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Chapter Text

Of all the things Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was expecting when Grandmaster Yoda summoned him to his chambers, this was not one of them.

"Busy with the new state of the galaxy, I have become," Yoda tells him. "Little time, I have to train my new padawan." Well, that Obi-Wan certainly doesn't find surprising. With civil war breaking out across the galaxy, the Council has their hands full. Shortly before the war started, Yoda has taken a new padawan – his first since Dooku. Having to deal with both the war and teaching the younglings, it's not surprising he hardly has any time for training the boy. He's the head of the Council and the Order, so even as busy as he was before, it's only worsened.

"A different master, he needs," the grandmaster continues, "A good teacher for young Theseus Shan, you would make." He – he wants Obi-Wan to take on his padawan? He's never really given much thought to taking another padawan after Anakin. He wasn't so sure that he was ever going to, at least not with the war going on, and even if he did someday, he didn't expect it to be this soon. Besides...

"Anakin won't be happy about it," objects Obi-Wan.

"Mmm... perhaps give young Skywalker a padawan, we should," Yoda murmurs, tapping his stick on the floor. Anakin having a padawan? He would make a good teacher, but he'd likely be very reluctant to take a padawan, and Obi-Wan isn't sure if he's ready for it yet either. He'd asked Anakin before, and he flatly refused, saying there's no way he could do it. But ever since the war started, Obi-Wan has noticed his former padawan becoming increasingly... reckless. He's more focused on the battle than anything else.

"I don't know if he's ready to train one," Obi-Wan replies hesitantly. Anakin might be, but he wouldn't want to.

"Ready to train a padawan, young Skywalker is," Yoda declares, "To let go of that padawan, a greater challenge, would be." Which is the exact thing Obi-Wan is worried about.

"That is what concerns me," Obi-Wan murmurs.

"Master this, Skywalker must," Yoda insists.

"How will we choose this padawan?" he inquires. Whoever they pick, it'll obviously have to be one who would fit with and get along with Anakin very well.

"Look for one, we will," the Jedi Grandmaster decides.

"Anakin will not want to take a padawan," Obi-Wan points out. "I asked him before, and he adamantly refused. It would only work if he was given one in the right situation."

"Hmm. Perhaps send her in during a battle, we should," Yoda suggests. That – that would be perfect. He wouldn't be able to refuse the padawan then, and by the time the battle is over, Obi-Wan is pretty sure he'd probably change his mind. Hopefully. It would depend on the person. He'll have to pick the right one. If its someone Anakin likes, he wouldn't want to let them go.

"That should work," he agrees finally, "That way, they can get to know each other before he outright refuses." A silence falls for a brief moment. It will take care of Anakin for the time being, but he still doesn't think his former padawan will be very happy about this. "When will I take Theseus as my padawan?" Obi-Wan asks at last.

"Explained the situation to him, I have," Yoda replies. "Speak with Skywalker you should, and then proceed, we will."

"I will," assures Obi-Wan. "I would like to know more about my new padawan."

"Have difficulty with using the Force, Theseus does," Yoda explains, "Though very skilled at lightsaber combat, he is. Also, much darkness, he has. Train him to control it properly, you must."

Darkness? He knows well how Anakin has struggled from it. He hadn't been able to help him properly, not how he should have. "Master Yoda," Obi-Wan protests, "I think there are other masters who would do a better job than me at teaching him how to control his emotions."

"Turned out well, young Skywalker did," asserts Yoda. "Experience with him, you have. Train Theseus well, you could. Speak with Skywalker now, you should."

Obi-Wan is still reluctant about it, but he will. Taking another padawan so soon after Anakin was Knighted was definitely not his plan, but he trusts the Grandmaster. "Of course." He rises and bows, before exiting the room. The sooner he speaks with Anakin about this, the better, though he's not exactly looking forwards to the conversation. His former padawan will probably not be happy.

***

Theseus had known since the start of the war, just over a month ago, that this would happen. He hadn't been there in the first battle of Geonosis, or on any other mission Yoda has gone on since the start of the war. He's been staying at the Temple, and he knows his master is looking for someone else to pass him off to. He understands it, really, he does, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

It had been a few months ago when he was finally taken on as a padawan, having reached fourteen. He was almost too old. Almost everyone else in his class had already moved on, except one. Like all of them, he was worried he might never make it to become a true Jedi. He had been both relieved and excited when Master Yoda finally took him. Of all the Jedi, the grandmaster was the last he was expecting. It had truly been an honor to be the padawan of the greatest, wisest, most respected Jedi in the Order.

But then everything changed. The war broke out. The Jedi were forced to lead, to become generals. With the chaos raging across the galaxy, his master simply didn't have the time to spare. Time for him. He's being passed off to someone else. Understandable, but it still hurts.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, his new master, now stands in front of him. As his master, instead of the person who it was supposed to be. Not that he exactly minds. Obi-Wan had been one of the most respected Jedi Knights – now Jedi Masters – of the younglings Theseus' age. Obi-Wan was still a padawan when the Sith returned, and he was the one to defeat the first Sith Lord in a thousand years. The Sith killer, he had been known as. The master of the alleged Chosen One, who everyone Theseus' age worshiped, including him. Many had dreamed of eventually becoming their padawans, since they were only one generation younger.

So, since it's really not Master Obi-Wan he's upset with, Theseus does his best to put on a neutral expression.

"Master Yoda seemed quite certain about this," he states.

"He was," Theseus agrees curtly.

"Well, come. I should show you to my apartment," the Jedi Master declares. He starts down the hall and after a pause, the padawan follows, doing his best not to think about how wrong this feels. "Padawan, where is your lightsaber?" Obi-Wan inquires as they walk.

"I don't have one yet," he explains slowly. "When the gathering came, I didn't sense my crystal on Ilum. I haven't found it yet."

"Hmm. If you'll be going with me into battle, you'll need a lightsaber," his master muses.

"Master Yoda told me I should wait to construct one until I locate my crystal," objects Theseus.

"Maybe I can give you one in the meantime," Obi-Wan suggests slowly, as though uncertain of his idea, "I have a spare one you can use temporarily."

It doesn't take them long to reach the apartment. Theseus doesn't know what it looked like before, but he's fairly certain Anakin never had time to finish moving out of the apartment, judging from the things still scattered about, even though he was Knighted a month ago. He might have been too busy, between the war breaking out and having become a General and a Knight.

"Stay here," Obi-Wan instructs and disappears into his room, returning a few minutes later holding a lightsaber. "Here," he says, holding it out. "It used to belong to Qui-Gon."

"Your master?" Theseus realizes immediately. The one who died on Naboo fighting the Sith. Oh. Of course, he'd keep his lightsaber.

"Yes," he confirms quietly, and he knows the Jedi Master is not thinking about anything pleasant right now, judging from his expression, even if it's still mostly neutral.

"Well, I'll be sure to take care of it," he assures, taking the lightsaber. It feels wrong in his hands, but he'll keep it for now. It was made by someone else, and the crystal obviously doesn't like the change in ownership. It's only temporary anyway. He'll have to make sure he takes good care of it in the meantime, because he can only imagine what it probably means to Obi-Wan – regardless of the rules about attachments. It's one of the last things Obi-Wan has from his former master, so it's obviously very important to him. Whatever Theseus does, he can't afford to lose it. That shouldn't be a problem anyway – it's not like ever lost his training 'saber – but still. How hard could it be to watch over his weapon?

"We should continue with your training as soon as possible since we'll probably be leaving Coruscant on another mission soon," Obi-Wan declares, "But first of all, you should meet my former padawan."

"Of course!" Theseus exclaims. He'll admit that he was one of the people who practically worshiped the alleged Chosen One, as did many of his classmates. No one knows much him or his past aside from his status within the Order. Theseus can at least hope that while being around his new master, he'll get a chance to know Anakin better.

"But I thought I should warn you," his master adds after a pause. "He wasn't exactly... happy about this."

***

Anakin has completely lost himself with the mechanics of his fighter when he senses Obi-Wan coming. And there's someone else with him. No. He doesn't want to talk to him right now. He doesn't want to talk to anyone. That's why he's here in the first place, but apparently being left alone while he struggles to accept this is too much to ask.

Obi-Wan never wanted him to be his padawan in the first place. He assumed that he changed his mind once they'd been with each other for so many years, but now he can't help but wonder. He's only been a Knight for a couple of months, and Obi-Wan is already getting another padawan. He understands the situation, but really, it's not like Obi-Wan is the only Jedi who could possibly have taken Yoda's former padawan. His seeming eagerness about it rubbed it in even more. The initial rejection years ago keeps resurfacing, and Anakin is finding himself questioning everything he once thought he knew.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan calls. No. He doesn't want to talk to him right now. He's tempted to ignore him and pretend he can't hear, keeping his focus on the starfighter. Machines are so much easier.

"Anakin!" he repeats, stepping closer. A frustrated sigh escapes him. Ignoring his former master isn't going to make him leave. He'll have to deal with it.

"I'm here," he calls, but still doesn't move to get up.

"Hopefully, we're not interrupting anything," a boy's voice says. The padawan.

"Not particularly."

"I thought you would want to get introduced," Obi-Wan states. Anakin hesitates for another moment, then decides that at least he can try to tolerate the new padawan – his replacement.

He finally stands up, seeing the boy for the first time. He looks about fourteen, with bright orange hair and blue eyes. He's clothed in black and brown robes, almost reminding Anakin of his own for a moment.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan introduces, "This is my new padawan, Theseus Shan."

"I figured as much." He tries to keep his voice level but doubts he quite managed. The pain is too fresh. Did he ever mean anything? Was he not good enough? He doesn't really know what to say, but he wants to veer the topic to something. Something that will keep his mind occupied. His eyes wander across the boy, and it suddenly dawns on him that something looks familiar about that lightsaber. What? He's seen many, so why does that one feel so important? Anakin's eyes narrow on it, realization suddenly crashing down on him. "That's –" Qui-Gon's lightsaber, he wants to say. The person who chose me, unlike you. Why did you give his lightsaber to this boy? The one Obi-Wan replaced him with, part of his mind unhelpfully supplies.

"He didn't have a lightsaber of his own," explains Obi-Wan, following Anakin's gaze, "And he'll need one on missions until he does get one."

Anakin doesn't trust himself to talk, so he nods. It hurts. Everything hurts. He knew already his former master didn't trust his judgement, not really. Now he's wondering if he even cared.

There is a moment of silence that borders on awkward, then Obi-Wan comes a little closer. Anakin does his best not to react, but he doubts it does much good.

"The Council has decided to send you on another mission soon," the Jedi Master declares at last. "We'll be on the cruiser. You'll know where to find me."

He nods again, pain stabbing at his heart with the others walk off, the padawan throwing another last glance over his shoulder before they disappear through the doors.

Anakin feels himself shaking and drops onto the wing of his fighter. He's exhausted. He doesn't want to go on another mission right now. Not with Obi-Wan. Being around him hurts. He can't do this. What choice does he have though? He has to. Somehow.

***

How people ever find their way around on these things is beyond him.

Theseus follows Obi-Wan through the Star Destroyer, looking up and down the halls which all look the same to him. He'd never actually met Yoda's clones before, so this will be one of his first times actually dealing with any of them. He doesn't know much about them, other than what everyone else has said. They were born and raised to be soldiers, cloned from a Mandalorian bounty hunter. As for personal experience, he hasn't had any.

And he can't deny being more than a little nervous. He's literally heading into a battle. Yes, he's been on missions before, but nothing like what he's sure he'll be getting into now. Not to mention that he's technically a commander and outranks everyone else except Obi-Wan, which is making him even more nervous, since he knows nothing about being in the military. He's only fourteen and was raised to be a peacekeeper, not a warrior, even if he is one of the most skilled duelists of his age. Maybe the most. Master Windu had been one of the main ones to train him in lightsaber combat, and he's progressed faster in that than most other areas.

"General," one of the clones greets Obi-Wan, stepping forwards. Theseus glances around while the others exchange a few words with each other. He never thought much of the clones before, but now that he actually feels their living, breathing presences pulsing with life everywhere, he again wonders if them being used as soldiers is really right. They never did get asked if they wanted to, did they?

"Who's the youngling?" the clone commander asks.

"Cody, this is my new padawan, Theseus Shan," Obi-Wan introduces. "Theseus, this is Commander Cody."

His turn to say something now. Well... "Cody," Theseus greets after a moment of hesitation, turning to the clone, "Nice to meet you. I guess we're both commanders now." Even if both are commanders, Theseus would technically outrank him, because the Jedi are the ones leading the war. The clones are onoy soldiers. He feels slightly awkward being here, but he'll have to get used to it.

The clone commander nods in acknowledgement of the words.

"Now," Obi-Wan interjects. "I have some matters to attend to. Anakin will be joining us soon, and he'll be heading on a stealth mission to the planet Christophsis. Padawan, you may remain here."

He nods. "Of course, Master." When will Theseus be sent on his first mission? He can't help but wonder. It won't be like what he's used to. It will be war, into the midst of a battlefield. He waits until Obi-Wan disappears into an adjoining room to turn back to Cody.

"So," the padawan says after a moment of silence, "I don't know very much about you."

"There isn't much to know, sir," replies Cody. Wait he's a 'sir' now? Okayyyy, something else definitely weird to get used to. "We were raised on Kamino and trained to be soldiers from birth."

"No, I mean, I wasn't raised for this. We were meant to be peacekeepers and negotiators. I don't know how to lead an army." It's been frustrating him a lot. Fighting side-by-side with other Jedi he gets, but with soldiers? He knows nothing about them or how to handle it. "Perhaps I should start familiarizing myself with your techniques? Master Obi-Wan seemed to think we would be leaving for our first mission shortly."

Chapter Text

"They're back," Anakin calls as Obi-Wan, Theseus, and several other clones from the 212th run up behind him and Rex. Theseus skids to a stop behind the Knight, watching anxiously as two large spider droids march into view from in between the tall green structures of the planet of Christophsis. So much for having nearly won the battle.

"I thought we'd just defeated them," he sighs. These droids seem impossible to get rid of. They're numbers are never-ending.

"I told you this victory was too easy," Obi-Wan replies, "We should never have sent the ship back for supplies."

"It wasn't my idea to send the ship back," Anakin retaliates. Theseus smothers a snort. Exactly.

"All right, men," Obi-Wan says, turning to look back at the clones, "Second wave incoming."

"Rex, you and your men follow me," Anakin orders, turning and striding off towards the oncoming droids.

"Cody, battle positions. Padawan, you stay with me," Obi-Wan commands, looking to Theseus who nods.

That's when the cannons start firing from behind, blast after blast striking the oncoming army. Thick black smoke billows around the explosions. Theseus ignites the lightsaber, spinning the blade to deflect bolts alongside Obi-Wan as the droids advance.

The clones start moving forwards as well, shooting at the droids. He does his best not to think about the presences blinking out of the Force around him, focusing only on taking out droid after droid without getting too close. Obi-Wan hasn't charged the droids yet, so he stays next to his master.

The Jedi Master motions for the clones to start pushing ahead. The cannons fire almost non-stop, blasting the droids in front of them to pieces. The ground is shaking from the explosions everywhere, and the scent of smoke is permeating everything.

Large spider-like droids start advancing, the name of which Theseus cannot for the life of him remember, though he's fairly certain Cody told him. "Skywalker should have attacked by now!" Cody interjects from where he's shooting nearby, being covered by Obi-Wan. A couple other clones have since taken shelter behind Theseus.

"Don't worry! He knows the plan!"

"But when will he carry it out?" the padawan mumbles, scanning the view. Still so sign of Anakin. Maybe he's not in position yet?

Finally, he sees a flash of light above the droids and looks up to see Anakin landing on top of one of the spider's, his lightsaber activated. Rex and the rest of his group take off with jetpacks, landing around the spider droids and shooting up at them. One of the other spider droids starts shooting at Anakin, who casually deflects the bolts onto the droids below.

"Come on, then!" Obi-Wan calls, waving the troops forwards.

"Right on!" Cody echoes, and they all charge.

Theseus moves methodically through the battle droids, cutting them down before swinging to deflect bolts from the others and continuing on through their ranks. Obi-Wan cuts them down alongside him a short distance away. The clones are being shot all around him, and he tries to convince himself they aren't dying when they fall, but more step forwards to fill their brothers' places.

Two more cannon blasts strike the ground right in front of the spider droids, which are behind the group of battle droids Theseus and the others are destroying. A nearby clone runs forwards, shooting down several of the droids, before kicking down another. Theseus jumps forwards, shoving him aside as a nearby droid nearly shoots him straight in the back. He ducks out of the way as the shot nearly grazes him instead, before lunging at it, lopping its head off.

Up above, he sees Anakin moving again, taking down one of the large droids and jumping to another. The cannons unleash another set of shots. The droids are finally falling faster then they're coming, and that's the only relief Theseus can have. He's fought before, but there's a difference between training droids and these.

With most of the battle droids down, he moves on to attack the super battle droids.

Anakin takes down the last two spider droids and leaps down next to Obi-Wan. "We're gonna need reinforcements," he warns, surveying the field.

"We haven't been able to get through to the Admiral."

The cannons unleash another volley of shots as a group of tanks start rolling forwards. Theseus tenses. He hasn't fought against those yet, and they're very dangerous from what he's heard.

"They're pulling back!" Anakin exclaims as the droids start heading back the way they came.

"Are you sure we shouldn't follow?" Theseus asks. "They'll only regroup and come back."

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan replies, "But it looks like help has arrived."

The padawan glances up. Sure enough, a shuttle flies over head. He tries to shake the battle from mind, though the tension remains. He can't stop remembering sensing the clones dying around him. "If destroying those spider droids was so easy," he asks, glancing up at Anakin. "Why couldn't you have done it faster and come down to help out?"

"...excuse me?" Anakin asks dubiously, giving him a confused look though his eyes are narrowed, posture tensed.

"During the battle," he clarifies. "It didn't take more than a few seconds to cut down those droids. Why wait? You could've saved a lot of clones."

The Knight eyes him for a second then spins around. "I see you at least chose a smart padawan, Obi-Wan. Congratulations." He stalks off towards the landing ship without another word.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Theseus calls after him, then glances up at his master. "Is he always like this?" He sure hopes not.

"He's upset," Obi-Wan says with a quiet sigh.

"Well, why? Didn't he know you were taking another padawan? Did you... ask him or anything?"

"I did," he confirms, "But he didn't want me to."

For a moment Theseus isn't really sure how to react. Obi-Wan agreed to take him, even though his own former padawan didn't want him to. After having been practically rejected by his former master, that means a lot to him. "Oh." Except... that's probably the same problem Anakin's having. He was literally just Knighted, and it was still a form of rejection in a way of sorts. Maybe not as extreme, but still. Theseus understands why he's upset, but he has no idea how to go about calming him down. Emotions are not his specialty.

"Come, we should go," the Jedi Master advises, heading for the landing platform. "The ship has arrived with reinforcements. It looks like our problems are solved. Fresh troops, new supplies..."

They stop a short distance away from Anakin, who's facing the landing shuttle, his back turned. The ramp descends a certain very familiar orange Togruta appears in the doorway. What in the world? What's she doing here?

"A youngling?" Anakin mutters, equally confused.

"Ahsoka?" asks Theseus slowly, stepping forwards. "What are you doing here?" They've been in the classes at the Temple, having met shortly after she came. They've been best friends ever since. He wishes they'd have time to talk – something they really haven't had much of since he became a padawan – but that will have to wait for later when they're not in the middle of a battle.

"Master Yoda sent me," the girl answers, walking down the ramp. "I was told to tell you three you must get back to the Jedi Temple immediately. There's an emergency."

"Well, I don't know if you noticed," Anakin retorts, stepping closer, "But we're in a bit of an emergency right here."

"Are we just supposed to leave the planet to its fate?" Theseus queries dubiously.

"Our communication has been a bit unreliable, but we've been calling for help," Obi-Wan declares.

"Master Yoda hadn't heard from you, so he sent me to deliver the message."

Theseus eyes her for a moment, getting the strong feeling she's here for a different reason. Many things have changed since the start of the war but sending younglings around to different places to give messages or whatever is definitely not one of them. Ahsoka hadn't been taken as a padawan yet, but she obviously can't be Obi-Wan's. Anakin's, maybe?

"Oh, great," Anakin huffs, turning away. "They don't even know we're in trouble."

"Maybe you can relay a signal through the cruiser that just dropped me off," Ahsoka offers.

"That's the best option we have," Theseus agrees. A few minutes later, the four of them are standing around the hologram table.

"We're under attack by Separatist warships," a clone informs them, "But I'll try to make contact with the Jedi Temple for you. Stand by."

A few moments later, a hologram of Yoda flickers to life in front of them. "Master Kenobi, glad Ahsoka found you, I am."

"Master Yoda, we are trapped here and vastly outnumbered," Obi-Wan reports. "We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything. Our support ships have been destroyed."

"Send reinforcements to you, we will," Yoda replies as the hologram begins to flicker.

"Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan calls. "Master Yoda!" The hologram disappears complete, switching back to that of the clones back on the cruiser.

