his grip. She flips backwards, landing a distance back and standing up. "And now the student shall kill the master," she growls.

Anakin raises a hand, reaching for his lightsaber without a word. Ahsoka glances over her shoulder, realizing what he's doing. The hilt flies towards him and lands in his hand as she flips through the air again, landing in front of him. I jump forwards, lightsaber crossing with Anakin's as we meet Ahsoka's blow.

"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, Snips?" Anakin quips.

"Don't call me that!" Ahsoka snarls furiously, "I hate it when you call me that!" She jerks back and slashes at us again, but Anakin jumps up and dodges around her. She spins around, swinging at my legs and I jump backwards. Ahsoka's lightsaber connects with Anakin's again, but he spins the blade out of her hand. It flies uselessly through the air, clattering to the ground a distance away.

The Son clearly has no liking for the fact that we are far more skilled in fighting than he is, because Ahsoka seems to get angrier. She jumps onto Anakin's shoulders, then to the ledge she was on before. She grabs her lightsaber out of the air and draws the other one, igniting them both.

"Master!" I glance back at the feel of two familiar presences approaching. Alema runs towards us, Obi-Wan right behind. Their lightsabers are already ignited, as if ready for a fight. They must have figured out what was going on, though I'm not sure how they ended up coming here just in time.

"The Son's done something to her," I send to Obi-Wan. Just to be sure. I don't know if he knows what's happening, and I don't want him to assume the worst.

"Four Jedi!" Ahsoka announces smugly. "Finally, a challenge."

"Excuse me?" I repeat disbelievingly. Does the Son really think this is the best we can do? If I was actually trying to fight her, she'd be dead ten times over. And I could have done it alone.

Ahsoka leaps at us, wildly flailing both of her lightsabers as all four of us back away from her. "Ahsoka, stop!" yells Alema.

She lunges at her in response and the Twi'lek hastily parries the blow. Ahsoka spins around to me next, slashing a few times. I move to parry the blows or jump aside, nothing more. She turns to Obi-Wan, only receiving the same reaction. My twin steps forwards to continue the fight, letting Obi-Wan step back. Ahsoka's blades cross to meet Anakin's, and he steps back, throwing out a hand to send her skidding across the ground, lightsabers cutting through the platform on which she stands.

"Any suggestions?" Anakin asks.

"Yes! We cut her free," Obi-Wan replies.

"But how?" I inquire rhetorically as Obi-Wan pulls a strange-looking striped hilt off his belt. I didn't notice it earlier. At first it doesn't look like it has a blade, until I realize it does. An aqua haze swirls around it, slowly dissipating to reveal a two-foot long, pointed blade.

"What is that?" Anakin questions, eyes going wide.

"It can kill the Son," he explains.

"Where did you get that?!" Ahsoka shouts, sounding almost like the Son for a moment, "Give it to me!" She lunges at us, lightsabers spinning. Anakin and I jump forwards to block the blow, forcing her back from Obi-Wan. I won't let her get close to that. Given the state she's in now, she'd give it to the Son, and never mind it might hurt her. I don't know, but I'd rather not find out.

All at once, I hear the sound of shattering glass from far above. Looking up, I see the Son and the Daughter falling to the ground straight towards us. In a flash, we dart out of the way not a moment too soon, throwing ourselves to the ground to avoid them. The two beings hit the ground a short distance away.

"You will stop this!" the Father's voice rings out across the clearing.

"You are too weak for me, old man," snarls the Son, leaping to his feet, "You mean nothing to me anymore." He raises a hand, a blast of red lightning arcing from his fingers at the Father who calmly throws up a Force-shield to block it. Scowling, the Son begins shooting lightning at him with his other hand as well. The four of us stand up, as does Ahsoka, who watches the proceedings with a dark smirk.

The shield suddenly gives way and the Father staggers backwards, falling to the ground. The Son is obviously too lost in his anger to think clearly. He stalks over to him and promptly begins electrocuting him again. He's distracted. This would probably be a good opportunity.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan yells, making him spin around. "Now!"

Everything happens at once. Obi-Wan throws the dagger, Anakin reaches out to catch it. Ahsoka streaks forwards, snatching it out of the air. Anakin starts moving, and so do I, but neither of us are fast enough. She hits the ground and sprints forwards, towards the ledge the Son and Father are on. Except she never reaches it.

A light blue figure streaks towards her, tackling her to the ground. "Ahsoka! Stop! What are you doing?" Alema yells.

"Let me go!" snarls Ahsoka, struggling furiously.

Alema knocks the dagger out of her hands, and I dive forwards to grab it. I won't let the Son get it, whatever the cost. We have to stop him before he can cause any more damage. Anakin runs to Ahsoka, helping Alema before Ahsoka can kick her off.

The Father stands up shakily behind the Son, who's turned around to watch the proceedings. "You showed them the altar?" he asks.

The Daughter stands up, leaning on Obi-Wan for support. "I am sorry, Father. I didn't know how else to stop him."

The Son suddenly moves forwards towards me, eyes on the dagger. He raises a hand, trying to pull the dagger away from me. My hand clamps tighter over it, but it rips free from my grasp. I grab it with the Force, and it hovers uselessly between us.

"This isn't working," pants Alema from where her and my brother are next to Ahsoka.

"We'll have to try something else," Anakin decides. "I'll break the hold... from this end."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Obi-Wan cautions.

Ignoring the rather important conversation with my brothers, I reach out with the Force, drawing the dagger closer to me and ripping it away from the Son. He growls angrily, and throws up a hand, red Force lightning leaping from his fingers. Obi-Wan is in front of me in a flash, deflecting the electricity away. It lets up a moment later, and the Son turns his attention to Anakin and Alema. He throws them away from Ahsoka with the Force.

Ahsoka instantly jumps to her feet, grabbing her lightsaber and lunging at me, her blade nearly hitting the hand I'm holding the dagger in. I swing aside, igniting my lightsaber with my free hand. I don't want to fight her, but I can't let her get the dagger. "Obi-Wan!" I yell, throwing it to him as I block Ahsoka's next slash single-handedly. She growls angrily, wildly swinging her blades and practically missing every time.

Lightning leaps out of the Son's hands, shooting at Anakin and Alema. They both quickly begin deflecting it. Seriously, we need to try something else. Between trying to fight off Ahsoka and the Son while keeping the dagger safe, we're never going to get out of here. And what can we even do to break the connection the Son has on her? I have no idea, but we have to do it somehow. I won't let him have her.

The Daughter suddenly transforms into her bird-self, flying straight at the Son. He spins around, instantly shapeshifting into his bird form. She throws him backwards off the ledge and onto the ground below, him shifting back into himself, only to re-shift and lunge towards her. Alema sprints forwards to assist me.

***

Anakin Skywalker

"Is there anything you can do to break the Son's hold on Ahsoka?" I demand of the Father. As if not hearing at all, the Togruta continues to slash at my sisters.

"I cannot help you. The connection must be broken by my son."

"But could it work two ways?" I ask desperately. "Could I break it... from Ahsoka's end?"

"Hmm. You would risk destroying her mind."

I turn away from him. I can't hurt her like that, but what else can I do? Any attempts to kill the Son haven't worked as of yet, and I can't leave Ahsoka in his control like this. I don't know if it's damaging her permanently, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take. If I leave her with the Son, I'll be responsible for whatever she does. If I try to save her... I might hurt her, but I should be able to sense it, right? That doesn't mean it's an easy choice to make.

I jump over the edge, landing gracefully on the ground beneath and sprint towards the lightsaber battle. Aniya sees me coming and shoves Ahsoka towards me, and I reach out, holding her in place with the Force. I move closer, simultaneously reaching into our bond. I slowly let down my shielding, focusing single-mindedly on the task at hand.

The Son is shielding her from me, his presence almost completely wrapped around hers. I can barely feel the brilliant flame that used to be my padawan. I ignore Ahsoka's enraged shrieks as my presence touches hers, searching for somewhere – anywhere – I can grasp her presence. If I can get through to her, we can force the Son out of her mind with ease.

I tune everything else out, including the fighting Son and Daughter overhead, knowing that my other siblings are going to protect me now, no matter what.

I reach deeper, touching her presence. The Son is fighting against me, trying to close the gap, but I reach through anyway, latching onto her. It's against everything I've ever done, but for the first time I stop focusing on hiding. All of it is slipping through, my desperation, my fear of losing her, and the overwhelming love I have for her, my desire to keep her safe against everything.

She clings to me in response, as if for the first time understanding. She lifts her shields for me in a flash, letting me feel her for the first time. She's scared and confused, but I can feel so much... more. I've never known the extent the war has been hurting her. She craves for the feel of battle. She can't imagine a life without it.

My heart breaks at the moment I realize that never, not once, has she known true love. She doesn't really know how it feels to give your whole heart to someone and be willing to sacrifice anything if it means they'll be happy. She's always been on her own. She has endless friends – she's friends with half the Jedi in the Temple it seems, and most of the clones – but it's not the same. And even Alema. They've looked out for each other since childhood, but they don't have that caring between them, which shocks me. She's never had anyone to take care of her, and she doesn't understand or appreciate how much Aniya and I always do. She loves us, yes, but she's ultimately only looking out for herself, because she can't understand she doesn't have to do it alone.

If this is how most of the Jedi feel, I'm glad I was raised elsewhere. I should have noticed sooner.

I move forwards instantly to catch her when she falls, lowering her to the ground as I practically fall to my knees. I don't let go of her, neither mentally nor physically. Bit by bit, I pry off the icy darkness closing around her. The Son is distracted, and he's not strong enough. I rip his grip free, finally collapsing when I feel it slip away.

Ahsoka's fine. She's fine. She looks... the same as she used to. Her skin is purely orange again. She's leaning against me, head on my shoulder. I feel so worn out. But Ahsoka's here, alive, herself, and that's all the matters. Our bond is fluctuating, and I feel a strength in it that I never have before. Maybe it's the sudden, in-depth understanding we have of one another now. I pull back, drawing my shields closed again. I don't know what she saw, but she shouldn't have seen any of it. I've never shared my thoughts like that with anyone before.

"Ahsoka?" I shake her shoulder. She needs to respond. I need her to respond, to know she's okay. She has to be. The Father told me I could harm her mind, and that's something I'd never know physically. Is she all right? I'm afraid I hurt her, unintentionally, but still, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

She twitches a little, the most response she can make right now. I gently lower her to the ground, and her eyes blink open. Blue. They're blue. Just when I think I could cry in relief, the Force blares a warning and I look up.

The Son stalks towards us, fury burning in his eyes.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

Before I have a moment to react, the Son raises a hand and blinding bolts of red lightning are unleashed on us. Aniya spins around and raises her lightsaber a moment too late. She's flung backwards, and pain flares through our bond. It's enough to snap me out of my daze.

"Master!" Alema yells, running to her.

He's turning towards Obi-Wan. I'm up in a flash, all sense of reasoning abandoning me. I won't let him hurt my brother. Plus, he still has the dagger. I lunge forwards, only to be met by a blinding bolt of lightning. Agony consumes all my other senses. It only lasts a moment, but it feels like eternity. "You will not stop me!" he roars.

"Master!" Ahsoka's hovering over me, expression one of worry. I can't bring myself to respond verbally as I struggle to catch my breath, ignoring the lingering pain. It was worse than Geonosis, or maybe I've just forgotten. Ahsoka looks fearfully up towards the balcony, and I follow her gaze. Apparently, I wasn't the only one the Son had been shooting lightning at. He's holding the dagger, standing over the Father. Oh no.

"The Jedi have brought me the dagger," he gloats, "And you have brought yourself. Now, Father, you will die." He raises the blade.

No. I can't let him do this. I can't. I move over, pushing an arm under myself to push myself upright, Ahsoka helping me sit up. But I'm not strong enough to jump right into another fight. I'm exhausted, now both physically and mentally. I need to rest, but I can't sit here and watch –

"No!" Aniya yells, throwing her hand out to pull the Son back. The same moment, the Daughter shoots forwards, throwing herself in front of the Father. The dagger cuts into her just as Aniya yanks him – and the dagger with him – backwards.

The Son stumbles back, staring down at his hands as if they'd betrayed him – which they probably did. Maybe. "Why?" he cries finally. Lighting flashes nearby, thunder rolling across the rocky terrain with a deafening crash. His howl of rage and pain transforms into a growl as he shifts back into a bird, giant wings flapping as he disappears up into the clouded night sky.

Aniya is at my side instantly, helping me up. I'm still a little unsteady, but I guess I'll be fine now. Alema starts forwards, but then changes her direction and runs to Obi-Wan. "Are you okay?" I ask, looking over at him.

"I'm fine," he insists. I don't believe him, but my attention is drawn towards the pair atop the ledge. The Father is lowering the Daughter to the ground, pulling the dagger out of her and tossing it aside. We hurry over as he sits down beside her, joining them on her other side. I kneel next to her shakily, Obi-Wan sitting down next to me. Aniya stands behind us, one hand resting on my shoulder and the other on Obi-Wan's. There's something slightly protective in her stance, and I don't bother trying to deal with the strangeness of it. Ahsoka takes her place beside me, and I wrap an arm around her, glad to have her here. Alema crouches next to Obi-Wan.

"My daughter, what have I done?" the Father asks rhetorically, the pain obvious in his voice. I can't believe she's really dying. Is she? It hardly seems possible. I'd almost thought they were immortal. I wish there was something – anything – I could do to help them.

"Do not hate him, Father," she answers softly, "It is in his nature. It is not too late yet." Too late for what?

The Father seems to understand without asking, because he turns back to us. "You must go, now. My son needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

"What about you?" Aniya asks.

"After your departure, I will put my daughter in a healing trace. She may yet live, but the balance on this world has been altered. The light is falling, and evil has been unleashed. Until the balance on this world is restored, war shall escalate in your galaxy. As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength. Now, you must leave."

His words, and the finality in them, send a shiver down my spine. I want to ask for more, but I know he won't answer, so I stand and pull Ahsoka up. Ahsoka is the first to start heading off, and the rest of us follow. Together, always together, we walk away into the night.

***

"I'm getting a little tired of how unreliable the weather is here," grumbles Obi-Wan as he stands at the bottom of the ramp to the ship, frowning out at the dark horizon. Lightning continues to flash in the distance, faint rumbles of thunder reaching us.

"Some might say that's part of the appeal," I shoot back, seated a distance farther back. Obi-Wan made us stay behind him. He's being overprotective, and I'm certainly not about to complain. Not after I felt Ahsoka and her having no idea how to appreciate anything of the like. Our Padawans are both busy fixing the ship, me not wanting to let Ahsoka anywhere near the door. I don't want to risk something happening to her again. I'm still not sure about any of this. The Father's words are nagging at my mind. He told me I had to help balance this world, but now he's telling me to go. I don't know what to do. It feels like I owe him after everything he did for us.

"Everything always being predictable is boring," Aniya points out.

"How do you feel?" Obi-Wan asks after a pause.

"I'm not sure we're doing the right thing by leaving," I admit with a sigh. "The Son is consumed by the Dark Side." What if he decides to kill the Father? Or even the Daughter, when she's still unconscious? That would definitely destroy all hope of balance. And if that affects the balance in the galaxy, what will that lead to?

"Any if we stay, we may be used to the Dark Side's advantage," Obi-Wan points out.

"Yes," agrees Aniya, "But what if the Son finds a different way to get off the planet? Or what if he tries to kill the Father again?"

"Then we'll have to hope the Father knows what he's doing by telling us to leave," Obi-Wan decides.

Ahsoka pokes her head out of the opening in the floor, breaking the conversation. "Well, you want the bad news or the really bad news?" she asks, pulling herself up.

"Well, let's try the bad news, laced with a little optimism," Obi-Wan suggests, crossing his arms.

"We've got two cracked silo pins, a busted power converter. The engines should be fired twice to dump debris, and the backup vents need charging," Ahsoka lists off. That's a lot of damage. It will take a long time to repair, even if it can be.

"Sounds terribly downbeat," Obi-Wan deadpans.

"Is there anything you can do to fix it?" inquires Aniya.

Ahsoka jumps back down, her and Alema disappearing from sight. Aniya and I step over to opening, looking down.

"We can re-route the primary initiator and weld the dampening vents," Alema suggests, inspecting the controls on the walls.

"That might give us enough power to leave the atmosphere," Ahsoka continues, "After that, I have no guarantees she'll hold together."

"Which means we might all get to die in space," Alema says, feigning cheerfulness.

"Wonderful, right?" Aniya sighs, looking at me.

"We'll take our chances," Obi-Wan decides for me. "Better than staying here." I glance around, eyes falling on the speeder. If it's going to be a while, I might as well talk to the Father. I need some sort of reassurance he'll be alright here. I can't leave, not when he needs me. If the galaxy fell apart because we left the planet, I'd never forgive myself. I have to go.

"I'm coming," Aniya tells me, hearing my unspoken thought. "We're in this together."

"As we always are."

Obi-Wan walks back down the ramp of the shuttle, stopping at the end. I slip past him, pushing the speeder outside and firing it up. "Where are you going?" he demands.

"To see the Father," I explain, "I'm not convinced that the Son will be contained here without our help. Perhaps we should make a stand."

"Anakin –" Obi-Wan begins to protest as Aniya climbs onto the speeder behind me.

"We can't just leave," Aniya objects. "So many things could happen. Besides, this will take a while. We'll be there and back before you know it."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"If we don't get the Father's blessing to leave, it'll haunt us forever," I say finally, turning on the speeder. "Stay safe, Obi-Wan." He'll be fine, I think, but I hate risking him like this. The speeder shoots across the mountains, and before I know it, the ship has disappeared out of sight behind us. Following the Force, I guide us to where the Father is.

"You should have left by now," he states darkly as we climb off and approach him.

"Our ship needs repairs," I shrug it off. Obi-Wan will be able to sense if the Son tries coming there, and even if he doesn't, there's nothing he could do. The ship won't fly, and I'm not even sure it'll be able to take off.

"It might not take off. Or at least get through the atmosphere," Aniya adds.

"Do not underestimate my son," he warns. "He will seek your ship to escape our isolation and sow terror through the universe. And while you are here, he will use you to do it."

I know. He already used Ahsoka against us, and I have no doubt he could try it again. I hastily push those thoughts from mind. "What will you do now that he's given himself over to the Dark Side?"

"It is my actions that have unleashed great danger on the universe. If he does not come back, I must kill him."

"Kill him?" Aniya echoes incredulously. "You would kill your own son?" I know her thoughts without even asking – that Qui-Gon would never do that to us, no matter what happened. And I don't understand it, either. How could someone raise a hand against their family, especially their children, just because that's what duty requires?

"I must not allow the Dark Side to dominate the galaxy."

"He's too powerful for you alone," I protest.

"Hmm. Perhaps, perhaps not. The Force will decide."

"Look, we can help you," I insist. "There is still time. We can –"

"The choice is no longer yours to make." He turns is gaze lies far away across the surface of the planet. "Our destinies are clouded." He motions towards the endless expanse of the dark clouds hovering over the ground. Is that the sign of the darkness that settled over the galaxy? "This place is strong with the Force. Darkness has no hold here. Go. Ask, and you will know what to do."

He's still being as cryptic as ever, but that doesn't frustrate me anymore as it once did. There's a sense of heaviness that's settled over me. He's right. I don't know what to do. We need – we need to ask the Force. That's that only place we can hope to find answers. Answers. That's all we need. It hurts, in a way. Him, unlike all the Jedi, is telling us to go do what we do – blindly trust in the Force to protect us and ask for answers like Qui-Gon taught us. It made us shunned by the Jedi, yet here is someone we don't know who has faith in us.

We seat ourselves back near the speeder, facing each other, intertwining our Force-signatures. It gives us something else to focus on as we meditate, or at least try to. I can never do it alone. I've never been able to do it like others. We're just... different.

Where do we go? What do we do?

The response is an immediate nudge, towards where I feel the Dark Side. Starting from when we came here, this entire ordeal has been about our struggles. Maybe this is where we'll finally learn. "The well of the Dark Side." I pull myself to my feet. "Let's go."

***

Ahsoka Tano

"This is going to take the rest of our lives," I groan. My head is still hurting. I feel... weird in general. My mind still feels... odd, and I'm still trying to process everything I saw from Anakin. I wonder how much he saw about me. I don't really want to ask. We need to get going, and I think that knowledge is making me slow down even more.

"Don't joke about it, or it might actually come true," Alema warns.

I really want to sit down right now. Or... sleep. It feels like it's taking all my energy to continue standing. This planet is all kinds of weird. The Force feels different here, and it's exhausting. "I need to rest for a moment," I grumble finally, sitting down in the center of the floor as Alema works in the corner.

"Hey, how am I supposed to walk?" Alema whines.

"Step carefully," I suggest, closing my eyes. I can't help but remember when I first saw Anakin's apartment, now.

"You know," Alema grumbles, "You're usually my favorite, but right now, you're the worst."

"Thank you," I reply dryly, eyes closing as I lay back on the floor. The goggles I'm wearing are darkening everything and... that's not helping. Just a minute. I'll get up in a minute –

A foot suddenly slams hard into my leg followed by a yelp as Alema promptly lands on top of me. "Ouch!" I yelp, though it hardly hurt.

"I warned you," she huffs, rolling off me and squeezing in on her side, back pressed against the wall.

"Might I suggest less sleeping and a little more work?" Obi-Wan's voice jerks me awake. When did I even fall asleep? Well least I feel a little better.

"Sorry, Master Kenobi," I apologize, pulling myself up.

Alema stands up clumsily. "Well, Ahsoka fell asleep and took up the whole space so I couldn't work." Of course, she had to tattle.

"I wasn't exactly feeling wonderful," I grumble.

Obi-Wan crouches near the edge, passing each of us a glass, "Here, these should help."

We drink them down as he talks. "We need a change of plans," Obi-Wan says, "You must focus on the firing drives. Disengage them."

"What? Why?" exclaims Alema.

"But I'm almost finished putting this junk heap back together!" I protest.

"Just do as I say," he cuts me off, "We don't have much time."

"Whatever you say," Alema agrees with a little reluctance.

"You're the boss," I say with a sigh, pulling the goggles back over my eyes. Time to get back to work. Maybe it was a good thing I took that nap after all. At least I spent less time doing what I apparently didn't have to do.

I hear Obi-Wan leaving the ship again, returning to stand on watch. I return to my work until I hear Obi-Wan talking outside again. "Where are Anakin and Aniya?"

"They came to me for guidance," I hear the Father's voice. This sounds important. We probably should go up and listen. "But at the crossroads, only they can choose. The Force will be their guide now."

"I don't like this. What have you done?" Obi-Wan demands. I climb out, moving to stand in the doorway, Alema stands beside me.

"I have done nothing," he responds, "I am merely letting the will of the Force take shape."

"Where have they gone?" he demands.

"To the Well of the Dark Side." Alema and I exchange a worried glance. I don't like this at all. I don't know what that place is, but it doesn't sound like anywhere they should be.

"They have gone to confront your son, haven't they?" Obi-Wan realizes.

"Deep within this planet exists a place where all that is dark is channeled," the Father says, not really answering the question.

"We should go out there," Alema murmurs. I nod in agreement, and we walk down the ramp.

"And how do I get there?" presses Obi-Wan, climbing onto the speeder next to him.

"You cannot interfere," the Father insists.

"The way I see it," he retorts, "If we were not supposed to interfere, Ahsoka, Alema, and I wouldn't be here in the first place." He glances back at us. "Look after the ship. I'm going to find Anakin and Aniya."

Without waiting another moment, Obi-Wan fires up the speeder, zooming away. We stand watching until he disappears from sight into the darkness, before slowly walking back up the ramp into the ship. While we wait for his return, we at least better get the ship ready to go. And the Father seems to have taken up the job of standing watch, so we better get moving.

***

Aniya Skywalker

As we continue to zoom along through the small gap between the rocks, I feel the darkness in the Force increasing. Then there's an orange glow, showing out from between the rocks up ahead. Flashes of my vision about Dark Anakin assault my mind and I hastily force them away.

Finally, we arrive right outside the source of the light I'd seen. Large towering rocks surround what looks very much like an enormous well. Chunks of molten rock are floating in the air as Anakin flies the speeder over the edge and we begin to descend into it. Lava is trickling from the walls, pouring downwards into the river below. Almost the entire area seems to be glowing yellow and orange, the heat strong enough to be felt even up here. There's a small area of rocks rising up in several places as we get closer, the largest being in the center.

Anakin guides the speeder over to it and the two of us get off, looking around. "This place is creepy," I mutter. If not for the heat, I'd have the shivers.

"Tell me about it," Anakin agrees.

"Welcome," a familiar voice rings out behind us. We both whirl around to see the Son approaching. "I believe there has been a misunderstanding. We really don't have to be enemies."

"You tried to kill your sister!" Anakin snaps accusingly, "The Force is out of balance. We have to stop you."

"Must you?" the Son asks, looking very unconcerned. "If you kill me, it will throw off the balance in this world. Light may not exist without Dark."

My eyes narrow. He's a Sith. Is he trying to trick us? I've had it with trusting them. Anakin reaches over and puts a hand on my arm, but I rip out my lightsaber anyway. "Regardless of how we do it, we cannot let you leave," he replies warningly, staring the dark sider down.

"There is no need for such crude implements here," the Son chides, ripping away my lightsaber. "I have a gift for you."

"I'll pass," I snap. "I don't want your foolish gifts."

"I have had enough of your trickery," Anakin shoots back, glaring.

"Oh, but you'll like this one, I promise," the Son insists, unphased.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," I retort sarcastically. "Just like I liked it so much when you stole that dagger and broke all sense of balance the universe can hope to have."

"What if I could show you the future?" he proposes, looking almost gleeful, wisely ignoring my statement.

The Son raises his hand, and I feel a sudden crushing pressure against my mind. Images flash before me, too faint and fast to make sense of.

"Stop!" Anakin yells, Force-shoving him backwards. The pressure on my mind instantly vanishes as the Son catches his balance near the edge of the lava bank. He throws up his hands, trying to Force-shove both of us backwards. I instantly raise a hand myself, throwing the Force-wave back at him.

The force of it sends all three of us flying at once. I lose my balance, falling over and rolling over a few times before catching myself at the edge of the lava. Memories flash through my mind, of the end of my vision from before. The fire...

The Son turns into his bird form mid-fall, flying up into the air. Anakin lands right beside me. Looking up, I realize our speeder is gone, and there's a splash in the lava nearby. "I'm pretty sure that was one 'crude implement' we could have kept," grumbles my brother, pulling himself to his feet.

"Yes," I agree with a scowl, looking up to see the Son flying towards the mouth of the well. We certainly won't be able to follow him. If he tries to go back to the ship... Oh no. "We should contact the others and warn them," I say worriedly.

"It hardly seems like there's going to be a need for that," Anakin replies, pointing up towards where another speeder flies over the edge and starts to descend into the pit. Obi-Wan. Of course, he would come looking for us. But that also means that our Padawans are all alone now. That is not a good sign.

"Anakin, Aniya, are you alright?" demands Obi-Wan as the speeder lands next to us.

"Where'd the Son go?" I ask in response.

"Off into the sky," he replies.

"Ahsoka and Alema are alone with the ship?" Anakin demands.

"The Father is with them," he soothes, "But we better hurry." Yes, we really should. Before the Son gets to them.

The Father is standing in front of the ship when we get there, the Padawans in the doorway. "We were able to send out a distress signal," Alema informs us, slipping around him, "So maybe someone will come and rescue us."

"Well, that's one good thing," I sigh. Although I'm not sure if they'd even be able to find the planet in the first place, considering that we couldn't see Rex when he was supposedly at the same place. The Father doesn't seem terribly inclined to tell us anything.

"We must stop the Son once and for all," Anakin declares firmly.

"We have little time, and you will only get one chance," the Father cautions, "You know what you must do if I fail to change his mind."

"How quaint," calls a familiar voice. I spin around to see the Son slowly descending from the sky in his human form, landing on the ground a short distance away from the rest of us. I instantly notice that he has the dagger at his waist. We got here a little too late.

The Father takes a step towards him, a determined look in his eyes. "I ask you one last time. Do not leave, my son."

For a moment he hesitates, though his face and red eyes remain expressionless. Finally, he speaks again. "You have no power to keep me, old man. You must understand by now this planet is not my destiny."

"What you will do will destroy all that is good," the Father argues, "I beg you. Restrain yourself and stay."

The Son takes a step back, looking down at the ground for a moment. "I cannot."

"And then it shall be," he replies, sorrow clear in his eyes, "I love you, my son."

"Do you?" he retorts. We need to act, now, before it's too late. Anakin ignites his lightsaber, lunging at the Son. He raises a hand and blocks the blows the same way I'd seen the Father do it back when we'd first met him, finally picking up Anakin by his neck.

A fierce, blinding rage overtakes my sense of reason and I whip out my own lightsaber, charging at him. The Son throws Anakin over his shoulder, yanking away my lightsaber and throwing me backwards. I land on my back a distance away, hearing the thuds of the other three landing nearby. I hastily push myself up again, seeing the Father is now holding the dagger.

"What?" he scoffs, throwing our lightsabers to the ground. "You're going to kill me now?"

"I held hope that you could resist the Dark Side, but I see now there is no going back," the Father responds, pointing the blade at himself.

"No!" cries a voice. All heads swivel its direction to see the Daughter landing on the ground a short distance away. "Stop this madness," the Daughter urges desperately, "Brother, think about what you are doing, what it could lead to."

The Son seems to falter for a moment as he looks between them. "I must go," he insists finally, though with less determination in his voice than there was before.

The Father points the dagger at himself again. "Father!" cries the Daughter, running over to him, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"It is the only way, my daughter," he says sadly, "If I die, I will take his power."

"How can you stand there while our father kills himself?" the Daughter demands, glaring at her brother. The Father starts raising the dagger again.

"No!" yells the Son, dashing forwards, yanking it away almost a fraction of a second too late. The dagger clatters to the ground beside them as the Daughter wraps her arms around her brother, and after a moment, he returns the embrace. It looks so weird to seem them suddenly hugging this out when they were trying to kill each other only minutes ago. I vaguely wonder why the two look like totally different species, but now is definitely not the right time to comment on it.

"You must leave now," declares the Father, turning to us, "But at least now I know the role you will play."

"And what is that?" asks Anakin.

"You are the Chosen One," he replies simply. "You have brought balance to this world and will do so again for the galaxy."

"To find true balance, dark and light must co-exist as one," the Son says, standing and turning to face us. I'd be wary to believe it, but I feel the truth in the Force, and nod slightly. I don't really understand it; it's something we'll have to think about later.

"And," the Daughter adds, "Remember that there is no power stronger than love."

I glance sideways at my brothers and sisters. I know. My family is the world to me.

"Now, it is time for you to leave," the Father tells us. "Your time here is done."

"Come, then," Obi-Wan says after a brief pause, heading for the ramp. None of us says a word as we board the ship. Anakin and I climb down to finish the repairs – we're the fastest, after all. It only takes a matter of minutes before the ship is in flyable condition again, and we take our seats in the cockpit.

"I hope this works," Ahsoka mutters as Anakin fires up the engines.

A brilliant light – same as before – suddenly floods the ship. I shield my eyes as it continues to grow brighter before the world fades from view.

The next thing I know, I'm blinking awake again, sitting up from the control panel. I've heard people joke about time-loops. It really feels like I went through one. That's the exact same position I was in before.

"That was a million kinds of crazy," Alema groans from behind me.

My gaze instantly falls on a hologram of Rex flickering in again. "Alright, it looks like we have a lot of explaining to do."

Chapter Text

Alema Syndulla

"Master!" Ahsoka yells as we race around the corner, skidding to a stop. "I'm sorry we're late."

"We just heard about the briefing," I add.

"We're going to rescue Master Piell, right?" Ahsoka inquires, hurrying over to our masters. The twins are in the hall having just left the briefing room with Master Plo and Master Obi-Wan.

"You four have much to discuss," Plo informs us, glancing back before walking off with the other Jedi master.

"Ahsoka, Alema," Anakin turns to face us. Something about his expression tells me I'm not going to like what he's about to say. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier, but you won't be coming along on this one."

Wait. What? We're not coming? On the most dangerous mission, when they'll definitely need our help?

"Not coming?!" exclaims Ahsoka, "But you're breaking into the Citadel! No one's ever done it."

"You're going to need our help!" I protest, glaring. "You can't always exclude us from missions because they're a little more dangerous than normal."

"Excuse me?!" retorts Aniya, spinning around. "Just a little dangerous? How much do you know about Citadel?"

"Enough to know you're being overly protective!" I retaliate. Ahsoka and I can handle ourselves fine.

"The Citadel wasn't designed to hold common criminals. It was created to hold Jedi, if any of us lost our way. It's not a place for Padawans," Anakin insists, "And this isn't a mission for learning. You either do or die."

"In which case, we'll do," I argue.

"And it's not a risk I'm willing to share," Anakin replies flatly, walking off. Aniya glances back at us, then follows.

"That's ridiculous!" I snap, throwing my hands in the air exasperatedly. "So, what? You expect Ahsoka and I to sit by while you run around doing crazy dangerous things? What if something goes wrong?!"

"We are not taking you into something like this. That would reckless, stupid, and irresponsible," Aniya retorts flatly. "You aren't ready for something like this."

Now, I know she's my master and gets to make the decisions and all, but that doesn't stop my surge of anger. "Yes, I am! Don't forget I've grown up on the battlefield!"

"This isn't an ordinary battle, Alema," Anakin reminds.

"They're right," Ahsoka interjects suddenly, and I whirl around to face her.

"What?!" I shriek. Of all people, I would've thought she would support me. I can't risk losing them to something stupid and reckless like that. Ahsoka has changed since Mortis, and I'm not sure if I like it sometimes. Like right now.

"I know you're upset," Aniya says a little more calmly, approaching me again, "But we can't let you come on this mission. It's something we have to handle ourselves. Trust the Force. Trust in us. We can do this."

I bite my lip and look away. It's so easy to say, not so much to do. I've never quite learned how to, especially not when I have nothing to focus on.

"What if something happens to you? What if you need our help?" Ahsoka inquires quietly, though I can sense her frustration.

"I can have you on the team with Plo if we need reinforcements," Anakin replies. "If you need to be involved."

They're being overly protective again, and I can appreciate that, but at times it gets a little exhausting. "Fine," I snap.

"Hey, do you want to take some meditating lessons?" Aniya asks with a slight smirk. "I mean, Ahsoka's been getting better and that's one thing I can't really teach you."

"You want us to practice together?" I grumble. What's wrong with Ahsoka? Why is she agreeing to this?! I shoot her a side-glare. Life is always so much easier when I know I have someone supporting me.

Aniya shrugs, squeezing my shoulder. I relax a bit at the contact before remembering that it may well be the last time. Just like every battle, only this time it seems so much worse. "Besides, if we get in a situation where we can't contact you, we'll still have the Force."

"I suppose that makes sense," Ahsoka agrees slightly grumpily, but she doesn't argue. Instead, she pulls me off out of hearing range as soon as she can.

"So, what?" I half-snap immediately. "You're perfectly okay with our masters taking off into the depths of enemy lines like this?! How can you... agree? What if something happens to them?"

"Well, look at it like this," she advises. "We're more likely to get injured than them, and they'll be so taken up being worried about us that the mission will definitely backfire."

"So, I'm supposed to be perfectly alright with them getting captured?!" And everything that always comes with it. That's happened more times than I can count.

"I don't think I ever told you," Ahsoka says quietly, "But on Mortis when Anakin... broke the Son's hold on me... I do remember bits and pieces of it. We... saw each other's minds, I guess. I never... he's so afraid of losing us. If something happened to us, it would destroy him. I can't do that to them."

I look away. Why does she always have to be right? "Fine," I agree grudgingly, "But if something happens to them, it's on you."

***

Aniya Skywalker

Consciousness seems to return painfully slowly. Like I'm far, far away and very, very slowly being dragged back to my body. By the time the carbon block finally releases me, I stumble forwards, somehow managing to land upright. I feel weird all over. And I'm sore. Everything's tingling and I can't shake weird sensation of just having come back to my body. Someone tell me you don't technically die when being carbon frozen, because I imagine this is much like what it would feel like.

I stumble forwards, taking a few moments to regain my sense of balance. I catch sight of Anakin rounding his, testing out his mechanical hand. How did I not think about that beforehand? "That's okay, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm." He glances my way, still moving a little unsteadily. "Guess this worked out after all."

"Yep!" I shove thoughts of Qui-Gon and our Padawans to the back of my mind. I don't have time to worry about how they must be feeling. Qui-Gon doesn't know the details of the mission, thankfully. Only our Padawans do. No one else will, until... well, we come back. It's the usual procedure. Except I can't help but wonder if we're going to be able to pull this off. Sneaking right into the heart of Separatist territory like this is... extremely dangerous, and I know from prior experience exactly what happens when we get captured. I don't – not ever – want Obi-Wan to share the same luck as Anakin and me.

I head over to Appo, taking his arm to help steady him. Anakin heads over to take care of his boys. "Feeling up to this?" I ask as he puts his helmet on. It doesn't matter if I can't see his face – I can still sense his worry and determination and forever unshaken loyalty. I know the feel of all of them, even if I'm closest with Appo.

"We always are, sir."

I smile softly at him, the ache in my heart increasing as I realize this – as all other missions – may well be the last one we spend together. I'm so tired of losing my friends. I took all my closest and best clones here with me, and now I might lose everyone. That's why I'm so glad Qui-Gon is off the fronts, and Padme and Jaufre are safe. At least I always know I have someone to come back to. "And I'm proud of you," I tell them quietly, forever engraining their faces and Force-presences into my mind. We brought twelve clones in. Who knows how many will make it out? "And everything you've done together."

It feels like a goodbye. Maybe, to a point, it is one.

Obi-Wan's voice breaks us out of our conversation, calling us to get moving. As usual. I give my boys a slight nod before turning to the exit, stopping only when Anakin gives Artoo instructions to guard the shuttle.

When the ramp lowers, I'm instantly greeted by the sweltering heat of the planet. Not like that's a surprise. The rocky ground is completely barren. We start out heading towards the opening into the facility, crossing a narrow walkway at the bottom of a towering cliff.

"Does it bother anyone else that we're walking right next to a river of lava?" I mutter under my breath, eyeing it depreciatively.

"We've done weirder things," Anakin insists, tossing a glance over his shoulder.

"Weird or unsettling?" I huff. "Last time I saw lava, I nearly fell into it, so please excuse if it makes me wary." In the Well of the Dark Side. I haven't exactly forgotten.

"Focus," Obi-Wan chides.

"I am," I grumble. "Just be glad Icicle isn't here. Actually, I wish she was. I'd rather be on Hoth right now." I generally don't talk much on important missions like this, but I've noticed it's sometimes the best way to distract myself from unpleasant memories.

"And buried under a mountain-full of snow?" Anakin asks, coming to a stop at the bottom of the towering cliff.

"Anything!" Really. The wind is whipping across us relentlessly, and the fumes in the air make it harder to breathe. No wonder the Separatists chose a place like this for a prison. It's almost impossible to get into as it is without all the added complexities to the massive fortress.

"Well, I see the entry point," Anakin informs us, looking through a pair of macrobionoculars.

"And the wind conditions are too strong for jetpacks," I add, looking through my own pair.

"Yes," agrees Obi-Wan, "We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way with ascension cables and a steel grip."

"I don't think so," Anakin interjects, continuing to scan over the wall.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan frowns.

"Electro-mines," Anakin replies, pointing upwards. I follow his gaze. Purple electricity crackle way up between the electronic objects randomly scattered across the wall, ensuring any form of ascension is almost impossible. We've had little experience with them, but they're very dangerous. Anyone who touches them is as good as dead. Besides, it would alert every one of our presences. "There's nowhere to put a grappling hook at that height, and we hit one of those, the mission's over. They'll know we're here."

"I suppose that means we free-climb it," Obi-Wan sighs.

I don't like the sound of this. If someone moves wrong and falls, they'll land in an electro mine or the lava down below.

"Well, let's get started," I declare, stepping forwards. "Every second counts. We should stay close to each other... just in case."

A ripple of agreement runs through us, and we start climbing. Obi-Wan takes the lead upon his insistence; Anakin and I right behind. Cody, Rex, and Appo take up right beneath us, and the others more scattered out beneath them.

The wind whips across us as we slowly but surely make our way up the wall. It's far harder than simple climbing, since we have to avoid the sparks crackling across the rocks above us, and make sure that the rocks we're catching ahold of are actually stable enough to hold our weight. I can feel the burning heat of the rocks even through my black leather gloves. Furious gusts of wind whip around me as I continue ascend, drawing on the Force to push myself up. I focus entirely on the climb, and everything else fades away as I focus single-mindedly on the mission.

"The entry point is just a few more meters," Obi-Wan yells from up above. Anakin mutters a quiet thanks to the Force as he jumps another few meters. I'm tempted to yell back a 'good' but don't. Obi-Wan reaches the ledge only a minute later and looks over the side. He ducks back down almost instantly, motioning for us to be quiet. Anakin and I pass the message down, and everyone goes still.

It takes far too long for my liking before Obi-Wan finally looks over the edge again. "They've locked the door!" he warns. "It's ray-shielded."

"Ray shielded?!" Anakin exclaims, "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Well, it's in the plan now," he reiterates.

"We'll have to improvise," I conclude, "That's what we excel at anyway, right? Besides, I'd be concerned on a number of levels if everything went according to plan."

"Yeah, me too," my twin agrees. "We'll figure it out when we get up. Come on." Anakin climbs over the edge next. Obi-Wan reaches down to help me over the edge and I accept his proffered hand despite not needing his help and let him pull me over the edge. Anakin is standing by the ray shield, right hand raised and expression one of deep concentration. Finally, Qui-Gon's lessons of using the Force are getting to him.

I sprint across the platform to where Rex is climbing over the edge and help him up. A quiet hiss sounds behind me as the ray-shield deactivates before Anakin arrives to assist Appo. One by one, everyone climbs over the ledge safely. One of the clones – Charger – slips, but Anakin catches him before he can fall.

"We need to hurry, before they realize we're here," warns Obi-Wan, glancing between us.

I nod, hurrying to the entrance. A quick scan of the hall with the Force tells me it's clear and we take off down the long winding halls of the building, Anakin and I in the lead.

"Take out their surveillance," Anakin orders as we turn another corner in the hall. Rex and Appo immediately shoot the small devices on the walls.

The Force hums of danger the moment the cameras have been deactivated. All at once, the small cannons on the walls open fire on us. Three blue blades hiss to life in unison as Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I start deflecting the shots away. The blasters are larger than regulator shots from a blaster, which makes it much harder. I can't help but think I'm glad the Padawans didn't come. I can focus much better without them. The clones shoot at the cannons, blasting apart a few of them. We deflect the bolts back to the cannons, taking them out one by one.

"The walls are electrified!" Cody shouts suddenly, the moment the last of the wall cannons is down, "Go! Go, go, go!"

I look over my shoulder to see a wall of electricity racing down the hall towards us. My blood runs cold. Those things are deadly. Everyone bolts. We barely manage to make it around the corner in time. One of the clones isn't quite fast enough. The electricity crackles through him, sending him flying down the hall. I wince at the feel of his life presence disappearing into the Force. This is war; people die, but it always hurts.

"Longshot!" Cody cries.

"We must keep moving," Obi-Wan states grimly. There's no other choice. Not if we have any hope of accomplishing the mission and still getting out of here alive. We bolt down the hallway again, heading for the prison cells. We destroy the cameras and wall cannons on the way, thankfully managing to make it the rest of the way without casualty.

It thankfully doesn't take us long to reach Piell's prison cell. The captains force the doors open and the droids surrounding him are shot down before they have a chance to react.

"Secure the entrance," Anakin commands as he runs into the room. He deactivates the restraints suspending the Jedi master, and Obi-Wan catches him, gently lowering him to the ground.

"Master Piell, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Does he look fine?" I groan quietly and roll my eyes. Adults. It seems one of the highlight marks is asking the stupidest, most obvious questions to which you already know the answer. I don't ever want to be one, thanks. Honestly. How could anyone be alright at this point? It's been over a day and Separatists are not kind hosts. I would know.

"Obi-Wan," greets the Jedi Master, "What took you guys so long?"

"At least your sense of humor is still intact," Anakin observes, exchanging a look with Obi-Wan as Piell unsteadily climbs to his feet.

"It takes more than they got to break me, young Skywalker," he replies.

"So, you have the coordinates to the Nexus Route?" my brother asks, immediately getting down to business.

"I got them all right," Piell assures, heading for the door, "Half of them, anyway. My captain's got the other half. I erased the computers when we were boarded and had both of us memorize part of the intel. That way, if somehow, I cracked, the information would be useless to them without the other half."

"Smart move," I congratulate, "Let's hope they didn't try interrogating your captain as well."

"Where's your captain?" questions Obi-Wan.

"Being held with the other officers, I assume," he responds.

"Then we're gonna need a new plan for getting out," Anakin declares, stepping into the hall.

"We'll figure it out as we go," I offer as break into a sprint down the hall. Until we know what the situation is like after freeing Piell's officers, there's not a whole lot we can plan now. Something is giving me the distinct impression that the hardest part of the mission has hardly begun.

***

Anakin Skywalker

No sooner have we rounded the next corner when we're ambushed by a group of assassin droids. We all activate our lightsabers as the droids open fire. There are droids on both sides of us now. Several of the droids jump along the walls and the ceiling, dropping down in the midst of the group to shoot at the clones.

Obi-Wan and Piell move to the front, while Aniya and I cover in the back. Lunging at the droids now will only give them even larger spaces to hit the clones, so I stick to simply covering them.

Suddenly, the droids lunge forwards, launching their attack with metal limbs instead of blasters. One tries to make it for me, and I cut off its arm, slashing my lightsaber through it. I shove the pieces aside, instantly spotting one of the other's having attacked Appo. Lunging forwards, I stab it, then spin around as another droid shoots at me. Aniya makes quick work of that one.

"We need to keep moving," Obi-Wan urges, as I slice through the last of the droids. I deactivate my lightsaber but keep in my hand for a moment's notice as we keep going.

Danger is lurking right up ahead. I can feel it, though first glance reveals nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched beeping sound fills the hallway. Everyone's hands fly to their ears to shield themselves from the noise, our weapons simultaneously yanked upwards to the ceiling. Apparently, the new magnetic field has decided to take me with it. My arm is yanked upwards, and half a second later, I'm suspended above the rest of the hall, hand on the ceiling. Of course, that would happen. It drew anything magnetic up to the ceiling. I mentally curse Dooku for this ridiculous predicament. It's his fault.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan cries, alarmed.

I glance down at them, but before I can say any sort of assurance, electricity flares out of a device on the wall. Blinding agony burns through me, and a strangled scream escapes me. I hear Aniya yelling my name from what sounds like a million miles away. Even the reminder that this isn't the worst I've experienced, and that Dooku's lightning is far worse, does nothing to reassure me as all thoughts are blurred out by the pain. It feels like forever, but it's probably only been half a minute if even when the onslaught finally stops, letting me fall still, panting.

"You fools!" scoffs a voice, coming from the speakers mounted near the top of the wall right in front of me, "I hope you enjoyed the reunion with your fellow Jedi, because you're going to be my guests for a very long time." Not happening.

There's the sound of more droid from below me, and I look down. Several droids stalk around the corner from both sides, closing them in. Aniya looks at them with a blazing fire in her eyes, the same look she had back that day we'd gone to interrogate Poggle. Obi-Wan spins around again, trying to Force-shove the droids back so they can't start shooting. Piell joins him on his side, and Aniya on the other. The droids only skid a few feet back, then stop, but they're bent backwards from the force of it.

"They're magnetized!" he realizes.

"I already know that!" Aniya shoots back irritably. The droids start shooting, blasts wild from their position, but still dangerously close.

I need to do something. Weaponless, there's only so much they can do. They can't fight those droids otherwise. The clones move forwards to attack, only to be thrown to the ground again. I need to help them. My lightsaber is only a short distance away. If I could get to it, I could destroy the magnetizing device. The fall is a long way down, but I've survived far, far worse. I reach forwards towards it, maybe a second too slow.

"Oh no, you don't," the voice growls from the speaker.

The purple electricity crackles on again, the agony of it almost unbearable. The foremost thought in my mind is that we need to get out of here, so I force myself to work through it, knowing my body is still functioning even if it feels like every inch of me is being ripped apart right now. I reach into the Force, focusing past the violent storm of energy swirling around me, and move forwards. My hand finally closes over the hilt, jerking it down from the ceiling and slashing through the gravity mechanism. The blade flicks off as it gives out, and I feel myself falling. Someone – it must have been Aniya – catches me with the Force before I hit the floor, lowering me gently.

"Thanks, sis."

I don't have it in me to catch myself or even move. The sparks are still running across my robes as I lay there panting. There are the sounds of battle in the background, but I don't try moving to help out. Every inch of me is aching. There is a moment of nothing, then I hear Aniya beside me. "Anakin..." She reaches down, resting a hand on my shoulder. I push myself up, wincing at the lingering pain. It'll subside with time, I know, but that doesn't make it easier. I'm used to having to fight through it by now, though.