"We've lost the transmission, sir," the clone informs after several tries to regain contact with the Temple. "We have to leave orbit immediately. More enemy ships have arrived. We'll get back to you as soon as we can."

"Well, I guess we'll have to hold out a little longer," Anakin sighs.

"My apologies, young one," Obi-Wan declares at least. "It's time for a proper introduction." He circles around the table, Theseus following.

"I hope you already know who I am," he smirks.

She gives him a look. "Don't be silly." She glances over at the others, Anakin in particular. "I'm the new padawan learner. I'm Ahsoka Tano." What? A padawan? Is Anakin getting a padawan? Theseus never heard a word about it. Ahsoka would have told him before, right?

"Wait, padawan learner?" protests Anakin, "Obi-Wan already has a padawan."

"I know," she replies, "And I've been assigned to you, Master Skywalker."

"What?!" cries Anakin. "No, no, no! There must be some mistake. I never wanted a padawan."

Ahsoka crosses her arms. "No. Master Yoda was very specific. I'm assigned to Anakin Skywalker, and he is to supervise my Jedi training." She looks altogether too smug, but Theseus is almost glad to know he's not the only one completely confused.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Anakin yelps.

"Well, maybe Master Yoda decided to prank you with a padawan," Theseus supplies cheerfully. The half-horrified expression on Anakin's face is too funny.

"Not funny," he grumbles, shooting him a glare.

"I wasn't trying to be."

"We'll have to sort this out later," advises Obi-Wan, raising a hand to get their attention. And why does he look so amused? Did he plan this with Yoda or what? Theseus can't say he'd be surprised. "It won't be long before those droids figure out a way around our cannons."

Right. Good. Back to business.

"I'll check with Rex on the lookout post," Anakin decides, turning to go.

"You'd better take her with you," Obi-Wan calls after him, nudging Ahsoka forwards. They exchange a look that makes him wonder about it even more, and she hurries off to catch up with Anakin.

"Did you plan this?" Theseus inquires.

"It seemed like the best way to distract him from you."

Whoa. Basically, a yes, but not straight out. Was Anakin really that upset about it? He must have been. He's been acting extremely tense this entire time, and Theseus doesn't know much about him, but he guesses Anakin isn't normally like that.

***

It isn't long before the four Jedi and Rex are gathered around a holomap of the area, preparing a plan of attack. "The shield generator is somewhere in this area," begins Obi-Wan. "They're slowly increasing the diameter and keeping it just ahead of their troops."

"Heavy cannons are gonna be useless against that," Rex reminds.

"As they get closer, I suppose we could try to draw them into the buildings. That might level the playing field a bit," Obi-Wan murmurs thoughtfully.

"If that shield's gonna be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?" Ahsoka finally pipes up from where she's standing in between Anakin and Theseus. He shoots her a slightly surprised look. Good point.

"Yeah, why don't we?" he agrees.

"Easier said than done," Rex replies.

"Well, I, for one, agree with her," Anakin speaks up finally. "Someone has to get to that shield generator and destroy it. That's the key."

"Right, then. Maybe you two can tiptoe through the enemy lines and solve this particular problem together," Obi-Wan offers.

"Can do, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka says eagerly.

"I'll decide what we do," Anakin grumbles, shooting her an irritated look.

"If Theseus, Rex, and I can engage them here," Obi-Wan continues, pointing at a place in the map. It's amidst the many buildings, which should help give cover for the clones. "You two might have the chance to get through their lines undetected here." He points at another area. "They won't have much time."

"The droids far outnumber us, so our ability to street fight is limited without the use of heavy cannons," Rex points out, "They will march forwards under the protection of their shield until they are right on top of our cannons, then they'll blow them away."

"We'll figure out a way," Ahsoka chirps enthusiastically, turning to walk away, "Come on, Master, let's go."

Anakin turns, hurrying after her. The last thing Theseus hears him saying is, "If we survive this, Snips, you and I are gonna have a talk." Snips? Where did that nickname come from? He can't help but think it seems to fit, though. He can't wait until he actually gets a chance to talk to Ahsoka again. Maybe they will after the battle is won, but for now, it's time to focus.

***

As soon as Anakin and Ahsoka have disappeared, looking for a way to deactivate the shield, the Republic cannons start firing on the Separatist forces. Theseus watches anxiously as the first several blasts strike the shields. A ripple runs across its surface, but other than that, nothing happens.

"That shield is certainly putting a crimp in this plan," grumbles Theseus. If they could get past the thing already, they'd be winning against the Separatists right now, instead of stalling.

"It's no use, sir!" Rex calls finally, "Even at full power the cannon doesn't affect it."

"Alright, Rex, it was worth a try," Obi-Wan decides, lowering the macrobinoculars he was looking through. "Tell the men to fall back!"

The tanks slowly begin to roll back, the clones retreating along with them. Obi-Wan, Theseus, and Rex duck behind a wall as the red shield approaches them. It's continuing to expand, steadily growing larger and larger.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" he asks.

"Well, it better," Obi-Wan replies. "I'm sure Anakin can carry out his part of the plan."

"If you say so," Theseus mutters. Sneaking through lines of droids is much easier to say than do. The red shield ripples and the energy barrier finally crosses them.

"We're inside the shield," Obi-Wan observes, "Just stay away from those tanks."

As the Separatist forces continue advancing, Obi-Wan jumps off the top of the building they're on as the battle droids finally come in range. He lands on top of a super battle droid, impaling it before jumping to the ground. The clones slide down cables, shooting down at the droids.

Theseus lands nearby, instantly beginning to cut down the nearby droids. He sinks back into the same flow of battle that he was using earlier, demolishing droid after droid, spinning to deflect bolts, before cutting down some more.

Even with how fast they're destroying them, though, the droids are continuing to advance. Theseus positions himself in front of a group of clones, blocking bolts to offer them protection while they shoot down the droids. What's taking Anakin and Ahsoka so long? Although he supposes it probably hasn't been that long; his sense of time is probably a bit warped right now, being in a battle and all.

"The shield has almost reached the heavy cannons, sir," Rex reports, running up to where Obi-Wan is destroying several super battle droids, "We're not going to be able to stop them."

A sudden explosion rings out and the three of them duck behind a nearby wall for cover.

"Move your troops back to the heavy cannons," Obi-Wan orders, "Do everything you can to protect them. I'll delay the droids."

"But –" Rex begins.

"That is an order, Captain," he cuts him off.

"I'll stay with you, Rex," Theseus declares. If his master is busy elsewhere, at least he should help protect the clones, right?

The familiar sound of clanking reaches his ears, the same moment Obi-Wan springs to his feet, cutting down a super battle droid that walked up to the wall. It falls in a pile of sparks to the ground as Obi-Wan jumps over the wall, spinning his blade to deflect more blaster bolts.

The clones slowly begin to back away, shooting as they go. Theseus positions himself in front of them again, blocking laser bolts. An explosion rings out, throwing debris and smoke everywhere. An approaching tank is the last glimpse Theseus catches before their group rounds a nearby corner.

The sides exchange constant fire as the clones continue to pull back for the heavy cannons. Several get shot down as they continue run, explosions tearing through the ground all around them.

Finally, they duck behind several large green rocks. "Sir," calls a clone, running up, "General Kenobi's been captured. There's no one else left."

"It much be part of the plan," Theseus muses. At least hopefully it is, because otherwise he has no idea what to do now. Does that put him in charge? The very thought makes him feel sick. He has no idea how to lead an army.

"We've got to hold out," Rex asserts firmly. "We can't let the shield reach those cannons."

Theseus stands up again, reigniting the green lightsaber and spinning to block the blaster bolts when, all at once, the red shield begins to dissipate before disappearing altogether. Yes! They did it!

"All cannons, fire on those tanks!" Rex commands. Theseus and the captain move to stand next to the tanks as they all open fire on the Separatists. Anakin's astromech droid, Artoo, whistles in what Theseus assumes is excitement as the tide of the battle finally turns in their favor.

The sound of engines reaches his ears, and he looks up to see ships flying overhead. Reinforcements have arrived.

"I'm going to find Master Kenobi," decides Theseus and heads off.

"Are you alright, Theseus?" Obi-Wan calls as he arrives.

"Of course," he replies automatically.

A gunship glides to a stop in front of them and to Theseus' surprise, Master Yoda and another very familiar Council member step off. Athea Shan.

His eyes lock with her blue ones for a long moment, almost as though a silent exchange is passing between them. Outwardly, they're good friends, like Master Plo Koon is with Ahsoka. But between the two of them, it's something far closer, even if it's something that shouldn't exist among Jedi. Maybe they'll have a chance to catch up later in private.

"Master Yoda, your timing couldn't be better," Obi-Wan declares.

"Accepted Ahsoka has his padawan, has Skywalker?" asks Yoda, and Theseus does his best to suppress the rising swell of emotions upon seeing him again. He hasn't seen the Jedi Master in person since he told him about the change in masters. He still can't shake the stinging feeling of rejection from it.

"He hasn't agreed, but I'm hoping he will change his mind after the battle," answers Obi-Wan.

"Adjusting as Master Kenobi's padawan, are you?" the grandmaster suddenly asks, his gaze on his former padawan.

"Yes," he replies slowly. It's not exactly true. Maybe he would've, if not for the battle. This and being a commander are a little too much to 'adjust' to so fast.

He looks up at the sound of an approaching gunship. It lands, and Anakin steps off, Ahsoka scurrying over to stand next to him. Theseus eyes both of them. Ahsoka seems perfectly comfortable with how things are going, so he'll take that as a good sign. He doesn't want to think about how she'd feel if Anakin rejected her. She's already been turned down by so many masters, and now it's almost too late for her to be taken.

"Trouble you have with your new padawan, I hear," Yoda says, turning to Anakin.

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

"If not ready for a padawan, you are, then perhaps Obi-Wan, we can –" Yoda begins.

"No, wait a minute," Anakin interjects. "I admit Ahsoka is a little rough around the edges, but with a great deal of training and patience, she might amount to something." Theseus doesn't miss the way Ahsoka's face lights up at the comment. At last, she's finally been chosen as a padawan. It's long overdue.

"Then go with you, she will, to the Teth system," the grandmaster declares, turning and walking a few steps away, leaning on the gimer stick he always carries with him but definitely doesn't need.

"Teth? That's Wild Space," Anakin exclaims, confused. "The droid army isn't even in that sector."

"Jabba the Hutt's son was kidnapped," Athea declares.

"You want me to rescue Jabba's son?" Anakin demands incredulously.

"... why is that even a job for Jedi?" inquires Theseus. That Hutt is literally the head of a major crime organization. Theseus doesn't know much about him, but he does know that Jabba is no one the Jedi need to be getting involved with.

"We'll need the Hutt's allegiance to give us an advantage over Dooku," Obi-Wan explains with a sigh.

"Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi-Wan will," Yoda continues. "Find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker."

"Come on, Master," Ahsoka calls eagerly. "That doesn't sound too hard. I'll find Rex and get the troops organized." She turns, running off to where Rex and other clones from the 501st are waiting.

"Don't worry, Anakin," Obi-Wan advises with a smirk, "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," Anakin grumbles before turning to walk away. He seems to be in a hurry.

Obi-Wan ignores the comment, looking to Theseus. "You go with Anakin. I won't need you in the negotiations with Jabba, and we don't know what we're up against on Teth."

"And Theseus?" Athea says, stepping forwards. "Take care of yourself."

"Of course, Master Shan," he chirps.

"May the Force be with you," she calls after him as he hurries to catch up with the Jedi Knight.

Chapter Text

"So, what's it like to be Master Kenobi's padawan?" Ahsoka asks as she and Theseus walk together through the cruiser.

"I could answer that better if we hadn't been in battle almost the whole time," he replies dryly. He's tense from it even now, part of him still feeling sickened. He's a padawan, and he's not used to this, but he's a commander now. Get together, he orders himself. He needs to hold himself together. The clones need him now.

"I heard what happened," Ahsoka says after a moment of pause.

Of course, she did. Obi-Wan probably told her. Him or Yoda. He can't help a of hurt at remembering his former master again. It's not something he wants to talk about, at least not now when there's so many other things they could be discussing. "How's Anakin?"

"Well," She looks slightly surprised, "Fine? I mean, he's a great master but he seems... I don't know."

He frowns. "What?"

"I don't know. Upset, maybe? Not at me, just..."

"I know," Theseus cuts her off. Of course. Anakin is obviously extremely hurt right now.

"What? You know what's wrong?" asks Ahsoka with a frown.

A quiet sigh escapes him. "Yes, I do. He was just knighted and didn't really want Master Obi-Wan to get another padawan so soon. I think he feels... hurt." Rejected, like Theseus has been feeling about Yoda. He knows that's something Ahsoka can relate with, considering the number of masters that have turned her down.

"Oh," she murmurs, looking away.

A heavy silence falls over the two of them for several long moments as they continue walking.

"Hey, we should be able to see each other more now," Ahsoka pipes up finally, "Since Master Kenobi and Master Anakin go places together a lot. Or at least I've heard they did before."

"I hope so," he agrees. "It's been rather lonely not being able to see you like we used to." Attachment or not, he can't help but admit it. She's been his closest friend for years, after all.

"Maybe we should go check on the clones now?" Ahsoka suggests. "They seem rather wary about the mission."

"Sure," he agrees.

***

By the time Anakin tracks them down, Ahsoka is over excitedly telling the gathered clones the story of how she apparently picked up a wall and set it down over Anakin's head, which Theseus isn't quite so sure he believes.

One of the clones in the back turns to Anakin. "Is that true, sir?"

"Well, most of it," he offers.

Theseus snorts. "I knew you were getting too carried away in story-telling."

"Hey!" protests Ahsoka.

"All right, men, we still got a job to do," the Jedi Knight reminds.

"Yes, sir. You heard the General, move it!" Rex orders, making a scatter motion. Everyone starts moving away and Ahsoka falls in step next to Anakin as they head to find the gunships. Theseus follows. They'll be exiting hyperspace above Teth and have to get there as soon as possible.

"Would this be a good time to teach you that a Jedi is humble, my young padawan?" Anakin huffs, but there's a sparkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Sorry," she answers remorselessly, "Just trying to keep the boys inspired is all."

"Sure, you were," Theseus smirks.

They've already arrived at the gunships and start heading down towards the surface by the time Obi-Wan finally contacts them again. "All right, Anakin, here's the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back home to Tatooine safe and sound."

"Won't take us that long, Master," Anakin assures.

"Well, take extreme care. We have no idea who's holding Jabba's son. When I've finished negotiations with him, I will join you," Obi-Wan declares before the hologram disappears.

"Stay close to me if you can. Both of you," Anakin instructs, glancing at them.

Theseus can't help but be slightly surprised at his seeming concern. Now that Obi-Wan isn't here, he seems a little less tense.

"It won't be a problem, Master," Ahsoka insists.

"This isn't practice, Ahsoka." He sounds genuinely worried.

"I know, and I'll try not to get you killed," she smirks.

"Only try?" Theseus mumbles. The ship suddenly jolts violently, and he's grateful for his tight grip on the handhold. or he would have faceplanted into someone. It's all he needs to remind him that this isn't only a mission; this is war. Another battle, the first without his master. And the second battle he's ever been in.

"Sir! We're taking heavy fire!" the piloting clone calls urgently. A nearby shot jolts the ship once more.

"Close the blast shields, Lieutenant!" Anakin commands. "Get us under those guns."

"Yes, sir!" The doors slide closed, plunging the ship into darkness, only for it to be illuminated by a red light moments later. Theseus blinks at the sudden change in lighting, looking around from beneath his hood to see the clones raising their blasters into a battle-ready position. They're about to land, and with the amount of fire the ship was taking, there must be a lot of droids there. He'd be lying to say he wasn't nervous about this. Ahsoka's eyes are wide, even in the dark, as she looks up at her master.

The ship lands, the lights flash green, and the doors open. Light floods Theseus' vision, and by the time his eyes have adjusted to it, Anakin has already thrown off his outer robes, letting them fall to the ground. He's the first to jump to the ground, the clones following.

Theseus shrugs off his own outer robes – assuming that's what he's supposed to be doing. Ahsoka drops her own to the floor. Theseus leaps out of the ship, Ahsoka following a moment later, her eyes darting about nervously.

He ignites his lightsaber, bolting up the slope after the clones. Blaster shots are already raining down around them. Ahsoka runs after, coming to a stop as she looks up at the top of the wall far ahead of them. An explosion suddenly tears through the air above them, smoke billowing everywhere.

The moment it clears, the droids on top of the wall start shooting down at them. He skids to a stop, joining Ahsoka in deflecting the blaster bolts. A nearby walker fires up at the wall, allowing a temporary pause in the firing.

The two of them race forwards, quickly catching up with Anakin. It doesn't take them much longer to reach the wall and hastily back against it to avoid the worst of the blasterfire. Blaster bolts are still raining down nearby, but it's a safe enough distance away from them. A battle droid falls to the ground in front of them and starts getting up, only to be murdered by its own macrobinoculars which reach the ground a moment later.

Theseus has to withhold a snort. "I'll take this as a lesson to not drop macrobinoculars, ever."

"Good idea," Anakin agrees.

"So, this is where the fun begins," Ahsoka remarks with a grin.

"Race you to the top," her master shoots back.

"I'll give you a head start," the Togruta snips.

"Not a good idea," Theseus warns.

"Your mistake," Anakin retorts.

Everyone sprints away from the wall and Anakin Force-leaps into the air, catching onto an accession cable. Theseus darts over, beginning to pull himself up one nearby.

"I'm right behind you, Master!" Ahsoka yells from Anakin's other side.

Bracing himself against the wall and tightly holding onto the cable with his other hand, he spins the lightsaber to block bolts that the droids start firing down at them. This is going to be a lot more difficult than fighting on level ground. The fact that Anakin is right next to him makes him feel oddly better about it.

They all begin pulling themselves up the wall. Theseus does his best not to imagine what might happen if he slipped and fell, focusing his attention on clinging to the cable and pulling himself up, foot by foot. He does not excel in climbing. Why did it have to be so important in his second battle?

The walkers have started ascending, and he can see the blaster bolts barely missing it. They'll need to keep those things intact on the way up. They'll be really useful against all those droids. That gives him an idea.

"Those might give us a free lift," he calls over to Ahsoka, motioning to the walkers.

"Yeah, good point. And we could help cover them," she agrees.

"Be careful," Anakin warns from above. "You'll be right in the center of fire."

"I'm insulted you thought I could be Master Yoda's padawan and not know how to take care of myself," he calls back.

"Just a fair warning!" he yells back over the shooting.

Pushing herself off the wall, Ahsoka flies through the air, landing right next to a nearby walker and pulling herself onto it.

Theseus swings over to her walker, landing on top. He glances to the other which is currently taking heavier fire. He kicks off the wall, using the force of it to swing over to the walker while holding onto the cable. He pulls himself up towards the front of the walker, instantly jumping forwards to block several blasts from one of the large droids on the top that would probably have otherwise severely damaged it.

The walker fires up at the top of the wall, an explosion sending droid parts flying everywhere, one of the falling parts nearly dislodging him from his position. He continues spinning the lightsaber defensively as the walker slowly continues ascending. This isn't his favorite position to be in, but at least it's better than climbing with only a cable to hold onto.

Danger sudden flares through the Force and he turns to see several battle droids on speeders zooming towards the walkers, shooting. They whiz straight over Ahsoka while they fire, dislodging the walker's front feet from the wall. Then, they come for him. Ahsoka's walker is slowly starting to tip backwards and his panic is rapidly rising – because she just can't fall and and and – but he raises his emerald blade to deflect the first shot.

The other walker tips back far enough to send Ahsoka tumbling, frantically catching a grip on the back side of it. His moment of distraction and a sudden jolt from the walker throws him off balance. Theseus stumbles, struggling to regain his balance as the walker struggles to properly reattach itself. The droids sail past him and turn around, flying back. Another blast nearby is enough to throw him off backwards, but he manages to catch the side, barely.

The droid's next blast hits Ahsoka's walker, nearly dislodging her. Anakin kicks himself off the wall, landing on Ahsoka's walker for a moment before flipping onto one of the approaching droid's speeders. He moves almost in a blur, cutting the droid in half before jumping onto the next one. Finally, he reaches the last one, spinning around and taking control of it himself.

"Gotta keep up!" Anakin calls as whizzes past Ahsoka and Theseus, speeding for the top of the wall.

"Hey! No fair!" Ahsoka shouts.

"I told you not to give him a head start!" Theseus reminds.

"You don't need to rub it in," she huffs.

Anakin speeds up towards the top of the wall, shooting down a bunch of the droids along the way. With most of the droids along the wall taken care of, it's a lot easier for the walker to continue its way up the wall. Moments later, Anakin disappears over the top of the wall.

"Well, we're definitely losing this round," he grumbles.

"I can still race you to the top," Ahsoka shoots back, leaning down to look in the window of the walker, "Get this thing moving!"

"Don't count on it," he warns.

Just then, pieces of destroyed droids come flying over the top of the wall, a random battle droid piece nearly bonking him on the heal.