"I'll be okay. We have to keep moving," I insist. My sister helps me up, but I can still sense the anger burning through her. Not surprising. I'd be feeling the same way if that had happened to her. I delve into the Force as best I can, feeling oddly detached from my body. It hardly hurts this way, and I draw off the Force to steady myself. The others take off down the hall, and we follow, Aniya hovering unnecessarily at my side. Not like I'll complain about her presence.

It doesn't take us long to reach the cell door. "I hear something," a droid says from inside as we stop right outside the door.

"Quiet everyone," hisses Aniya. Everyone freezes in place, and we listen for a moment before her and I activate our lightsabers, stabbing them through the door. The droid on the other side lets out a final shriek as one of our blades cut through it. We shove the door open, entering the small dimly lit room. The men in the room, all clones but the commander, immediately stand up.

"General," he greets Piell.

"Captain Tarkin," the Jedi Master replies.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Tarkin replies, looking greatly relieved. He looks past him. "And you brought friends."

"Tarkin, these are Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin and Aniya Skywalker," Piell says, motioning to each of us in turn.

"Well, now that you've found us, how do you expect to get us out? If they've locked this fortress down, there's at least ten squads on their way. It's going to be impossible to escape," Tarkin inquires pessimistically.

"What if we split up?" proposes Obi-Wan, "My team along with Master Piell will create a diversion while Anakin and Aniya lead the others away. That way, if one of us is captured, the enemy will only have part of the information and not all of it."

Tarkin scowls, looking as though that's the stupidest plan he's ever heard. "General Kenobi, I think it's better if we stick together. A stronger force would have a better chance of protecting the information," he replies condescendingly.

"Well, I disagree," Aniya shoots back. "Splitting up is the only way out of this mess. Unless you'd rather stay here and get killed." Tarkin does not look impressed.

"But surely we'd have more strength in numbers then than divide us," he insists, as we all file out into the hall.

"They have a point," Piell finally speaks up, "I'll go with him, you go with the Skywalkers."

"Come on everyone," I urge, taking off down the hallway again.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

A far-off explosion shakes the structure as we run down the halls, destroying any droids and wall cannons that we stumble upon. Obi-Wan must've set off those bombs. We have to hurry.

I come to stop at a wall, the one we were supposed to cut our way through. Just to be sure, I reach out with the Force, nudging at the other side. Clear. Activating my blade, I start cutting through the wall. Aniya quickly joins me on the other side. With the circle complete, I push the piece down. It hits the floor with a clang. "Everybody in," I command, stepping to the side to let them past.

The clones file in first followed by a very disgusted looking Tarkin. Aniya and I take up the rear, as always.

"Is it just me, or does he seem to have an attitude problem?" Aniya mutters in my head.

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"Guess that answers it then. I wonder if he was hoping we'd walk right into the ten squads of droids he informed us were coming."

"Could be."

"This is one of the original fortress tunnels. The advantage of old archive data," comments Rex as we continue down the tunnel.

"I'll go up ahead and come back, 'kay?" Aniya asks, taking off. She jumps up to a ledge farther up, sprinting across it out of sight. "All clear," she reports some minutes later, jumping back down next to me.

"Looks like Obi-Wan's distraction worked," I sigh with relief. "Things seem to be going as planned."

"At the moment," agrees Aniya cheerfully.

"It's when things do not go as planned that concerns me," grumbles Tarkin, "What then?"

"We'll worry about it when the problem arises, that's what," Aniya retorts. "Not like we'd have any idea how things will go."

"It's when things don't go as planned that we Jedi are at our best," I shoot back. I'm getting rather tired of his attitude. "Trust me."

"I reserve my trust for those who take action, General Skywalker," he retaliates.

"And what kind of action would you like us to take other than getting you out of here? Go looking for trouble?" Aniya snaps, glaring at him.

"Let me remind you, we rescued you back there," I add finally, eyes narrowed, "And I reserve my trust for those who understand gratitude, Captain Tarkin."

***

Aniya Skywalker

We walk down the ledge outside the prison. I can't help but glance down at the lava flowing far below us, a shudder running through me as I remember the end of my vision on Mortis again. "Artoo, are you and your battle droids ready to go?" Anakin questions from in front of me, bringing me back to present.

The droid beeps affirmatively.

"Alright, get the ship fired up. We'll meet you at the pipeline exit after you've picked up Obi-Wan... assuming he's still on schedule."

"I am beginning to admire the design of this fortress. It's rather formidable to evade," comments Tarkin.

"Finally, something I can agree with you on," I reply. The place was designed very well, even if it has fallen into Separatist hands and been turned into something terrible. "It would've been useful for us to have." I can't help but think some people – namely a certain former Jedi Master who's Padawan I might have stolen – belong in a place like this.

"Alright, Aniya. I know you're gonna complain, but time for us to split up," Anakin interrupts. "I'll stay in the back."

I nod and move up along to the front. Somehow, I get the feeling we're going to run into some droids momentarily. That's not good. The pipeline we're about to enter is a fuel line, and we could easily get blown up with it. I know Anakin can handle whatever it is he runs into, so I try to focus on heading down the tunnel, though I reach out with the Force anyway. If there's any danger nearby, I need to know.

I take the explosives from Appo and attach them to the wall as I sense a ripple of danger from behind us. Droids have followed us all the way here. I dive aside against the wall, shielding my head with my arm as the explosion rips through the area, smoke filling the air. I whip out my lightsaber and jump forwards to stand in front of the clones when it clears. Anakin leaps off the ledge he was on, slashing the last two super battle droids in half and letting them fall over the side into the lava below.

I'm about to yell out the order to come on when I spot something else; assassin droids are approaching us. Oh, great. They position themselves in front of us in a line, firing from behind shields. I snatch two more explosives out of Appo's backpack, suddenly grateful we always take them with us, and throw them, letting them roll across the ground beneath the shields. The explosion has us all ducking to the ground again, but at least the droids are gone.

"Come on!" Anakin orders, sprinting past the others through the hole in the wall. There's a pipe on the other edge, just outside the wall.

"This pipe leads up to the top of the ridge where Artoo will pick us up and get us out of here. There's the hatch," Anakin informs, climbing up onto the walkway, swinging open the hatch to the inside of the pipe. It's wide enough to stand up in, but very dark.

"Everybody in," he calls.

"Don't use your lights and make sure your weapons are locked. The slightest electronic pulse could ignite this whole tube," I add.

"I hope somebody tells the droids that," huffs Tarkin as we all file into the pipe.

"Calm down, would you?" I grumble. "I'm pretty sure they want us alive."

As we continue to walk rapidly down the tunnel, I sense danger through our bond with Obi-Wan, but I keep walking. Something's wrong, though I'm sure he'll be able to pull himself out. And if not, then we'll get out of here and pull him out.

"How much longer are we going to wander through this tunnel in the dark?" growls Tarkin finally, as we through another turn in the tunnel.

"We actually aren't wandering, thanks for asking," I retort, "We're going to our destination."

"Captain Tarkin, haven't you learned to trust me by now?" Anakin demands, exasperation creeping into his tone.

"You may have earned my trust, General Skywalker, but my faith in your comrades is still lacking."

"Your loss," I shoot back. "Isn't trusting someone's judgement part of trusting them? You should trust everyone here."

"You lack faith in the Jedi," Anakin observes.

"I find their tactics ineffective. The Jedi Code prevents them from going far enough to achieve victory. To do whatever it takes to win. The very reason why peacekeepers should not be leading a war," Tarkin argues.

"It's not like we asked to lead the war," I grumble, though I have to admit, he does have a point. There are times in the past the Jedi could have won battles but didn't because it might require minorly breaking the Code. The Jedi aren't right about everything. It's relieving, frankly, to see that someone else agrees with us.

"Have I offended you?" asks the admiral loftily.

"No," Anakin replies, "I've also found that we sometimes fall short of victory because of our methods."

"Well, I see we agree on something," he decides. Yes, we do, but I'm not sure I like that. Still, after life at the Temple, I've come to realize that if we can so much as find even ground on someone with something, especially something hardly anyone agrees on, it's a mutual understanding. Not really friendship, but amiable acquaintances, at least.

"Yes," I agree. "We do." I move farther forwards, scanning the pipe. For the exit. We should be coming up on it any moment now.

"I'll go scout out, since Obi-Wan's vanished," Anakin informs, walking up to the front of the pipe. He pulls himself up and lifts the cover just a little, looking out. "This isn't good." He jumps back down to the floor. "The good news or the bad news first?"

I close my eyes and let out a long, long sigh. "Let met guess, no Obi-Wan?"

"No shuttle."

"And?" prompts Appo.

"No droids either. We have no idea what we're walking into, so stay close." With that, he turns around and climbs back up again, pushing the cover open. There's a sudden flash of blue and a droid hand drops into the pipe.

"I thought you said we were clear!" I shout as I scramble out of the pipe, igniting my lightsaber.

"We were!" he yells back, spinning his lightsaber in front of him. There's a whole group of droids heading towards us, including the crabs. Fun. "Now come on, everyone! We've got to go!" I hear Tarkin whining below – I am so tired of that attitude – and Appo telling him to shut up and get moving – in much nicer words, of course.

My brother and I stand on either side of the opening, shielding the others as they slide down the opposite side of the pipe and run for cover. We do our best to take down the droids one by one before we jump down and run to catch up.

"The plans been compromised! The shuttle is not coming!" shouts Tarkin, looking around frantically.

"Have a little faith," I snap, almost tempted to ignore him. He is, in fact, not the only person in the galaxy who knows how to plan. "Come on, we gotta blow this thing."

"Throw me a charge," Anakin yells to Rex, obviously having decided to ignore Tarkin's comment altogether. Wise decision. He's always been the smarter of us that way. Rex throws the explosive to my brother who catches, tossing it into the pipe before slamming the hatch shut with the Force.

There's a tense second of silence before the deafening explosion the pipes bursting into flames rips through the area, incinerating everything nearby. The droids nearby go right up with it, clattering in pieces back to the ground a few moments later.

"Let's go," Anakin urges, "It's time for plan B."

"There's a plan B?" Tarkin asks dubiously.

Alright, I respect him to a point – at least we agree on some things, and I know how to take advantage of that – but I am so done. I'm under a lot of stress, and I'm not used to people questioning every single order I give in the battlefield, never mind that the lava all over here is reminding me of things I really, really don't have time to dwell on now. "We wouldn't've risked coming here if we didn't know what we were doing," I snap, struggling to keep my voice level. There's such a thing as gratitude, here, after all.

"There's always a backup plan," my brother retorts.

"We're going meet up with Artoo at Obi-Wan's position," I supply. We all take off running. The distant sound of blaster fire reaches my ears as run for our destination. The ship. Obi-Wan's almost made it there but has run into some... friends. Of course, he did.

"Why's Obi-Wan always getting himself in trouble when we're not there?" I remark, almost amused.

"He attracts trouble like a magnet, despite whatever he claims about us. Hey, this is just one more time to add to our count," Anakin reminds, throwing me a cheerful grin.

"How can you joke about this?!" demands Tarkin grouchily.

"Perhaps if we didn't, we'd already be getting gray hairs like you," I retaliate sweetly.

Everyone in the small group dodges beneath and around the artillery fire as we dash for cover behind one of the several walls covering the large, open area. I sense Obi-Wan behind one of the nearby walls, closer to the ship before I even see him. Across the area, there's a large open doorway into the towering structure, and the area to there is covered by a large group of crab droids and battle droids.

With my brother and I in the lead, we dart up to join Obi-Wan, crouching out of sight of the droids which continue attempting to shoot at us, but only manage to repeatedly hit the wall.

"Sorry we're late," Anakin offers.

"How nice of you to join us," Obi-Wan replies, smirking despite the situation.

Rex circles the rest of us to the very edge of the wall, taking a quick look around and quickly jerking back before a blaster bolt can take off his head. "The ship is surrounded," he reports.

Tarkin gets up and moves to stand in front of us. "We need to launch a full-forward assault and take that vessel!" he insists emphatically waving his hand. His attitude reminds me of Krell, for a moment, in the whole we-must-do-this-and-who-cares-for-the-casualties, but I shake it off. They're nothing alike. At least Tarkin uses logic, even if it's twisted at times. And he has major trust issues – which I imagine are sprouted from a difficult childhood.

"We may have a bigger problem," Obi-Wan points out. "Those turrets. If we don't take them out, they will use them to destroy the shuttle and prevent our escape."

"Which is precisely why we should get aboard that shuttle and use the weapon systems to decimate those droids," Tarkin argues.

From my experience, that's about the dumbest thing we could do, but I know better than to say that out loud. I glance at the others for their opinions. There's definitely a mutual agreement from Rex and Appo. My brothers, too.

Droids are much more difficult to sense in the Force than living beings, but I can always feel the approaching danger. And its right here, right now, coming in from the sky towards us. "Whatever we're going to do, we better do it fast!" Anakin exclaims suddenly, jumping up and pointing towards a group of assassin droids swooping towards us on speeders.

A sudden explosion rips through the area, throwing me onto my face. I'm up again in a moment, lightsaber igniting. Anakin already has out his own, standing defensively. The droids circle around us, firing down at our group. Obi-Wan and Piell join us less than a second later. Anakin sprints forwards, jumping onto the first speeder and beheading the droid.

I leap onto the next without a second thought – stealing enemy equipment is my specialty. Kicking off the droid, I scramble onto the seat and turn to start blasting away at the droids on the ground. Piell jumps onto one of the speeders himself, joining us in the air as Obi-Wan and the clones attack the droids from the ground.

Racing along, side by side with Anakin, we start firing down at the crab droids which have started firing at the clones. As usual, the other assassin droids switch to shoot at the two of us. One of the blasts catches my speeder and I jump down into the midst of the fray below, letting it crash onto one of the walls and explode.

Down below, Obi-Wan is covering for the clones. Rex is working his way towards the tanks, and I'm about to run to help him when another group of assassin droids with shields march out of the building, positioning themselves to block us from the tank. I flip over their heads, cutting one of them in half from behind before throwing its shield towards Rex. "You might find this useful!" I call before sprinting back over to defend the clones. He calls a response which I don't hear, but I can feel his gratitude and that's enough.

Up above, Piell has jumped on behind Anakin to deflect any blaster bolts that come near to hitting him. The two of them are diving around in true Skywalker-fashion, Anakin shooting down as many droids as he can. Too bad I didn't get to keep mine.

"Appo!" I call over my shoulder to the clone where he shoots at the assassin droids from behind me. "Got any more of those charges? We could do with a few right about now."

He pulls out one in response, tossing it to me. I catch it out of the air, letting it roll just behind the assassin droid's speeders. The explosion throws them all to the ground, shields flying. All but one, which instantly gets up and bolts for the tank. I can't let it get there. I break into a run towards the tank, even though logic tells me I'll never reach it on time.

The droid scrambles up the side of the tank, jumping inside. The tank fires, the blast striking right in the center of Anakin's speeder. He leaps off as it explodes into a ball of flames, crashing to the ground. The tank promptly fires again, this time straight at the ship. No. Our only escape route off the planet or we're going to be risking so many more lives when Plo's forces come in to save us.

I throw up my hands, hurling a Force-wave at the cannon blast, still mid-flight for its target. The blast moves slightly to the side, exploding next to the ship. "Aniya!" Obi-Wan yells right before pain sears through my shoulder, with enough force to throw me to the ground.

"I'm fine!" I insist, trying to push myself up automatically, though the pain shooting through my arm worsens when I move. I fall back against the ground, panting. Never mind that.

***

Anakin Skywalker

I feel Aniya going down even without seeing it and have to suppress my surge of worry. I itch to run to her, but when I see Obi-Wan already heading towards her I lunge for the crab droids instead. A number of the clones have fallen – I won't risk anyone else dying. I don't take the time to think of how some of my closest friends are gone. Peill gets up from where he was thrown to the ground when the speeder crashed and charges into the midst of the fray again, jumping from droid to droid and destroying them. Artoo is out of sight, and I can see his three droids already having been destroyed in the battle.

I deflect the shot towards the main group of remaining droids when the tank fires at me again. Rex heads to take out the tank, thankfully, and I move to slice through the rest of the droids. "Everyone, get to the ship!" I shout. "We have to get out of here, now!"

The others are heading towards the ship, leaving me to cover them. I hate how I sometimes feel like I can never do anything more than destroy everything in my path. I jump onto the shuttle last, scrambling straight for the pilot seat. Obi-Wan is in the co-pilot. Aniya is settled in the back with Appo and Rex on either side.

"At least for once things have gone according to plan," Tarkin grumbles sourly, "Let's hope you have a backup plan if we run into resistance while trying to escape the atmosphere."

"We always have a backup plan, thanks for asking for the fifth time," Aniya retorts.

Ignoring them, I fire up the engine and take off, maneuvering straight up for the atmosphere. Just then, from over the ridge, another group of assassin droids on speeders swoop into view. The clones blast them apart with the ship's guns, before they manage to get more than a few shots at us.

I spin the ship, sending it diving downwards to avoid the blasts. As soon as the last of the droids have been destroyed, we speed upwards once more.

As we blast out of the planet's atmosphere, I catch sight of vulture droids flying into the air after us. Up ahead, I can see Plo and the other Jedi Master's fleets, ready to help out if we need it. Hopefully, we can make the jump to hyperspace before the droids catch up with us.

***

Yoda and Windu are waiting on the landing platform for us when we arrive. Our Padawans – both visibly relieved – are waiting there as well. "I assume you have the coordinates for the Nexus Route?" inquires Windu.

"I have memorized half, and my captain the other half," replies Piell.

"Debrief you both, we must," Yoda declares, tapping his stick on the ground.

"With all due respect, Master Jedi, I was instructed by Chancellor Palpatine to bring the intel directly to him for debriefing," Tarkin informs them. Why? I wonder, but I won't ask. It's not my place.

"Personally meet with the Chancellor, I will," Yoda declares, "Decide what is best to do, we shall."

"A job well done, General Skywalker," Tarkin complements, turning to us. "I wish more Jedi have your military sensibilities. Perhaps I can inform the Chancellor of your valor."

"I don't think that's necessary, but thanks anyway," Aniya nods.

He shakes hands with us both before heading off after Master Piell. "I'm not sure what to think of your new ally," Obi-Wan remarks.

"Well, I think we need people like him," I declare firmly, "This is war. If we aren't willing to do what it takes to win, we risk losing everything we try to protect."

"I agree," Aniya adds, "There's battles the Republic has lost in the past because of refusal to deviate at all from the Code." She pauses for a moment, "But I still think Tarkin needs an attitude adjustment."

I snort. "No one can deny that."

"Unfortunately, war tends to distort our point of view. If we sacrifice our code, even for victory, we may lose that which is more important," Obi-Wan cautions, "Our honor."

"Honor won't matter, not if we go down in history as failures," Aniya retaliates. I couldn't agree more.

After the others clear out, Aniya and I manage to find a moment alone with our Padawans. Alema still seems rather frustrated, but she's doing a good job hiding it. "Thank you," I say quietly, resting a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "I would have been very distracted if you were there."

"I know, Master," she replies, and she does. It's so relieving to have someone who actually seems to understand me. "But I wish you would trust us to take care of ourselves."

"I know why you're upset, but..." Aniya sighs. "I think we did the right thing. If we were captured... I couldn't let you go through that. This wasn't a normal mission."

"I understand." Alema says quietly. "I was only thinking about myself. It drove me crazy knowing you were out there without us, and..." She trials off with a shudder.

Aniya steps forwards, pulling her into a one-armed hug with her uninjured arm. "It's alright now, Icicle. We're here. We always pull through."

I pull Ahsoka into a tight hug, ever grateful for her understanding. Her presence keeps me grounded sometimes in a way no one or nothing else ever could. I'd been a little too focused on myself, my own concerns and worries, to pay enough attention to her. I wasn't ready to be a master, was I? Maybe it would have been better for us to take them on the mission, I don't know. Yes, they would have been a liability, but still... Thinking about it won't change the facts, so I push those thoughts from mind.

"At least the information is safe," Aniya points out. "That's all that matters."

If only it was.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka Tano

"We shall break into three groups to divide their defenses," Plo declares, looking between Anakin, Alema, and I. The five of us are fighting off the Separatists on Felucia. Aniya was injured earlier in the battle, and we brought her back to the ship to be treated.

"I'll take the left flank, Skywalker, attack the front gate," the Jedi Master continues, "Ahsoka and Alema you scale the back wall; we'll meet in the middle."

Anakin stands up from where he was sitting on the ledge overlooking the forest. "Okay, scouts, find me a way down there. Quiet-like."

"Going through the front gate won't be easy," I comment, glancing at him. He always does that, taking the hardest parts of the mission.

"You have it tougher going over that wall," Anakin insists.

"Doesn't sound too hard to me," retorts Alema.

"I've learned well. I can handle anything," I chirp, smirking. Alema and I turn, heading for our waiting group of clones. Time to get on with thus.

"Don't get cocky!" Anakin calls after us.

"Look who's talking?" teases Alema. He ignores the comment, if he even heard it.

Before long, the Twi'lek and I are sneaking through the trees at the front of the group. This planet certainly does have some of the strangest looking plants. Darting around another peculiar looking tree, I sense a sudden ripple of danger in the Force. Alema freezes the same moment I do, obviously sensing it as well.

"Hold up," I warn, "I sense something out there."

"A droid?" asks Appo cautiously.

I glance around, reaching out with the Force. "I don't think so." Whatever it is, it's suddenly gone still. I can't sense it very well anymore.

"It's something living," Alema suggests, "Probably just an animal." Hopefully. But generally, the Separatists don't have living scouts sneaking around, so more than likely it is only an animal.

"Come on, we've got to get to that wall," I urge, starting forwards again.

"Stay alert, men," Appo orders the others, "Let's move." We continue to creep forwards, taking shelter behind the glowing trees for cover. I've never quite seen any other planet where plants glow before, but that's far from my priorities.

"Skywalker, Ahsoka, Alema, are you in position?" Plo's voice crackles over my comm.

"Ready and waiting, Master Plo," comes Anakin's response.

Alema, the clones, and I dart forwards through the trees, and I pause again, stepping back against a golden one. Peaking around it, I can clearly make out the towering wall nearby. "We're in position," I report.

"Ahsoka," Alema whispers, "That creature... I think it's following us."

I glance back towards the forest. I don't know what it is, but I do not have a good feeling about it. Regardless, right now I need to focus. Time for a battle to be won.

The four Republic tanks fire in unison, four bright blue blasts arching through the air, smashing down onto their targets beyond the walls of the Separatist compound. The ground trembles from the force of the explosions. We continue to wait until I hear the sound of constant blaster fire.

I raise a hand, signaling the troopers, before dashing forwards through the darkness, Alema next to me. We back up against the wall, waiting for the others to catch up with us.

"Appo, Comet, Sinker, Boost, get up there," Alema commands. The four of them immediately begin to ascend the wall as I turn my gaze back to the woods. I can feel the unfriendly presence of that creature even closer now, whatever it is.

We activate our lightsabers, peering out into the darkness.

"Hopefully, it's not hoping that we'll be dinner," mutters Alema.

"Never know," I reply, "Hopefully it won't mind tasting a lightsaber instead." Because if it comes closer to us, it will. I don't exactly have a good feeling about it. It wants something, but I can't sense it very well.

"We're all clear, Commanders. Come on up," Appo yells down to us finally.

"We'll be right there," I call after them, hesitating for a second. I can sense the creature moving steadily closer –

All at once, a blast of golden light shoots out of the trees, flying straight at us. It's far too large to deflect with a lightsaber. Before I have the chance to try jumping out of the way, it expands into an almost-wall of electricity, striking us, sending me spiraling into darkness.

Consciousness returns slowly. The first thing I register is the distant voices of the twins calling me. I open my eyes, expecting to wake up in a room of a ship, but instead I'm in a strange cage-like enclosure. Alema is pushing herself up next to me. We're in a ship, alright, only in the back and in cages.

A shadow falls over me and I look up to see a gleeful looking Trandoshan standing there, holding both Alema and my commlinks. The twins are trying to contact us. I can hear their voices faintly, though the call hasn't been answered. "You won't be needing these anymore," he cackles, promptly crushing them both. Of course. I should have expected our captors would do that. The question is who in the world are they? Pirates? I don't know who else they could be. What do they want with us?

"Hey, what is this place?" I call, looking over at the person in the enclosure next to mine. "Who are these pirates?" There are actually a lot of people in here, now that I look around.

"These are Trandoshans," confirms the person, "They're gonna release us and hunt us down for sport."

"Hunt us down?!" I cry incredulously. Of all the horrible things I knew happened in the galaxy, I've never heard of anything like this before.

"Here I thought that was only things from horror stories!" hisses Alema. She's not alone.

I'm tempted to stand up, just wanting to do something, but I'm not going to. It would be stupid. There's nothing we can do, not right now. We're confined in these cages, and if we make a move to escape, they'll kill us right here. They're armed, we're not. Our lightsabers must have been left on Felucia. My only hope is that the twins will find us.

The ship makes a hyperspace jump, and I settle back to meditate, at a lack of anything else to do. I won't be able to sleep right now, and I need to keep my strength up. Sitting here freaking out won't help anything. I don't know how long it's been – I've lost track of time – before the ship arrives on a planet. The floor beneath us suddenly gives way, and the next thing I know, I'm falling towards the ground. Alema and a bunch of other people of various species land unceremoniously on the ground nearby. Without warning, the gun on the ship suddenly open fires. This is what I've been bracing myself for this entire time.

I jump to my feet, darting towards the nearby trees with Alema barely a step behind. Blaster shots fly all about, almost immediately taking down everyone else who was dropped here with us. A couple of them bolt for cover in the trees as well.

A shot nearly takes off my head and I duck down, sprinting off further into the foliage. There's nothing we can do about the others right now, I realize, not if either of us are planning to survive.

Dodging in and out of the thick brush, we finally stop running once the sound of shots has grown fainter, before ceasing altogether. Maybe because they don't see anyone to shoot at anymore.

"How are we ever going to get out of here?" whispers Alema.

"I don't know," I murmur, glancing around at the trees around us, "We need to find shelter somewhere so we can actually talk about this without fear of being shot." That's definitely the question I've already been asking myself. I have no ideas.

"And see if we can run into any other survivors," she points out. I nod. If they come here, there's a way to get off. We just need to find it.

"You need to come with us," a voice calls from behind us. Jumping, I whirl around to see three children, who look to be around our ages, standing there. One is a male, aqua-skinned Twi'lek, the second is a male Cerean, and the third is a dark-haired, female human. They snuck up on us completely soundlessly.

"Who are you?" I ask, almost warily.

"We used to be Jedi younglings," explains the human girl. Actually, she's a padawan. I can see her braid hanging out slightly longer than the rest of her short, dark hair.

"Jedi?!" exclaims Alema, "So are we."

She nods. "We saw you using the Force to escape them."

"Hurry. We should get inside before they come looking for us," the male Twi'lek warns, turning and heading off through the trees.

I exchange glances with Alema. We don't usually trust strangers, especially not in a situation like this, but I sense no ill intent in any of them. They probably know something about this place, so we might as well go with them and find out whatever we can.

They lead us through the trees, finally arriving at a cave. The three of them each take seats along the walls.

"How did you get here?" queries Alema.

"We never stood a chance," answers the Cerean, "They attacked us on a training mission. We were captured and brought here."

"But why would they take younglings?" I wonder, scowling slightly. Seriously, hunting children? To say that's cowardly is more than a gross understatement. It's sickening. And how did no one ever realize what was happening?

"Because Jedi Knights are too powerful for them," explains the human, "I'm Kalifa. This is O'Mer and Jinx." She motions to the Cerean and Twi'lek, in turn. "Who are you?"

"I'm Alema Syndulla."

"I'm Ahsoka Tano. We were captured during the battle of Felucia. We're both padawan learners," I add.

"So... what's the situation here?" asks Alema.

"You'd better sit down," advises Jinx.

"We were taken by those foul lizards for their amusement. To be hunted, killed, and mounted on their wall as trophies. We've been stuck here for more rotations than we can count," O'mar informs us.

"No one has come for us. I doubt anyone is still looking," sighs Jinx.

"Chew on that, Padawans. Then rest," advises Kalifa, "You'll need your strength."

Alema shakes her head and sighs. The three of them file away, and she takes my arm pulling me to the side out of their hearing range. "I can't believe this," she says at last. "After so long, how could no one have found them?"

"Maybe no one knew where to look," I suggest. What they said certainly did nothing to get my spirits up. But still, I know our masters will never give up trying to find us. They'll search every planet if they must. And if they couldn't find us, I can't imagine what that would do to them. "But if the Trandoshans come here, we can get off."

Alema looks down, and there's a few moments of silence. "Of course," she agrees finally. "If anyone can do this, we can."

"I hope so," I murmur. "I hope so."

***

Anakin Skywalker

"The output is secure," reports one of the clones.

"Good job, Corporal," I reply, "Where are Commanders Tano and Syndulla?"

"They were covering out flank when we scaled the wall," answers Appo. Where could they be now? For whatever reason, I have a very bad feeling about this. Our padawans never disappear on us like that. Something must have happened to them. They couldn't have gotten lost, and I know they're still alive. I try my best not to shudder at the thought of them being gone.

"Everybody, fan out. I want a perimeter sweep now," I order, before taking turns calling them both, as I have for a while. Again, there's no answer.

"General," Rex reports, walking up to me, "We've been over the same area a dozen times. There's no sign of either of them."

What? They can't have disappeared! They've got to be there somewhere! I didn't feel our bonds breaking, so they're definitely still alive. I shudder at the thought. "Not good enough, Rex. Try again."

"We have alerted our forces throughout the Outer Rim and intelligence assets inside the Confederacy," Master Plo says, stepping up to where I am standing, overlooking the forest below. "If they are spotted, we shall know about it."

"Good," I reply curtly. I don't know that anyone actually will see them. I don't even know where they could be. Reaching into the force, I nudge our bond. I don't think they're even on the planet anymore. Were they captured by the Separatists?

"Skywalker, our mission here is finished," the Jedi Master informs me. "We must return to Coruscant."

My anger flares. "I am not abandoning them!" My little sisters could be captured and have been taken who-knows-where, and he's telling me to just leave them? It's my fault all this happened. If Aniya hadn't been injured, she would have been there instead, and I can guarantee she would have gotten out of whatever came her way. If not, she'd have contacted me through the Force already. If I hadn't sent them there alone, they'd still be here with me. I won't leave them. They have to be here somewhere.

"Your emotions are clouding your judgement."

It's true, but that doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind. "I will not leave their fates up to others!"

"It's time to go," he replies firmly, heading back for the ships.

I scan the horizon once more, reaching into the Force again. No, they're not here. With the number of times Rex and Appo have searched the area, any clues there would have already been found. They'd even brought me back their lightsabers, but nothing that could lead to their actual whereabouts.

For a moment, I suddenly remember years ago when Aniya and I were captured by the Sith, and how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan found us. Maybe we're going to have to do something like that for our own padawans now. I remember the number of times Qui-Gon told Aniya and I to have faith in people. As hard as it is, I finally reach a decision. I won't leave them, but Master Plo is right. There's nothing else I can do for them here. I've done the best I can, and now I need to get back to the Temple and make sure Aniya's fine. We'll get through this together and find them.

"Call everybody in," I command at last. "Rex, Appo, we're leaving."

***

Aniya Skywalker

I take only a moment to adjust to my surroundings. I'm in the healer's wing at the Temple, which isn't surprising. Getting caught in that explosion was far from pleasant, and it's hardly a surprise they brought me back here.

"Ani?" I ask, poking at him through our bond. Since the war broke out, I've had to get used to him not always being there when I wake up. We frequently go on separate missions, even though we're usually together, and I simply can't expect him to always drop everything for me.

"Aniya! You're awake." He sounds tired and worn, even telepathically. He's not here. Where is he, and what's wrong?

"Yes, I'm awake. What's happening?"

"You know what? I'll just come over and tell you." He's worried, which is definitely not a good thing. I feel him withdraw from our bond and glance around the room.

"Qui-Gon?" I ask, blinking a few times. Of course, he's here.

"Ani!" He stands from where he was sitting across the room and hurries over to me, sitting on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore?" I croak, suddenly noticing the ache everywhere on my body. Ouch, it must have been worse than I thought. Suddenly the memory of what happened flashes back to me. "Appo! Alema! Are they okay?" I don't know what happened except that I tried to Force-throw the blast aside and away from them, but it blew up right in my face. Almost literally. I try to shove an arm under myself and sit up, but he pushes me back down.

"You need to rest," he chides, "Appo is fine."

"'lema?" I glance wildly around the room. She's not here. Force, where is she? Why don't I sense her close? Anakin is, so why isn't she? Was I too late?

"Aniya, calm down," Qui-Gon sooths, "She was fine, but I don't know what happened to her."

"What do you mean you don't know?!" I practically shriek. What happened to her? Where is she? What's happening?

The door slides open, and Anakin strides him, expression grim. Something's wrong. Very wrong. My gaze whips over to meet his. "Where is she?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." My twin walks over, sitting down on the opposite side of my bed. He picks up my hand, holding it between his. "Right after we won the ambush, we went on with the next part of the plan. I sent Ahsoka and Alema where you were supposed to go, and we won, but... but something happened to them. They never came inside, but when the battle was over, they were just... gone. Rex found their lightsabers, but I don't know where they are. They weren't even on Felucia anymore."

I collapse back against the bed, trying to make sense of what my brother is saying. "Not on Felucia..." I mumble, shaking my head, trying to clear it. Nothing makes sense. "That's not possible! We have to find them!"

"We will!" Anakin shoots back, "I just don't know how!"

I squeeze my eyes closed, fighting back the tears suddenly threatening to overflow. How could we have let this happen? If I'd reacted faster, our sisters would still be here, but I don't even know where they are! Sure, I know they're alive, but for how long? "Come on," I state firmly, despite the overwhelming surge of emotions oppressing me. "Get me out of here. We have to start looking."

"You need to rest," Qui-Gon insists. "You're injured."

"I don't care!"

"Aniya, you need to stay here."

"We have to find them!"

"How about this?" Anakin demands, standing up abruptly, "I'll see if they can let you out and then head back out to see what we can do."

I nod, closing my eyes again. I need to get up, to go help him. Wherever they are, we're going to find them. I'll find you, my little Icicle. I'll find you.

***

Alema Syndulla

I'm hardly surprised when dark memories of my first master plague my mind. I blink awake, shaking off the images upon hearing a voice calling me. Kalifa. "Ahsoka! Alema! It's time to go."

"What's happening?" my sister asks, sitting up.

I push myself up and rub my eyes, banishing any thoughts of sleep even though I am rather tired. This is war. I'm used to things like this but being stranded alone on a planet with just my sister and a few other people I don't know at all is something new, especially since there's no apparent way of escape. I want to trust them, but I'm not completely sure I should. It's never really gotten me anywhere. The younglings' dark attitudes and hopelessness about the situation isn't doing anything to boost my hopes.

"The sun's almost up, which means we clear out," the human relates, walking out of the cave with us following.

At least they seem to have some sort of routine here. I'd say this is a nice break from being on the front all the time, except this is much worse. And we don't even have the twins to watch over us here. For all we know, we could be stranded here forever – no. I refuse to believe that. They will find us. "Where do you go?" I ask.

"We keep moving and keep those disgusting hunters from picking up our scent," she informs us, starting out of the darkness of the cave. Outside is still dark, but then again, it is before dawn.

"That's your plan?" Ahsoka asks dubiously.

"If you really are padawans, you would know there's wisdom in experience. We've been here longer. You will learn if you listen, and only if you listen." Well, point. But I have no intention of joining them in hiding and waiting for the day that we're all killed. We have to do something. But for now, Kalifa is right. I have to know more about this place before we can even begin to discuss an escape plan.

The five of us head out after that, working our way through the thick forest.

"Get down. Someone's coming," hisses Kalifa. We duck down into the brush immediately, concealing ourselves from sight. I can hear the branches and leaves crunching. People are approaching us, and fast. I can sense a heavy dose of fear radiating off them, telling me it's definitely not one of the Trandoshans.

Then I spot them running up ahead. Two people, some of the ones that were brought here with us. Probably the only two that survived.

"Those two came with us. We should help them," Ahsoka declares, starting to stand up.

"No, it's too late!" hisses Kalifa, yanking her back down.

A sudden shot takes down one of them, making me wince. "We can't just stand here!" I protest. It goes completely against everything we've been taught. If someone needs help, I can't refuse it simply because I'm scared. We're supposed to be selfless, not only watching out for ourselves. It's not right! What would our masters do here? I have no question about it.

The remaining figure takes off across the trees. Another shot hits her, and she falls down from the trees and lands on the ground with a thud loud enough to make me wince.

"We should've stopped them," I whisper almost numbly. That was wrong. We shouldn't have sat back and watched.

"No, Alema, we are not saviors here," Kalifa replies, staring at me, "Here, we are survivors." She turns and starts walking off. "If they had spotted us, we'd be dead by now."

"So that's it?" I almost snap, unable to stop my anger from growing. "We're just gonna sit back and watch like a bunch of cowards as people die in front of us? How are we supposed to get out of here if we don't take a stand?!"

"Alema's right," Ahsoka agrees wholeheartedly, "We'll never get out of here if we keep hiding! We have to act."

Kalifa turns towards us grimly. "There were other Padawans here that once thought as you two do now."

"All right, where are they?" my sister demands, staring back at her. I can almost hear her thoughts turning. We need to get them to help us.

"They're dead."

Oh. So much for that. My stomach drops a little. Just how long have they been stuck here? It doesn't matter. We have to do something. We have to get out of here. We need to find our masters, and soon.

"Just because they failed doesn't mean we will!" Ahsoka shoots back.

"You don't understand," Kalifa insists, "It's not that we don't want to fight; we're only younglings. They have every advantage."

Ahsoka and I exchange glances, an unspoken agreement going between us. Even if they won't help us, we're going to do it ourselves. We can't watch innocents dying, especially not children. I don't even need to ask what our masters would do here in this case. They'd take a stand and fight, no matter what it came down to. And they'd win, too.

Ahsoka stands up and starts scrambling down the tree. I jump up and start after.

"Get back here!" Kalifa hisses.

"We can't do that!" Ahsoka shoots back. "Our masters would never forgive us for running and hiding in a situation like this." Ouch. I'd rather not think about it. They'd be very disappointed to say the least.

"Do not overestimate your abilities!" the human hisses.

"We're not!" I retort. "We've fought in a war for over a year. We know what we're doing. Trust me." Then I pause for a moment, a sudden idea forming in my mind. "Ahsoka, wait here. Let me go down first, you jump him when he's distracted." Normally, I'd say the other way around since Ahsoka is a little more in tune with the Force and a lot faster, but she's also extremely agile. Being jumped from her from behind would be a lot more... deadly. Ahsoka nods, pulling herself back up the tree.

Closing my eyes, I offer a silent plea into the Force to keep me in one piece throughout this. I've done worse things, but this is different somehow. Bracing myself, I jump to the ground below.

Chapter Text

Alema Syndulla

I pull myself up, fists clenched and raised slight in preparation for the coming battle. Turning around, I scan the area, reaching out with the Force. Trandoshans don't stand out much – they're not nearly sentient enough – and the planet is so full of life it's hard to sense them. I circle my way around a few trees, careful to keep the others out of sight.

"Hey, liz-lizard! Come find me, you coward!" I stand in the center of a small clearing, turning around fully, reaching deeply into the Force. I can hear him stalking towards me through the jungle.

Then I sense it behind me. I spin around in a flash, Force-shoving his blaster aside. Before he has a chance to react, I pick him up with the Force and hurl him against the rocks beside me. Ahsoka is about to come out any minute now, I know.

The Trandoshan shakes his head, probably to shake the stars from his vision, and scrambles to his feet. I hastily take several steps back, almost forgotten images of getting beaten by Krell flashing through my mind. The size of the creature in front of me is probably what's triggering it. They're just memories, I remind myself. What happened then doesn't change who I am now. It won't hurt me.

Just as the hunter lunges, Ahsoka leaps down from the trees. She lands soundlessly behind him, kicking his leg. He stumbles and falls to his knees while I run forwards, kicking him hard. He's up again before I even register it, grabbing my neck.

"Pathetic, useless child! You disobeyed me again!" I can almost hear Krell yelling, throwing me into a wall.

I do my best to shake the memory as I struggle to free myself from the growling Trandoshan's grip.

Ahsoka reacts instantly, jumping him from behind. He throws me back and rips Ahsoka off his shoulders, throwing her to the ground. We're on our feet again in a moment, standing crouched in our fighting stances. My darkest memories are trying to fight their way back to the surface, but I force them away. I need to focus right now.

Suddenly, the Trandoshan is lifted into the air, his hands flying to his neck. I spin around. Kalifa, with Jinx and O'Mer just a few feet behind. The girl's expression is darkened with anger as she stands with an arm outstretched towards the hunter.

"Kalifa!" Ahsoka is the first to react, running to the youngling. "Don't kill him out of hatred. It's not the Jedi way." My sister lays a calming hand on her shoulder as she falters, finally releasing her grip and he falls to the ground.

"The others will be coming," Kalifa warns.

I pick up the Trandoshan's blaster, running over to them. We sprint off into the trees, leaving the dazed hunter behind. We manage to stay out of sight for the rest of the night, finally sneaking back up into our little cave once the sun starts setting.

Ahsoka takes the blaster from me, and looks at it, trying to press a few buttons. Nothing happens. "I don't understand. Why won't this thing work?"

"The Trandoshans deactivate the blasters if we take them," Kalifa replies, "That is why none of us have any."

"Isn't there anything we can do with it?" I frown, "I mean, can't we fix it somehow?"

"If there is, we certainly have no idea how," points out Jinx.

"I know our masters could," Ahsoka grumbles, "But I don't know how to."

"We can keep this as a club or something then," I decide, though even that does nothing to quell my frustration. How are we going to fight properly if we can't even get ahold of a weapon? The Trandoshans are much bigger and stronger than us. There's not much we can do against them, and even the Force can only go so far. I take it back from her, setting it down beside me. "At least it'll be useful for something."

"Good point," agrees O'Mer.

"It's been a long time since the Trandoshans captured another padawan and brought them here," Kalifa remarks.

"Thanks," Ahsoka states dryly.

"I didn't mean it as an insult. I meant it as a sign, a mistake on their part," she replies earnestly, "Ahsoka... Alema... your energy, your strength, it's what we've been lacking."

"We were beginning to lose hope and forget who we are," Jinx agrees.

"And who are you?" Ahsoka asks, finally looking up.

"We are Jedi," Kalifa replies firmly. Oh. Oh. So, they're finally starting to agree with us now, that we aren't completely helpless here, that we can do something to get out of here.

"So, to start with, we need a strategy," I declare, looking around our small group.

"What do you suggest?" queries O'Mer.

"What about a base?" inquires Ahsoka, "I mean, they must have a compound or something, right?"

"Not that we've ever seen," frowns Jinkx.

"But they can't just pop up out of thin air," I argue.

"So, where do they come from?" Ahsoka asks.

"We don't know. We've only witnessed them hunting and in their hover pods," Kalifa answers.

"We need to watch them," I assert determinedly, "Figure out how they're getting here and where they're staying. It's got to be somewhere on this planet."

"We'll start covering ground tomorrow," Ahsoka agrees.

"For now, we better get some sleep," warns Jinx, "It's getting late, and we need to have strength for tomorrow."

I nod, and we take our places in the small cave. I lay down next to Ahsoka, not really feeling comfortable anywhere else. I shouldn't feel like this, but this is a strange new place, and I don't feel safe alone. I never know when the Trandoshans will find us. Only now do I realize how lucky I am to have Aniya to care for me. Out here, we only have ourselves, and no guarantee we'll survive. Not that there is in war, but this is something entirely different and so much worse. At least I need to be reassured I have my sister at my side.

After what feels like forever, I manage to doze off.

I step back against a tree, heart racing. Blaster shots echo all around me. I've been running for hours, and I'm exhausted. Still those hunters won't let me stop. They've spotted me. What happened to the others? Where are they? Why aren't they with me? Are they alright?

"There she is!" shouts one of them, and I hear them coming closer. I instantly bolt forwards again out of my hiding place, darting through the darkness of night. I thought they only were out in the daytime. Why are they here at night now? Are they that desperate?

I duck the shots and keep running, not giving it any more thought. I can't let them catch up to me. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I can see at least three of them. Maybe four or five, actually. The numbers just seem to be growing endlessly.

Then I suddenly come to a dead end against a wall. I glance back and forth, trying to figure out which way to go before they suddenly surround me, weapons raised. The one in the very front looks familiar somehow...

I've backed myself into a corner and they're going to kill me. There's nowhere to go. The leading Trandoshan steps forwards, and suddenly the rest of them disappear. "I'll always find you," Krell's voice cackles. The creature's form shifts, morphing into that of my former master. "You can't escape me."

"I'm not trying to escape you!" I snap, somehow managing to ignore my fear. I shouldn't be scared. I'm a Jedi, a padawan. I should have learned to control my fears by now, but maybe seeing so many people dying around me and being forbidden to help has scarred me a little deeper than I realized. I'll never go through that again.

"Didn't you?" he shoots back, smirking. "Isn't that what you did? Running to the so-called Chosen Ones to help you?"

I glare at him defiantly, trying to quell my rising fear. That look in his eyes always promises pain. "I didn't ask her for help. She did it of her own free will."

"We could have become something far more, foolish child!" he growls angrily, stepping forwards. I instinctively take a step back, running straight into the wall. "Your master will fall. She won't be able to save you." His lightsaber ignites, and my eyes widen in horror when I realize it's red. Only Sith have that color. Is he a Sith? Probably. It makes sense.

I'm practically paralyzed with fear, unable to get out a reasonable reaction. I can't seem to move at all. His blade raises, slashes towards me.

"Master!" I instinctively yell, remembering the many times I'd gotten stuck in tight situations and called Aniya for help. She's always been there to save me. Always. But there's no response. She's not here, just like he said.

My eyes open and I bolt upright, panting. Krell is gone. No, he wasn't here to begin with. I slump forwards, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.

I jump at the movement but relax a little when I realize it's Ahsoka. She settles next to me, tightly wrapping her arms around me. Like always, she understands just what I need. "There is no emotion, there is peace."

I nod against her shoulder, wrapping my arms around her. We've been over this before. Many times. That doesn't stop the relief from flooding me that I'm not alone, that I'm not there anymore. The emotions of the past few days slip back to me bit by bit, from when Aniya nearly killed herself up until right now. Tears spill from my eyes. I struggle to take deep breaths and ground myself like Aniya taught me, but it's not easy.

"Focus on me," Ahsoka says, but I can sense her unease, her concern. "Focus on my voice."

I nod again, squeezing her tighter and blinking back my tears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"You're closer than I thought." I start at the voice, looking up. The shadow of the other Twi'lek falls across us, and he walks closer to us, sitting a few feet away.

"So we are," Ahsoka replies tersely. She doesn't appreciate it when people say that. Neither do I. Maybe because it's true. We've been sisters since we met, and that's not about to stop. It never will. I regret not telling her about Krell sooner, honestly. I should have.

"I just didn't expect it. How do you know each other?" he asks.

"We were brought to the Temple at the same time," I inform him, hastily wiping away any remnants of my tears. I shift a little to let Ahsoka sit beside me.

"Our masters know each other very well, too," Ahsoka informs him.

That seems to fuel his curiosity. "Who are they?"

"Anakin and Aniya Skywalker."

"The Skywalkers?" He scoots forwards. "Really? I've heard people say they were the Chosen Ones."

"They are," I reply with certainty. I know they are. Even if I didn't believe it before – I certainly did – Mortis proved it. There was no doubt in my mind as to who Anakin was the moment he brought the Son and Daughter to their knees at his feet.

"What's it like out there? How are things going?" Jinx asks.

"Same, same," I shrug.

"Well, after Master Aniya killed General Grievous, things have taken a turn for the better. Especially now since Ventress isn't around anymore," Ahsoka explains.

"Wait, she's not?!" the boy exclaims. O'Mer stirs a bit on the other side of the cave.

"Hush, would you?" I grumble, "The others are sleeping."

Jinx rolls his eyes. "Hardly a concern, when you woke up so noisily."

"Jinx!" hisses Ahsoka, glaring at him. The arm she's left around me tightens to something a little more protective.

I interrupt before they argument can escalate. I don't want to talk about it, so I pretend I didn't hear a word and focus on the explanation. "Master Kenobi and our masters had fought her briefly, but the battle was interrupted when a ship crashed into the hanger they were in. She was left for dead there. Dooku abandoned her."

"Of course, he did," Jinx mutters darkly. "Sith always do."

I flinch as the memory of my nightmare flickers through my mind again and chose to keep talking lest I get lost in it again. "Dooku got another assassin for a time afterwards. He was a Zabarak also. They fought him once or twice, trying to track him down. He killed two Jedi, but I think he and Dooku turned on each other also."