Of course, Ahsoka has to beat him to the top by a few moments, blasting apart the three destroyer droids that rolled up in front of Anakin. Theseus doesn't quite catch their brief exchange as his walker makes its way over the edge.

He hurries to join Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex where they're standing in the center of the platform, surrounded by destroyed droids.

"Beat you," Ahsoka states with a smirk.

"Don't get cocky about it," Theseus quips, "You won't next time."

"Too many droids here for them to be renegades," remarks Rex, looking around.

"I sense Count Dooku's hand in this," Anakin notes, "Let's find Jabba's son and get out of here."

"No problem," Ahsoka chirps, "The hard part's over."

"I wish you wouldn't say that," Anakin mumbles.

"We don't know what's waiting in there for us," Theseus points out. Hopefully not as many droids as there were out here, because even with all his training, the battle is seriously beginning to wear him out.

Without further hassle, the three Jedi head for the entrance of the monastery, the clones following them. The door slides open, revealing the almost completely dark interior. As they enter, Theseus is almost certain that for a moment he senses a very dark presence nearby, but he doesn't see anyone anywhere. He's completely tense again. It feels like there's something waiting in the shadows. Like this was a trap.

"I don't like this place," Rex asserts from behind him. "It gives me the creeps." Theseus cautiously reaches out with the Force, trying to sense for any nearby life forms.

The sudden sound of approaching footsteps ends Anakin and Ahsoka's quiet conversation about the type of monastery this is. They all look up to see a protocol droid approaching them.

"Good guy or bad guy, master?" Ahsoka asks.

"Who are you?" Anakin demands, igniting his lightsaber and pointing it at the droid.

"Merely the humble caretaker, O might sir, You have liberated me from those dreadful battlebots. I am most thankful," it replies. Well, at least it doesn't seem to be hostile, not that there's much a protocol droid could do against them anyway.

"Where is the Hutt?" Anakin demands.

"The battlebots kept their prisoners on the detention level. I must warn you it is very dangerous down there, my friend." The protocol droid looks over at Ahsoka. "Not a place for a servant girl."

Anger flashes through Ahsoka's eyes as she ignites her lightsaber by the droid's face. "Do servant girls carry these?" she snaps, "I am a Jedi Knight, or soon will be."

"A thousand apologies, young one," the droid hastily amends.

It retreats back down the hall and Anakin turns to the others. "Captain, we'll get the Hutt. Stay here and keep your eyes open."

"Copy that, sir."

"Theseus, stay with them," Anakin adds, heading down the dark hallway, Ahsoka one step behind.

Theseus waits until they disappear from sight before returning outside. They have to wait for the others' return now. He can't shake off the gloomy feel hanging in the air from the deaths of the clones during the assent, though. It's lingering in the Force, permeating the atmosphere.

It isn't long before the two return, Ahsoka carrying a very small slug-like creature. It smells horrible. Theseus has to refrain from grumbling about it when they go to call Obi-Wan.

"Did you locate Jabba's son?" he inquires.

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

"This smells like Count Dooku to me," Obi-Wan murmurs.

"I think it's little Stinky you smell," Ahsoka chirps, holding up the Huttlet.

Theseus snorts at the name. "I happen to agree." She must be going through one of her nickname-creating phases again.

"I'll bet Dooku is using this to get Jabba to join the Separatists," Anakin remarks.

"Master Kenobi, we have another problem," Ahsoka says. Another problem? What this time? "This Huttlet is very sick. I'm not sure if we can get him back to Tatooine alive." And if he dies... then they're probably going to end up creating problems for the Republic instead of finding solutions, since Hutts are pretty unreasonable like that. This doesn't sound good at all.

"This whole operation may backfire on us," Obi-Wan mutters, obviously thinking along the same lines.

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

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

Just then, Theseus hears the sudden sound of approaching engines. Ahsoka is already looking up, scanning the sky. "Master? We've got trouble," she warns. A group of vulture droids swoop down towards the platform.

"Defensive positions," Anakin yells, looking over at the clones. Everyone immediately scrambles to get into position as the droids open fire.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks urgently.

"I'll have to call you back," he says. "We're under attack and could use a little help here if you have time."

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Huttlet at all costs," the Jedi Master cautions before the connection breaks.

Anakin instantly ignites his lightsaber, swinging it to deflect the shots from the vulture droids. Theseus positions himself in front of Ahsoka and the Huttlet, reigniting his emerald lightsaber.

"We've got spiders inbound!" shouts a clone. Looking up, Theseus sees a large group of droids marching towards through a nearby entrance, including several spider droids and long lines of super battle droids. Not again.

Artoo quickly flies out of the ship they were using to talk to Obi-Wan as a blast strikes it, and it explodes into flames.

"Get inside," Anakin calls over his shoulder as the walkers they brought start firing back at the Separatist forces.

Dodging the blaster bolts raining down around him, Theseus runs into the monastery after Ahsoka. The clones slowly begin backing into the building as well, with Anakin still in the front. The Knight finally ducks under the closing entrance door before it slams shut, locking the droids out. For now. Theseus knows they don't have long before they break through.

"Captain, we'll stay here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements," Anakin decides.

"I'm not sure if we have that long," Theseus murmurs with a frown, the darkness of the interior of the building only serving to set him more on edge. What if they end up getting over run? He doesn't think that would happen, but it's still a possibility. Many of the clones have been killed already.

"Master, do you honestly think we can hold them off that long?" Ahsoka agrees. "We've got to find a way out of here."

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

"Our mandate was to get the Huttlet back to Tatooine, and time is running out," the Togruta protests.

"I suppose you have a plan," Anakin states more than asks.

"Yes, or I think so, Artoo willing," she replies.

"Alright, Snips, I'll trust you on this one," her master agrees, looking faintly amused, before turning to Rex. "Captain, hold them off here as long as you can."

"You heard the General," Rex orders, turning to his brothers. "Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal!"

"So, what's your plan?" Theseus asks as the three Jedi make their way into another room of the building, one where they finally spot a computer port.

"If there's a way out of here, Artooie will find it," she explains. Artoo rolls over, plugging into a computer port.

"Make it quick," Anakin advises.

"Looks like... Stinky is finally sleeping," Theseus observes, eyeing the Huttlet.

"Put him down," Anakin says, taking a seat on ledge nearby. "Get some rest yourself. It's been a long day for you, little one." Theseus sits down nearby, careful to keep his distance. Anakin certainly wasn't very happy about him being there earlier, and he doesn't want to risk upsetting him even more. Besides, he's exhausted. He isn't used to this. Long days are one thing, but he hasn't slept other than a short nap on the way to Teth. There wasn't time for much other than that. Or there was, except he didn't realize how important it would be.

"I can hold him, Master," Ahsoka insists, "I'm not tired." For some reason, Theseus seriously doubts that. Even he's tried, and he's fought in one more battle than Ahsoka has. He's pretty sure she's probably trying to prove herself.

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

"I do listen to you, Master," she objects. "I just don't like being treated like a youngling." Oh, so Theseus was right. That is the problem, then. He's tempted to interject but decides against it. It's best to let the two of them bond in peace.

"You must have patience. What are you trying to prove anyway?"

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

Anakin sighs, standing up and stepping over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said, 'nothing happens by accident.' It is the will of the Force that you are at my side. I just want to keep you there in one piece."

Her fears finally seeming placated, Ahsoka moves to sit down on the ledge, in between Anakin and Theseus. Through the silence and without anything to distract himself with, his concerns start resurfacing. What if the Separatist forces are too much for the clones to hold off? Many people have died already, and only more are going to go down.

Artoo suddenly whistles, projecting a small hologram of the layout of the building. "A backdoor landing platform," Anakin realizes as he looks down at it.

"I guess we found our escape route," Theseus chirps.

"Lead the way, Artoo," the Jedi Knight says. The droid beeps in acknowledge, rolling towards the door, the padawans hurrying after.

"Wait!" Anakin calls after them, "Where's Stinky?" They both look back to see Anakin holding an empty backpack.

"You told me to put him down!" the Togruta protests.

"Well, we better find him," Theseus mumbles, glancing around the room. He couldn't be far. A sudden quiet sound draws everyone's attention to the floor. They kneel down to look under the nearby ledge. Sure enough, the Huttlet is crawling around underneath it. Anakin reaches under, pulling it out by its tail.

"Get outta there, you grubby little slug," he grumbles under his breath.

"That's like, very rude," Theseus interjects.

"He can't even understand Basic."

"Still. Your tone got the point across. And picking him up by his tail."

Stinky wails as Anakin places him back in the backpack which Ahsoka is wearing again.

"It didn't hurt him," Anakin insists.

"If you say so." They're about to head for the door again when Anakin's comm beeps.

"Anakin, come in," Rex calls. All three Jedi stop, frowning at each other.

"Anakin?" repeats Ahsoka in confusion.

"We've held the droids, sir," Rex says, and Theseus gets the distinct feeling that something is very wrong.

"That's not like Rex," Anakin frowns.

"What is your location?" the Captain presses.

"Ventress," he realizes suddenly.

"Dooku's assassin?" Theseus and Ahsoka exclaim at once.

Anakin nods. "She's here to kill the Hutt. Come on."

Chapter Text

Distant shots from the battle reach Theseus' ears as he, Ahsoka, and Anakin finally step out of the building onto the landing platform. Anakin dials a frequency into his comm. "Skywalker to Obi-Wan. Mark my position. I need a medical ship immediately. Do you copy?"

The only thing that comes across the line is static. "They're jamming our transmissions," Anakin grumbles, "I can't get ahold of Obi-Wan. I'll see if I can find Captain Rex." He pushes a button on his comm. "Come in, Rex. Do you copy? Rex?"

Blaster shots and droids' voices echo over the comm in the background. "Do you copy?" Anakin asks again, "Captain Rex, respond."

"I read you, General," the Captain finally answers. Blaster shots can be heard in the background. "We're pinned down in the courtyard."

"Do you need help?" Anakin asks. The only response is an explosion. "I'll take that as a yes, Captain. Stand by, we're on our way. Skywalker out."

"Master, Stinky is really sick," Ahsoka says worriedly, "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."

"Well, we need to find a ship before we can do anything," Theseus points out.

"Obi-Wan will get here eventually. For now, Rex will have to help us find one," Anakin agrees.

Two destroyer droids roll into view from inside the building. "Great, rolling death balls!" Ahsoka exclaims. They immediately whip out their lightsaber, deflecting the bolts as the droids start shooting. From behind them, a dark figure emerges, who Theseus recognizes immediately. Ventress.

"Artoo, the door!" Anakin calls. The astromech rolls over to a port, plugging itself in and closing it, as she steps up to the opening. "I think now's a good time to retreat," Anakin states grimly as he turns towards the padawans.

"That's a first," Theseus remarks.

"Retreat?" repeats Ahsoka, "That's a new word for you."

"Maybe into the jungle," Anakin continues, ignoring their comments as two ruby blades plunge through the door in front of them. Glancing around he hurries over to the edge of the platform and looks down.

"Wait, I remember the jungle was a bad place," Ahsoka objects.

"I hope you're not planning to jump," Theseus quips, coming over to stand next to them. He looks over the edge just as two spider droids fire up at them. The platform shakes violently from the force of the blasts. A group of bug-like creatures take off from the bottom of the platform.

"So much for going that way," Ahsoka mumbles.

The three of them turn around and raise their lightsabers, watching as the two ruby blades continue carving their way through the door.

"Looks like we're out of options," the Knight states grimly. The Huttlet wails.

"No, not now, Stinky," Ahsoka sighs.

It shrieks again anyway, waving a tiny hand. "A landing platform!" Theseus realizes, pointing.

"With a ship on it," Anakin adds.

"Nice work, Stinky," praises Ahsoka.

"Can you believe it? We owe our lives to a baby," Theseus smirks.

"Well, we wouldn't have died without him," Anakin huffs.

"Don't be too sure."

"Don't give him all the credit until we actually get away, because there are probably a million and a half ways we could die before escaping," Anakin shoots back, stepping back over to the edge of the platform and looking down.

"What a comforting thought."

"How are we gonna get over there?" Ahsoka frowns.

"Leave that to me," Anakin responds before suddenly jumping over the edge.

Theseus looks over the edge after him as a huge explosion rings out. The pair jump back, shielding their eyes from the flying debris. There's a sudden crash from behind them, and they whirl around to see Ventress stepping through the hole in the door.

She charges forwards without even a moment of warning. Theseus and Ahsoka immediately swing up their emerald blades to block her ruby ones. She shoves hard against their blades before taking a step back and slashing at them again. Theseus shifts into Form III fighting style as he parries the assassin's attacks. He's best at Forms II and III, but he knows that she's far more skilled in combat than either of them. Since Dooku uses Form II, she probably knows it the best, and therefore how to counter it. Better to focus on defending for now. He's always been interested in Form VII, as well, but is too young to learn it, though he really wants to, especially with the return of the Sith.

"Where is Skywalker?" growls Ventress, swinging furiously at them. An extra strong blow nearly knocks Ahsoka off her feet, but she stumbles back and manages to catch her balance when Theseus raises his emerald blade to block the assassin from reaching the other padawan.

"Figure it out," he shoots back.

"I'm right here, Ventress!" Anakin calls, appearing over the edge atop one of the bugs. So that's what he was doing. Anakin flies forwards, forcing the assassin to back away. Explosions shake the ledge again, and Theseus hastily deactivates his lightsaber, replacing it on his belt. "Time to go," Anakin yells looking down at the padawans. The bug swoops over their heads, and Ahsoka grabs onto her master's hand. Theseus jumps after, barely managing to pull himself onto the creature behind Anakin.

"Hang on, Snips," Anakin orders as he tries to pull her up onto the back of the bug as it swoops away from the landing platform, leaving Ventress alone.

"Like I have a choice!" she yells back. Theseus reaches down, helping Ahsoka up between him and Anakin. An explosion behind them draws his attention back towards the landing platform to see it has exploded completely, the debris showering down on the droids below.

They jump off the creature once they reach the other landing platform, and it flies away in a panic.

"What a piece of junk," mutters Theseus as he scans the ship. It looks like it could fall apart any minute if it was being flown. But it's their best option, so they don't have much of a choice.

"We're taking this junker?" Ahsoka echoes his thoughts, "We'd be better off on that big bug."

"Get aboard and prime the engines," Anakin says in answer, turning to put the backpack with Rotta on Artoo instead. "Assuming it has engines."

The padawans head for the ramp.

A flash of light in the sky catches Theseus' attention and he pauses, glancing up to see the lights from the space battle up above, where Obi-Wan is still fighting. Speaking of his master... "Hey, if you can manage to not kill yourselves on the way to Tatooine with this junk ship, I'll stay here to help Master Obi-Wan and the clones."

"Not to worry, I have no plans on dying," Anakin agrees dryly, "You can stay here."

"Okay, everything's loaded!" a familiar voice suddenly calls and Theseus spins around to see a battle droid walking down the ramp of the ship. The caretaker droid from before stops in the middle of its conversation with Ahsoka.

"Why you tin-plated traitor!" the Togruta yells, igniting her lightsaber.

"Blast her!" screeches the caretaker.

The battle droids fire at her and she hastily deflects the shots back, destroying them right as Theseus skids to a stop next to her, his own blade ready.

"Don't you dare!" the caretaker droid says in a failed attempt to be threatening as Ahsoka holds her lightsaber in its face. "Don't you dare –" It's cut off as she swings the blade, cutting its head off.

"Come on," Ahsoka urges, hurrying up the ramp into the shuttle. Anakin follows, Artoo rolling behind.

"May the Force be with you," Theseus calls as he watches them board.

"You too," Anakin says, looking back at him for a moment before disappearing from sight as the ramp begins to close.

***

Before he knows it, Theseus is back to fighting the droids again, side by side with Obi-Wan. He'd contacted Obi-Wan immediately after Anakin left, telling him to send one of the clones to pick him up so he could rejoin the battle.

"Master Kenobi," Ventress says as she steps up from behind two super battle droids, "Always chasing after Skywalker. How predictable."

"Anakin leaves quite a mess," Obi-Wan retorts, "Which always leads me to you, Ventress."

"Take them!" the Zabrak orders, pointing at the pair with her lightsabers. The droids open fire on them and the assassin whirls around, bolting out of sight. Theseus and Obi-Wan deflect the bolts back at the droids, the first one going down sparking from its own blaster fire before the Jedi Master steps forwards, cutting down the last one.

"Stay close to me," Obi-Wan warns as he heads into the building.

"Don't I always?"

"Ventress, I know you're here," Obi-Wan calls, looking around the darkened room. There's a number of aqua lights lining the walls, but other than that, it's pretty much completely dark. "You can't hide. I feel your frustration. Let me guess, you're after Jabba's young son, too."

Theseus sees a sudden flash of red and looks up to see Ventress leaping down from one of the pillars, her blades drawn. They clash with Obi-Wan's as she hits the floor. Theseus lunges forwards and Ventress swings one of her blades to block his. In the process, Obi-Wan sends her skidding backwards away from them. "You'll have to do better than that, my darling," he chides. What's with the strange... names he's calling her? Theseus keeps any comments to himself.

The Nightsister snarls, charging at them again with renewed fury. Obi-Wan and Theseus hastily block her slashes, both of them backing up a few steps as she attacks them. A sudden Force-shove catches Theseus off guard, and he's sent flying across the room.

He lands hard on the floor and rolls to his feet as the duel continues half across the room. Ventress Force-kicks Obi-Wan back into a column, and charges at him, lightsabers slashing across it as the Jedi Master ducks out of the way before shoving her back.

Theseus calls his lightsaber back to him with the Force and runs back to join the fight. Ventress slashes furiously at Obi-Wan who jumps out of the way. Theseus' blade promptly intercepts her next below. She growls, swinging both her lightsabers at him, and he quickly parries the blow. He backs away, jumping up onto a nearby ledge behind him. Obi-Wan follows and the Sith leaps after with a cry of rage.

They continue retreating up the pillars until they're standing on a ledge high above the room. "We know of Dooku's plot to turn the Hutts against us. It will not succeed," Obi-Wan declares.

"It will when the truth dies with you," Ventress snarls.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but you have to actually kill us first. And you aren't doing a very good job at that," Theseus quips.

The assassin's eyes narrow and she charges, lightsabers slashing across the floor before she brings them up, swinging at them. She rains blows down around them, and the two Jedi are slowly pushed back down the walkway. Although, Theseus can tell that Obi-Wan is biding his time. He finally shoves her backwards hard, and she skids a distance away, before slamming to a stop, and connecting her lightsabers into a double-bladed one, spinning them around in her hands.

"Follow me," orders Obi-Wan, jumping up through an opening near the roof. Theseus follows.

The moon shines brightly in the sky, illuminating the purple landscape. There's an occasional flash in the sky indicating a dying out space battle. Ventress jumps up onto the beam behind them and is about to charge when Theseus suddenly senses it. A slight disturbance in the Force, one that he's never been more relieved to feel.

"I sense it too. Anakin is gone," Obi-Wan announces smugly, his gaze turning the Sith. "You've failed, Ventress. Your master will not be pleased."

"Jedi scum!" she snarls, charging. Theseus can feel her rage rising, pouring off her in waves. It's making her unbalanced and sloppy. She spins her blade furiously as she attacks, the Dark Side surging around her. In a sudden move, Obi-Wan cuts through her double-bladed lightsaber, separating the two sides. She scowls down at the sparking ends before running at them. Their blades clash into a saberlock.

"The Hutt is safe," Obi-Wan continues, "There's no point in fighting any longer. We've won. Lay down your weapons."

All at once the blades slide of the saberlock, and one of Ventress' flies over the edge of the walkway, falling down out of sight. She attacks them again anyway with renewed fury. Theseus parries her strikes with ease and backs up, letting Obi-Wan press the attack.

It's then that he spots an incoming vulture droid. "Master!" He calls in warning, but instead of open firing, it swoops down below the walkway and Ventress jumps off, landing on top. Obi-Wan deactivates his lightsaber as the droid disappears from sight.

***

Really, with the amount of physical and emotional exhaustion he's been dealing with the past couple days, it shouldn't be this hard to sleep. But after the first hour or so, every time he closes his eyes the same nightmarish images of the clones being shot down all around him starts forming in his mind again. With a sigh, Theseus sits up, turning to stare out the window at the white and blue blur of hyperspace outside.

The battle on Teth was won without much further difficulty, and he and Obi-Wan immediately headed off to join Yoda and Athea in heading for Tatooine.

He knows that in a situation like this – where he can't shake the images of battle from mind – Yoda would probably have told him to meditate. Let it go into the Force. He grimaces at the thought. Anything Force related has never really been his thing, and he really dislikes meditating. Period. Then again, what padawan likes meditating?

He can't quite suppress the feeling of rejection that runs through him as he remembers again that Yoda isn't his master anymore. Even though he understands the reason behind the decision, it's going to take some time for the feeling of rejection to fade. It doesn't help that he can't shake the feeling that maybe someday Obi-Wan is going to decide that he's not good enough for him and pass him off to someone else.