"They were fighting in a hanger bay then, also," Ahsoka continues. She clearly realizes why I won't stop talking. I need it as a distraction. "The droids came in and started shooting at all four of them. The assassin made a quick escape before they could defeat him. He wasn't much of a danger. Dooku hasn't gotten a new replacement."

"That's a relief," Jinx replies forcefully, "But it doesn't affect us much in here."

"Sure, it does," I grumble, "Once we get out of here, we're going to rejoin the land of the living, thanks for the offer. Even though I think the Republic is doing significantly better, we haven't actually had a chance to bring the war to an end. As long as Dooku's still around, it won't end."

The three of us lapse into a companionable silence, with only the sounds of night beyond the cave to keep us company. There are other creatures living here, but not many. I haven't paid them much attention. They don't really matter. I'm feeling significantly better than I was earlier.

"Are you guys planning to spend all night chatting or are we gonna go back to sleep?" he asks suddenly.

"Oh, fine." I roll my eyes at him but smile anyway. I might enjoy their company a little better if not for the circumstances. Jinx returns to his spot, and Ahsoka and I lay down again, practically curling up. I know her closer proximity will make me feel better, and really, there's no need to wake up like that again.

***

Ahsoka Tano

"We have already covered the beach area and most of the briar on this side of the bay," Kalifa points out as we walk through the woods. It's the second day we're here. Tonight, will be the start of the third night, and we still haven't found anything. Being in constant fear of the hunters spotting us or catching our scent the entire day certainly hasn't helped anything.

"If it was easy to find, you guys would have found it before we got here," I remind.

"True enough," sighs O'Mer. "I just wish this was faster."

"Believe me, we all do," Alema grumbles. "But maybe we should try more inland?"

"It's worth a shot," I agree. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

We continue making our way through the trees, searching in vain for some sign of where the Trandoshans stay. It's then that through the fog something catches my eye. A tall structure rising up from an island a distance away from the one that we're on. "Guys!" I call, stopping, "I think we're looking in the wrong place."

The four of them immediately stop, following my gaze. "It looks like you're right," Alema breaths.

"That's their fortress," Kalifa realizes.

The same moment, danger suddenly screams through the Force as blaster shots start raining down around us. I whirl around, eyes falling on a Trandoshan in the trees a short distance away, blaster aimed.

"Run!" yells Alema.

We all bolt into the trees, but the lizard is right behind us. It's riding a speeder-like contraption, as it flies after us.

The bolts strike and singe the trees, coming far too close for comfort. This isn't going to work. "We need to split up!" I yell, dodging a shot that nearly hits the top of my montrals.

"I'll go with them," Alema calls to me, taking off after the boys as they go a different direction than me and Kalifa. As much as I don't like the thought of leaving her alone, she'll be able to defend herself better than Kalifa if it comes down to it.

I jump from branch to branch, continuing to dodge the blaster shots. I hear a sudden cry from behind me. Whirling around, I see Kalifa – hit by one of the shots – falling down from one of the trees to the ground below. "Kalifa!"

***

Alema Syndulla

I take off running after Jinx and O'Mer, jumping from branch to branch as I try to avoid the blaster shots from behind us. The Trandoshans split up to pursue us. We need to lose them. Somehow.

The three of us leap down the ground from the trees and take off running through a slightly less thickened part of the forest as they continue following us. "O'Mer!" yells Jinx in warning as several shots nearly strike him.

The Cerean Force-jumps out of the way, running to catch up with the two of us. Suddenly, a thought forms in my mind. It's something Aniya and I have done a few times when we have to run really fast, and it just might work. If we can jump far enough, they shouldn't be able to continue following our scent.

"I have an idea you two," I pant, crouching in the underbrush, "But it's risky."

"Considering the circumstances, I'll take the risk!" Jinx yells back.

"Alright. Who first?" I ask, glancing between them and ducking beneath another blaster shot. "Prepare for the biggest jump of your life. I'm going to throw you both, and you'll... have to catch me."

"Got it," Jinx replies. His faith surprises me, but I guess there's little more he could do.

"Alright. See that branch?" I point up to it, sprinting across the area to hide behind a farther tree. I can hear the Trandoshans chasing us on foot, now. "Climb it, and jump. I'll throw you as far as I can, hopefully enough for them to lose your scent."

It's clumsy, but it works. I rip down a tree with the Force and throw it at the Trandoshans. While they're scrambling to sort themselves out, we scram.

"I think we lost them," I observe, pausing for a moment to look back.

"We can hope," Jinx mutters.

"We should make our way back to the hideout and wait for the others," I decide. Hopefully Ahsoka is alright... and Kalifa. For whatever reason, I can't shake the feeling that something is very wrong.

The three of us take off running again through the trees. I cautiously reach out with the Force, trying to see if I sense anything. I don't. For now.

We take a long roundabout route to get back to the cave anyway, just in case someone is trying to keep track of our movements. "They're not here yet," observes O'Mer as we step inside, taking seats against the wall near the entrance.

The sun has already slipped below the horizon, and the forest is rapidly beginning to darken when I finally hear movement. Ahsoka finally slips in through the opening. I stiffen at the sight of her. Either she was rolling around in the dirt while trying to escape, or she had a physical fight with one of the Trandoshans again. And where in the world is Kalifa? Is she okay?

"You made it!" I exclaim in relief, jumping to my feet and throwing my arms around her.

"We feared the worst," murmurs O'Mer.

"Where's Kalifa?" Jinx beats me to the question that I'm suddenly dreading to hear the answer of.

Ahsoka looks down. "She didn't make it."

"She's dead?!" demands Jinx.

The Togurta nods wordlessly. She's gone. She was their leader for who knows how long... and the one who was starting to agree with us the most at the end. Tightly holding her hands, I pull her over to sit down. Everything feels so empty.

"I can't believe it," O'Mer breathes finally. "She has been here longer than any of us, and now..."

"We're all going to die here. It's only a matter of time," Jinx sighs.

"If it's only a matter of time 'til we die, I say we go down with a fight!" Ahsoka declares firmly.

"Definitely," I agree forcefully, "We've fought way worse things than this to be killed off like that."

"That is suicide," protests O'Mer.

"You've said that every few days they release new prisoner on the beach," Ahsoka reminds. "I say we attack that dropship head on. They'll never expect it."

"Good thinking!" I congratulate. "We might be able to free the prisoners too, if we do it right. That'll mean more help."

"Is it worth a shot?" wonders O'Mer, looking over at the other Twi'lek, his uncertainty obvious.

"Maybe it is," agrees Jinx at last.

***

Aniya Skywalker

Two and a half days. It's been two and a half days since our padawans were lost, and we still haven't come up with anything. I managed to get out of the healer's wing yesterday – much to everyone's disapproval – and ever since Anakin and I have been pouring over maps in search of any sort of traces. There are none. I'd felt Alema reaching towards me with the Force, but she's too far away and our bond isn't quite strong enough for me to trace it.

Artoo and Arthree beep comfortingly in the background, but that does little to calm my fears. I haven't slept at all since I awoke. I'm too restless. We have to find them somehow, and I fear the Separatists may have captured them. If they have, I don't know how we could ever get them back. I don't even want to think about it, but everything highly implies they could have been. We tried tracing their commlinks already, but nothing.

"Where could they be?" I groan at last, scrubbing a hand over my face.

"I'm sure we'll find them," offers Rex optimistically. He and Appo are hovering around in the background and trying to make us feel better.

I often forget how the two of them practically consider Ahsoka and Alema their own sisters also. They've grown quite close over the past year.

I hear the door opening behind us, and Master Plo's presence washes over us. He stands there for a few minutes, letting us continue our work in silence. "What is Ahsoka's strength?"

"She is fearless," Anakin responds at last.

"That can also be a weakness," Plo replies. "What makes them a team?"

I pause, considering. "They'll stick together, no matter what."

"Are they worthy apprentices?" Plo asks.

"I couldn't have asked for a better one," I say fiercely.

"No one has Ahsoka's kind of determination," Anakin asserts.

"Except you," he asserts.

"We'll find them," Anakin states determinedly.

"We have to," I agree. We must. I won't abandon my sisters out there to the galaxy. It's our duty to care for them, no matter what.

"This may not be within your power," Plo declares. Seriously, must he be so cryptic? Just what is he getting at? Apparently, my twin is thinking along the same lines as me.

"Whatever you're trying to say, Master Plo, just say it," Anakin nearly snaps, finally running out of patience.

He states at us for a long moment. "I am suggesting that perhaps, if you trained them well, they will take care of themselves, and find a way back to you." He turns, heading out of the room, leaving us alone with our captains again.

Chapter Text

Alema Syndula

The next evening, the four of us stay perched in the trees near the coastline, concealing ourselves as best we can.

"They'll be here soon," whispers Ahsoka suddenly.

"You can hear them already?" I ask. She nods.

Finally, from through the fog over the water, the lights of an approaching craft come into view.

"Get ready, we'll have to be swift," she warns.

Together, we take off, Ahsoka in the lead. She scrambles up a tree, Force-jumping off the top and lands gracefully on the window of the ship. I jump a little farther, landing atop the ship as do the other two younglings. Ahsoka climbs up the side onto the top, and we stand together watching as the door opens and one of the Trandoshans clamors out.

He raises his blaster, but I Force-shove it aside instantly. He lunges at us, only for Jinx and O'Mer to tackle him to the ground.

"We'll take the pilot!" Ahsoka shouts, running to the opening and jumping down. I follow without a moment's thought, leaving the boys to fight the other hunter alone. Together, we creep through the darkness. Just as we get into the main part of the ship, the pilot spins around, blaster in hand. He fires, and we each jump separately onto the sides. We jump at him again, throwing him back onto the control panel. I do my best to ignore that it starts sparking from the weight. I can feel the ship start spinning out of control, jerking as part of it breaks right off.

The hunter throws me back into the wall, my head crashing against some of the lighted controls. Stars swim in my vision, but I blink them away, jumping to the center of the room when he shoots at me. Ahsoka throws his blaster to the right, then the left. I stumble to my feet, throwing him hard enough for the viewport behind him to shatter, and he falls through. His body slumps motionless onto the outside of the ship.

We run forwards to the controls. "There's nothing left of this thing," I grumble, scanning it desperately. We came here to get the prisoners out, but it doesn't even seem that's possible anymore. The ship is in shambles.

"Get out of there, come on!" Jinx shouts suddenly, landing on the front of the ship just in sight of what was formerly the window.

"But the prisoners! They'll die!" Ahsoka yells back.

"We can't just leave them here!" I protest.

"Hit the release, hurry! There's nothing else we can do!" he calls back. Ahsoka slams her hand down on the controls and jumps through the opening, me right behind. The four of us jump to the ground below as the ship crashes just safely away from us.

"Well, I guess we won't be escaping on that ship," Jinx mutters, standing up.

"Don't worry, we'll find another way," Ahsoka assures him.

"We've proved ourselves and them that we can fight," I add. I'm just afraid that might have made them more on edge, to pay closer attention to us now that they know we're fighting back. Even so, there might be something from the ship we can salvage. Maybe.

A sudden rustling sound pierces through my thoughts, followed by a howl.

"What was that?!" hisses O'Mer.

"A survivor," Ahsoka replies, running forwards towards the source of the noise. I can see a dark figure moving through the shadows. It's not one of the Trandoshans, I know that much. It's too dark, even through the shadows of night.

"Probably one of the prisoners," I suggest, "Maybe one of them survived the landing."

The four of us run forwards, stopping a safe distance away just in case its unfriendly. Suddenly, the dark figure crawls out from beneath the ship and stands at its full height.

"What is that?!" hisses O'Mer.

"It's a Wookie!" Ahsoka exclaims.

He walks towards us, standing out against the greenish haze of the nighttime darkness, and growls.

"Come with us," I tell him, "We got stranded here, too. We'll take you to our hideout."

After a few moments, he agrees to follow us, and we lead him back up to our little hideout up in the trees. We file inside and take our seats.

"Your name is Chewbacca?" Ahsoka asks. He growls affirmatively. I don't completely understand his language, unlike Ahsoka. She was always more dutiful than me that way. I can only make out bits and pieces here and there.

"Chewbacca, does anyone even know you were taken?" I inquire, leaning forwards.

"No, but he says his home world is very close," Ahsoka translates to the others.

"That's great, but it might as well be Coruscant, as far as I'm concerned," Jinx replies grouchily, "We've got no ship."

"We'll find one, though," I point out. "We took them down last night, and with Chewbacca's help, I know we could do it again."

"He thinks he can contact his home planet if we find a way to transmit a signal," Ahsoka translates after the Wookie growls animatedly.

"Right, and how would we do that?" Jinx demands, throwing his hands in the air. "Send smoke signals?"

I snort. Can't help it. I have to love his sense of humor. "If that would have worked, you'd have been rescued a long time ago." Wouldn't it be nice if we took down this entire group one by one so they can never do something like this again? That would certainly be more than a little satisfying, but it's not even realistic. Anyway...

"We don't exactly have a transmitter lying around, if you haven't noticed," the Twi'lek grumbles.

The Wookie growls again.

"He says he can build a transmitter from the wreckage on the beach," Ahsoka translates.

"Which is weird, because I was about to ask if anyone could do that." I'm certain Anakin and Aniya would have done that before we even left the ship area. Too bad they weren't here. We'd probably already be off the planet if they were. Though there's absolutely no way either of them could've been captured in such a stupid way. I should have been paying more attention.

"Well, we can't just sit here," concedes O'Mer.

"Fine. We'll do it the Wookie way," decides Jinx grumpily.

***

As it turns out, Chewbacca's idea was a very good one. On the way there, we encountered a Trandoshan we managed to capture in case we need a back-up plan. We also managed to find what we need from the wreckage. It was honestly easier than I'd been expecting.

"How's it looking?" Ahsoka asks, walking over to the Wookie where he's been trying to finish building the contraption. I've been hovering nearby, trying to help him out whenever I can. Granted, I don't know a whole lot about this, but I still have learned some from our masters. Good thing, too, because it seems to be speeding up the process a bit.

"Like it might work?" I offer, sighing. I don't want to expect it will, just in case, but I am hopefully. Maybe someone will at least be able to pick up on our signal. If the Wookies get it, no doubt they'll come here to rescue us.

"Well, we've got a prisoner," Jinx interjects, crossing his arms, "We should be using him to our advantage while we have a chance."

I glance up from my perch next to Chewie, watching the conversation unfold. Ahsoka was the one who wanted to wait. I wanted to help get this done, then work on it that way. We'll see.

"I thought the prisoner was the backup plan?" Ahsoka inquires.

"It's clear enough that we cannot rely on that device," Jinx insists. So impatient. Not that I blame him. I'm tired of sitting around here and trying to help when I don't really know what it is I'm doing. Besides, there's no way to know it will work. The sooner we can do a full-fledged attack on the Trandoshans, the better. I don't want them to start getting prepared. "No offense, but we can't sit here any longer."

"We should wait," Ahsoka insists, frowning.

"I agree with Jinx," O'Mer interjects, "We have to act while we have an advantage."

"Let's say we do it your way. What's the plan?" she asks.

"We can use their prisoner to trick the enemy into flying one of their pods down to us, then we hijack the pod, fly up to their base and take them by surprise."

That sounds like something our masters would come up with. I stand up. "I hate to say so, Ahsoka, but I agree. I think this device plan will work, but it might not. The longer we wait, the more at risk we put ourselves for the Trandoshans to either find us here or be better prepared when we attack. Or even find the prisoner. We need to act. Besides, for all we know, they might be able to detect and trace the signal."

She doesn't exactly look happy. Not surprising. It's not often we disagree with each other, but I understand her hesitation. We don't really know what it is we're going up against, but I know we have to do this.

"Ahsoka, you got us to believe in ourselves again, and I believe Jinx's plan will work," O'Mer declares firmly.

"We don't even know what we're up against!"

"Which is why we need your help." I stare at my sister almost beseechingly. "If you'll help us."

There is a momentary pause, then she turns to Chewbacca. "You know I can't let them go alone. We're not going to be able to do this without you. We need your help."

He growls reluctantly. "Luck has not been on our side."

"Who knows? Maybe our luck is just about to change."

***

Ahsoka Tano

"All right, we better get started," I declare as the four of us walk up to where we're keeping the prisoner. Chewbacca is restraining him.

"Time to call your friends," Alema orders, almost glaring down at him even though he's practically twice her height.

"I'm not helping you, whelp!" the creature snarls.

This isn't going to work. Not when he thinks he's in control of the situation, because he really isn't. We'll have to be in closer proximity for this to work. "Chewbacca, we need him at eye level, please," I instruct.

Chewbacca growls, shoving the Trandoshan to his knees, whacking him on the head with his paw for no apparent reason.

Jinx steps forwards with his hand outstretched. "You will listen to me." He's throwing a Force-suggestion into his words, but it's clearly nowhere near strong enough. I haven't had much experience in that area, and it was Jinx's plan. It's best to let him try it out himself.

"No, I won't!" the creature growls angrily.

Alema groans and steps forwards next to the other Twi'lek, outstretching her own hand. "You will listen to me," they repeat in unison. I feel the Force stirring around them, entering his mind.

"I will listen to you," he repeats monotonously.

"You were our captive, but now you've escaped," they chorus. For not having done this before, they're surprisingly in sync.

"I was your captive, but now I've escaped," he repeats.

"You need to call a speeder to pick you up," they continue. Jinx motions to Alema, and the two step back out of sight, but are clearly keeping the hold they have on one another and the Trandoshan with the Force.

"I need to call a speeder to pick me up," the hunter responds, pressing a button on his commlink. It beeps and connects half a second later.

"Smug? Where have you been?" asks the voice on the other end. O'Mer and I back aside a direction we can be assured no one will see us. When they arrive, the last thing we need is to get spotted before we can get the speeder.

"I need a speeder to come pick me up," the Trandoshan reports in a monotone. Hopefully, the creature on the other end doesn't get the feeling something's wrong, but they don't seem smart enough for that. If they were, they wouldn't have decided to put Jedi padawans here in the first place.

I just hope this plan is going to work. It won't be good if it doesn't because we're never going to get another chance at it. Still, defeating one hunter shouldn't be hard, especially if he's not expecting it. I don't know what they know about Jedi, but I doubt they know much about the mind-tricking abilities. Hopefully.

The roar of an engine catches my attention, and I back farther out of sight. One of the pods comes speeding to a stop. There's only one Trandoshan riding it. Good. "Get in. Let's go!" he calls to the prisoner.

"Now," I whisper to the others, jumping into the Pod. I land behind the driver, and he starts spinning around. I duck his arm when he grabs for me, and spin sideways, kicking him hard. He stumbles back but comes for me again. This time I jump over his head and throw him over the railing. I jump off after just as the others emerge from the trees. Chewbacca is the first to move forwards, standing right in front of the Trandoshan as he starts getting up.

The Wookie slams a paw across the Trandoshan's head, and he falls limply to the ground.

"Come on, let's go!" I urge, as Alema scrambles into the pilot's seat. Chewbaca, Jinx, and O'Mer jump in after and we blast away from the island, heading for the other side.

"Krix and Smug should be back by now," I hear another one of the lizards saying as we approach their tower. There's two of them standing by a railing, facing away from us.

"Be ready, we'll have to be fast," warns Alema. The others nod in agreement.

The two of them whirl around, eyes narrowing angrily as they see us. Jinx leaps off the speeder, kicking one of the Trandoshans across the platform. Chewbacca jumps down next, grabbing onto the other one as he raises his blaster. The Wookie tosses the howling lizard over the edge where he plummets out of sight far below. I can't even feel bad for him. They were hunting us like animals and murdered hundreds of beings.

"Kill them! Kill them!" shouts the other lizard, jumping to his feet, "I want their skins!"

One of the doors to the tower slide open and three Trandoshans charge out, brandishing their weapons. They immediately start shooting at us.

"Take cover behind the speeder," growls Chewbacca, motioning towards the lizard's speeder parked a short distance away. We sprint over to it, hiding behind it as Chewbacca grabs it, turning it over on its side to block the blaster bolts.

Another one of the Trandoshans takes off running for the speeder we brought here. Alema and I exchange a look, practically reading each other's minds. We raise our hands, lifting the speeder off the ground as the Trandoshan struggles to scramble into it. Jinx immediately joins in to help as we hurl it at the lizards who were shooting.

Chewbacca charges forwards, attacking the first of the Trandoshans as he gets to his feet. Jinx runs at the other, Force-shoving aside his blaster as he tries to fire. I leap through the air, kicking another one of them backwards, throwing the blaster from his hands. Alema joins in the fight, helping out Jinx.

Finally, O'Mer circles around overheard and starts shooting at a group of other lizards who run around the corner, heading for us. Alema kicks the one she's fighting to the ground, and I jump on top of him, kicking him in the head to knock him out. Chewbacca is continuing to fight with another one.

The sounds of shooting draw my attention to up above. I catch sight of one of the Trandoshans using a cannon on the side of the tower to shoot at O'Mer's speeder. He tries to maneuver away, but it's struck anyway, and a long trail of black smoke begins pouring out. It crashes down, heading straight for us.

I jump out of the way, yanking Alema with me as it hits the platform, breaking in half. O'Mer quickly scrambles out of the burning wreckage. When I look up, Trandoshans are standing around us, their blasters aimed down at us.

"A valiant effort, little younglings, especially you, Togruta," the leader growls from where he stands at the top balcony. I push myself up as much as I dare, glaring at him. "You will be a prized trophy in my collection."

"Sorry, there will be no more additions to your collection," Alema replies lightly, pointing upwards to the sky.

I follow her gaze. A spaceship. The signal we'd sent out worked.

The Trandoshans look up, and their momentary distraction is all we need. A massive Force-shove at all of them is all we need to get on our feet.

They immediately start shooting at the approaching craft as Wookies being leaping out. Everyone starts shooting at each other, the Wookies throwing a number of the Trandoshans over the railing. It doesn't take long before we start gaining the advantage.

I give a nod to Jinx and O'Mer where they've taken down the remaining Trandoshans, then turn to Chewbacca. "Can you get us up there?" I ask. The doorway inside is way too high up for Alema and I to reach it. Anakin could probably do it, but I am not my brother.

He growls affirmatively, lowering his hands to me. I back up across the platform, then run forwards, jumping onto his paws. He throws me upwards, and the combined force of that and my Force-jumping off it carries me high enough to flip over the railing on the balcony above. I land on my feet, cautiously approaching the door. The leader is inside, and I know he won't be easy to take down. Alema lands behind me, rolling across the ground and climbing to her feet.

"I'll go in first. Stay behind me," I instruct.

She nods.

I open the door, stepping through into the mostly darkened room. I can sense him here, but not in the immediate vicinity. Slowly, I slip inside and across the room, looking around. Alema stands in the doorway, taking shelter in the darkness. It will give us the advantage of a surprise attack if they're too distracted by one of us to notice the other, and I'm, by nature, a hunter.

The room is dark, but I can sense everything with my montrals and the Force. The coast is clear, so I jump up to the next level, stopping and turning around slowly. I can see well in the dark, too well, even, since I really don't want a good look at the place. I try to force away my horror at the bodies hung on the walls or the skins on the floors, instead searching for movement. I sense him right behind me, on an upper balcony, just before he jumps down.

I duck and dive between his legs as he lands where I was standing a split second before. I jump up onto the wall next to him, then across to the other one when he starts turning towards me. I leap down to the floor, walking past some objects in the center. My eyes are fixed on the hunter as he stalks forwards.

I raise a hand, Force-throwing him across the room as he tries to attack me. He circles around the room before jumping forwards again. I attack, kicking the weapon out of his hand. With a snarl, he throws me into the wall, grabbing me by the neck.

"You're beaten," he hisses, "You murdered my son, and you need to pay for what you did."

In a flash Alema leaps out of the shadows, kicking him hard. He releases his grip, whirling around to face her. She kicks him hard, and he shoves her back, grabbing her arm and throwing her into the nearby wall.

"Your son died because of your own actions, not mine," I shout, Force-throwing him into the wall. The battle isn't going to be won until he's been defeated. He snatches up a blaster, firing at us.

Alema raises a hand, yanking it away. The same moment, I throw him backwards again and he tumbles over a table, landing on his back near the door. Alema and I jump onto the top of the table, staring down at him. We've won.

He turns to eye his blaster that lays a couple feet away. "Don't," I warn. Completely ignoring the warning, he lunges for it. We throw up our hands, sending him flying back out the doors onto the deck far below where the others are waiting.

"Come on," urges Alema, racing over to the opening and looking down. All the Trandoshans are defeated. We finally destroyed them so they can't continue to pointlessly kidnap and murder people. And at long last, it's time for us to go home.

***

Anakin Skywalker

They were found. I can hardly believe it. We'd begun to fear the worst. At least it wasn't the Separatists who captured them, or who knows when they would have been able to escape. Or if, I can't add.

Aniya and I are waiting on the landing platform of the Jedi Temple, Plo a short distance away along with Yoda and Windu. The group starts disembarking from the ship.

"Ahsoka!" I exclaim, running forwards.

"Alema!" calls Aniya.

"It is good to see you safe, little 'Soka," Plo greets her.

In a different situation I might have cared that other people are watching, but right now neither Aniya nor I do. I pull both Ahsoka and Alema into a tight hug, grateful that they're safe and home again. Aniya carefully pries them away to hug them herself.

"I am so sorry," I say finally.

"For what?" Ahsoka asks, turning back to me.

"For letting you go, for letting you get taken. It was my fault."

"No, Master, it wasn't your fault," Ahsoka replies firmly.

"If I had reacted faster back there on Felucia, I would have been there instead of you and none of this would have happened," Aniya protests.

"You reacted as fast as you could, Master," Alema argues.

"I should've paid more attention. I should've tried harder," I point out. If I had, they wouldn't have been left alone in a situation that this could have happened. They nearly died. They easily could have been stuck out there for far longer, and... who knows what could have happened? We should have been the ones to find them.

"You already did everything you could, everything you had to do," Ahsoka replies.

"You had to focus on fighting the battle. If anything, we should have reacted faster and not gotten captured," responds Alema, "Besides if we hadn't ended up there, those younglings would all have died."

"When we were out there alone, all I had was your training." Ahsoka looks up at me, eyes shining with gratitude and adoration. She's changed so much. This experience was the first thing that actually had them face the reality of life. "And the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well." It's the most grateful thing I've had anyone say to me, and I'm stunned speechless. I don't even know how to respond to something like that.

"So, stop insisting everything in the world that goes wrong is your fault," Alema adds.

"I – what –" Aniya sighs finally, shaking her head. "We're your masters. We're supposed to be responsible for you."

"And we're responsible for ourselves, too," Ahsoka reminds. I know she's right. She's already fifteen, and she's grown so much from the energetic, reckless little girl I took as my padawan a couple months into the war.

"I... I don't know what to say," I murmur finally.

"I do," Ahsoka smiles, looking up at me, "Thank you, Master."

"You're welcome, my padawan," I say softly.

***

Alema Syndula

"Alema?" calls a voice from behind me as I walk down the Temple halls, returning from class. I turn around. Jinx.

"Yes?" I answer. It's been several weeks since I last saw him and O'Mer, and I've honestly been wondering what happened to them. "What's going on?"

"I was just taken as a padawan," he informs me. His master had been killed in the war, which would normally mean he would be sent to the Corps, but that almost never happens anymore. There's too much demand for Jedi.

"Really?! That's great!" I exclaim. "Who?" I kind of hope it's someone I know. After what we've gone through together, I don't want us to break contact entirely. Life and death situations always form unbreakable bonds.

"Master Plo took me," Jinx informs, "He says that he sometimes ends up on missions with Master Skywalker, so we might be able to see each other from time to time."

"I hope so," I admit. I never had too many friends at the Temple, especially not friendships that lasted after the war started. Krell never let me to talk anyone anyway. No one even thought a whole lot about it, between the chaos the war caused even in the Temple and rules about attachments. After having known the twins so long, I've become a lot more accepting of attachments, though. My closest friend here now, other than Ahsoka, is Barriss. We've formed a bond of our own, though we do often clash on ideals.

"How's Ahsoka doing?" he asks next.

"She's doing fine," I answer, before the shiny object at his waist catches my attention, "And hey, did you get your lightsaber yet?"

"Just recently."

"Want to spar while we have time?" I suggest.

"Sure," Jinx agrees, "Though I've only just begun practicing again, so I'm not very good at it, at least not probably compared to you."

"That's fine! It can be lesson time," I grin. Never mind that I'm younger than he is.

He laughs. "Okay."

The entire event from start to finish was jarring through and through, and I honestly don't think I'll stop having nightmares about being chased by Trandoshans or being kidnapped, for a long time to come, but at least some good came out of it.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

"How are things going?" I ask as the hologram of Padme flickers to life in front of me. I wasn't quite expecting her to call now, right after we got back to the Jedi Temple. Mon Cala was hardly any time ago, and that wasn't a pleasant situation. Both of us were captured, and Aniya wasn't there to come to the rescue.

But now, I can feel her worry. Something is wrong. "Not good, actually. The new leader of the Gungans is threatening to declare war on the rest of Naboo," she explains gravely.

"What?!" I exclaim in shock. Of all news, that was the last thing I was expecting her to tell me. Why would they do that? And why now, right in the middle of the Clone Wars? They just came to aid the Republic! Where is this attitude coming from?

"The leader is giving speeches rousing up the Gungans to fight against the rest of Naboo," Padme adds, "Jar Jar tried to talk them out of it, but he didn't get anywhere."

"The Separatists are probably involved," I scowl. I'm certain they are. At a time like this, of course they'd try to get another planet to start civil war. Then they'll probably send in forces to help the Gungans, and regardless of what side won, the planet would be completely devastated, like so many others. I can't bear the thought of a planet like that going through what I've seen happen to so many others. Whatever it takes, I won't let that happen. Now that I think about it, I suspect it's in revenge for them assisting us on Mon Cala. I wouldn't be surprised. Separatists do petty things like that.

"I imagine they are," Padme agrees grimly, "I'm going back to Naboo as soon as possible to try and speak with Boss Lyonie. I was hoping that you'd be able to come with me."

"Is this because you're finally taking your safety seriously or so that we can spend time together?" I can't resist the joke.

"Be careful, or I may change my mind." She gives me a mock glare, before growing serious again. "I'm going to ask the Council if you can come."

"Aniya's available also, so maybe you should ask for both of us to accompany you," I suggest. That way she'll be able to meet up with Jaufre again. Every time Padme needs – or could use – a Jedi to protect her, she always asks for both of us, or just one of us if the other isn't available. It's the only way Aniya can ever see Jaufre beyond secretly leaving the Temple at night, since it's not like he needs a Jedi to protect him. And I know how crazy it drives her at times.

"Of course," Padme agrees, "See you soon, Ani. Both of you."

"Bye, Angel," I say as the connection breaks.

***

"You should probably wait up here," Aniya declares, turning to Jaufre. He came with us to Naboo so that they'd be able to be around each other, but when it comes to the actual negotiations, I don't think he should go.

"Why?" he scowls, still never happy about having to leave his sister when she's going into a dangerous situation. I'm honestly glad. It's nice to have a reminder that she'll have someone watching over her all the time when I can't be there for her.

"It makes sense for me and Ani to go," Padme points out, "But bringing a security officer with me might make the situation worse."

"We can protect her perfectly fine, you know," I point out as we start heading to the water.

"I'll be waiting here as backup when something goes wrong," he calls.

"Thanks for the optimism!" Aniya yells back.

"You're welcome! Anytime!"

"Jar Jar, do you read me?" I call into my comm, "It's Anakin. We need you to meet us on the surface of Lake Paonga immediately."

"Okie day, mui palo," he replies, "There's bombad trouble down here."

"We are aware," Aniya says.

"That's why we need to talk to you," I declare, breaking the connection. The three of us stand waiting by the edge of the water for the Gungan to arrive.

"I feel like there's a lot more to this than it seems," mutters Aniya, frowning down at the water.

"Me too. That's why I called you here," replies Padme.

Before I have a chance to reply, an underwater craft emerges. The shields go off on the top and Jar Jar pokes his head out. "Oh boy. Mesa must stop zipping to the surface. Ears go boomba someday." Umm... Is that the top on his list of concerns right now?

The three of us exchange suppressed grins. Senator Representative for years or not, Jar Jar is still very much like the clown we'd met on Tatooine over a decade ago

"What's going on Jar Jar?" Padme demands, stepping forwards, "We've hearing disturbing rumors. Is Boss Lyonie calling for a march on Theed?"

"Oh yes, my lady," the Gungan nods emphatically, ears flopping, "He give mui fiery speeches, blaming Naboo for everything! Mesa say it couldn't be true."

"Of course, it's not," Padme replies.

"We need to talk to him, Jar Jar," I explain authoritatively.

"This is giving me flashbacks to ten years ago," mumbles Aniya as we climb into the speeder, and it disappears below the surface of the water.

"Same," I agree.

It doesn't take us long to reach the city, and we hurry to the room where Boss Lyonie is speaking, while doing our best to stay out of sight. We don't need to get spotted and cause a commotion down here. "For centuries the Nabooians have treated you like second-class citizens," Boss Lyonie declares, from where he stands at the front of the room, "No more! There's moments in history when change is necessary. Are you going to take what is rightfully ours?"

As he speaks, General Tarpal turns back to approach us. "This mui mui bad."

"Don't worry, General, mesa friends can help," Jar Jar offers.

"Mesa hope so, Jar Jar," Tarpal responds. I can sense his worry as well. He doesn't agree with what's happening but simply because of the way the Gungans are, he's not going to openly protest. That's good. In situations like that, it's better to keep your opinions to yourself and then do whatever you can more subtly. The two Gungans stand in front of me and the girls, mostly hiding us from sight as everyone else files out of the room. One of them pauses on the doorway, and I notice him rubbing a strange necklace he's wearing.

We wait until they're gone to enter the room. "Young Senator Amidala, if you here to talk mesa out of marching on Theed, yousa wasting time," Boss Lyonie says on greeting, scowling down at us.

"With all due respect," Padme asserts, "Your course of action is based on lies. You must make your warriors stand down."

"Mesa different now! Mesa enlightened!" he shoots back. I narrow my eyes at him. There's something wrong with him. He's acting... off. And I can sense a disturbance in the Force, that's centered at least somewhat around him. I reach into the Force, trying to detect the exact cause of the problem.

"See?" whispers Jar Jar, "Acting loconut."

"Clearly," agrees Aniya.

"He seems possessed if you ask me," I mutter, scanning him more carefully. He's wearing a necklace that's an almost mirror image to the one I saw another Gungan earlier, and something about that is important.

"Or under someone's influence," Padme points out.

"Stop whispering and go, be gone!" snaps Boss Lyonie, waving a hand for emphasis. His necklace is glowing strangely, and I feel the Force shifting and pulsing around it.

"The necklace!" I exclaim, raising a hand and yanking it away from him with the Force.

"I should have guessed," Aniya agrees darkly, eyes narrowed in anger.

The Gungan leader presses a hand to his head, looking around in confusion. "What's happening?" His confused gaze lands on Jar Jar. "Binks? Who are they?"

"Who are we?" echoes Padme, "Boss Lyonie, don't you remember anything?" We don't have time for this right now. It's obvious that the necklace was affecting his mind. At least we have a clue to uncover who's actually behind this now.

"Who gave you this necklace, Your Majesty?" I demand, raising it.

"Minister Rish Loo, he given it to me," Lyonie answers, "He telling me it make me bombad leader, very powerful."

"Who's this Rish Loo?" frowns Aniya, looking over at Jar Jar.

"They say Rish Loo know ancient Gungan mystical power," explains the Gungan, "Mind over matter. But he only use it for good."

Aniya and I exchange glances. "Until now you mean," I reply firmly. There's no question as to whether he was doing something. I haven't learned much about the ability to influence people's minds and thoughts, but I know it can be done, though unfrequently. Many Gungans are borderline Force-sensitives, as are many of the people of Naboo. It's unsurprising that some of them actively know how to use the Force.

"We need to speak with him," Aniya declares.

"Mesa will take yousa to him." Boss Lyonie stands up and leads us out to the bottom of a staircase of a nearby building, presumably where Rish Loo is. "Let mesa go in alone," he instructs and heads inside.

"We'll be right outside," Aniya nods. I don't have a good feeling about it, but we'll wait as asked. That's one thing I've long, long since learned about authority, no matter how much I dislike it.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," I remark at last.

"I think the Separatists are involved. I sense... Dooku," she sends back.

I reach a bit deeper into the Force, into the next room. Sure enough. There are faint traces of his presence around. "You're right," I tell her, stiffening. I glance over at Padme. "We need to be careful. I think Dooku's here."

"Here?" she asks anxiously.

"On the planet somewhere, but I think Rish Loo may have spoken to him. Dooku's shielding is crazy, but I think I feel traces of his presence," I explain. That's the same moment another sensation strikes me. Something's wrong, and it's almost like someone's using the Force. Maybe. "Something's wrong," I state, pressing a hand to my forehead. It's getting stronger now. "We better get up there." I don't wait for the other's responses and run up the stairs onto the room. Rish Loo has one hand on a similar neckless to the one Boss Lyonie was wearing earlier, and his other hand is outstretched towards the Gungan leader who is rocking on his feet slightly, clearly at the edge of falling back into a mind-controlled trance.

"Boss Lyonie, don't listen to him!" I shout. He snaps back to himself in a flash, and I hear the girls coming to a stop behind me, but I don't have a change to think anything beyond that.

"You get them!" Rish Loo shouts, and a group of half a dozen assassin droids instantly drop down from the ceiling. They start shooting at us while Rish Loo tries to run, but the Gungan leader grabs him.

Aniya and I have our lightsabers out in a flash, the blades spinning in front of us. Padme withdraws her blaster and starts shooting back. I lunge forwards, cutting down several of the droids while deflecting more stray blaster bolts.

Rish Loo turns and tries to run out the door, but Boss Lyonie grabs ahold of them, shoving him backwards into the table. Something glints in Rish Loo's hand, and I turn in time to see him stabbing a long knife blade into the Gungan leader. The traitor immediately turns and bolts out of the room, shoving past Padme as he goes.

There's nothing I can do about it now. First, we have to take care of these droids. Another one of them jumps on Padme. Aniya throws up a hand, yanking it off her with the Force and cutting it in half. I slice through the last one. Throwing a final glance around the room to make sure all the droids are down, I bolt out the door. "Check on Boss Lyonie," I call to Padme as I run past.

I skid to a stop at end of the platform. Rish Loo is gone, having taken the ship we brought down here back to the surface. We need to follow him, but first we had better check on Boss Lyonie. Rish Loo is no doubt going to cause chaos on the surface, and he is the only one who can stop him.

"That's what I was afraid of," Aniya grumbles, skidding to a stop behind me.

"Hopefully leaving Jaufre up there was a good idea," I remark worriedly. Knowing him, he could easily have gotten himself in trouble.

"If he gets hurt because of Dooku, I am going to kill him," she growls lowly.

"I don't doubt it." I step forwards, pulling her tightly into a one-armed hug. I really should have thought ahead about leaving Jaufre on the surface. He's right in harm's way now.

"We better go check on Boss Lyonie," Aniya decides at last. We head to the Gungan medical bay.

"How is he?" I query as we step into the room. The Gungan healer disappears through a door on the other side, leaving us alone again.

"The bandages have stopped the bleeding, but he's unconscious," Padme says as the Gungan healer leaves the bed to check some monitors. "The Gungans are still gathered and poised to march on Theed. Boss Lyonie never got a chance to call off the invasion."

"And in case no one realized, it's nearly dusk," adds Aniya. "Whatever we do, we have to move fast."

"Jar Jar, you're a senator. You have to tell them to stand down. They'll listen to you," I urge, turning to him.

"These Gungans are proud," protests Jar Jar, "With the mood at the moment, mesa the last person they'll listen to now." He takes a step forwards before promptly tripping flat on his face. Aniya sighs and moves forwards to help drag him back up.

Jar Jar picks up Boss Lyonie's nearby crown, placing it on his head for no apparent reason as he gets back to his feet. Wait a minute. My gaze darts between Jar Jar and the unconscious leader. With the crown on, the two look so similar I could almost have confused them if their presences weren't so glaringly different. "Huh. I don't believe it," I murmur.

"The resemblance is remarkable," agrees Padme.

"Whosa resembles what?" asks Jar Jar, looking around in confusion.

"You," Padme replies, "You look just like Boss Lyonie. I didn't realize it until you put the crown on."

"Hey, do you think...?" Aniya doesn't need to finish the question.

I nod. "Jar Jar, you must put on Lyonie's robes and keep that crown on," I instruct.

"Oh, no, no!" he exclaims, waving a hand in protest as his eyes widen, "Mesa can't do that!"

"There's no other choice right now," insists Aniya.

"You have to if we're going to convince the Gungan army to stand down," I argue.

"But they never listen to mesa!" argues Jar Jar, still seeming oblivious to the current plan.

"Maybe not, but they will listen to Boss Lyonie," I retort, pulling him towards the door. There's no time to worry about his panic. We need to hurry, or many people will die unnecessarily.

"But wesa don't look alike!" protests the Representative frantically.

"If you talk like him, no one will notice," Aniya replies firmly. "Now come on. We have to hurry."

We immediately head back to the surface, ignoring Jar Jar's desperate protests the entire way. After climbing out of the swamp, we move forwards towards where Rish Loo is speaking to the assembled Gungan army, staying crouched in the grass.

"This is a sad day for all Gungans," Rish Loo's voice carries all the way to where the three of us are concealed. "Our beloved leader, Boss Lyonie, isa dead. We must honor his last order and prepare for our attack against the Naboo." Of course, he's doing that, trying to use the name of their supposedly dead leader, who he tried to kill himself, to rally them. "We march with the Separatist droid army on Theed! Death to the Naboo!"

"This bad. This very bad," whispers Jar Jar worriedly. He's right. It's definitely concerning, but if they think it's their own leader talking to them, they'll listen to him.

"Get up there and stop the attack," Aniya hisses.

"Er, mesa can't do it!" he protests.

"You can't, but Boss Lyonie can. Now get out there!" I order, shoving him forwards. I can only hope he actually can think of something fast, though I have no doubt he'll be forced to under the circumstances. It's generally not something I would do, but there's little choice now. It's not about wants or preferences, it's about musts. He stumbles out of the grasses, instantly drawing everyone's attention to him.

"It's Boss Lyonie. He's alive," whispers one of the Gungans in the crowd. A ripple of surprise and confusion runs through them.

"Say something!" I urge quietly, just loud enough for Jar Jar to hear. He's standing there, as if completely at a loss of words. Which he probably is. I can't blame him, but now is not the time to freeze up.

"This better work," Aniya mutters.

"It will," I insist. It has to.

"Mesa..." Jar Jar pauses again, then heads forwards to stand in front of the crowd. "Mesa fellow Gungans. Mesa made terrible mistake ordering march on Theed. We canceling our attack."

"It is Boss Lyonie," someone whispers. They're clearly having second thoughts about this.

"It's working," I call quietly, in a tone low enough I hope he's the only one who heard. He needs me to keep talking, a reminder that I'm here and he's not about to get murdered for impersonating their leader. I don't blame him for being scared.

"Rish Loo manipulated mesa head-thoughts with lies and misinformation," Jar Jar continues. He's doing a really good job, just like I knew he could. Maybe because he knows the entire planet will be at stake if he messes up. "He's the real enemy!"

Rish Loo backs up on the platform he's standing on as the Gungans brandish their staffs angrily at him. He's finally realizes that his cover's been blown. He jumps off the platform and onto a nearby speeder.

"Come on! We can't let him get away!" Aniya yells, running after as the engine starts firing up. I bolt after, coming to a stop where General Tarpal is seated on one of his animals. He dismounts as we approach, letting us take his position.

"Good work, now try not to mess this up, Boss Lyonie!" I call over my shoulder to Jar Jar right as the animal starts taking off after the speeder which is zipping into the woods.

I nudge the creature to move faster as the speeder zooms through the trees, dodging dangerously between them, nearly hitting them several times. I suddenly sense danger behind me. Aniya ignites her lightsaber in a flash, swinging it to deflect the blaster bolts as a probe droid starts shooting at us.

The animal bounds a few more steps forwards before a blast strikes it and it collapses to the ground, throwing both of us face first to the ground. I roll out of the way as a blaster shot nearly catches me in the arm. Scrambling to our feet, Aniya and I deflect the bolts away from the two probe droids that were apparently following us.

The deflected bolts hit the probe droids, blowing them up. "Guess we'll be going on foot now," Aniya concludes as she takes off running after Rish Loo. I bolt after, using the Force to increase my speed.

We finally come to a break in the trees, spotting his speeder up ahead. It's at the top of a cliff, which goes into a large cave-structure on the side.

The familiar feel of Dooku's presence crashes into me, and it feels as though my blood turns to ice. I don't – can't... I'm not ready to face him again. Maybe I never will be, but we have to be. There's no choice.

I don't want him to hurt me again. My arm hurts all the time, as if the knowledge of it being gone isn't enough. I can't handle that double.

And can't let my sister go through that, either.

Why can't I just hate him? That would make it so much easier.

"It's our destiny," Aniya whispers, her hand slipping into mine.

I close my eyes and nod. There is no avoiding this. Putting it off will make it worse and drag the war out even longer. We have to try, even if we don't succeed, and I trust the Force to take care of us. "Let's go."

"Together." An echo of an ever-standing, unspoken promise. We're going to pull through this together, whether it be by dark or light, fire or ice. Together until the end.

I jump over the edge onto the narrow walkway below, catching myself with the Force. Aniya follows, and we walk side-by-side through the doorway leading into the cave. Inside is mostly dark, aside from the small glowing lamps. I creep down the stairs, hand inches from my lightsaber as I take in the scene.

Rish Loo is there all right, standing across the table in the center of the room, facing Dooku. "Master, I have done what you asked. The Skywalkers are here," Rish Loo reports. What? He was intentionally leading us here? Of course, we walked right into a trap. It's not even a surprise anymore. I should have guessed, but it's not like we couldn't have found the place, anyway.

"Young Skywalkers," Dooku turns to us with a smirk. "You are nothing if not relentless."

"Dooku," I hiss, eyes narrowing as I glare at him. Aniya's expression is nearly murderous.

"You're a fool, Rish Loo," the Sith Lord says suddenly, activating his lightsaber, stabbing the Gungan who has since rounded the table. I'm not even surprised. There's a reason you don't make deals with Sith Lords and given what the Gungan was trying to do, I hardly even find it in myself to feel bad for him. At the end of the day, he did ask for it, as horrific as his death was. Is that a bad thing? Probably. Do I care? No.

I'm facing Dooku again for the first time since basically the start of the war. My attention is focused solely on the Sith Lord standing on the other side of the table, the one who betrayed us all. "Why bring the war to Naboo?" I growl, igniting my lightsaber. It would be so much easier if he wasn't confronting us here. This is the planet where we got to know him. It's a reminder of the past, and how things were.

He's not the person I used to know, I remind myself. Not since Geonosis. I do my best to ignore the memory of the pain burning through what was left of my arm.

"How quickly you forget," retorts Dooku, circling around the table to stand a short distance away from us, "After all, the war started here years ago."

"Did it?" Aniya blinks and glances sideways at me. "It started on Geonosis, as I recall, thanks for asking."

"The Sith control everything. You just don't know it," he retorts

"I know you're the one who started the war," I retort hotly. My anger is rising, and I grasp it. It gives me something to focus on. It lets me work past my fear and pain.

"Your potential is wasted with the Jedi," Dooku says, ignoring the comment, "They have become complacent."

"Did you lure us here to have a casual conversation over the dead body of your ally when trying to convince us to join you?" Aniya asks flatly.

"What do you want with us, Dooku?" I demand, eyes narrowed. He didn't bring us here just to talk, I doubt. Or is he going to try capturing us?

"If you would join me, we could restore peace to the galaxy," insists Dooku.

"Are you out of your mind?" Aniya growls. "We're not traitors."

This has gone on long enough. It seems like he's stalling more than anything. I don't know what he's waiting for, but I'm not going to wait around to find out. Without another word, I lunge forwards. His lightsaber swings up to meet mine, and as I pull back, Aniya jumps forwards. The ruby blade swings back and forth, parrying ours, but we're on the offensive.

Dooku steps back a moment, raising a hand. Sensing more than seeing what's coming, I whirl around, cutting through the flying lamps he threw at us. Aniya presses forwards, raining blows on him at a nearly blinding speed. Still, he easily manages to block each one, occasionally taking a strike of his own.

I jump back into the fight again, slashing at the Sith Lord. He skillfully blocks our blows as the fight continues weaving its way around the room. He suddenly throws out a hand, Force-throwing Aniya into the wall. I swing for him again and he blocks my blow, quickly countering the strike with a blow of his own. Aniya jumps to her feet again, running towards us, only to be intercepted as four MagnaGuards with electrostaffs step out of the shadows.

As Dooku and I continue fighting, Aniya begins fending off the MagnaGuards. In moments like these, I really wonder how I could have ever respected him. Aniya cuts through one of the droids, but the electrostaff of another slams into her, nearly knocking her to the floor as the electricity crackles into her.