He draws in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Stop focusing on the negative. There's still a bright side to look at. Everything about the new arrangement isn't bad though. Even after Anakin was knighted, Obi-Wan has been sent on missions with him, which means that Theseus is going to be around Ahsoka a lot more. Hopefully.

If he can't look forward to anything else, he definitely is looking forward to that. She's his best friend, and he'd spend so long terrified that she was going to be sent away to the AgriCorps and that he'd never see her again. But Anakin took her as a padawan, and they fit perfectly together, in Theseus' opinion. Their relationship isn't like anything he's ever seen before, but Anakin seems like a good teacher.

And speaking of Anakin... he's not really sure what to think of him after their initial, rather cold interactions. But at the same time, he also kind of wants to get to know him better. Especially considering the fact that he's pretty sure he does understand Anakin attitude, so he's not exactly mad at him for it.

Fine. If he can't sleep, he may as well make himself useful and go see if he can do anything a little productive. Because he is absolute not going to stop and mediate. Just no.

Theseus slips out of the cabin, going in search of Obi-Wan. He finds him talking Cody and waits nearby until the conversation is done.

"I thought you were going to get some sleep," Obi-Wan remarks as they walk through one of the halls of the cruiser.

"I'm sleepwalking," Theseus snips, then mentally kicks himself. This isn't Ahsoka, who he's talking to. He needs to remember that. This is his master, and he needs to stay respectful.

Obi-Wan only looks amused though. "Well, don't give yourself a black eye by blindly walking into a wall."

He smothers a laugh at that. "How did I do today?" he asks finally, something that he's been wondering ever since they returned to the cruiser.

"You did well," assures Obi-Wan.

The direction of the conversation promptly sends images from the battle – and his nightmares only minutes ago – flashing through his mind again. When he first became Yoda's padawan right before the battle of Geonosis, this was definitely not the kinds of things he was expecting to be doing.

Really, the Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers, not soldiers. But all he's been seeing the past couple months is fighting, and the war only seems to be growing more intense. This... it hardly feels like they should even be getting involved in this. "I don't understand," he admits after a moment, "We're supposed to be peacekeepers, but there isn't any peace anymore. Shouldn't we be trying to find a peaceful end to the war instead of fighting?"

"We would have already, but the problem is, negotiating with the Separatists is for the Senate, not the Jedi," Obi-Wan explains. "It's not within the Jedi's jurisdiction to do that, at least not without approval from the Senate which they aren't giving. Besides, it's been made illegal to talk to the Separatists." What? That's the dumbest thing he's ever heard.

"Why?" he exclaims.

"Politics," he states dryly. "It shouldn't be much longer before we come out of hyperspace. I'll prepare to go down to the surface. You can go back to take some rest if you want."

Theseus nods before heading off. But no, he has no intention of heading back to his room. Now is probably the best opportunity he's going to have for something else, and he's not going to miss it. Glancing around the cruiser to make sure that no one is paying attention to him, he takes off for where he knows Athea Shan's room is.

He hates this. Feeling like he's sneaking out and committing a crime or something by going to see her. Like he's violating the Code because it's an attachment, and this, in particular, is something no other Jedi has that he knows of. Except him.

A part of his mind has to take the opportunity to remind him that with his attachments he's never going to be able to be a perfect Jedi. Maybe that's why Yoda didn't want him. He shoves the thoughts aside, picking up his pace as he hurries to her room. He's not going to let those thoughts ruin his visit. It's been too long.

He knocks lightly on the door and hears a click on the side. "Come in," calls Athea.

The door finally slides open to reveal the black-robed Jedi Master, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Hello, Mother," Theseus greets with a smile.

"Theseus," she replies warmly, stepping over and pulling him into a hug. "How have you been?"

"Tired," he supplies, "But I'll be alright."

"I only wish you hadn't been raised under these conditions."

"I'll be fine," he assures, grateful for her concern. "I'm just glad to not be sitting at the Temple when there's a war going onm and I could be helping."

"Hm?" she chuckles. "So, there's a war going on and all you can think about is rushing into the front lines?"

"Yep!" he agrees cheerfully, then sobers. "Mother, there are people dying. Jedi are dying. I was Master Yoda's padawan. That leaves me at a high standard. I couldn't simply sit back."

"Don't beat yourself up over things that you don't have control over. The droids will do a good enough job at that." She cracks a small smile.

Theseus snorts. "That's for sure."

"Just take care of yourself. You'll never be able to help win the war if you don't," she warns. Theseus tries to suppress the sudden yawn as he remembers how worn out he actually is right now. He doesn't need to worry about that – "Did you get any sleep?" she frowns. So much for that.

"Well, I tried, but I just... couldn't, I guess," he admits.

She nods in understanding. "Did you try meditating? Maybe we should do it together so I can help you." Oh no, he was really hoping to avoid this.

"Uh..." he trails off, gaze darting to the window. "I'm not sure there's... time?" Lame excuse. She's never going to buy that.

An amused look flickers across her face. "Now you're making up excuses. Come on." Without bothering to wait for a response, his mother sits down on the floor, shifting in a meditative position. Fine. There's no getting out of this. Besides, it probably will help, even if he doesn't want to take the time to actually do it.

Theseus sits down across from her, closing his eyes and allowing himself to slowly drift away into the currents of the Force, letting the warm presence of his mother to help him relax. It's a lot easier, he has to admit, when there's someone there with him. An actual person to help ground him, beyond using the Force. Which raises the question again of why is that wrong? To have someone – several someone's – that's he this close with.

He shoves the thought aside, focusing instead on letting the words of the Jedi Code run through his mind. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

Chapter Text

"What kind of shortcut?" Theseus demands, raising an eyebrow.

"Something undoubtedly more risky than the rest of the plan combined," Obi-Wan deadpans.

"That sure made me feel better about it," he mumbles under his breath, turning to look out the front viewport of the bridge. The Separatist mystery weapon that's been the cause of the death of countless Jedi and clones over the past several weeks was finally discovered. It's apparently an ion cannon on one of the most enormous ships yet, that takes out all the power on its target, so it can be completely destroyed without being able to fight back.

Now this ship called the Malevolence – how appropriate, Theseus must say – is heading for a medical center with literally 60,000 injured clones. And Anakin just decided to leave the main fleet with Ahsoka, Plo, and a small group of clones to take a shortcut,in the hopes of reaching the station before General Grievous does. Theseus would still like to know what exactly that entails.

Obi-Wan sends a transmission through to Anakin's ship as the fighters prepare to jump into hyperspace. "I hope you know what you're doing, Anakin," he says.

"I do," Anakin replies curtly. Dully, almost. With the same tone he's always been using on Obi-Wan.

"Well, take your shortcut, and we'll take the long way. But you better be there before I arrive."

"I'll be there." The transmission cuts out there.

The rest of the trip through hyperspace Theseus spends standing tensely near Obi-Wan, while trying to resist the urge to pace back and forth nervously. They streak out of hyperspace to see smoke and flames billowing out of part of the Malevolence. It's already been badly damaged.

Obi-Wan puts a call through to Anakin again. "Anakin, do you copy?" he demands.

"I'm here," comes the reply.

"Congratulations. It looks like your mission was a success," he compliments.

"Partially, but Grievous is still alive," Anakin responds. "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."

"I'll be ready," he answers before the connection breaks.

Obi-Wan turns to the clones on the deck. "All right, let's finish what Anakin started. Ahead full!" The Star Destroyer trembles ever so slightly as all of the guns open fire on the Malevolence. Explosions rip across the ship, and fires start licking in several areas.

"Commander, what is the damage level to the enemy ship?" Obi-Wan asks finally. Even with all of the laser blasts striking the ship, it seems to be holding together pretty well. Things can never be easy for once, can they?

"She's lost her primary shields and stabilizers," reports Cody, "But the ship is so massive, it can take all the fire our cannons can give it." Great. That's what Theseus was afraid of.

"We must summon reinforcements," Master Plo decides. He came in to join them not long ago.

"That's why I'm here, Master Plo," Anakin's voice sounds as he strides through the doors, Ahsoka following.

"Anakin, were you able to contact Master Luminara?" Obi-Wan inquires.

"Yes, Master. She's busy with a fleet of Separatist reinforcements nearby," Anakin replies. "She won't be able to give us support until she's turned them away."

"Then we'll have to make do with what we have," Obi-Wan sighs, turning as Yularen walks up. "Admiral, status report."

"They're not attempting to jump to hyperspace. Their hyperdrive must be damaged."

"This is our chance!" exclaims Obi-Wan, turning back to the clones, "All ships target the bridge. Maximum firepower."

Ahsoka steps over to some of the ship's controls. Theseus moves to stand next to her, looking over the scanners. A signal from another ship suddenly appears on the scanners near the Malevolence. Strange. Did Grievous call for reinforcements?

"Master," Ahsoka calls, "I'm picking up a signal near the enemy vessel."

"It looks like something just came out of hyperspace," Theseus adds. "It looks like a... Naboo ship?"

"Gunners, stand down!" Obi-Wan orders sharply. "What in the blazes are they doing out here?"

"Contact that ship," orders Anakin.

Ahsoka pushes a button, before calling over the comms, "Naboo cruiser! Identify yourself."

A hologram flickers to life above the controls. "This is Senator Amidala," she states.

Anakin pushes past the padawans to the controls. "Padme? What are you doing out here?" he demands urgently. First name basis? They must know each other very well.

"I was sent on a special mission. The Senate was told the Banking Clan wanted to negotiate a treaty," Padme replies. That sounds... more than a little suspicious. The Banking Clan has deals with the Separatists after all, and they undoubtedly arranged this on purpose. It can't be a coincidence.

"Get out of there as fast as you can!" Anakin orders. He looks seconds away from panicking, and it makes Theseus wonder how long the two have known each other. From what he heard, Anakin had been assigned to protect her at the beginning of the war, and he doesn't know how they could have known each other from before, but they're acting like close friends.

The ship Senator Amidala is on suddenly jolts violently. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that," she says to someone of screen.

"Padme, what's happening?" Anakin demands. The fear Theseus can feel from him right now is overwhelming and very distracting.

"I'm being pulled inside the droid cruiser by a tractor beam. I will not be made a Separatist bargaining chip. Continue your attack. You must destroy this monstrous ship!" Padme orders before the hologram disappears.

Anakin pauses only a moment, before turning to the Admiral, expression one of grim determination. "Admiral, order our ships to stop firing." The shooting ceases instantly.

"I thought she told you not to do that?" Theseus asks.

Anakin doesn't bother granting a response. He spins and starts heading for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Obi-Wan calls after.

"Somebody has to save her skin," Anakin retorts, hurrying through the doorway.

"I thought you might say that." Obi-Wan heads after him. Theseus only takes a moment to consider before following the two of them. If they're going to be stupid and reckless and nearly get themselves killed, he'll be with them. By the time they've caught up to Anakin, he's already seated in the pilot's seat of the Twilight.

"I trust you've already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the Senator?" quips Obi-Wan as they step into the cockpit.

"I have." He doesn't look up from where he is hitting buttons on the controls.

"But do we have a plan B? Every operation needs a backup, Anakin."

"I don't have a backup. Yet," he replies, "But I do have a plan for getting on that ship."

"Care to share?" queries Theseus, taking the seat behind the pilot's chair. He still can't believe Anakin insisted on "saving" this ship from Tatooine, as Ahsoka put it. But it sure does look a lot less like trash compared to the last time he saw it. He must have spent a lot of time working on it.

"The enemy's sensors are obviously damaged, so we'll sneak in behind them and dock at the emergency airlock," Anakin explains, firing up the engine.

"That's your plan?!" exclaims Obi-Wan, "Just fly there, land, hope they don't spot us, and walk in the door?"

"Basically."

"Oh, brilliant! Let's get going."

Theseus shifts a little uneasily in his seat as he stares out the cockpit viewport at the massive ship they're rapidly approaching. He's not sure how of good an idea this is. They should've continued attacking, but then again, there was little all three cruisers were able to do to a ship so massive. Maybe this way, they'll find a way to blow it up from the inside out.

"If they spot us, we'll be pulverized," Obi-Wan warns.

"They won't," Anakin replies stiffly.

"Subtlety has never been one of your strong points," the Jedi Master sighs. Anakin ignores the comment, flying the ship up the airlock and landing.

"At least we aren't space dust. Yet," chirps Theseus as they exit the ship. The tension is too high when he's there with Obi-Wan and Anakin. He hates how it feels like he's gotten in the way and messed up the relationship they used to have.

"We do not want to be spotted," Obi-Wan warns as they step up to the elevator doors. They slide open to reveal two battle droids who jump back in surprise.

"I knew it!" squawks one of them, "It's them!"

"Oh no!" cries the other.

The three activate their lightsabers in unison, but by the time Theseus makes it over to them, Anakin and Obi-Wan have already cut down the droids. "You stay here, Artoo," Anakin instructs. They take off running down the hall of the cruiser. Do they even know where they're going, or are they running blind? Theseus decides to keep the comments to himself for now.

Seriously, why are the halls on all cruisers so identical? How does anyone ever find their way around. At least the droids are lucky that they have a mechanical brain to store all this stuff in.

As they round a corner into another yet identical long boring hall, Anakin's comm beeps. "Yes?" he answers.

"Master," Ahsoka's voice crackles through, "We've found the Senator. I'm patching her though."

"Padme?" Anakin demands urgently.

"Anakin!" she exclaims. First name basis for both of them? They're definitely pretty good friends.

"Are you alright? Where are you?" presses Anakin.

"On the lower levels," she replies, "I'm fine but I don't know for how long. Droids are everywhere."

"Obi-Wan, Theseus, and I are onboard too," Anakin tells her.

"What?!" she cries, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to get you off this ship," he says, "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. It should be halfway between the two of you," the Togruta reports.

"We're on our way," Anakin declares, "Did you hear that, Padme?"

"I'll be there," the Senator confirms. The connection breaks and the three Jedi take off running again.

"How does anyone find their way around here?" Theseus huffs finally.

"You get used to it," Obi-Wan offers.

They've been running for some time, ducking droids as best they can, when they finally reach the center part of the ship Ahsoka told them about. There are many entrances on multiple levels to the large central area. Transport trains are moving down their tracks everywhere. It must be the main transport area of the ship.

"I don't see her, Anakin," frowns Obi-Wan, scanning the scene.

"She's here, Master, I sense it," Anakin insists. As if on cue, blaster shots suddenly ring out, instantly drawing their attention to an opening on the other side of the area. Padme and a golden protocol droid run down a ramp, coming to a stop as she fires over her shoulder again, presumably at battle droids.

"There!" Anakin exclaims, igniting his lightsaber. He leaps off the ledge, landing on a passing train. Obi-Wan and Theseus are quick to follow, landing a short distance behind him. Blaster bolts suddenly fly straight at them. They deflect them back, taking out all three battle droids in one of the doorways.

The Senator knocks her protocol droid onto one of the trains and jumps after, but the droid slides off onto another one, separating them. "Padme!" Anakin calls, jumping down onto another nearby transport.

"We should go after the droid," Obi-Wan instructs.

A sudden explosion back in the open area takes out the track the Senator's train is on, and Anakin uses the Force to carry her over to him. "Nice catch," Obi-Wan says with a knowing smirk. "We'll fetch the droid."

The transport that Anakin and Padme are on disappears in a tunnel, and the other two make their way to the front of another train. "There he is!" exclaims Theseus as a shiny golden droid catches his eyes. It's climbing out of the crate it had fallen inside.

Obi-Wan raises a hand, lifting the droid out of the crate into the air. "Oh! What is going on?" cries the droid in alarm. Another train barreling past suddenly catches it, yanking it out of his grip and zipping away. "Blast! That's not good," he mutters, hitting a button on his comm. "Anakin, I got separated from your droid."

"Wait, it's Anakin's droid?" Theseus asks. He thought it was the Senator's. No one bothers to answer his question.

"I'll take care of it," Anakin assures, "We'll meet back at the Twilight."

"No! We can't leave yet," the Senator protests. "I overheard Grievous. Their hyperdrive is almost repaired."

"We're already headed that direction," Obi-Wan replies.

"Uh, we are?" Theseus asks.

"So, I'll make certain that the hyperdrive stays offline," Anakin announces cheerfully.

Some minutes later, Obi-Wan and Theseus have arrived in a darkened, empty hall. "We must be cautions," his master warns. "This area may be guarded."

"Got it," he replies. The doors slide open. At first, it looks like the area is simply occupied by battle droids, but then three destroyers roll up in front of them. Super battle droids march into view from the sides, effectively blocking off any escape route. The battle droids come up on the last side. This isn't good. He pulls out his lightsaber immediately, but he already knows they'll have to do something a little different if they are to escape this uninjured.

Maniacal cackling reaches his ears, and he whirls around as Grievous himself leaps to the ground in front of the battle droids. "Hello there," he croaks, "General Kenobi, did you really think I would leave the hyperdrive unguarded?" He brandishes a blaster in one hand. Which is weird. Doesn't he usually fight with lightsabers, at least according to the holonet?

Obi-Wan turns around with a far too pleasant smile. "Anything is possible," he replies thoughtfully. "You haven't exactly impressed me today."

This is the Separatist that has killed many Jedi over the few months of the war. Theseus can't help his apprehension, but refuses to let it show, instead feigning to be completely unimpressed. "So, you're the clanker –" He's heard clones call droids that before "– who thinks killing the injured makes him great? I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be such a hunchback."

Anger flashes through the cyborg's yellow eyes. "Kill them!" shouts Grievous.

All the droids immediately shift into firing position. "Jump," Obi-Wan whispers, before he flips over the destroyers. Theseus leaps after, landing right in the middle of a group of super battle droids behind the destroyers. He Force-shoves one of the destroyers back, and it rolls down the walkway, knocking over all the droids behind it. He spins around and Force-pushes the second the same way. Theseus turns, shoving the last one at Grievous as a final parting shot.

Obi-Wan cheerfully salutes the general before running out the door, his padawan right behind. "That went so well," Theseus mutters as they run.

Theseus deflects the bolts from the few droids still standing which shoot after them as they run. The Jedi Master's comm suddenly flares to life. "Obi-Wan, come in, Obi-Wan!" Anakin calls.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaims, "I'm afraid Grievous is on to us."

"Yeah, we noticed!" Anakin yells above the sound of shooting in the background. The line goes staticky as he tries to keep talking.

"They're jamming our transmissions," Obi-Wan realizes.

"Well, at least we already know we need to meet back at the Twilight," Theseus offers as they finally come to the edge of the transportation section again. They jump down onto one of the passing transports just as a group of battle droids runs up to where they were standing moments before. The droids try to jump after, but of course fall short and smash onto the nearby tracks.

Grievous suddenly crashes down atop another nearby train, before jumping over onto the one they're standing on, igniting his lightsabers as he charges, kicking everything in his path out of the way. Obi-Wan leaps onto a hook sticking out of the ceiling. He waits until the train goes past before letting go, dropping behind Grievous. The cyborg spins around, and Theseus takes the opportunity to climb over the crates and take up his position behind him.

Grievous slashes two lightsabers at Obi-Wan, who pushes back against his blades. Theseus swings at the cyborg, who quickly pulls back and parries his blow. Obi-Wan swings at Grievous again, and their blades slam into a saberlock for a moment before he shoves him back and Force-jumps away on top of a nearby train. Theseus sprints after.

Grievous charges after, landing right behind them and bringing his blades down straight for Obi-Wan's head. He dodges out of the way, jumping off the train onto a different one far below. Theseus pauses for a moment, then leaps after, right on time for the transports to finish passing each other.

They run back for the Twilight, destroying the droids in their path, and get there in time to see Anakin, Padme, and the droids already getting on board. "Artoo, release the docking clamp," Anakin orders as Obi-Wan contacts the cruiser to let them know they can continue the attack.

The Twilight finally flies away from the Malevolence as the cruisers open fire on it again. "Time for some clever tricks, Anakin," Obi-Wan quips as several vulture droids swoop into view, shooting at them.

"That's what I was thinking," he agrees, and the ship promptly goes for a spin. It jolts violently, throwing everyone standing off balance. "You know, we have guns!" Anakin reminds, "You can shoot back anytime."

"Right!" mutters Theseus, scrambling over to the controls. He's never used this ship in space battles before, but it's not hard to get the hang of it.

"I was just about to," Obi-Wan is quick to insist.

The ship suddenly jolts as a laser shot hits the wing. Theseus finally pulls the trigger, blasting the first of the droids into pieces. He continues firing.

Artoo suddenly beeps. "Pardon me, sir," the protocol droid speaks up, "But Artoo's scan of the enemy's ship indicates their hyperdrive is activating."

"Don't worry about it," Anakin reassures them, continuing to fly.

"What?" asks Obi-Wan suspiciously.

"Let's just say it's part of the plan."

The Malevolence suddenly blasts forwards, straight into the large moon. A tremendous explosion of pinkish light illuminates the atmosphere as the ship is blown into pieces from the crash.

"I imagine you had something to do with that?" Obi-Wan queries rhetorically, smirking slightly.