Anger surges inside of me. I kick Dooku back into the nearby wall before whirling around to help my sister. My blade slashes through the droid that started electrocuting her before I spin to block the electrostaff of one of the others. Now there's one against each of us. Easy enough. Dooku's guards are far more deadly than normal ones, which are even dangerous enough to overpower Jedi Masters at times. I don't waste time thinking about all the could-be's. It's distracting and unnecessary. If I focus, we'll be fine.

"The Jedi have become inefficient. They claim to be peacekeepers but lead a war they shouldn't be involved in according to their own rules," Dooku declares, "But still, they are failing."

"I suppose we should retire and let you take over. Convenient," I snap, ducking under the droid's electrostaff and stabbing it through the center. I pull my lightsaber back out, letting it fall to the ground and turning to help Aniya.

Dooku ignores the comment all together as he continues talking. "They are letting their fear of the Sith control them. They are no longer following the will of the Force."

Aniya slashes through the last droid, and both of us turn to face him again. It's down to the three of us now, unless Dooku has some backup that we don't see anywhere.

"The Republic and the Jedi Order are falling. It is only a matter of time."

"If you cared about it so much, you wouldn't have instigated a galactic war and made everything worse," I shoot back.

"Surely Qui-Gon has spoken to you about the corruption of the Republic. The only way to help the galaxy is to start over," the Sith Lord insists, "The Republic is too far gone."

"If that's really what you're trying to do, you're doing a terrible job at it," I snap.

"Funny. Only after you started the war do you ask for our help," Aniya snarls.

"The war would have started regardless, but the conflict will only continue to escalate as long as there are those who still believe that the Republic can still change, and that the Jedi can actually restore order."

Aniya's expression darkens, and she suddenly lunges at him. His lightsaber is activated in a flash, blocking her blow. I dart over to join her. He easily parries out next few slashes before suddenly Force-jumping across the room, raising a hand and throwing the destroyed droid parts at us. I swing my blade, cutting through them and throwing them aside so they don't hit me. Lightning leaps out of his fingers again and Aniya and I hastily block it with our lightsabers. Dooku backs further away into the shadows before ceasing the attack entirely, disappearing from sight around the corner.

"We need to catch him," hisses Aniya. Both of us taking off running after him, going deeper into the cave. If this is a trap, that's unfortunate. For him.

A fighter is already blasting off into the air, speeding away from the surface of the planet as we get outside the back entrance of the cave. "Coward," I mutter. He was losing the fight, so he decided to take off. Unless, of course, he's heading to help with the attack on Theed.

"We should call and see what's going on," I say, looking over at Aniya. She nods, hastily dialing Padme's frequency into her comm. The Senator answers a moment later.

"Aniya! Where are you?"

"We fought Dooku but he escaped," I explain over her shoulder, "What's going on there?"

"Separatist forces showed up to help with the march on Theed," replies Padme, "The Gungans were able to capture the General."

"We'll be on our way back in case something else happens," Aniya assures her before disconnecting the call. The two of us take off running on foot back through the forest towards the swamp.

Chapter Text

Aniya Skywalker

The battle is already raging on the dark surface of Umbara as the gunship I'm riding in touches down. I can see Anakin's ship landing a distance away. I jump out of the gunship and ignite my lightsaber, taking off towards the enemy fire. Alema and the 502nd is right behind me. I hear the engines whirring behind us as the ships take off again.

Explosions rip through the ground around us as we continue to advance. I peer through the darkness, trying to determine where the tanks shooting at us are. I don't see anything. They're probably concealed behind the strange, red-colored trees that cover the surface of the planet. The Umbarans are good at blending in, I'll give them that.

"Look, it's just a vine. Keep moving, Hardcase," I hear one of the clones calling, promptly followed by a bunch of exclamations and shooting.

Turning, I see one of the clones being swung around in the air by a long tentacle that's wrapped around his waist. Deflecting away a few more blaster bolts, I dart over to get a closer look at the thing. A multi-tentacled creature that seems intent on eating him. Another arm catches ahold of one of the clones and it brings him down, right towards its wide-open mouth.

I throw my lightsaber at the tentacle. It cuts straight through it, and I immediately catch the falling clone with the Force, lowering him to the ground a safe distance away from the creature. The same moment, Fives throws a bomb into the creature's mouth, and it explodes. The thing's tentacles fall limply to the ground, releasing the other clone.

Time to get back to the battle. I turn and take off running again, deflecting blaster bolts as I go. We need to hurry. There's a battle to win.

***

As the explosions from the air support begin to die down, I spot a shuttle descending through the darkness towards us. Alema steps up to my side, going completely tense.

"It's Krell," I realize, exchanging a glance with Anakin. Needless to say, all of us were less than happy when we ended up being sent to Umbara since Krell was already here fighting. Despite what happened with Alema, and the rumors of how he treats his own clones, he's been sent out to the front lines again. The Jedi are getting too short on generals to not allow him back on the front. Besides, he's extremely effective even if his casualty rates are insane.

He's been fighting the space battle the entire time since we were here, and I've been really hoping we'll be able to avoid any interactions. So much for that.

"That's... not a good thing."

The shuttle lands a short distance away in front of us, and the four-armed being steps off.

"Master Krell," Anakin stiffly acknowledges as he approaches us. His expression remains mostly unchanged as he looks between my twin and I, and our padawans. Something feels... off. I don't know if it's my imagination because I'm so on edge or not, but I don't want to take the risk.

"Why are you here?" I demand.

"The Council has ordered both of you back to Coruscant," responds Krell, "Effective immediately."

"What?!" I exclaim. There's no way I am going to be running off to Coruscant and abandoning my men here!

"Why?!" Anakin demands incredulously.

"I'm afraid a request was made by the Supreme Chancellor and the Council obliged," Krell answers, "That is all they would tell me."

"Well, we can't leave our men," retorts Anakin.

"We're not going to abandon the battle and risk losing because of this. I'm sure it can wait a little longer," I assert. Well, I'm not sure, because we never have a way of knowing how long the battle will drag out, or why we're needed elsewhere, but we can't leave like this.

"I'll be taking over in the interim," the Besalisk replies. What? He thinks he's going to take over commanding the 501st and the 502nd in our absence? After everything that happened back on Jabiim, the last thing I'd ever want is him in command of our troops. He's the worst strategist in history and wastes lives like they mean nothing. Not to mention that means he'd be around the padawans unless we took them back with us. There's no way I can put Alema through that. I won't. Not again.

"That won't be necessary," Anakin retorts, obviously thinking along the same lines as me, "I'm sure our padawans will be able to handle it while we're gone."

"I was ordered to take over. Besides, I have more experience than them. I'm a General."

"I seem to remember otherwise," I shoot back, eyes narrowing angrily.

"Regardless of what you think, this is what the Chancellor ordered," he growls, stepping forwards. I scowl. If it was anyone other than the Chancellor, I might advise ignoring the order altogether, but if he's really calling us back to Coruscant, it must be for something important. Maybe even more so than the battle here on Umbara.

"Give us a moment," I decide finally, pulling Alema aside out of hearing range. Anakin and Ahsoka step over to join us. "What do you think?" I ask.

"I..." she trails off, uncertainly.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her," Ahsoka assures me, stepping over to us.

"If you can't do this, we'll figure something else out," Anakin objects, eyeing the Twi'lek.

"No, it'll be okay," she says quietly, "Whatever the Chancellor wants you for, it must be important."

"If he tries anything, be sure to contact us or the Council immediately," I command.

"We will," declares Ahsoka firmly, eyes blazing with a hidden anger.

I don't trust that Krell has changed an atom – in fact I know he hasn't – and there's no way I want to go through with this. Still, I'm proud of Alema. She's handling this remarkably well, given how I can only imagine she must be feeling. At least she won't be here alone, though. Ahsoka will be here to take care of her, even if Krell technically still outranks both of them. That doesn't mean I like it at all. I don't think he'd risk pulling what he did before, not since they aren't his padawans, but that doesn't mean he won't find some other way to hurt them. And he's going to be trying to get back at us, I'm sure. Even if he is supposed to be a Jedi

"If you two are sure about this," Anakin agrees reluctantly, and they nod.

"Okay," I murmur finally, turning to head back to the waiting Besalisk, who I still want to strangle but that can wait until after the mission if he tries anything.

"We'll be going," Anakin declares, "But I expect you to pay attention to what our padawans have to say about strategies."

"I will do what is necessary to win," Krell answers vaguely.

"Yeah. Because that worked so well on Jabiim," I mutter darkly, stalking past him onto the gunship.

"This is Rex," Anakin introduces finally, "My first in command. You won't find a finer and more loyal trooper anywhere."

"Good to hear that," the Besalisk replies.

"I'm sure you remember Appo, so I don't think we need to go through the introductions," I call from the ship as Anakin steps over to board as well.

"I wish you well, Skywalkers," Krell concludes, as the shuttle takes off. For some reason, I highly doubt that.

***

Alema Syndulla

I exchange a glance with Ahsoka as we watch the gunship fly away. I should have known that someday I'd run into my former master again. I did expect it, but I didn't think it would end up being so soon. At least I can take comfort in the fact that Ahsoka is here with me. However this is going to go, I'll have her to back me up. I really, really don't want to be here, but at least I can be glad the clones have someone here to watch over them. With us here, Krell will have limited abilities. There's no way I could leave Rex and Appo here to deal with this alone.

"Your reputation precedes you, General," Rex is the first to break the uncomfortable silence that has settled over us, "It is an honor to be serving under you." I get the distinct feeling that he's trying to be polite. Well, unfortunately, that doesn't really work with Krell. Not when he doesn't even see the clones as humans. I know that much from experience. I don't know how much they know about what happened to me, but they know enough.

"I find it very interesting, Captain, that you are able to recognize the value of honor for a clone," Krell retorts. "Stand at attention when I address you. Your flattery is duly noted, but it will not be rewarded."

"It's not flattery. It's called being polite," Ahsoka shoots back. "Now let's get moving." Way to go, sister. But she really needs to watch her tongue.

He gives her a hard look, but wisely chooses not to respond. I'm silently glad he's not really paying us any attention. I don't think I could handle it. It's been well over a year, but some scars never fade. I wish my master was here. I wish Anakin was here. Then I wouldn't have to worry about others hurting themselves to protect me, because I know Ahsoka and the boys will.

I try to let the calming currents of the Force flow through me, but I can't. All I can feel is the glaring presence of the Besalisk in front of me and remember how easy it would be for him to hurt me – all of us – if he so much as wanted to.

"Have all platoons ready to move out immediately," he orders Rex and Appo, "That is all." Without another word, he turns and stalks away.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Ahsoka murmurs, staring out into the darkness.

"Me either," I admit. Something feels off. About Krell in particular, though I can't exactly place what, but I'm certain it's more than a side effect of being around him again. It's like... he seems even darker, in a way, then he did while I was still his padawan. I don't understand it, but it's beyond unsettling. It scares me. It feels wrong, and I don't like it.

"Just ignore his attitude," I advise, turning to our captains, "He doesn't like clones."

"I could tell," Appo replies.

"The good thing is that we're here to keep him in line," Ahsoka offers brightly, "Now we'd better get moving and prepare to head out."

***

I hate having to be in such close proximity to Krell, but I'm not going to opt out of leading the troops in the front just because of that. They need Ahsoka and I now more than ever. I don't trust that Besalisk at all.

"Quicken that pace, battalion," Krell barks over his shoulder as we continue making our way through the darkness towards our destination, "This isn't some training course on Kamino."

Ahsoka suddenly stops, looking around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I demand apprehensively, following her gaze to the trees. She has better hearing than me, obviously, so she can sense things far before I can.

A moment later, I promptly see movement between the trees.

"Did you see that?" hisses one of the clones.

"Yes, ready your weapons," warns Rex.

Just then, two small, strange looking black creatures with practically glowing green spots fly down straight at us. The clones immediately open fire, scattering as the creatures swoop in between them.

I ignite my lightsaber, flipping through the air and stabbing the blade into the back of one of the creatures. Ahsoka whirls around, cutting through the other one as it nearly knocks one of the clones to the ground – Jesse, I think.

"Thank you, Commander," Jesse says gratefully.

"Keep moving," growls Krell, who I only now noticed has turned to watch the proceedings. Standing uselessly to the side like he always does. You could always consider helping sometimes, you know. I don't dare comment and neither does Ahsoka; we fall back in line and the march continues.

I have no idea how long we've been walking now. All I know is that I'm beginning to feel extremely worn out. It's only my Jedi training and experience from being in so many battles that's keeping me going right now. I can tell that the men are in no better shape. Really, it's high time that we stop for a break by now. But Krell seems totally oblivious.

"We've been keeping this pace for twelve hours by now," states Rex as he moves over to us. "The men are getting worn down. They need to rest."

"I'll handle this," Ahsoka says, stepping forwards to walk alongside Krell, "We've been wandering blindly through the dark for twelve hours. The troops need a break."

He pointedly ignores her, continuing to move along. "The top of this ridge will make a good place for the men to make camp," Ahsoka observes, glancing around. There's enough clearing that they'll be able to rest without worry of animals hiding in the trees to attack.

"The men don't need rest," Krell growls, suddenly spinning to face her, "They need the resolve to complete the task at hand."

I can't let him do this. I did before, because I knew no better, but I can't do the same now. I'm a Jedi. I know better than to let my fear control me. If I see something this blatantly wrong, I have to act on it. I take a deep breath, trying to control the fear twisting inside of me at even the thought of taking a stand against him. Yes, I know he can't hurt me anymore, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I shift forwards, carefully staying out of arm's reach of him just in case. "As I'm sure you noticed," I snap, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm out of my voice, "The terrain is extremely hostile. They've been making good time despite the conditions. They need rest, and they'll be able to fight much more effectively afterwards."

My heart skips a beat when he turns his way too familiar glare on me. I force myself to stand my ground. He can't do anything to hurt me. Not anymore. That knowledge does little to quell the surging panic, though. My fists clench and it's all I can do to just breathe.

"Do I need to remind you, padawans, the crucial role this battalion is playing in conquering the planet?" he growls, "Do you see those platoons? Their mission is to take this city and take it swiftly. Time and rest are luxuries the Republic cannot afford. We are the key to this invasion. The other battalions are counting on our support. If we fail, everything fails! Do you understand this?"

"Yes, I understand," Ahsoka retorts, eyes narrowing angrily, "But do you understand that if the men rest now, they'll be able to fight more effectively later? It'll be much easier for us to win the battle."

"There is no time for resting," he snaps.

"Then we'll make time," Ahsoka shoots back.

"I am the general in command, and these are my orders, padawan," he growls. He needs to stop waving ranks in our faces.

"Our masters said we have a say in what we do," I remind.

"They'll get to their destination a lot faster if we rest for a short time now," Ahsoka retorts, walking off to give the order while ignoring Krell's death glare in the background. I hastily follow her but can't suppress the shiver that runs through me. There was a moment this cold feeling hit me. The Dark Side? For a moment I wonder if it was from Krell, but don't stop to think about it. We need to get moving.

***

"Sir, we're ready to bring our forward platoons in for a surgical strike on the city's defenses," Rex reports to Krell. We finally reached the destination – definitely much faster than we would have if we would have listened to Krell.

"There won't be any need, Captain," the Basilisk replies. What?

"Sir?" echoes Rex, obviously equally confused.

"All platoons will execute a forward assault along the main route to the city," he responds.

"But sir," protests Appo, "The General's plan was to surprise them with multiple attacks."

"If we come in from the main route, they're likely to engage us in a full-frontal assault," adds Rex.

"Change of plan, Captains, I'm in command now," Krell retorts.

"I seem to remember it was something like this that nearly got you killed on Jabiim," I mutter. It could easily happen again. The dark part of my mind hopes he does get himself killed. I should feel bad for wishing it, but I can't, and that makes me feel guilty. I quickly force it away. It doesn't matter. I'd have him die any day over any one of the clones.

"We don't even know what we're up against," Ahsoka declares, somehow managing to keep her voice even, though I sense her anger through our bond. "It would be wiser for you to consider that first."

"We will attack them with all of our troops, not some foolish sneak attack with a few men," growls Krell, "Attacking the enemy full-force will be much more effective!"

"Surprise attacks are more efficient," I supply quietly.

"The goal is to win the battle as effectively as possible," growls Krell, "This battalion will take the main road straight to the capital, and will not stop or turn back, regardless of the resistance met."

"That's a stupid plan," Ahsoka informs him flatly. "Have you ever considered how many men will die?"

"That is of no concern here," he hisses.

"It doesn't concern you, but it concerns us!" Ahsoka snaps. "I refuse to follow something where so many people could die needlessly!"

"You forget I am the General here," he snarls. That's the tone he always uses when he won't put up with any farther arguments. She needs to stop pushing, or she's only going to get us both in more trouble. "This discussion is a waste of time. The entire battle is counting on us and the longer we delay, the less is the likelihood of us winning. We will attack with all our troops, not some sneak attack with a few men. That is my order, and you will follow it explicitly. Do I make myself clear?"

That he's an idiot? Yes. Definitely.

"Yes, sir," Rex acknowledges.

"Yes, General," Appo concedes grudgingly.

"Now, engage!" snaps the Basilisk.

Ahsoka exchanges a glance with me before we turn and follow our captains. "He's not going to change his mind on this one," I tell her with a sigh.

"Well, we'll go forward with this stupid suicidal plan, and if things get too bad, we'll withdraw and deal with the consequences then," decides Ahsoka. Despite being stuck on the same planet as Krell, I'm glad that Ahsoka and I are here. I can't imagine what it would be like for the clones to have to deal with that nightmare alone.

"So why aren't we sticking to the original plan and probing the city defenses first?" Fives inquires, clearly very unhappy with the change.

"We can do this. Let's take them!" Hardcase declares determinedly.

"Yeah, leave it to Hardcase to dive in head-first."

"The General's new plan is reckless," Echo sighs.

"You ever think that maybe the General knows what he is doing?" demands Dogma.

"I know you think this is a bad idea," Rex replies, "The commanders and I raised our objects to General Krell's plan, but he didn't agree."

"So, we have to stick to this plan," Appo sighs.

"What if he's wrong? Then what?" objects Fives.

"This isn't the time for a debate," Rex reminds, "Right now we have to stay alert."

"We can't let ourselves get distracted out here," Appo cautions.

The men fall silent as the march continues. I can't shake the feeling of danger lurking way too close for comfort.

"It's too quiet out here," Ahsoka observes under her breath. I nod in agreement, hand inching towards my lightsaber.

I prepare to take another step forwards, then stop in my tracks. I sense something I haven't felt this strong since Jabiim. "Mines. This area is full of them."

"Nobody move!" Ahsoka yells. She moves along the edge of the path, further into the trees. "There are more over here," she observes.

I move slowly the other direction, reaching out cautiously with the Force. Just as I expected, the Umbarans were prepared for us if we came. "They're everywhere," I exclaim.

"Looks like the whole road's been booby trapped," concludes Rex.

Just then, a sudden light catches my eye. I whirl around, as an explosion rips through the ground in the middle of the clones behind us. All at once, Umbaran troops begin leaping out of the trees from both sides.

Ahsoka and my lightsabers are activated in a flash, deflecting the shots away. The clones immediately start shooting back as all out chaos erupts all around us. But we're completely surrounded. There's only so much what we can do and there's no way we'll be able to defend the clones like this.

More explosions tear through the ground around us, as the number of Umbarans pouring through the trees steadily continues to grow. We're hopelessly outmatched here. I do my best to focus on fighting, not letting myself think about all the clones that I can feel dying around us. Over time I've gotten used to it, but it is my duty to take care of them.

"They're coming from all directions!" I yell.

"We need to pull back!" Ahsoka shouts, deflecting several more shots, and dodging one that nearly takes off her head. Krell's going to be furious, but we can't waste lives like this. Especially when I know we're never going to win this round.

"Everybody, pull back!" Rex and Appo call.

Everyone immediately begins backing away down the path, continuing to fight as the Umbarans keep advancing. We're being rapidly overrun, and I'm doing the best I can to cover for the clones.

The moment we arrive back at the base, Krell storms over to us. "CT-7567, CC-1119, do you have malfunctions in your designs?" he roars. It takes me a moment to remember that those are our captains' numbers. I'm so used to only going by names, and the very thought that he called them nothing more than numbers makes my blood boil. "You've pulled your forces back from taking the capital city. The enemy now has control of this route. The entire operation has been compromised because of your failure!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Ahsoka snaps, stalking forwards, "We saved the platoon from being completely wiped out."

"We followed your orders," Rex asserts, stepping forwards, his expression grim, "Even in the face of a plan that in the commanders' views, was extremely flawed. It cost us many men. Not clones, men!"

Krell glare turns from Rex back to Ahsoka again when she speaks up once more. "War isn't only about winning about the battles. It's about accomplishing your goal while saving as many as possible."

The so-called Jedi Knight glowers down at us for a long moment. "I have my way, even if I don't command like your masters do. It may be difficult, but these are difficult times, and my command has proven effect." Really? I decide it's best not to comment. There's no reason to escalate the arguments.

"I suppose your loyalty to your men is to be commended. They seem to admire this. That's important for effective commanders. Your opinions have been noted," he declares, before turning and walking away. As always, I'm relieved when he walks away.

"That was better than it could have been," Ahsoka sighs.

"I wish we weren't here at all." It's bringing far too many memories back to the surface, and I keep drawing on Ahsoka's presence to keep me grounded.

"Commander, are you alright?" inquires Appo, an obvious note of concern in his voice.

Clearly, I wasn't hiding it well enough. I don't have to, I remind myself for the hundredth time. They won't think the less of me. "I'll be fine," I sigh finally.

"Perhaps the Generals will be back soon," suggests Rex optimistically.

"Maybe, but I'm not really counting on it," sighs Ahsoka, "Whatever they had to go do, it was obviously pretty important... and probably rather involved."

"We've lasted this long. I'm sure we can manage for the rest of the battle," I say with far more optimism than I really feel. We're hardly getting started, and so many more of the man have died already than if Anakin and Aniya were here. Something tells me it's only going to get worse.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

I understand now why the Council so urgently called Aniya and I away from Umbara. The mission they had for us instead is far more crucial, assuming it's not going to be another wild bantha chase.

"Looks like the place a crazy Sith might be camping out," Quinlan Vos remarks as I guide the shuttle down through the atmosphere of the planet. From what I can see from here, this planet is covered in what appears to be mostly barren mountains. For the most part, it looks almost entirely uninhabited.

"Yeah, it does," I agree grimly. Apparently, Vos had been following the trail of the Muun Sith Master for some time, but it wasn't until only a couple days ago that he got what seemed like a fresh lead on where he might have gone. I didn't even realize they were still looking for him until now. Since we left Umbara and joined up with Vos, we've been going between a few planets, trying to narrow down where he might be. And finally, we've tracked him to this place, a planet practically in Wild Space.

"Let's hope he's still here and this all isn't for nothing," Aniya mutters as she flips some of the controls, initiating a scan of the surface. "The scanners are picking up life on the surface," she reports, "But from the looks of it, it's mostly animal life. If there is any sapient species, they're pretty primitive."

"You think a Sith Lord went camping with the animals?" Vos quips.

"He might be already gone, but he must have been staying somewhere, right?" I point out.

"Could've been staying on a ship," Vos offers, a little more seriously. Normally I wouldn't mind goofing off, but we may well be about to confront the Sith who kidnapped us when we were children, and... I am really not looking forwards to it. We have no idea what he's capable of.

"I think I found something," Aniya declares, looking up, "The scanners are picking up an unusual amount of concentrated electric energy over in that direction."

"Then that's where we're going," I reply, turning the ship to follow the direction the scanners indicate. Lightning flashes violently in the dark clouds above as we fly between the mountains.

Out from the fog, a structure finally comes into view. I can feel traces of the Dark Side immediately, and it feels like it's centered on the building. He's definitely been here, even if he isn't right now. "We're going in," I warn, circling around and touching down what I hope is a safe distance away if worst comes to worst.

"Arthree," Aniya calls to her droid. "Be ready to fly in for us if we call. We might need your help." The droid beeps affirmatively, rolling over to the port.

"We need to be careful," I caution, knowing full well the Jedi Master won't listen to me anyway. "If he's here, we don't want to announce our presence."

"I can handle it," he insists. We met him a long time ago, and though we don't know him that well, we are semi-friendly with him.

"I don't doubt it." I walk down the ramp first, glancing around to make sure the coast is clear. It is. The other two file down after me, and we set out for the building.

The walk doesn't take long, and we don't encounter anyone on the way. If there's cameras, I neither see nor sense them. The Dark Side is steadily growing stronger, and the sensation sends a shiver down my spine. It's something I've only felt this strongly once: years ago, on Mustafar. It's not a time we ever think or talk about, though my mind occasionally wanders back to that time. It's in the past, and I want it to stay there. I know we need to find the Sith Master, and soon, but I'm not ready.