***

Anakin is almost surprised at how easily Obi-Wan and Theseus agree to leave the Twilight, allowing him and Padme to spend a few minutes together. Of course, she notices immediately that something is very wrong. "It's nothing," he tries to insist. To brush it off, because he really doesn't want to explain to anyone how hurt he is Obi-Wan decided to get a padawan so quickly, despite Anakin's objections. Because really, it doesn't matter.

"Ani," she insists, catching his gaze, "Talk to me. I know something is troubling you."

He wants to. He really, really wants to, but he hardly knows how or where to start. "I asked him not to," he says finally, "But he actually wanted to take him, so he still did it." Unlike with Anakin. He never wanted him. He only did it because of the promise to Qui-Gon. "I was just a promise. What more does he want me to do before I'm enough?"

"Ani, you are enough," she insists, reaching up to touch his face. "Never let yourself think otherwise. I know Obi-Wan cares for you, even if he does a bad job showing it. He was trained to suppress emotions his whole life. He never grew up outside the Temple like you did. He never learned that there's times when doing so isn't the best course of action, and that sometimes you need to do more than just focus on duty."

What would he do without her? It was Padme who was there when his mother died. When he was Knighted and left on his own, and when he was appointed general of the 501st, going completely against all the beliefs he had been raised with. It was Padme who was there for him. When he got Ahsoka, she had been the only one to ask Anakin if he thought he could do it. Obi-Wan had basically brushed him off when he said he wasn't ready. Not that he minds that he got Ahsoka – he loves the girl already – but he wasn't ready. He still isn't.

"You should talk to each other," Padme adds. "It's the only way you'll be able to sort this out."

Anakin sighs. Yes, he knows that's what he should do, but there's no way he's ready to have a conversation like that with Obi-Wan. "I will," he says finally, but when is a different story.

Chapter Text

Force-visions are a rare occurrence, but that doesn't mean he never has them. Theseus had been thinking about his crystal again when he fell asleep, wondering exactly where it could be. He knows it's time for him to get it. There's only so long he can keep using a lightsaber that isn't his own. Besides, green feels wrong for him.

Even as a distinct image of a planet forms in mind, Theseus knows he is dreaming. The terrain is covered with forests and fields, and he's pretty sure he's seen it before, probably during some of his studies at the Temple, because he knows he's never been there before.

The scene shifts again in front of him, showing a cave where crystals rise out of the ground before finally fading.

Dantooine, he realizes, jolting awake. That's the place it was showing him. So maybe that's where he's supposed to go to find a crystal for his lightsaber. After so long, he was beginning to wonder if he could ever find the place.

***

"Are space snakes really that interesting?" Ahsoka finally can't hold back the comment any longer. Really, how long has he been staring at that same page?

Theseus jumps at the sudden noise, knocking the record he's reading straight onto the floor with a crash. "What?" he huffs as he leans down to pick it up. She can't quite smother a giggle.

He gives her a mock glare. "You know, it's un-Jedi like to laugh at other people's misfortunes."

"Well, you've literally been staring at that page for the past fifteen minutes."

"I was just –"

"Daydreaming?"

"Thinking about stuff," Theseus finishes, ignoring the interruption.

"What sort of 'stuff'" she asks, a little curiously this time.

"I had a vision... I think," he answers, shifting a little uncomfortably. "I think I'm supposed to go to Dantooine to get my lightsaber crystal."

"Oh!" she exclaims. Of all places in the galaxy, that would not have been one of her guesses. "Have you spoken with Master Obi-Wan about it?"

"Not yet," he admits.

"Well, you should soon. Before we're sent off to the fronts again."

Theseus nods, briefly eyeing Qui-Gon's lightsaber, which he's still using, before he stands up. "We should probably be going now anyway. It's getting late."

"Well, I think we still have about ten more minutes before Master Anakin gets out of that class of younglings he's with, but yes, we probably should get going," Ahsoka agrees, standing up and following him over to the shelf to put the records they were reading away.

"I was wondering what happened to you," a familiar voice suddenly speaks up from right behind them. Ahsoka looks up to see a Mirialan girl who's been in many of the same classes as her and Theseus over the years, walking over to them. She's someone neither of them has ever gotten along with, and definitely not someone Ahsoka feels like dealing with right now. She doesn't need her ruining the first surprisingly good day she's had in a long time.

The girl snickers about nothing apparent, gaze focusing on Theseus. "I was beginning to think Master Kenobi got rid of you like Master Yoda did."

Ahsoka's eyes narrow angrily, and Theseus stiffens ever so slightly – probably only visible to her since she knows him so well. Seriously, she knows that's still a sensitive topic for her friend and if she was younger, she might have punched the Mirialan for bringing it up like that.

"You ever wonder why he got rid of you?" she smirks, going on before either of them has a chance to say a word, "'cause he knew you'd never amount to anything with the way you are. It's not going to be long before Master Kenobi realizes the same thing."

The Jedi Council doesn't really have time to deal with all the internal fighting. It's sad, but it's something Ahsoka learned a long time ago. At a young age, she's learned to fend for herself. "You've made it clear you're jealous," Ahsoka cuts in, interrupting the girl. "So why don't you leave?" Someone like her will never make it to becoming a proper Jedi, not that Ahsoka would say that to her face. It would make her no better than the Mirialan herself if she did.

A cruel smile twists the girl's lips as she looks over at Ahsoka. "You're too wild and uncontrolled to ever be a proper Jedi. That's why no one ever wanted you in the first place. You should have been sent to the AgriCorps," she sneers. "Your Chosen One too will realize how useless you really are. Wait to see what he thinks of you then."

"I'll be waiting," Ahsoka growls back, bristling. She had been too old when she was taken. If Anakin hadn't agreed to take her, she would have gone to the AgriCorps. It had been her greatest fear back in those first days, letting Anakin down and him deciding he didn't want her anymore.

"Neither of you are good enough for them," the girl insists. "Eventually, they'll see it, too." Which basically confirms Ahsoka's suspicious that all this is about petty jealousy. Anakin is the alleged Chosen One and everyone around her aged worshiped him. Of course, there will be some people like this.

Theseus eyes the girl, somehow managing to keep a more or less even expression although Ahsoka can sense his growing anger. "There is no emotion," he chides, "There is peace." The girl glares at them a moment longer before stalking away. "Finally," he grumbles. "I really don't understand why no one stops those people."

"The Jedi do have other, more important matters to deal with," Ahsoka reminds. "Now, maybe you should go tell Master Obi-Wan about your vision? The sooner you get your crystal, the better."

"What's this about crystals?" a new voice asks, making Ahsoka jump and turn.

"Master! I thought it would take you longer."

"I guess it's a good thing I managed to get off earlier." He seems mildly exasperated but cheerful at once, and it makes Ahsoka wonder exactly why he doesn't spend more time teaching. He's a great teacher, and it helps him a lot.

"I think I know where to get my crystal, that's all," the other padawan says, "I'll probably be going to get it soon, and then I'll have my own lightsaber." He sounds like he's in a rush to leave, as he usually is whenever Anakin is nearby. It irritates Ahsoka that the two of them don't talk to each other, but she knows Anakin is having a difficult time, even if it's hard to understand why. She knows, logically, that everyone has emotions, even him, but it's hard to think of him that way. She's thought of him as a hero more than a person, she realizes that now.

"That's nice," Anakin comments, and though his response is delayed, she thinks he genuinely means it.

"Anyway, I'll go find Master Obi-Wan now. Bye, Ahsoka!" Theseus calls and hurries off. She watches him leave with a slight frown. He's always so quick to leave.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Anakin asks.

"Not really, no," she replies, deciding not to mention anything about the girl who passed by. "I'm glad for him. He's never used his own lightsaber before." She can't even imagine what that must be like.

"Yeah," he agrees thoughtfully. "It... will be nice when he doesn't have to use Master Qui-Gon's anymore."

That immediately reminds Ahsoka of the million questions she really wants answered, so she jumps on the opportunity. "Did you know him?" she inquires.

His expression darkens slightly. "Yeah." There's a hint of pain and longing that burns in his eyes, enough to remind Ahsoka that his past is a topic she's not supposed to ask about, but she's curious. "He's the one who brought me to the Temple, so I guess the way I feel about him is the same as you and Master Plo."

Ahsoka isn't sure why the thought of him looking at anyone like a father figure other than Obi-Wan is strange, but it is.

"Oh, so you knew him for several years... before?"

He shakes his head. "Only a few days. I was brought late." He turns away from her. "Come on. We should go." Wait, that means Anakin wasn't brought to the Temple until he was nine? Well, there's definitely a lot of things Ahsoka still has to learn about her master.

***

You should talk to him. Padme's words echo in Anakin's mind. Yes, he knows he should, but he still can't bring himself to do it. He doesn't want his former master to know exactly how upset he is about everything. He doesn't want anyone to, especially not the man who hurt him. It's really not Obi-Wan's problem Anakin can't control himself, anyway, so why burden him with it? There is no time for it, anyway. Not with the war going on and with a new padawan. He needs to focus, so he's been doing his best to go about pretending nothing's wrong.

So, he's been maybe a little too cold around Rex, trying only to focus on the war. For Ahsoka, it's easy. She hardly knows him, and she has so much to deal with herself; it makes him feel much better focusing only on her whenever she's around. With Padme, he dodges the topic altogether. And he's been avoiding Obi-Wan as much as possible, which has been working, especially since Theseus seems to have realized Anakin isn't ready to talk to them yet.

But still, Padme's words won't stop ringing in his head. Shortly after Obi-Wan and Theseus leave Coruscant, Anakin goes to talk to Palpatine. It seemed to be a perfect opportunity, and he's really the only person Anakin can turn to now, the only place he doesn't feel like he's needed to be someone everyone looks up to.

"It's Kenobi's loss," the Chancellor insists once Anakin pours out what happened. "You're the best Jedi I've ever known. They don't deserve to have you, I'm afraid. As I have said many times before, you will become far more powerful than Yoda, in time."

And it's true. Anakin can feel his power, his skills growing bit by bit every day, every battle. Though he can't say he agrees with the rest of it, it's a relief to know there's still someone out there who supports him.

***

Theseus can feel the strength of the Force as he slowly makes his way into the dark cave on Dantooine in search of his crystal. A faint multi-colored glow is emanating from around the corner as he continues on.

He can sense the faint echoes of the Force signatures of those who were once here, a long time ago. There are many, but one seems to stand out the strongest, the most powerful of them all. A presence of both light and dark. Probably someone well-known of a different time, Theseus muses as he keeps moving.

Dantooine isn't used much for crystals anymore since pretty much all Jedi get theirs on Ilum. Why was his not on Ilum? What if he doesn't find his here either? The vision was clear enough, he supposes, but he can't help but worry anyway. What if he's not meant to have his own lightsaber because he'll never succeed as a Jedi anyway? He knows he has a lot of darkness in him, and besides, he's technically breaking the Code every time he talks to his mother.

Trying to suppress the thoughts, Theseus keeps walking through the cave, finally turning another corner. Sparkling stalagmite shaped crystals – green, blue, and even yellow – jut out of the floor of the cave only a little further on. Now for the next question. How is he supposed to find his crystal? It's been so long since he heard it explained, and it wasn't really something he was thinking about when he came here, either. All he remembers for sure is that if he sees his, he'll know.

It's then that he hears a sudden movement behind him. Theseus spins around, hand automatically reaching for Qui-Gon's lightsaber, only to remember that he didn't bring it in here with him. He'd left it outside with Obi-Wan.

A dark robed figure stands behind him, a hood pulled over his head though he's wearing a mask. He's clothed in armor, but what stands out the most is the mask. It's black and red, and Theseus knows who it is almost immediately.

Darth Revan.

What?! That's impossible. This doesn't make sense. Either this is a vision, or he has gone completely mad from spending too much time researching his ancestors, because he distinctly remembers his mother telling him one time that they're descendants of Revan, and later, Satele Shan. Revan, the Jedi turned Sith, who fought during the Mandalorian Wars. The most powerful known Force-sensitive until Anakin.

"What?!" Theseus gasps. "You can't be here! That's impossible."

"If you remain among the Jedi, you will never see your destiny," he warns ominously, completely ignoring all of Theseus's unspoken questions.

"What destiny?" he demands, immediately on edge. He doesn't like the sound of this.

"Young one, the Force has existed long before the Jedi and Sith divided it into sides. To achieve balance, you must master the Force in its entirety."

He's asking Theseus to use the Dark Side? "I don't think so," he retorts. "I'm a Jedi, like my master." And his family. That won't ever change. It's what he's spent his whole life working for.

"You must be prepared," Revan warns, "It is foolish to believe there is only one way."

"If you're trying to tempt me with the Dark Side, it won't work," Theseus insists.

"You still have much to learn about the Force," the former Sith Lord replies. He suddenly disappears, leaving the padawan somewhat shaken. What was that? He knows it was a vision, but that doesn't mean it isn't seriously bothering him.

He's snapped out of his thoughts at the sudden sound of lightsabers clashing sounds through the cave. What? What is happening? He immediately follows the sound, heading deeper into the cave, only to freeze at the sight in front of him. A hooded Sith is fighting with his mother and Ahsoka, the red blade moving in a deadly blur, forcing the two of them to back away.

Where is his lightsaber when he needs it?! Maybe he should have brought it with him. Wait. What are they doing in here anyway?

The Sith suddenly swings higher than his mother's next blow, blade slashing through the hilt of her lightsaber, before it promptly impales her.

"No!" cries Theseus in horrified denial. Someone tell him she didn't just – She can't be. She can't –

The Sith picks up Ahsoka with the Force, throwing her hard into the wall and she collapses to the ground, motionless. Theseus reaches out with the Force, grabbing his mother's lightsaber and igniting it. Whoever this person is, he's not going to get away with what he's done.

The robed figure slowly turns around, and now that he's facing him – even through the darkness of the cave – Theseus can make out the identity of the figure. His own face stares back at him, yellow eyes practically glowing in the darkness.

"W-what?" he stammers, freezing mid-move about to attack the Sith.

"They'll always leave you," hisses his other self. "So why bother protecting them?" Then all at once everyone disappears as though they were never there, including the lightsaber in Theseus' hands.

Okay, seriously, enough of this. He needs to get his crystal and get out, because if he runs into one more Sith, he might go insane, except he almost doesn't want to go any farther. He wants to get out. He's completely shaken up from the last vision. Seeing himself kill his mother and injure his best friend has disturbed him deeply.

The Force is calling to him, though. Theseus raises his head again, almost not daring to but still risking it. One crystal stands out especially brightly against the darkness of the cave. He approaches slowly, almost expecting something else to happen, but nothing does. When he carefully takes it, the crystal feels cool on his hand, but he can feel the extreme Force-concentration in it. Hurriedly, Theseus heads back outside. There's no need to stay any longer than necessary.

"You found it?" Obi-Wan asks when Theseus finally arrives back at the waiting ship.

"Yeah," he says, grip tightening slightly on the purple kyber crystal.

"Time to leave, then," Obi-Wan decides, "You can get to work on making the lightsaber now."

Theseus nods, wasting no time in heading to the cabin to get to work. He brought all of the parts with him, so he'd be able to construct it on the way back to Coruscant. He scans over them as he prepares to get to work. The main metal he plans on using in it is beskar – something his mother gave him. It's one of the strongest metals, enough to resist blaster shots and a brief blow from a lightsaber. His mother apparently got some during the extended period of time she was on Mandalore. She decided to keep it with her.

Theseus doesn't know much about it because she never really talks about it, but he does know that that's where he was born. Is his father Mandalorian? Who even is his father? He has no idea. He's never asked before, and after so many years it would seem almost strange to bring it up now. At times, he really wants to know more than anything, but... Well, more than likely, it's someone he'll never get to meet anyway. Maybe it's better if he doesn't know. As a Jedi, he shouldn't even care to know anything about his family.

Sometimes, he still can't believe the Council allowed his mother to stay in the Order after he was born. They do believe in second chances, he supposes, and it's not as though he knows all of the details of the situation in the first place. It would be plainly weird to ask her about it. Still, he's quite certain that they have no idea how close she is with him, because if they did, they'd probably make sure they weren't able to keep on communicating – except when required in Council meetings.

Anyway, he has things to be doing right now, like making his lightsaber. Not reflecting on things from long ago, though he still can't get the vision of Revan out of his head. Forcing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he focuses on beginning to assemble the pieces.

He loses track of time as he works silently, getting all of the pieces ready to slide into place. Finally, he uses the Force to lift all the pieces and secure them together. The crystal is extremely strong with the Force, and he can already feel the bond they have.

The saber is a relatively simple design. The hilt is curved, with a leather wrap. The emitter barrel is lined with radiator grooves. It's not until it's done, that he realizes how much it resembles Dooku's, but he thinks it suits him anyway.

Finally, he pushes the ignition button, a purple blade hissing to life. He can't believe it. After so long, he finally has a lightsaber of his own.

Chapter Text

Spacewalking is definitely a first, and this is seriously reminding Theseus of when they snuck aboard the Malevolence, hoping that no one would notice. He and Obi-Wan land silently on the top of the Separatist cruiser, and Obi-Wan pushes a button to open an airlock, so they both can slip silently inside.

The clanking sound of marching battle droids reaches his ears almost instantly, and they press back against the wall as a patrol passes by. Dodging and ducking the droids, they make their way to a control room.

"We'll have to move fast," Obi-Wan warns him through their bond as they come to a doorway. Battle droids are working at various controls on either side of the room. They sprint across the room, disappearing behind a slamming door before the droids even look up. They're so dumb sometimes. A human guard would never make the same mistake.

"At least we're finally in the detention block," Theseus observes, glancing around the darkened hallway. That was easier than he expected. Obi-Wan approaches one of the doors, pushing a button. The two people inside look up in surprise as the door to the cell opens.

"Don't bother to get up. You're not the prisoner I'm looking for," Obi-Wan says, pushing the button so the door slams in their faces as they start running towards the entrance anyway.

Obi-Wan opens another door a little further down the hall, stepping into the dimly lit cell. There's no one even in here. What – a blur drops from the ceiling, and they whirl around on instinct, igniting their lightsabers.

"Oh, it's you," Anakin exclaims, standing up.

"This is how you thank me for rescuing you? Pounce on me from the ceiling?" Obi-Wan quips, deactivating his blade and holding out Anakin's lightsaber to him.

"Kind of difficult without a – lightsaber. Thanks," Anakin mutters, taking the weapon.

"Did you manage to locate Dooku before landing in jail?" Obi-Wan asks as they head back out into the hall.

"Well, I know he's on board," Anakin replies, "Might have been able to do something about it if I'd had my weapon."

"Well, the point was to take him together, wasn't it?" points out Theseus. He's heard enough about the Sith Lord to know that's how Anakin lost his arm at the start of the war, and he really doesn't want a repeat of anything like that.

"It was important for you to arrive without it," insists Obi-Wan, "So your capture would be convincing."

"Oh, they were convinced alright, but we should get moving before they figure out something's wrong," Anakin reminds, and the trio hurry down the hall. It takes a surprisingly short amount of time for them to arrive at the room where the Sith is.

Dooku is sitting in the middle of the room in a meditative position. "Surprise, surprise," sings out Anakin, igniting his lightsaber. Obi-Wan and Theseus ignite their own, casting a blue and purple glow across the room.

"If it isn't Count Dooku," Obi-Wan greets.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Dooku replies calmly. Apparently, Theseus and Anakin aren't worthy of recognition. The padawan keeps the remark to himself. "I thought I sensed an unpleasant disturbance in the Force. I see you've freed young Skywalker. Where might he be if you weren't always around to rescue him?"

As if in response, the entire floor suddenly jolts. Even as it stills, vibrations continue to run through the ship, and the faint sounds of battle can be heard from outside. The Republic cruisers have finally arrived.

"Your ship is surrounded, Count," Obi-Wan warns, "Republic troops are boarding as we speak."

"Jedi fools," scoffs Dooku, and all at once the platform he's sitting on drops down straight out of sight. Anakin and Theseus run forwards as it disappears down a long grey tunnel going to the lower levels of the ship.

"I should have seen that coming," groans Obi-Wan.

"Come on!" calls Theseus, preparing to jump.

"What are you doing?" cries Obi-Wan.

"Following him," Anakin replies.

"Not that way!" the Jedi Master protests, "We need to cut him off!"

"That's why we need to split up!" the padawan retorts.

"You cut him off!" Anakin calls as he leaps over the edge, "I'll follow him and meet you at the hanger!" Theseus jumps after. Dooku soon comes into view as they slide down the tunnel.

He raises a hand, blasting lightning up at them. Anakin raises his lightsaber to deflect it. Theseus is safely out of reach behind Anakin, but it's blindingly bright so he has to look away. The assault suddenly ceases as they come to a partition in the tunnel. Anakin lands on the divider, and Theseus clumsily moves aside to avoid knocking him off.

"Oh, great," Anakin huffs.

"I'll take left," Theseus calls as he slides past. Anakin leaps down the other.

The padawan lands in a hanger, in time to see several ships and vulture droids flying out through the shield covering the opening to outer space. Another ship is in the middle of taking off. Anakin lands nearby a moment later and runs over to the ship, jumping onto the closing ramp. Theseus scrambles on board barely in time before it closes.

"I thought you were following Dooku," Obi-Wan calls as they run into the cockpit.

"I was. I followed him here," Anakin retorts.

Blaster shots from battle droids strike the side of the ship as it blasts out of the hanger, barely making it through before the doors close. Their ship speeds after the escaping Dooku as Obi-Wan contacts Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, Dooku managed to escape. We're in pursuit, but we could use reinforcements. Follow us in what ships you can round up."

"We'll get there as soon as we can," the Togruta replies.

Obi-Wan starts firing at the droids, and Dooku's ship is hit almost immediately. It starts crashing down towards a nearby planet, leaving a long trail of smoke behind. "That was easy," Anakin remarks.

"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent shot," Obi-Wan quips.

The same moment, several vulture droids spin around, open firing on them. "Incoming!" warns Theseus.

"I'm on it," his master replies, firing repeatedly at the droids. The first one goes up in a ball of flames, but a second one scores a hit on the wing.

"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent pilot," Anakin retorts dryly as the ship plummets down for the planet's surface, right towards the same area Dooku's ship disappeared too.

It slams hard into the rocky ground, skidding for a distance along the ground. A sudden jolt nearly throws Obi-Wan face first onto the controls. "For all your expertise, this is not a very smooth landing," he grumbles.

With a final jolt, the ship comes to a stop. "If you'd hit that second fighter, we wouldn't be in this mess," Anakin shoots back.

"What a homely place to be," Theseus remarks, as he looks out the front viewport. Dark grey clouds hang low in the sky, and the ground and nearby, towering rock structures all seem to be varying shades of brown and grey. "Let's hope we won't have to stick around too long to enjoy it."

"Dooku," Anakin realizes, pointing the moment they step outside. Theseus spins the direction he's pointing to see the shuttle they were chasing is sitting a distance away.

"Looks like he's already gone sightseeing," observes Theseus as they approach the ship. The cockpit is empty.

"What's this, a homing beacon?" Obi-Wan inquires, stopping next to side of the ship where a small device is flashing.

"Which means that the distinguished Count is waiting for help," Anakin concludes with a smirk, "So he can't be far off."

"His engine is damaged. He's not going anywhere," points out Obi-Wan.

"Not without a homing beacon," Anakin says smugly, and promptly slashes through the device with his lightsaber.

They head past the crash site, approaching the rocky structures. Where could he be? "Caves are a good start," Obi-Wan asserts suddenly, motioning to a nearby dark opening in the rocks. By the time they get a few meters into them, there's not going to be any light coming in from the outside anymore. And wait a minute, Theseus doesn't use the Force much in combat, but he can sense danger lurking in the shadows in there. And life. A lot of it.

"Strange," Obi-Wan murmurs.

"You sense it too?" Anakin asks.

"Many life forms in there," replies Obi-Wan.

"And Dooku's one of them," adds Anakin.

"A lot of dangerous life forms," Theseus cautions.

"Well, let's try to get him before something else does," Obi-Wan offers.

Igniting their lightsabers, the Jedi step into the cave. "You know, it would be easier if some creature here actually did get him first," points out Theseus, speaking more to ignore his nervousness at going in here than anything, "Not to mention, very humiliating on his part."

"As satisfying as that may be, it won't happen," Anakin retorts.

"Unfortunately," mutters the padawan.

The glows of two blue and one purple lightsaber reflect off the walls of the cave, providing at least enough light to see. What are those glowing spots on the rocks anyway? He really hopes it's not a bunch of eyes. There's a sudden rumbling right above them. "What's that?" Anakin demands urgently.

"Run!" Obi-Wan yells. Theseus reacts instantly, diving aside as rocks come crashing down all around them. He finally ducks behind a nearby rock formation, trying to take shelter from all the debris. More crashes echo in the distance, likely from another part of the cave collapsing as well.

Finally, the debris from the crash begin to settle, and Theseus risks venturing out of his hiding spot. "Master?" he calls anxiously, glancing around in the darkness, "Anakin?" Alarm flares inside of him when he doesn't hear an immediate response. They better be alright. They can't have gotten hurt or worse...

"Master?" he calls again, and this time he hears movement behind him.

"I'm here, Theseus," Obi-Wan replies, stepping into view.

That only leaves Anakin. Where in the world is he? Theseus is pretty sure he didn't run when Obi-Wan told him too, which could mean – No, there's no way he could have been crushed by the rocks. That couldn't have happened. Anakin is too skilled of a Jedi for that, right?

Just then, a large rock is suddenly lifted up from in front of them with the Force and Anakin steps into view, sighing almost visibly in relief when he sees that they're okay. "You're alive!" he exclaims.

"Anakin, when I tell you to run, run," Obi-Wan sighs, "And where's your lightsaber?"

Anakin glances down at his belt with a frown. "It got knocked out of my hand."

"By the falling rocks?" Theseus asks.

"Yeah, by a rock," he agrees. "It's got to be here somewhere." He steps away into the darkness, looking over the ground for somewhere his weapon might be.

"That is a feeble excuse," Obi-Wan insists.

"Well, a huge rock did nearly fall on his head, so only losing his lightsaber is pretty good, actually," points out Theseus.

"Your lightsaber is your life, so it's still bad," contends the Jedi Master.

"You know what would be helpful?" Anakin cuts in, "A little light."

"Certainly," Obi-Wan replies, igniting his lightsaber. It hisses to life but promptly starts flickering on and off repeatedly. If their lightsabers are their lives, their chances of survival aren't looking too good right now.

"Silly thing," the Jedi Master frowns, shaking it. "It was just working a minute ago."

"You don't suppose it was hit by a rock too, do you?" Anakin retorts, moving his hand ever so lightly. A small rock hits the side of Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

"Well, let's hope mine isn't going to share the same fate," Theseus remarks, igniting his own. The purple blade hisses to life, providing a small amount of light in the darkness. He steps over to Anakin, holding the blade closer to the ground so the Knight can look for his missing weapon. But it doesn't seem to be anywhere.

"You know, for all we know, it could be buried forever beneath all those rocks," Theseus comments, motioning to the fallen pile. In fact, more than likely that's exactly where it is.

"I don't think so," Anakin objects, continuing to search. "Did you hear that?" he asks suddenly as a sudden snarl splits the air.

Two yellow glowing eyes appear at the top of the rock pile before an enormous red creature – a gundark, if Theseus is remembering right – scrambles over the top of it. Huge teeth line it's jaws as it hisses at them, before charging. It's huge, clawed feet dig into the rocks as it runs.

Theseus dodges out of its way, then takes off running, hearing Anakin close behind him. The gundark leaps over the rocks, following. Where did Obi-Wan disappear to anyway, and why isn't he trying to help out? Theseus has no idea what to do. Running at it with his lightsaber doesn't exactly seem like a very good idea.

As he and Anakin jump onto the next pile of rocks, the gundark moves a little faster, and it slams a leg into Anakin, knocking him over, its clawed foot shoving him onto the ground. Well, Theseus definitely isn't going to be running anymore. He whirls around, flipping through the air and landing on the gundark's back, stabbing his blade deep into it.

The creature lets out a ferocious howl, releasing its hold on Anakin as it tries to shake Theseus off. He slashes the blade across its side, which might have gone through the neck if the creature hadn't suddenly reared into the air, throwing him off. He rolls out of the way as its foot claws the ground where his head was a moment before. A luge rock comes flying straight at it, striking it in the head.

"I thought gundarks were only found on Vanquor," Anakin grumbles as the creature's body collapses the ground and Theseus scrambles to his feet.

"Then this system must be Vanquor," Obi-Wan replies, stepping out of the shadows. Wherever he's been this whole time.

Another growl suddenly pieces the air. "Looks like we have more company," Theseus warns.

"Sounds like another gundark," Obi-Wan agrees.

"It's too far away to worry about," Anakin objects.

"It won't stay far away," Obi-Wan says, stepping a little closer to a pile of rocks. One of them suddenly shifts slightly and with a hiss, a cloud of green gas erupts out of an opening in the ground.

"New problem!" exclaims Anakin, backing away as the gas continues pouring into the cave.

"Just when we thought things couldn't get worse," chirps Theseus.

"We did?" Anakin mutters skeptically. The padawan shrugs.

"That's not good," murmurs Obi-Wan, eyeing the growing cloud of green.

"It's just gas," offers Anakin uselessly.

"Probably toxic gas," Obi-Wan shoots back.

"That's good," Anakin quips, "Then maybe it will kill the gundarks."

"And maybe it will kill us!" the Jedi Master retorts.

"Then instead of standing around and waiting to die, maybe we should consider running?" Theseus reminds.

"Yes, let's get out of here," Obi-Wan agrees. They turn and sprint away from the gas which is rapidly filling the cave, heading for the exit on the other end. Rocks barricade the opening. How are they supposed to move these while holding their breaths at the same time?

"This isn't gonna work," Anakin warns, "I can't breathe."

"I'm open to sugges–" Obi-Wan trails off as the gas thickens around them and he's forced to hold his breath again so he doesn't breath it in. Theseus tries to focus on using the Force with the other two to lift the rocks, but they hardly move at all. He's never been good at this to begin with, but now, it's a million times more difficult.

"Don't give up now," Anakin urges as Theseus' grip on the rocks starts to loosen.

Just then, there's a sudden explosion and debris goes flying all around them. As it begins to settle, the opening of the cave comes into view.

"What just happened?" Theseus wonders looking around in confusion.

"What was that?" echoes Anakin.

"I have no idea," Obi-Wan replies.

"Master!" a familiar voice calls from the opening of the cave, and they all turn to see Ahsoka standing there, eyeing them with a hint of worry in her gaze. Rex and several other clones stand beside her, "Looks like I got here just in time," she says as the three hurry out of the cave.

And it's so relieving to finally be able to breathe fresh air without worrying about poisoning again.

"What do you mean 'just in time'?" Anakin huffs.

"You were in very big trouble," snips Ahsoka.

"Trouble? We were simply searching for Count Dooku," insists Anakin. "We had the situation well under control, my little padawan."

"I see," Ahsoka smirks, "So which part of the situation did you have under control? The blocked entrance, the poison gas, or that gundark behind you?"

"I don't think we had any of it under control, actually," Theseus points out.

"Gundark?" Obi-Wan smirks, giving Anakin a pointed look. "You mean the one that's too far away to worry about?"

A familiar snarl rings out, and Theseus looks over his shoulder in time to see another one of those creatures charging for the opening. Great. Not another gundark. The last one was bad enough. "Block the entrance," Ahsoka orders, pointing.

Rex and the other clones immediately fire their blasters at a spot right above the opening, and rocks come crashing down right in front of the gundark, blocking its path.

"Well, now that that situation actually is under control, shouldn't we be getting back to the mission?" Theseus asks.

"Yes, there's still Dooku to deal with," agrees Anakin.

"You let him get away?" Ahsoka exclaims.

"No, not get away exactly," Anakin protests, "Just..."

"We were too busy running for our lives to notice where he went," Theseus cuts in.

"Come on, we should get back to the ship," advises Obi-Wan. "Then we can run a planetary scan to see if there's a way to locate Dooku."

***

"His only stipulation is that you arrive unarmed," Windu finishes telling them as Theseus, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex stand in front of a hologram of Yoda and Windu.

"Unarmed?" repeats Obi-Wan frowning. "We know very little about these pirates. We may be walking blind into what could very well be a hostile situation." More than likely it is going to be a hostile situation. If this group of pirates that contacted the Chancellor and the Council were able to capture Dooku, who knows what else they're capable of.

"We can't let Dooku slip through our fingers again. Report back as soon as you arrive."

It isn't long before the shuttle is gliding through the atmosphere of Florrum, slowly landing on the sand covered surface. Brown clouds hang low in the sky. Really, this place looks just as homely as Vanquor.

"Theseus, stay with the ship," Obi-Wan orders as he stands up.

"But what's the point with me coming if I stay in the ship?!"

"These are pirates. For all we know, they may try raiding the ship while we're gone."

"Not as though there's much to take, but sure," he grumbles as he watches Anakin and Obi-Wan head for the door.

"This should be fun," Anakin remarks cheerfully.

"Well, I'll be missing all of it," grumbles Theseus.

"I think the poison gas and gundarks was more than enough for now," Anakin calls as he heads off.

"Follow me," Obi-Wan interrupts, ignoring the exchange altogether. They disappear from sight down the ramp. The padawan moves back to the cockpit, watching out the viewport as a group of pirates surrounds Anakin and Obi-Wan, checking them for weapons before moving out of the way and letting them past.

For whatever reason, Theseus doesn't have the best feeling about this. And he's pretty sure it's for more reasons than that he can strongly sense the Dark Side since Dooku is so close. Besides, these are pirates they're making deals with. There's no way they can trust them.

It's maybe half an hour later by the time the Jedi return. "So do they have Dooku?" Theseus asks as the two enter the cockpit and prepare to make the call back to the Council.

"Yes, and he's very cranky about it," Anakin smirks. Theseus smirks as well. Of course, he was. He would have liked to see the Count's reaction himself.

This time Palpatine and several other Senators are on the call as they give the report. "Senator Kharrus and Representative Binks will be dispatched immediately," Palpatine informs them once they finish.

"I guess we should be going," Obi-Wan declares, standing up as soon as the call disconnects.

"Wait, going where?" protests Theseus.

"The pirates invited us to a banquet," the Jedi Master explains.

"And you're seriously planning on going?"

"We needn't cause hostilities while we're here," his master replies.

Theseus frowns. He still doesn't think that it's a good idea. "Are you sure they won't try to poison you or something?" he objects.

"If they try, they won't be getting the ransom," Anakin says cheerfully.

"We'll be careful," assures Obi-Wan. "Now, we shouldn't keep them waiting. Just stay with the ship and wait for our return."

Theseus nods as the two head out of the cockpit again, though he can't shake the feeling that this is a very bad idea.

Chapter Text

A prickle of unease, not quite danger but pretty close, runs through the Force as Theseus paces back and forth in the cockpit of the ship, waiting for Obi-Wan and Anakin's return. Something is off. He suddenly senses them both fading into unconsciousness or falling asleep much too abruptly for his liking. The suspicious part is that it was practically simultaneous.

What have they gotten themselves into? He has no doubts that this was the pirates doing. Did they drug them at the banquet or something? What could they hope to gain from it? They aren't going to be getting any ransom money if they try funny business like this. Or maybe they're planning on trying to ransom Obi-Wan and Anakin to the Separatists now, after they give Dooku over to the Republic.

Theseus spins around heading for the exit, determination flooding him. Either way, he's not going to let anything happen to them. He's going to find and rescue them on his own if he has to. A situation like this probably overrides Obi-Wan's orders to stay with the ship, so...

First question is how in the world is he supposed to get into the building without anyone noticing him? Pirates are milling about everywhere near the entrance to the building. Pulling his hood up over his head, he hurries down the ramp, quickly darting out of sight behind it.

He doesn't have long before the pirates notice that something amiss. He's going to have to be fasts. Trying to push back his fears, he tries to analyze the situation.

There are way too many guards to try sneaking in the front entrance, so he'll have to get in some other way. It's too risky to go walking around the whole complex looking for another opening. More than likely, on the way, he'll run into guards and get captured too. So, the best place to start is probably on the roof.

He'll have to lay low so people on the ground can't see him. As for how to get up there... well, that's pretty easy. Using the Force to help him, he climbs up the backside of the shuttle, crouching down as he finally reaches the top.

None of the pirates have noticed him. Yet. He scoots to the edge of the shuttle and jumps. With a thump that rings out far too loudly, Theseus lands on the roof of the building and ducks down again, moving to the center of the roof so no one will be able to see him. Pirates are moving about all around the building.

So, maybe the only way to actually get inside will be through the top. Maybe he can try to feel them with the Force? His bond with Obi-Wan isn't very strong yet, and he hasn't formed one with Anakin, but their Force-presences shine out brightly; it couldn't be hard to locate them. He reaches out with the Force, wishing he'd had more practice with this. On the bright side, Anakin's presence especially shines out so strongly it's hard to miss. Slowly, he inches along the roof until he's located right over where he can sense their presences the strongest.

Given, they're probably several floors down in the compound, and he has absolutely no plan on getting out, but once he's in there, they can probably help with that. Igniting his lightsaber, he stabs the blade down into the ceiling. As soon as the circle is complete, he silently lifts it out with the Force before falling down into the hallway below.

There's no one right around here, but he can hear movement right in the next room. Well, since he needs to continue going down,the fastest option is to probably keep cutting his way through. He stabs his still-ignited lightsaber into the floor and gets to work cutting another hole.

"Stop right there, Jedi!" shouts a voice suddenly. His head snaps up to see that a pirate appeared next to the door on the other side of the room which isn't fully solid, enabling him to see Theseus clearly. The pirate shoves the door open, stalking into the room with a blaster aimed as Theseus instantly raises his lightsaber, positioning it in front of him defensively. So much for a quick escape.

The pirate promptly fires, and he spins his lightsaber, deflecting the blasts like he always does in battle. But this is attracting way too much attention, and he doesn't have time for this. Theseus charges the pirate, slicing through his blaster in a swift move before Force-kicking him backwards at the door as several more people run around the corner. He slams into the one in front who hits the one behind, and they all go tumbling into a pile on the floor.

Throwing some crates in front of the entrance to slow them down, he runs back to the spot of the floor he was at before, and quickly finishes cutting a hole. He jumps down to the floor below by the time he can hear the pirates trying to get the door back open again. He's never going to have time to cut another hole in the floor down here before they come and find him.

Fine. There are other ways to get downstairs. He sprints down the hallway, ducking back against a wall as several people pass by, one of them throwing a suspicious glance over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner. By the time the people are safely out of sight, he can hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the direction he came from. The pirates from upstairs must've gotten through his blockade already.

Great. This is a lot harder than he was expecting.

He bolts down the hall again, only to run around the corner and come face to face with several guards. They instantly pull blasters out, and the fight is on. Several shots ring out from behind him, and he dives out of the way as blaster shots strike the walls near him.

"Surrender, Jedi. You are outnumbered," one of them warns.

For a moment he's tempted to keep fighting anyway, but glancing around, he's really hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded. Instead, he focuses on making a mental note of all the guards' positions and the hallways as they take his lightsaber, put him in stun cuffs, and lead down to a cell a few floors below.

The first thing Theseus realizes is that Dooku is sitting along one of the sides of the cell, looking very grumpy. Anakin and Obi-Wan, who are both unconscious, are chained to him. Oh, great. They're going to be stuck in here with the Sith Lord? These pirates have a horrible sense of humor, and he is definitely not amused.

Theseus pointedly turns away from Dooku as he's cuffed to the end of the line and left alone. This is not good. Now they're all stuck in here with the Sith Lord they were supposed to be capturing, and he doesn't know how to get them out. He does everything he can to not focus on the circumstances, because if he does, he might do something stupid. After all, they're stuck with the Sith who started the Clone Wars and is responsible for thousands of deaths.

Anakin is the first to start moving around, slowly sitting up. Obi-Wan slowly gets up also. "Master?" Anakin mumbles looking around, "What happened?"

"Well, I guess that pirate brew was stronger than we thought," Obi-Wan concludes, then frowns, "Wait a minute, Theseus, what are you doing here?"

"Well, when you were clearly drugged after going to the banquet that I knew it would be stupid to attend, I decided to come and rescue you," Theseus replies.

"I only took a sip of that brew," insists Anakin.

"They must've made it having Jedi in mind," Theseus realizes. Jedi aren't affected by the same kinds of drugs that work on most people, at least not nearly as well.

"But why would they risk losing the ransom?" Anakin asks.

"I've been wondering that this whole time," Theseus grumbles.

"The deal appears to have changed," Obi-Wan decides. "They must be trying to triple their payday. Or maybe now quadruple it."

"A shrewd observation, Master Kenobi," Dooku speaks up for the first time. Anakin jolts to his feet in a flash, and the sudden fear and anger pouring into the Force is enough to put Theseus on his highest alert. Never, never has he felt anything like that.

"Oh, great. It's you," Anakin growls.

"I did warn you these pirates were devious," Dooku continues, completely undeterred. "You did notice our shackles are bound together. I have tried to separate us, to no avail." Theseus glowers at him.

"It's bad enough we have to be in the same cell," Anakin hisses, stepping towards him menacingly. Obi-Wan pushes him away from the Sith before things can escalate. "But could you at least spare me the sound of your constant chatter?"

"And while I hold my tongue, the three of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this godforsaken planet?" Dooku asks calmly.

"Yes!" all three Jedi snap in unison, turning to look out the cell door.

"I know some of the way out," Theseus offers, "But I don't know we could all make it there without being seen."

"Well, first we need to get the cell door open," Obi-Wan points out.

"The problem is getting past that," Anakin reminds, eyeing the hall. He's standing completely tensed, not unlike usual, but it's worse now.