We crouch behind a large rock jutting out of the surface, watching the building from a distance. It's multiple stories and the walls look like stone. The occasional windows are completely dark. There's no sign of life whatsoever. But while I don't want to reach out with the Force much for fear of giving the Sith an indication that we're here, I'm pretty sure I do sense someone up ahead. Not that that means it's him, but still. We need to be careful.

Vos reaches down, touching the ground nearby. "Anything?" whispers Aniya.

"Someone passed through here not long ago. They went inside," he replies.

"What did he look like?"

"He was dressed in black, wearing a hood. I couldn't see his face."

"Likely the Sith we're looking for," I murmur. We're about to confront a Sith with no back up whatsoever. Yes, we can leave a message on the ship for the Council to send help, but by the time someone else gets here, it could already be too late. Besides, while we waste time debating our next action, he could get away. After all this time, after searching for him for literally more than a decade, we can't afford to lose his trail again. But... that doesn't mean the thought of walking in there to confront him isn't terrifying. He's way stronger than Dooku, and we weren't able to defeat him. It's our purpose, so we have to do it, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared.

"Possibly," agrees Vos.

"We should send a message back to the Council in case things go south. We should go in and take a look."

"I'll scout the back entrance," Vos decides and heads off.

After leaving the message with Arthree to transmit to Coruscant, we rejoin Vos by the backside of the building. "I found our way in," the Jedi Master informs, motioning to the back door. "It's all clear."

"In other words, you already went in," Aniya sighs. "Alright, let's move."

"And I think the Sith Master is still here," Vos warns, "Be careful."

"We actually are good at stealth, if I say so myself," I tease, "Not sure if I can say the same for you."

He smirks in response, before darting back over to the door, pushing it open. We hurry after, stepping into the dark interior of the building. The first thing that hits me – other than the darkness since the only light is coming in from outside – is the intensity of the Dark Side in here. It's almost suffocating, and it feels as though I can scarcely breathe. I can sense what feels like recent deaths in the air, and it's overwhelming.

"If I had any questions left..." Aniya mumbles under her breath, not bothering to finish. There's no need to.

We're definitely in the right place. And now I really, really wish we had some backup support here. We aren't ready to take on a Sith like this, but it's too late to back out now. Maybe the Council will be able to send in some reinforcements before it's too late. For now, all we can do is trust in the Force.

***

Ahsoka Tano

We've scarcely managed to regroup and finish the argument with Krell when I hear Appo yelling, "Incoming!"

He barely gets the word out before an explosion shakes the ground behind us. All at once, green blaster bolts from the Umbarans begin raining down around us through the trees.

In a flash I activate my lightsabers, deflecting away the bolts. Alema joins me a moment later as the clones start shooting back.

"The Umbarans must have regrouped for a counterattack!" Rex calls, "Everyone, we must hold this position!"

"You think General Krell still intends on taking the Capital using this strategy?" groans Echo.

"I'll get back to you on that if we survive this battle," Fives yells back.

"Wise choice," agrees Jesse.

In the midst of the chaos, I catch sight of Krell in the middle of receiving a transmission from Obi-Wan. I'm able to make out their conversation from here, even as I continue fighting.

"That capital city's too fortified. We need your battalion to help us make it," Obi-Wan is saying.

"Resistance from the Umbarans has been greater than anticipated. We're holding our ground at the moment," Krell responds.

"We've gathered intel on the airbase to the West. It is resupplying the capital's defenses."

Another explosion tears through the ground behind us, nearly throwing me to the ground. "If you could recapture that airbase, it will sever the capital's supply lines, allowing the rest of our forces to move in," Obi-Wan declares.

"I'll see to it that the airbase is placed under our control," Krell says.

"Remember, General Krell, the entire invasion depends on your battalion," Obi-Wan reminds. Just the words I was hoping not to hear.

"No need to motivate his attitude," Alema mutters.

"I know, right?" I practically groan. I thought he knew a lot about Krell. Maybe not. Because he's only adding fuel to the fire.

The hologram flickers off and Krell approaches Rex and Appo. "Captains, have those coordinates mapped and all troops ready to move out immediately."

Before long, we're making our way through the forest again, with Alema and I in the lead. Krell is, surprisingly, in front as well. Maybe he's not counting on running into an all-out battle here. We are just scouting around at the moment, after all.

Rex stops to look through his macrobinoculars. "There's a base there, all right. And it's heavily guarded. At least three tank divisions, plus guns."

"That's not good," I mutter. I wish so badly our masters were here. They'd know what to do and how to deal with the situation. I'm honestly not really sure. Krell technically outranks us, so his word means more than ours. That limits a lot of what we can do.

"We'll advance along the central gorge and engage their forces in a full-forward assault," Krell declares. A full-forward assault? Again?

"The gorge is narrow," I point out, "The platoons would only be able to move through there in single squad. A closer recon might tell us if there's a more secure route."

"Obi-Wan and the other battalions are holding off the enemy right now while they wait for us to take out this base," Krell growls, "We don't have time to look for a more secure route." That's suicide, but we are short on time. No one can deny that. Now that we're here, it won't take long for them to figure out where we are. If we don't move immediately, they will spot us.

"If we could find a more secure route, we'd win the battle a lot faster," I retort.

"You heard what Obi-Wan said in his transmission," snaps Krell, "Everything is counting on us. There is no time to delay. We must act immediately." Like I thought, that did only make things worse. And I know he's not going to listen to any more arguments right now.

Before long, we find ourselves amidst the clones, preparing for the upcoming battle.

"All right, listen up," Rex declares, "We'll assemble the squads into two divisions. We'll move straight up this gorge towards the air base at the far side."

The men exchange looks of disbelief.

"The casualties are going to be high," objects Echo.

"Is Krell trying to get us killed?" exclaims Tup.

"You know, I wasn't sure that Krell was crazy before, but now, I'm positive. We had to retreat from the capital because the General pushed a flawed strategy. Now this?" declares Fives.

"I don't know, could be fun!" offers Hardcase. All I know is that 'fun' is not the word I would use to describe the situation.

"Well, I, for one, agree with the General's plan. We're running out of time, and this is the best option," Dogma argues.

"No recon? No air support?" Jesse points out angrily, "We don't know what we're up against. They have weapons we've never seen before."

"A few of General Skywalker's plans seemed reckless too, but they worked," offers Dogma.

"Yes, but General Skywalker is usually leading his men up in the front, not bringing up the rear like General Krell. A full-forward assault would leave us too exposed," Fives cuts in.

Alema finally steps forwards. "Look, I know none of you like this and neither do we. But Krell is in control, and there's not really any other choice."

"Besides, we'll be there too!" I supply. Whatever reckless plan Krell throws at us, they aren't going to be in this alone.

"Is everyone clear on the plan?" Rex inquires. An affirmative ripple runs through the gathered clones.

***

As we move silently through the trees once more, I can't shake the feeling that everything is way too quiet. There should be resistance or something out here. Which can only mean one thing: we're about to be ambushed.

I cautiously reach out with the Force, instantly sensing the nearby danger. All at once, an enormous creature leaps out from behind the nearby trees. Bright blue stripes cover its otherwise dark body. A spotlight from its head shines down at us.

"That's no animal," mutters Alema, immediately activating her lightsaber. She's right about that. It's some sort of technology that we've definitely never seen before. I instantly activate my blades as well.

"Blast it!" shouts one of the clones as they all open fire. Green blaster bolts from the Umbarans begin firing out the sides of the creature. Oh, so that's what it is. They're hiding inside it for protecting so they can shoot at us without being hit.

"Its head is ray shielded! We need rocket launchers!" yells Fives.

Just then, I hear another thunderous noise behind us as another creature surges up from the ground on the other side. It charges straight into the group of clones.

"I'll buy you some time," I call, running straight at the creature, spinning my blades to deflect the onslaught of blaster bolts. I jump onto the top of one of the nearby trees before leaping onto the head of the creature, stabbing my lightsaber down into the top of it.

The creature rears up into the air, nearly throwing me straight off. I lose my footing, rolling down its back, lightsabers deactivating as I scramble for a hold. The Umbarans inside the creature immediately realize what's going on and several of them turn their fire on me instead.

I flip out of the way of the blasts, jumping back to my feet and igniting my lightsabers again, deflecting the blasts. Racing up along it's back to the head area again, I stab both blades down into the contraption repeatedly. Sparks fly out of it as it finally begins to malfunction. The ray shields on the head of the creature give way all at once.

Danger suddenly screams through the Force behind me, and I whirl around to see several Umbarans climbing from the now crashing creature, ready to open fire on me. I deflect the blaster shots away from me, as the clones finally start shooting at the creature again.

The creature suddenly lurches, and begins plummeting downwards even faster, sending me flying. One of the blaster shots grazes my arm as I crash to the ground.

"Commander, are you alright?" Rex appears at my side a moment later, shooting at the creature with both of his blasters.

"I'm fine," I insist, scrambling to my feet, dodging out of the way before the debris from the crashing creature fall on me.

I sprint back into the fight to join Alema where she's still fighting, deflecting blaster shots a short distance away.

The clones finally arrive with the rocket launchers and fire them at the other creature which is still flying in between the ranks of the clones, wreaking havoc. Several blasts are able to take that one down, but we still have a long way to go to reach our destination. So many have already been injured or killed.

With the first several creatures taken care of, though, we take off running again for the trees. By the time we reach the ridge, two more creatures come barreling out of the trees straight at us.

"Hey! Come on! Over here!" shouts Hardcase, running forwards and waving his arms to get attention, "Right over here!"

As expected, the monsters continue on their course heading straight at us, but they promptly cross the line where the clones left a bunch of detonators. Explosions shake the ground, ripping apart the creatures. Burning pieces of debris fall down all around us as we all take off running again.

"We've got a problem," Rex reports as we finally reach a silent place, and he looks through a pair of macrobinoculars.

"What now?" I ask, tensing.

Suddenly a bomb hurtles through the trees straight into our group. I dive out of the way barely in time as it explodes. Several more of the explosives begin raining down around us.

"Fall back! Fall back now!" calls Rex.

"Captain, continue your attack!" Krell's voice crackles over Rex's communicator.

"Sir, we're overpowered! We need reinforcements!"

"The rest of the battalion is holding the entrance to the gorge, Captain," he replies coldly, "They're guarding it so your troops can break through the airbase."

"Sir, we can't possibly –"

"You must stand your ground! Do you read me?" barks Krell, "Captain, are you listening? Do not fall back! That is an order." Without another word, the connection breaks.

"We need a new strategy," Alema growls, as she struggles to keep up with the nearly steady stream of oncoming blaster bolts. It's getting even harder for me as well, especially considering that my injured arm is seriously aching right now. But I've been injured in battle before and have kept on fighting. I can move past this. I have to.

"Keep the wounded as quiet as possible," instructs Rex, before turning to the rest of the men, "Alright, you heard the General. Let's go."

"You can't be serious!" protests Echo.

"I used to think General Krell was reckless, but now I'm beginning to think he hates clones," groans Fives.

"He does, actually," Alema mutters.

"Regardless, we have our orders. We don't have much of a choice," Appo replies.

We hardly make it any further into the woods before more explosions from the tanks begin raining down around us. The clones shoot at the tanks with a rocket launcher, but it doesn't do any good. It seems those things are virtually impenetrable.

"The rocket launchers don't work on these things!" realizes Fives.

"We need to try something else," I decide, approaching Rex, "We can't just them head on. We have to find another way."

"Any ideas?" he asks.

"Well... if we could get ahold of some the Umbaran technology and maybe make them think we were one of theirs so we could surprise attack them..." murmurs Alema thoughtfully.

"That gave me an idea," Rex states.

"What?" I ask hopefully.

"Fives was mentioning something about finding another way to destroy the ships," Rex responds, "If someone could get inside the airbase and get ahold of some of their ships, it'll be much easier to destroy them."

I nod in agreement. "We better do it immediately, before Krell notices that we're stalling."

Rex and Appo leave to tell everyone the news. I'm hardly surprised when Fives and Hardcase are the first to volunteer for the mission. With them gone, Alema and I focus on fighting off any of the Umbarans that approach us, while the clones who aren't also fighting take care of the injured.

Chapter Text

Anakin Skywalker

Thunder rumbles in the distance as lightning flashes outside, briefly illuminating the room in a bluish glow. It's pretty much the only source of light in here. One hand on my lightsaber, we start moving through the building.

The room we're in is all clear, so we head into the main hall, and start checking through the rooms. For the most part, they look like a... living area, though most of it doesn't seem like it's been used in a long time. But so far, everything is empty. There isn't a single noise in the entire building, except the muffled sound of our own footsteps.

I don't like it at all. Everything is far too still, especially if there's really a Sith lurking somewhere in the shadows here. It feels as though any moment, he'll jump out at us, and the sensation isn't entirely incorrect.

An image suddenly flashes before my eyes – something like a vision, no doubt from the strength of the Dark Side in the building. Of myself in a room somewhere. It vaguely reminds me of a medbay, though I know it's something else. I feel trapped, and I don't know why. It disappears almost as soon as it appeared. What was that?

"You okay?" Aniya asks quietly.

I nod, trying to force the scene from mind. Something about it is extremely unsettling, but I don't have time to dwell on it. "We can talk later. We need to keep moving."

"Up or down?" Vos asks, turning to the stairs.

"Down," I answer automatically. Something about it feels important, like what we need to see.

If it's even possible, the Dark Side seems to hang even heavier in the air as we reach the bottom of the stairs than it did on the previous floor. Whatever we're looking for, it's down here. I'm certain of it. Somehow, I'm not certain we're ready to see it.

We slip down the stairs, and head for what looks to be the main room on the floor. The lights turn on automatically. Maybe we should have thought twice before coming down here. The room looks... like some sort of laboratory? What?

"In all the..."

"Quiet," I remind my sister. We don't need to draw attention, though we probably already have by coming here. There's no way he can't sense us, so why hasn't he come out of hiding yet? Yes, I have my shields up as tightly as I can, but if he's as powerful as it seems, he knows we're here. What is he planning? Some sort of trap?

The sudden sound movement makes me spin around, drawing my lightsaber. I stop midway from igniting it as I scan the room, eyes falling on a shadows figure in the corner. My heart skips a beat at the sight of him, before it almost as quickly registers that no, this person is not the Sith Master. He's a red skinned adult Mon Calamari. He feels... wrong in the Force, and he's looking at us like he's not really seeing. It's as though he's... only half-way there.

"... Hello?" Aniya tries cautiously.

No response.

Vos waves a hand in his face, and I withhold a snort at his antics. "Hello?" he says again, but there's still no response. The person stops in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He doesn't even blink.

"He's not hearing us," I frown.

"Something's... wrong with him. I can't place it," Aniya agrees.

Vos moves past us, going further into the room as we turn to look around again. "You should come see this," he hisses, suddenly sounding slightly appalled. Uh oh. If there's something in there enough to shake up a Jedi Master who's seen all sorts of things, I don't even want to know.

Aniya sends me a wary look, but we step forwards together, carefully going to join him. On a small hall going off from the main room, there's several small... sort of rooms. I'm not quite sure if they're supposed to be prison cells or cages – since they literally look more like the second – but there's people of various species in each of them.

All of them have that same blank stare, like they aren't even fully there. They don't even register it though we're standing right in front of them. And their minds feel... empty. It's like they're only alive and half-functioning because they aren't dead yet. What in the world happened to them? I'm not sure I even want to know.

My eyes fall on one of them who seems to be missing a limb – which also seems half regrown. Somehow. Someway. I don't want to know.

"Let's just agree never to talk about this again?" Aniya asks shakily, backing out of the hall.

"Strongly seconded," I agree, voice faint.

"We should take them back to the ship," Aniya reminds, shuddering.

I nod. "Yes, but it would be best to do that after we deal with the Sith. We don't have time to split up and we can't risk him running."

"If he's gonna run, I'm sure he already has," she points out.

Vos has already moved past us, touching things in the room to see if he can get a better idea of what happened. "He's been experimenting on them," Vos speaks up suddenly, a note of horror clear in his voice.

Horror isn't nearly a strong enough word to describe the emotions coursing through me. He's been experimenting on sentient beings, like they're no more than objects. How can anyone – anyone – do something like this?! No number of experiences makes this any less horrific, and this is... something far beyond anything I've ever seen before. What did he do to make them this way? That's a question I really, really don't want answered.

The Dark Side seems to suddenly increase in intensity, and the door to the room suddenly hisses open. The three of us whirl around to see an all too familiar hooded figure standing in the doorway. I may not have seen him in twelve years, but I'd still recognize the yellow-eyed Muun anywhere.

***

Ahsoka Tano

Still, it hasn't been nearly long enough for them to have gotten ahold of those ships when Krell contacts us again. "CT-7567, where are you?" he growls. If he calls Rex that one more time, I'm going to kill him. He is not some stupid number. The more of this I see, the more I realize how much I hate Krell, and I don't care if I'm not supposed to. To think that he put Alema through things like this for months before she was able to get away from him...

"General Krell, we've come up with a plan to infiltrate the airbase," Rex informs him. A plan that he's probably going to think is stupid and order us to forget about. Not like he can make us listen to him unless he comes out himself.

"What is your plan?"

"I've dispatched two men on a stealth incursion into the airbase. They've been ordered to co-opt starfighters and use them against the tanks."

"You what?!" thunders Krell, "You put this entire assault on your hope that two clones could do what your entire group could not?" Apparently, the world 'stealth' has no meaning to him. I can't shake the feeling that half the reason he's using such obvious tactics is because he's trying to get as many clones killed as he can. Seriously, how can he act as though they're nothing more than droids?!

"Sir, the rocket launchers don't work on these tanks, and it'll be easier to slip by undetected while the rest of us keep the tanks occupied," Rex explains.

"Captain, you will launch a full-forward strike immediately, or you will be relieved of duty!" snaps Krell, before he disconnects the call.

"We need to hold the enemy off as long as possible," Appo concludes.

"And hopefully, in the meantime, Fives and Hardcase can get this down," Alema murmurs.

"I trust them to pull it off," Rex agrees.

"I know they can do it. We need to give them time," I agree.

Alema and I return our attention to the battle, moving to the front to deflect blaster bolts as the Umbarans continue to press their attack. At the very least, we have to hold this position until Fives and Hardcase return. Seriously, under this amount of fire we could hardly even keep moving forwards anyway. The Umbarans have all the advantage here; they have much more advanced technology and they know the landscape much better than we do. The only way we could possibly win this battle is through stealth. I wish our masters hadn't had to leave. We probably could have already taken the capital by then if they hadn't. But there's no point wishing for it. We'll have to deal with the situation the way it is.

I've totally lost track of how long we've been fighting when I suddenly hear the sound of engines. Looking up, I see two spacecrafts flying in over the tree tops. They immediately open fire on the Umbarans who are continuing to pour through the trees. They look up in surprise, probably originally having expected the crafts to be reinforcements for them.

The ships continue to blast through the ground all around them, taking down dozens. The Umbarans immediately turn most of their fire away from us and start shooting up at the ships instead. The bolts bounce harmlessly off the sides of the crafts, unable to penetrate through the shields.

It isn't long before the Umbaran army is completely demolished, and the survivors make a hasty retreat back into the darkness of the forest. We won. For now.

Fives and Hardcase land the crafts a short distance away from us. "Despite Hardcase's flying, you two saved us all," Rex complements as the two clones get out.

"That wasn't so tough," insists Hardcase.

"You sure? You looked a little green when you came out of that fighter," Fives teases. Hardcase rolls his eyes.

"Captain, report. What's our situation?" demands Krell, stalking up.

"General, we have taken the base and cut off enemy supply lines to the capital.'

"Luck has smiled on you today, Captain. Consider yourself fortunate."

"It wasn't luck," I snap, "A lot of men died to take this base, and we only succeeded because we used a stealth mission." I pointedly emphasize the word.

"Death is the price of such victory," retorts Krell, completely calmly, "Perhaps someday you'll realize this. Dismissed." He turns, striding away without another word.

"He's the one who will never realize," mutters Fives darkly as the pathetic excuse for a Jedi disappears from sight. Rex stares after him, fist clenched at his side in suppressed anger.

"I wish we could have done more," I tell them quietly.

"Me too," Alema agrees quietly, putting a hand on my arm.

"You did what you could, considering how the General is," Appo says. I know that does little to make anyone feel better, but there isn't much more that can even be said at this point. We have to keep moving.

"Come on," I sigh, "We need to tend to the wounded before it's time for the next assault."

***

Why? Why does this have to keep happening? Krell demanded we go for another forward assault on the enemy lines, and he's constantly coming up with stupid, unconvincing excuses for why we can't coordinate it with Obi-Wan. This is going to make it even more difficult, since we have no idea what he's doing on the other side.

"Those missiles have a hundred megaton yield! We won't even make it to the delta!" Fives exclaims as we look at the map for the route we're supposed to be taking.

"What can I do?" Rex sighs, resignation clear in his tone. "I tried to reason with him. Those are the orders."

"We can try talking to him, maybe," I groan, scowling. I know it's not going to make a difference, more than likely, but still. The only reason we weren't with Rex in the first place is because we both got ourselves injured and had to be treated. Seriously, I want to teach Krell a thing or two about acting like this.

"Another suicide mission," mutters Echo, "The Capital it too well-armed."

"Why does it seem like he has it out for all clones?" grumbles Fives.

"I think you're all overreacting," Dogma finally interjects. "Obviously General Krell knows what he's doing. Do you really think he doesn't care if he loses men?"

"Of course, he doesn't," Alema states flatly. "Believe me, I know better than anyone else. I used to be his padawan, you know."

"His desire for victory has blinded him to the fact that there are lives at stake!" Jesse groans. "I've never seen a General with these kinds of casualties. He is out of control! He's not acting like the other Jedi. He has no respect for us."

"We need to come up with a better plan," I assert. The only problem is that I don't have any ideas. Unless... those ships we took could be put to some use. Maybe. "If we could use the ships we took from them, we could probably get past the resistance around their supply ships and destroy them from the inside."

"Good thinking!" agrees Alema.

"As long as we can crack their codes," points out Rex.

"Could do you that?" inquires Appo.

"I think we could," declares Fives, "We should be able to sneak right past their blockage, get where our ships can't. If we're able to take out that supply ship, then we can cut off arms to the capital."

"I will go speak with Krell," decides Rex finally, turning to go.

"Wait," Alema calls, "We better come with you. I get the feeling he isn't going to like this plan."

Minutes later, we and our captains find ourselves in front of Krell again. "Sir, with all due respect, might I suggest another option to help us secure the capital?" Rex proposes.

"What would that be, Captain?" Krell asks dubiously.

"The men have cracked the Umbaran codes. With the starfighters, we could sneak past the supply ship's defenses. We take it out, and cut off the arms to the capital," I explain.

"And who do you propose would fly these starfighters? Are the troops now pilots?" retorts Krell.

"My men may not be pilots, sir, but they are able to learn and adapt quickly," Rex says, "A few of them have already demonstrated that."

"I'm afraid I can't afford to waste any clones on frivolous adventures," Krell growls, "We're going to need everyone to take the capital."

"Surely, we can spare at least a few men, sir?" Appo proposes.

"No. It would be a waste," Krell snaps.

"Then we can go," Alema suggests, and I don't miss how she tenses as though preparing to be hit like she does every other time she addresses the Besalisk. Even so, she's doing an admirably good time holding herself together. "Everyone knows I'm good at this stuff."

"As I just said," he snaps, "We need everyone to take the capital." I wonder if that means you're planning to stop cowering in the back.

Alema looks away, looking like she's trying to think of a comeback.

"Alema, don't bother. He's never going to listen," I caution through our bond, "I have a better idea."

***

Alema Syndulla

"Krell has ordered the assault on the capital to continue as planned," Ahsoka informs, stalking into the room.

Jesse is the first to walk towards us. "So, that's it? We just march into those missiles?!"

"Oh, there's another option," Echo suggests brightly.

"What is it?" I ask immediately. Whatever we have to do, I'm willing to do it. I won't allow the clones – my brothers – to die because of the orders of a corrupted idiot who should never have been allowed back on the fronts. I reach towards Ahsoka's presence, using it to ground me. I don't need to get carried away, though every time I close my eyes, memories dance in front of me. Until we get off Umbara, I won't be sleeping at all. Never mind that Krell really hasn't been giving us much time to sleep. I'm exhausted, more than I ever have been in a very long time, since the twins always make sure we get breaks to rest, but I'm pushing on anyway. We all are. We have no other choice.