Dooku suddenly rises, approaching the cell door. Theseus sends him his best death glare and steps out of the way, unable to wonder what it would be like to stab him when he's not looking. Yes, he knows that's not a Jedi thought, but still. Dooku sticks a hand through the door and a plate of food sitting on a ledge nearby slowly begins to rise in the air. What in the name of the Force does he think he's doing?!

"Don't you think our priorities should be escape first, eat second?" Anakin snarks.

"Do control your protege's insolence so I can concentrate," Dooku growls at Obi-Wan.

"Concentrate on eating?" snaps Theseus. Why do they have to deal with this?! Dooku lets the plate fall to the floor but levitates the knife that was on the plate with the Force.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan asks with a much too smug smirk. "Control your 'insolence.' The Count is concentrating."

Dooku maneuvers the knife over the door, sliding it into the lock. The lock disengages and the door snaps open. "Well done, if I do say so myself," the Sith gloats.

"Do all Sith praise themselves this much?" Theseus huffs. "No wonder everyone hates them."

"I suppose I should tell you to control your 'insolence' as well," Obi-Wan remarks dryly as they head down the hall. Theseus didn't come through this way, so he's not entirely sure where they're heading. Not that it would matter anyway, considering that Dooku is in the lead right now. And he really doesn't trust him with being in charge of their escape.

"We do know where we're going, don't we?" Anakin demands, though he sounds doubtful.

"Hush, Anakin," chides Obi-Wan, though he steps a little closer to Dooku, "Do we know where we're going?"

"Quiet," the Sith snaps. He comes around the next corner, knocking out the guard standing there before he even has a chance to see it coming. "I was brought this way when I was captured," Dooku explains. "It was open then."

Anakin bends down, searching the guard before standing up. "Hey, I found the door key." He steps over to the door, preparing to stick the key into the lock.

"This is the way to the hanger," Dooku informs.

"Yes, but are you sure it's safe?" Obi-Wan argues.

"The key works," Anakin offers unhelpfully.

"Is it safe?!" Obi-Wan demands.

"Of course, it is," Dooku insists.

"If it's the way to the hanger, there's probably guards –" Theseus begins to protest but it's too late. The lock clicks and the door slides open to reveal at least half a dozen guards. "Everywhere," he finishes lamely.

They all instantly jump to their feet, drawing their blasters. "Right," Obi-Wan mutters, looking faintly amused as he glances over at Dooku. The Count pointedly doesn't look at him.

They turn to look over their shoulders as four other guards run around the corner, aiming blasters. "Hold it right there, Jedi," orders one of them. As if they were doing anything else.

"What were we thinking following a Sith Lord?" Anakin mutters.

"We weren't thinking," Theseus offers.

Moments later they're back outside their cell door and the leader of the pirates, Hondo Ohnaka, shows up. "What to do, what to do, what to do?" he rambles aloud to himself, as he circles around them. And there's nothing Theseus hates more than the circle they're stuck standing in because that means he's right next to Dooku. "I don't want to kill you, per se," continues Hondo, "In fact, you seem like decent fellows. Even you, Count. This is just business. And once I get my money, we can go back to being friends."

"We were friends in the first place?" Theseus mutters.

"It's very simple. Now, try not to complicate things by breaking out again," he advises, before turning away. Moments later, they're back in the cell again, this time with a guard standing right outside the door. Seriously, this is absolute insanity. All of the thousands of Jedi can't capture Dooku, but a band of stupid pirates can keep him and three other Jedi captive? This is ridiculous.

"We have to get out of here before the Republic arrives with the ransom," Obi-Wan says in a low voice.

"For once, I agree with you," Dooku replies coolly.

"Maybe we can try to go the way I came," Theseus suggests, "But we might want to wait for cover of darkness."

"How did you come in?" Anakin asks.

"Through the roof," he offers.

***

Theseus doesn't know what to think about the scene that suddenly materializes in front of him. They're in a room, through the walls are largely blurred out. A woman – Mandalorian, from the look of her armor – with a group of guards behind her, stands facing two men. She's arguing with one of them, though it takes him a while to make out the words. He gets the distinct impression there's something familiar about the other man.

"Revan is not our enemy, not now. Without him, Clan Jendri would have slaughtered us. Without him, we would never have found Mandalore's mask. Revan has proved himself to be our brother and what you are doing brings dishonor on our clan!"

"No," retorts the woman, "You're wrong. Clan Ordo might accept a Jedi, but not him. Anyone but him."

"There's only way to be sure. Let the entire Clan decide."

"That's not an option. Revan cannot leave this chamber alive."

Revan? That man is Revan? The conversation blurs out a bit again, as Theseus struggles to understand what's happening. Why is he seeing Revan who died thousands of years ago?

"You can't win this battle," Revan says, looking to the others behind the woman.

"We killed dozens of Jedi during the war," she snaps.

"I'm no ordinary Jedi."

"Kill them both," the woman orders, and everyone springs into action.

Revan ignites his lightsaber in a flash, deflecting the blaster bolts as they fire at him. One of them is hit and goes down, while the other man shoots down two of the others. The woman and the remaining two guards duck out of sight, throwing several grenades at Revan. He throws the stone lid that was covering what the mask was in at the grenades to block the explosion. It absorbs the worst of it but is blasted into pieces. Then the three others emerge from hiding, shooting at Revan again who dives aside.

Theseus jolts upright, heart pounding. What was that? Seeing Revan in the cave was one thing – that was when he got his kyber crystal – but now? What prompted this?

"Are you alright?" Anakin asks quietly. Obi-Wan is supposedly meditating but Theseus is pretty sure he's sleeping. Dooku is sitting against the wall in a meditative position as well, which Theseus is pretty sure is also a cover for being asleep. Maybe he thought it was unworthy of his exalted position to sleep in front of them.

"Yeah," he mumbles, glancing around the darkened room. It's slightly jarring to wake up in a place other than the Temple. He's still not completely used to waiting for all his memories to come back as well as what he was doing before he fell asleep. He's rarely at the Temple anymore.

"Nightmares?"

"How'd you guess?" he asks dryly. Except of all the nightmares he's had since the start of the war, this one has shaken him up the most. It feels so real. This doesn't even make sense. Why is he dreaming about the Mandalorian Wars, of all things?

"You wouldn't be the only person I know having a difficult time sleeping," Anakin replies mysteriously. That means Ahsoka must be also, then. He's not surprised, but it's not pleasant to think about his best friend dealing with much of the same problems he has. Ever since becoming a commander and Obi-Wan's padawan, the war hasn't let him have much peace of mind. Everything is so chaotic and tense, it's hard for him to concentrate on anything.

"Sometimes, I wish things were different," Theseus says at last, wanting to break up the silence. It's too quiet, too dark, and it sets him on edge.

"The Jedi were never meant to fight in a war," Anakin agrees quietly. "The next generation... will remember better how to be warriors than peacekeepers. We can only hope they'll use it to their advantage." He doesn't quite manage to keep the bitterness out of his voice at the end.

At times, Theseus wonders what will become of the Order after the war. Anakin has a point. "What were things like?" he asks. "Before the war?"

"Calmer. The Force felt lighter. Not nearly as clouded, but it got worse with time." Which wasn't what he wanted to know, but Anakin seems to have this way of diverting all topics off himself. "It was brave of you to come out here alone. And reckless."

"Just doing my job," the padawan argues. "I wasn't going to let you two get yourselves killed by a bunch of drunken pirates."

Anakin's expression is one of mild amusement. "Yes, sometimes Obi-Wan can't seem to stay out of trouble."

"And you can?" Theseus retorts with a smirk.

"Of course, I can!"

"Mmhm. Then why are you here?"

"Like I said, Obi-Wan can't stay out of trouble. I came to keep him out of it."

"Because that worked so well."

"As well as your rescue did."

"Let's hope our next escape attempt will have better success," Theseus remarks.

"It better. We wouldn't want Hondo to stop being friends with us."

"Definitely not. It's a much too precious friendship to lose." Being sarcastic is a far easier way to deal with emotions, he's realized.

Anakin snorts. "Certainly." The silence that settles over them for once isn't tense but feels more companionable. A presence more brilliant than the sun that shines over Coruscant yet cautiously wary and slightly hopeful touches his mind. Theseus hesitates only a moment before grasping it, and a bond snaps in place between the two, however weak it may be. It'll grow in time, but right now, Theseus lets himself be grateful his padawan-brother has finally accepted him. They've waited long enough, he thinks.

"Speaking of Hondo," Obi-Wan says suddenly, breaking up the moment, "It's probably late enough that we can try again."

"And how do you propose we get out of the cell this time?" demands Dooku. Maybe neither of them were sleeping and instead listening to Theseus and Anakin's entire conversation. Well, he really hopes not. It was private.

"Leave that to me," Obi-Wan insists, standing up and approaching the cell door. A pirate is standing guard outside the door. "You do not want to stand guard," he says, throwing the strongest Force-suggestion he can into the words.

"I do not want to stand guard," the guard agrees.

"You want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," he adds.

"I want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," repeats the guard. He turns, pushing a button allowing the door to open before he walks away. The four of them hastily step out of the cell before it slides closed behind them.

"Not bad," Anakin compliments.

"Oh, yes. Most impressive, Master Kenobi," Dooku agrees.

They hurry down the halls of the building, ducking behind crates piled here and there to keep out of sight whenever someone passes by. Theseus tells them directions on which way to go every so often.

"Hurry it up, Dooku," Obi-Wan hisses and Anakin and Theseus quickly crouch down behind some crates as footsteps approach. Obi-Wan shoves the Count down barely in time as one of the pirates passes by.

"You should be more patient, Master," chides Anakin as soon as it's safe for them to keep moving. "After all, the Count is an elderly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to."

"I suppose you're right," Obi-Wan concedes cheerfully.

"I would kill you all right now if I didn't have to drag your bodies," Dooku growls.

"Well as a Sith with all their glory, shouldn't you be able to carry us?" Theseus retorts.

"Hey, he might be getting weak in his old age," Anakin smirks.

"Good point."

If looks could kill, Theseus is pretty certain they would all be dead right now. And maybe antagonizing a Sith Lord isn't a good idea, but he can't help it right now. He hates this entire situation, and it's to be expected they're taking advantage of it. He can feel the Dark Side so strongly now. The sooner they get out of here, the better.

Chapter Text

The four of them finally make it to the room where Theseus was captured in the first place, only to run straight into a group of guards. "Stop where you are, Jedi!" shouts a guard as they all aim their blasters at them.

Anakin and Obi-Wan Force-shove them into the walls, knocking them out before they have a chance to shoot.

"Looks like you'll be going first Theseus," Obi-Wan observes as they come to a stop next to the hole in the ceiling. "Unless Dooku does."

"No way, we already learned the hard way letting a Sith lead last time," Anakin reminds.

"Oh, right."

"Cease your pointless chatter unless you want this attempt to fail as well," snaps Dooku.

"Oh dear, I think we may have offended someone," Theseus mocks as he approaches the hole. Gathering the Force around him, he jumps up through the opening. One by one, the others follow.

"Now we need our lightsabers," Obi-Wan remarks, looking around.

"Yeah, and we can't all be dragging each other like this back in there," Anakin shoots back.

"A blaster might work to separate us," muses Theseus.

"But it would risk all the nearby pirates knowing we're here," objects Obi-Wan.

"Don't they like shoot each other all the time?" Anakin reminds, "They won't have time to notice us."

"It appears they already have," Dooku warns suddenly. They turn as a guard steps around the corner and no one has the chance to move out of sight in time. He calls something over his shoulder, and a group of pirates immediately charge, shooting.

Theseus dodges a blaster bolt that would have taken off his head, moving so another one shoots him free of Anakin, then dives aside behind some crates. Another shot blasts Dooku free from the others. He instantly lifts up one of the pirates in a Force-choke, before shoving his blaster aside with the Force as he tries to fire. The shot hits one of the last remaining pirates. The Count throws the pirate he was holding at the others before disappearing down a hall.

Anakin and Obi-Wan knock out the remaining pirates before Anakin hastily picks up a blaster and shoots himself free from Obi-Wan.

"If we don't hurry, Dooku's going to get away," exclaims Theseus worriedly. And they'll have gone through all of this for nothing.

"If we don't hurry, we won'tget away," Obi-Wan points out. "That's what we need to focus on first, and we need our lightsabers. If you two wait here, I'll go back in there and retrieve them."

"When you get in trouble, we'll be ready to come to the rescue," Anakin smirks.

"That's reassuring," he retorts. "Now stay out of sight until I return." He disappears back down the hole and Anakin and Theseus duck down behind some nearby crates to wait.

"What if Dooku leaves with our ship?" Theseus asks.

"Then we'll borrow one of Hondo's."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"We'll worry about it then."

It takes a surprisingly short amount of time before Obi-Wan climbs back through the hole with their lightsabers, and they all scramble out onto the roof, before running over to their ship which is thankfully still there and intact. The guards standing outside the front entrance immediately notice the three of them as they leap to the ground next to the shuttle.

Pirates pour out the front entrance, running to surround them immediately, as they ignite their lightsabers. "I guess we won't be friends," Hondo growls, coming forwards. "What chances do you really have, Jedi? Surrender, and we can go back to negotiate!" They were negotiating in the first place? As if on cue, a tank rolls up. "Looks like your forces were destroyed as well, Jedi," Hondo adds.

The top of the tank pops open and a Gungan sticks its head out. "Ani! Obi!" he exclaims cheerfully.

"Jar Jar?" Anakin exclaims.

"Mesa have arrived with the spicen."

"Excellent, Jar Jar," Obi-Wan replies, "Well, that is assuming the pirates still have Count Dooku to trade."

"Well, that answers that question," Anakin observes, as a ship with a familiar figure in the cockpit blasts away towards the sky.

"Commander, start the engines, please," Obi-Wan orders. One of the clones with Jar Jar disappears onto the ship, firing it up. He looks back to Hondo. "You have nothing we want, and since we're not prisoners anymore, you have no bargaining power."

"What?" exclaims Jar Jar. "Yousa was in bombad trouble! Mesa rescued you."

"No, Jar Jar, we weren't in any trouble," insists Anakin.

"Let's leave on even terms," Obi-Wan adds as they prepare to walk up the ramp.

"Jedi, after everything you're just going to walk away?" Hondo queries doubtfully.

"We have no quarrel with you, and we seek no revenge."

"You know, I'm not sure arresting a pirate for taking hostages is actually called revenge, more like justice," Theseus mumbles under his breath. He can't understand it. Why is Obi-Wan going to leave them? They're pirates! The Republic should be dealing with these people, even if they are busy with a war, especially since they're right here anyways!

"Indeed, very honorable, Master Jedi," Hondo replies. Honorable? More like nonsensical. He's so confused right now.

"Oh, you will find that Count Dooku does not share our sense of honor," Obi-Wan quips, smirking as he heads up the ramp into the ship, "And he knows where you live."

***

Free time on Coruscant only seems to be decreasing as the weeks drag by, the war only growing more and more intense. Theseus sighs quietly as he leans against the windowsill, staring out at the passing traffic outside. The only time he really gets with Ahsoka seems to be on missions, especially since their schedules of being at the Temple and also free from other duties rarely seem to line up.

And being a Council member during the war, his mother is around even less. He misses her a lot. They've hardly even spoken more than a couple times in person since the war started. Before, at least he used to see her every other week or so. He misses Ahsoka too, but at least he often gets to work with her on missions.

Not that he minds being around Obi-Wan and the clones so much. Over time, he's begun to care deeply about his master, and he has to admit, seeing more to him than the hero he was worshipping before becoming his padawan. Obi-Wan might irk him a little sometimes with how by-the-Code he often is – yes, he shouldn't have a problem with that, but he can't help it – but then again, it's not like Yoda wasn't. And Obi-Wan is far more approachable about things than the Grandmaster, no doubt about that.

Theseus has befriended a number of the clones too, Cody, in particular. A part of him doesn't want to let himself get too close with any of them, knowing all too well – it's happened many times before – that they're likely to die any time. But with how welcoming and accepting the clones are, it's hard not to be friendly with them. He hates seeing them die so often in battle. He's going to do whatever he can to help save as many as possible.

Then there's Anakin. They've been slowly getting to know each other better over time, but after the mission on Florrum, it feels like something's changed between them. Anakin feels more open to him now.

Theseus watches as the sun begins sinking below the horizon. Obi-Wan and Anakin have been called away to a meeting with Yoda about something, Ahsoka is in classes, and his mother is currently off Coruscant. Which means that now might be a good time to visit an old friend he hasn't seen since before the battle of Christophsis.

He pulls up his hood as he hurries out of the apartment, rapidly making his way through the halls before slipping out the nearest exit of the Temple. It's time to go find someone in one of the lower levels of Coruscant.

Theseus arrives outside the familiar mechanics shop not long later, though it's already starting to get dark out. Not a good time for someone his age to be wandering around in these parts, but most people his age aren't Jedi either, so he's not particularly worried about it.

He steps into the main entrance way of the shop, glancing around. Sure enough, the Twi'lek is still there, cleaning up last minute things before heading for his home.

"Hey, Vraz," he greets.

The Twi'lek looks up surprise, slightly startled at his sudden appearance. "Theseus!" he exclaims. "I wasn't expecting to see you here this evening."

"It's been a while," he agrees with a smile, moving to take a seat nearby.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd be back before the war was over," Vraz comments.

"Honestly? I was wondering the same thing."

"So, what's it like? Finally, being able to be on the front lines like you wanted?"

Theseus grimaces. He can't believe he ever was once so desperate to get out of the Temple and fight. "You know that used to be all I wanted, to get out of the Temple and see some action before the war was over." He laughs humorlessly. "I don't think I had any idea what kind of 'excitement' I was asking for."

Vraz sighs. "You know, someone your age shouldn't even be on the front lines."

"Well, I'm a Jedi, so..." He knows his friend has a point, but he supposes that as a Jedi, he should have extra responsibilities.

"That doesn't mean you aren't still a child." A child? He is not a child. He's already fourteen.

"I'm –"

"Fine, a teenager, then," Vraz corrects himself.

"I know, but there's even padawans younger than me out there fighting," he replies. Like Ahsoka. She is younger than him by several months. "And technically the clones are the youngest of all."

"That doesn't make it better. Yes, I know someone needs to win the war, but why not try to negotiate it out?" points out Vraz. "Anyway, while we're here, let's not spend the whole time discussing the state of the galaxy."

"Good idea." Theseus glances around the shop. "Need any assistance here before you head for home? I probably shouldn't stay much longer, but..." Over the years that he's come to visit Vraz, the Twi'lek has become a good friend and a lot like a mentor, considering that he's quite a bit older than him. Vraz taught Theseus much about mechanics, and how to fix and repair droids. It's something he began to enjoy doing in his free time, something that doesn't exist anymore.

"No, it's alright." Vraz smiles suddenly almost as if he's up to something. "You do remember what important day is coming up soon, though, right?"

Um...? His mind draws blanks. All he can think of to "look forward" to in the future is fighting and destroying more droids, and he can guarantee that his friend is not talking about that.

"That's what I thought," Vraz concludes from his very confused expression. "It's your birthday."

"Oh! Right! I forgot. Jedi don't celebrate birthdays, so it's not really... something I think about much, you know?" he explains awkwardly.

"I know, I know, but I still have something to give you," the Twi'lek insists, "And since I don't know when you'll be back, I probably should give it to you now. Besides, it might actually be useful to you sometime sooner."

"Really?" he asks eagerly, "What?"

"Come with me," instructs Vraz, standing up and heading into a back room of the shop. In the corner, an inactivated blue BD droid sits. BD droids are a relatively rare type of explorer droids. They're meant to help when in dangerous and remote parts of the galaxy, since they're intended to be of assistance to explorers. They're built to be operational on all types of terrain. The droids have scanners, sensors, holoprojectors, and scomp links, which basically is a computer port appendage that helps them break into secure information.

"I – thank you," he manages finally. Jedi don't normally have possessions, so receiving something of this nature means a lot to him. He gently lifts the droid, before turning to head for the door.

"You're welcome," replies the Twi'lek.

"I'll be back the next chance I get," he promises.

"Of course."

For a reason he can't explain, Theseus can't shake the strange feeling of finality he gets as he slips out of the shop with the droid. The feeling doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since he's definitely going to be coming back. Maybe it's because he won't be here again for a long time due to missions. That's actually likely. He pauses to glance back at his Twi'lek friend one last time before he turns and hurries away. He needs to get back to the Temple soon before Obi-Wan starts wondering where he disappeared to.

***

Obi-Wan isn't quite sure what he's expecting when Yoda summons him to his chambers, but it isn't this. Anakin is already seated inside, looking like he's not sure if he should continue sitting there or if he should get up and leave.

"Much to discuss, you two have," the Grandmaster announces the second Obi-Wan steps inside. He disappears outside the door and shuts it before either of them has a chance to object.

For a long moment, no one says anything. "What?" says Anakin finally, staring dubiously at the closed door.

"I could ask you the same question," Obi-Wan states dryly. What exactly is it that Yoda wants them to discuss anyway? He can't think of anything important enough for the Jedi Grandmaster to be getting himself involved in. Yes, there was the whole padawan-thing a couple months back, but... it hardly seems that important.

"Do you know what he wants?" Anakin asks, shifting a little uncomfortably.

"Not in particular, but it seems we may be stuck here for a while until we figure out."

"Wonderful," Anakin mutters. "We have a galaxy to be attending to."

Obi-Wan frowns. "Maybe his point is that sometimes you need to take a break."

"There's not time. Besides, I'm fine."

Maybe this is about the whole padawan thing, after all. Anakin has been unusually withdrawn since it happened. Obi-Wan had chalked it up to the war, but maybe it wasn't, at least not entirely. "You've been unusually reckless lately," he points out. "You keep pushing yourself on, even if you're worn out. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I can't rest until Grievous is dead and the war is over," Anakin insists, hands dropping to his lap. His gaze drops to the floor.

"You can't keep doing this."

"Can't I?" He looks up, eyes burning with the same intensity as always, and a flicker of hurt.

"No," Obi-Wan replies flatly.

Anakin jumps up and turns away, stalking over to the window. He's extremely upset, and Obi-Wan doesn't really know why. He doesn't know what he did to upset him so much, and it's not something Anakin will be talking about, either. He's well aware of the rift that only seems to be growing between then, and he doesn't know what to do. None of this was supposed to happen.

"You're going to exhaust yourself if you keep doing this," Obi-Wan insists carefully. "As soon as we leave, you should rest. I'm serious," he adds at the very unimpressed look Anakin gives him. He's wearing himself out and Obi-Wan isn't sure what to do about it. "If you need help with Ahsoka, I can help take care of her."

"You have your own padawan."

"That doesn't mean I don't have time to help you if you need it. Besides, you won't be able to fight the war at all if you don't take care of yourself."

"Oh, so that's what you're worried about," Anakin mutters bitterly.

Obi-Wan sighs. "Anakin, that's not what I meant." Whatever it was that pushed them this far apart, he really wants to fix it. It hasn't felt this bad since not long after Anakin came to the Temple, and they were both still getting to know each other. But he's not sure what's wrong. Maybe it was about Theseus? "You know I couldn't let someone like Theseus not be trained. He has so much potential."

"I know," Anakin says, voice dropping. "He will be a great Jedi someday." So, he does understand, then, why Obi-Wan had to take Theseus as his padawan? Then why is he upset?

"Well, as soon as Yoda lets us out of here, you're still going to take some rest. I'll take care of Ahsoka."

Anakin groans.

Obi-Wan isn't sure what else to say to him, so they fall silent as Anakin stands, continuing to stare out the window. Is this what Yoda wanted? Something tells him no, but he doesn't know what else to do. Still, he wishes there was something he could do about the growing rift between him and Anakin, but he doesn't even know where to start, especially when he's not entirely sure what's wrong to begin with.

***

"How's training going?" Athea Shan inquires of her son. He finally had time to stop by at her Temple apartment again for a short time.

"Great!" replies Theseus. "Master Kenobi is helping me with Form III, and Master Yoda is teaching me more of Form II when he has time."

"Good to hear," smiles Athea. Her son is a progressing extremely fast in lightsaber combat. He'd always had a born ability for it – she suspects its largely from his Mandalorian origin – and he's been focusing mainly on it recently. Given time, she's certain he could become one of the top duelists in the Order. "What about Force training?"

"Umm..."

"That's what I thought." He has a difficult time concentrating enough to use the Force.

"Can we spar sometime?" Theseus asks randomly. Probably to distract her from her question like he usually tries to do.

"Yes, but not in here." And she doesn't want to go down to the training room with him frequently. It's best to keep the times that they're seen together to a minimum.

He gives her a mischievous grin. "Why not?"

"We are not sparring in the living room," Athea states flatly.

"Ahsoka and I may have done it one time in Master Obi-Wan's living room," he says guiltily.

"Oh, so that's probably why I was hearing something about how he needed to get a new table because the last one was mysterious damaged even though he's hardly at his apartment."

"Uh yeah... a flying lightsaber may or may not have had something to do with that," he admits, sounding a tad guilty.

"Which is why we definitely aren't doing that in my apartment."

"We can be careful!"

"Weren't you and Ahsoka being careful when lightsaber went flying and it still happened anyway?"

"Let's just move the furniture to the side of the room then!" Theseus suggests brightly, jumping up.

She smirks slightly. "Fine, but we're going to use the Force to do it for practice."

He groans. "But Mother..."

"It's the compromise," she insists.

He huffs. "Fine, but Master Obi-Wan always says not to use the Force for trivial things... and that includes moving furniture."

"You're doing it for practice. Therefore, it's not trivial."

"Ugh, okay. Let's get going about it." He moves into position and the two of them start moving the furniture to the side of the room, so it won't get potentially damaged in the sparring match.

The Code is right about the danger of attachments to an extent, Athea has to admit. She knows she'd do almost anything to protect her son if it came down to it. But at the same time, that doesn't mean she's going to do something against the Jedi or Fall to the Dark Side simply because she cares about him. Before Theseus was born, she never felt much purpose. How do the other Jedi manage not genuinely loving anyone? It's not something she's ever been truly able to understand. As close as master and padawan are with one another, it's not nearly the same as the bond between a parent and child.

There are times that Athea wishes she hadn't taken Theseus and come back to the Order after he was born. If she hadn't, they could have had a normal family. But after... well... what happened, it was the best option at the time.

Unsurprisingly, the Council was less than happy about what had happened, but in the end, they'd agreed to accept her back. Of course, it took a while before they actually trusted that she was fully "balanced" again. As if she ever wasn't. She may regret a lot of things but continuing to raise Theseus as her son despite everything isn't one of them. She's learned how to control her attachments over the years, which is why the Council trusted her enough to become a member.

"All done," Theseus announces cheerfully, snapping Athea out of her thoughts.

"Good," she says, moving to stand on the side of the room closest to the furniture... just in case. Theseus positions himself across from her, their lightsabers hissing to life.

Chapter Text

Theseus, Ahsoka, and their masters have been called to Naboo on an urgent mission. A number of Separatist droids were spotted, and there's talk about a deadly virus having resurfaced in the swamps. And there is no doubt some sort of connection between the two. It's not as if biological warfare is beneath the Separatists. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they decided to destroy a planet.

"General Kenobi, Anakin," greets Captain Typho, the head of Senator Amidala's security as the four Jedi get off the gunship, "We're so glad –"

"Where's Senator Amidala?" Anakin demands, cutting him off. Which reminds Theseus of when they were on the Malevolence and how worried Anakin was about her. They're clearly good friends, so no wonder he's worried. At times, he almost wonders if they're something more.

"She went to look for the lab," replies the Captain.

"And you let her go?!" Anakin demands incredulously.

"Senator Padme can be very hard to stop once she has made up her mind," Threepio interjects, moving forwards. Well, Theseus has definitely noticed that.

"Good point," Anakin sighs, "I know what you mean."

"This is Peppi Bow," Captain Typho declares, motioning to the Gungan standing behind him, "She was the last person to see them. Padme sent her here to safety."

"Thesa looking for the sick-maker," informs the Gungan.

"'They?'" repeats Anakin.

"Representative Binks was with her," explains Typho.

Anakin looks to Ahsoka. "Go with the Gungan. See if you can find them."

"You've got it, Master," she chirps.

"You go with her, Theseus," Obi-Wan adds.

"Why didn't you send someone to look for them?" Theseus hears Anakin demands as he follows Ahsoka and Peppi out of the room. Theseus' BD droid rides on his shoulder, and they head off together.

"You know, no offense, but I really prefer speeders," Theseus remarks as the large shaak he, Ahsoka, and Peppi are riding on continues to lumber across the terrain. The sun is nearing the horizon, orange light streaming in between the towering trees of the forest. It's a beautiful sight to behold, especially from so far off the ground, but one of these moments he is going to go flying.

"Hey, at least it's something other than the ordinary," Ahsoka offers brightly.

"When has anything these days been ordinary?" he smirks, another jostle nearly dislodging him. He hastily catches onto Ahsoka to avoid falling.

"Good point," she agrees.

Peppi finally stops the shaak, and the three of them jump to the ground. "These the ship belonging to them," she says.

Theseus looks around the clearing, seeing nothing. "So where are they?" Ahsoka wonders, "Their tracks end here."

"That doesn't make sense," he mutters, frowning. Something isn't right. The Force is tensing around them like something is about to happen.

As if on cue, a droid sensor suddenly sticks up out of the ground right beneath one of Peppi's feet. A red eye sensor turns straight towards him and Ahsoka. They frantically duck around it, out of its line of sight as the Gungan continues to rock precariously in her position on top.

"Peppi, it's a scope," Ahsoka hisses, "Don't let them see you."

The eye continues to move in a circle, and finally the Togruta flips through the air, taking the Gungan with her as they duck behind a large tree trunk nearby. Theseus jumps after, crouching next to them.

"That was close," he breaths as the sensor finally completes its circle and then disappears back into the ground again. "We should contact the others."

Ahsoka nods, quickly dialing Anakin's frequency into her comm. "Master, are you there?" she calls.

"Did you find her?" comes the immediate response.

"Negative. I'm pretty sure she's inside the lab," Ahsoka replies.

"The tracks end right here so there's nowhere else they could have gone," Theseus adds.

"And the whole area is wired with pressure sensors," explains Ahsoka, "There's no way to get in without being detected."

"Though if you want, we can –" Theseus begins.

"Do not attempt to get inside," orders Obi-Wan, stepping over to appear in the hologram, "I need you to detonate a 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."

The hologram switches to show a layout of the place. "Shouldn't be a problem, Master," Theseus assures as he studies the map. Aside from the fact that with one mistake they could doom themselves and the entire planet, it doesn't seem much more difficult than some of the other assignments they've gotten. It's not quite like anything they've dealt with, but it's still nothing they can't handle.

"You can count on us," Ahsoka nods.

"Rex and his men will be right behind you, Snips," Anakin assures them, "They'll have your back."

"I'll send the laboratory plans over to your droid, Theseus," Obi-Wan adds before the connection breaks. BD beeps and a small hologram of the lab appears in front of them. It's many levels and extremely complex. It will take them a while to work their way through it.

The three of them sit together in silence as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon and darkness begins enveloping the woods. And for a moment, it actually feels peaceful here, with the calm life presences from the trees all around him. But only for a moment. Because really, it's hard to enjoy it for more than a moment when you know one mistake could result in the death of all life on an entire planet. Theseus and Ahsoka remain crouched out of sight of the sensors, studying the hologram.

On occasion, the sensors protrude from the ground and look around before disappearing again. "Now," Ahsoka breathes, levitating a bomb with the Force and maneuvering it towards the designed spot in the grass. A sensor pops up out of the ground again, and she quickly moves the bomb out of its sight until it disappears.

"There," Theseus mutters as she finally finishes moving the bomb to the right spot. The same moment, three sensors rise out of the ground as Ahsoka drops the bomb. A deafening explosion rings out as the bomb goes off, lighting up the dark forest almost like daytime. Right on cue, three shuttles fly overhead, one of them stopping above the now gaping hole going into the lab below the surface.

"Meesa come too?" Peppi inquires as Ahsoka and Theseus head for the opening.

"No, you better stay here," Theseus objects. They don't need to take her into harm's way. She's not a Jedi so she'd probably be collateral damage in the fight that's definitely coming.

"And make sure that no one escapes," Ahsoka instructs.

"Okeyday," she replies.

They run over to the opening as clones slide down a cable into the facility. Igniting her lightsaber, Ahsoka leaps over the edge after them, Theseus close behind. Battle droids and super battle droids are already marching towards them, shooting. Theseus spins his blade, deflecting the bolts back at the droids before charging forwards, slicing through the ones in front. The clones start shooting at the droids from behind him.

Ahsoka flips through the air next to him, bisecting a few super battle droids just as several destroyers roll around the corner. Theseus cuts down the last of the battle droids in front before turning his attention to blocking the blasts from the destroyer droids. Theseus winces as he feels and hears a number of the clones behind them being shot down, despite their efforts.

"We need to try something else," calls Theseus.

"Fall back!" Ahsoka calls, beginning to back down the hallway. The clones hastily retreat, continuing to shoot, though none of their blasts can penetrate through the destroyers' shields.

Just then, the ceiling above the droids gives way, crashing down on them. When the dust finally begins to clear, a smirking Obi-Wan is standing atop the debris.

"Need some help?" he quips as several clones land behind him.

"We had it under control," grumbles Theseus.

"So good to see you, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka says.

"Things are going well," Obi-Wan informs, "The lab is secure, and hopefully, Anakin has reached Padme by now. Come on, let's move." He takes off running down the hall, and they follow.

They round another corner, only to come face to face with another group of droids which instantly opens fire. "We can handle this, Master," Theseus calls over his shoulder.

"We'll keep the droids occupied," Ahsoka agrees. Obi-Wan turns, sprinting down the hall in the opposite direction, his own clones following him. They hastily cut through the droids before taking off down the hall again.

Just then, his best friend's comm flares to life. "Ahsoka," Anakin calls, "We've got another situation. Send all the clones to search the facility. We've got a miss-" He cuts off mid-word as they dart around the corner only to come face to face with Anakin.

"Master?" Ahsoka exclaims.

"You were saying...?" inquires Theseus.

"We've got a missing bomb and a trigger-happy mad doctor on the loose," Anakin replies in a rush.

"Missing bomb?" Padme, who's standing behind him along with Jar Jar and several other clones, speaks up, "I saw Dr. Vindi give a little droid a bomb."

"You guys split up," orders Anakin, "Find that droid." He takes off without another word.

"You heard him. Let's move!" Ahsoka commands.

"I'll go this way," announces Theseus, turning to head a different direction. Two of the four clones with Ahsoka run after him. He doesn't have a very good feeling about this, but he doesn't have time to stop and think about it. If even one of those bombs go off, all of them are going to die. So will everyone on Naboo, most likely.

"Theseus, Ahsoka," Padme suddenly calls over his comm, "I found the last bomb."

"Stay there," Ahsoka orders, "I'll get the bomb squad."

"On my way," Theseus replies as the connection breaks. He quickly weaves his way back through the facility, grateful now more than ever that he spent some time studying the layout before they came in here.

The bomb is rapidly ticking down as Theseus runs into the room to see Ahsoka and her clones are already there, working on trying to get it deactivated. And they only have a few more seconds left before it detonates. The counting down red lights flash to indicate there's only one second left before stopping. "Deactivated," the trooper announces, looking up.

Theseus lets out a sigh of relief. That was close.

"Ahsoka, are you there?" Anakin calls over her comm.

"I'm here Master. The bomb has been deactivated," she reports.

"Did you catch Vindi?" Theseus asks, moving to stand next to her.

"Deactivated as well. Have you seen Padme?" That question reminds Theseus again of how much Anakin cares about the Senator.

"She's right next to me." Ahsoka smirks slightly. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking."

"We'd better go make sure that everything is under control," Theseus decides, glancing around the room. There's nothing more for them to do in here. Ahsoka nods her agreement. The two of them and several clones head back out into the halls, looking around to make sure that everything is secure.

And it seems like it might be until an alarm promptly starts blaring. A light on one of the walls starts flashing yellow. "That's not good," Ahsoka mutters.

"A droid must be on the loose with one of the bombs again," Theseus states grimly. A sudden explosion shakes the ground, nearly throwing both of them off balance. The flashing lights on the wall promptly turn red. Oh, no, no, no... Someone tell him this doesn't mean what he thinks it does.

"What was that?" Ahsoka asks worriedly as Rex runs up around the corner.

"Virus leak," he replies, "Get to the safe room."

The Force is humming of danger and anticipation as a bluish gas spread down the hall, approaching them. "Come on!" Theseus calls, bolting down the opposite direction.

The doors lining the halls slam behind them as they run, but every time at least some of the virus is able to get passed. "There's the safe room!" Rex calls as they run around another corner, this time no more doors to close behind them and the virus cloud is still rapidly approaching.

The opening in front of them begins to close as they run for it. "Hurry!" urges Rex, "The doors are closing!"

They're never going to get there in time, Theseus realizes grimly. It's already over half closed and they still have a distance to go. Ahsoka seems to realize the same thing, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hall. "Don't worry." She raises her hands, holding the doors apart with the Force.

Theseus is frankly impressed by her thinking and skills. No one of that age should have learned how to do that, except her. Anakin is training her well. He raises his hands, trying desperately to push his panic from mind and help hold the door open while the rest of the clones jump through. He tries hard not to think about the gas cloud a few feet behind them. The clones turn back to help hold the door open. "Hurry!" Rex calls.

Even as the two dart for the door, the blue cloud envelopes them. Ahsoka dives through the opening and Theseus swings himself through before the clones release the door, allowing it to slam shut. He grimly eyes the small blue cloud hovering right near the entrance to the door. There's some contamination in here already, despite their attempt to stop it. He can only hope it's not anything serious.

"Ahsoka, what's going on down there?" Anakin demands over her comm.

"The droids released the virus, but we managed to seal the lab," his padawan answers.

"And Padme?"

"Haven't heard from her since the bomb."

The computer monitor suddenly beeps and the clone in front of it slams a hand down on the table. "Oh, no, no, no!" he shouts in a panic, "Some of the virus got in here. We didn't close the door fast enough." No. Theseus's blood runs cold. If the virus actually did get in here, then that means... it means they're all going to die. This isn't a battle. It's not fighting. It's just dying because they weren't fast enough. And as if it isn't bad enough to know he's going to die, he knows Ahsoka will die here, also.

"We may be dead men, but we can still stop those droids," Rex says determinedly.

"Don't worry," Ahsoka tries to reassure them, "My master will find a cure for this virus. We're not dead yet."

"We need to focus on finishing this mission. Those droids cannot be allowed to escape," Theseus states, trying his best not to think about the direness of the situation. He can only hope Anakin and Obi-Wan will be able to find some sort of cure to this, assuming one exists.

"Is anyone out there?" Padme suddenly calls over the communication system, "Can anyone hear –"

"Senator Amidala," Ahsoka answers immediately, moving over to it, "We're trapped in the safe room at the end of complex 'B'."

"We'll be right there. Are you contaminated?"

Two of the clones near the door start coughing. "I'm afraid so," Ahsoka says quietly. Theseus knows that he and Ahsoka will be able to last longer because they're Jedi, but he can't say the same for the clones. And the virus kills extremely fast. What if Anakin and Obi-Wan aren't able to find an antidote in time? And what if – what if Ahsoka – No, no. He can't let himself think like that. She's not going to die, and neither is he. They'll find the antidote for it. They will. They're both way too young to die now, especially from something like this. It seems so unfair, for them to have survived so much and fought through so much together only to die from no less than a virus.

"Where are Senator Amidala and Representative Binks anyway?" Theseus says, talking to avoid letting himself think.

"They should be here soon, hopefully," Ahsoka frowns, pushing a button on her comm, "Senator Amidala, where are you?"

"We're right outside your safety room. Can you get the door open?" she asks.

"Just go ahead and open it," Theseus responds.

It slides open moments later, Padme and Jar Jar hurrying in, closing it behind them, but not before a large cloud of the virus leaks in. A bluish haze slowly spreads over the room, and Theseus does his best not to start panicking all over again. There's an even greater concentration of the virus in here now than before, not that it even matters.

"I'm sorry," Padme says quietly, walking over to them.

"Don't worry about us, Senator. We still have a job to do," Ahsoka counters.

"We're already contaminated anyway. A little extra in here won't make much of a difference." Though Theseus doubts that's true, but they need to focus on not letting this spread across the entire planet.

"There aren't very many droids left," Padme declares, getting down to business, "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 asserts.

Rex steps forwards, handing a blaster over to Padme. "You take the north corridor, and we'll take the south," she says.

"We should split up," Ahsoka suggests, looking over at Theseus. Yes, they should. He pushes down the surge of protectiveness in him, the part of him that wants to stay with her to make sure she'll be alright. The fate of the planet is at stake right now, and besides, she can handle herself fine.

"I'll go with Senator Amidala," Theseus decides.

"May the Force be with you," calls Ahsoka, heading for the door. It slides open and the groups step out into the blue clouds that are now so thick it's hard to see to the end of the hall.

"And with you," he replies before they split up, heading opposite directions. Theseus rounds a corner in time to see a group of battle droids, none of whom seem to notice them.

"Fire!" shouts Theseus, igniting his lightsaber. Padme and the two clones immediately start shooting. The droids spin towards them, firing off a few shots which he quickly deflects. Three of the ones closest to a ladder that leads up to a hatch instantly start scrambling up it.

Padme shoots down one of them as they run up to the base of the ladder. Theseus spins his lightsaber, cutting the next one in half. The last of them is almost up to the hatch already. The same moment, Ahsoka, Rex, and the other clone with them run around the corner, skidding to a stop below the hatch.

"Stop!" Padme calls at the droid, "Don't open that hatch."

"Too late!" squawks the droid defiantly, before starting to cut through the hatch. It ducks out of the way when the clones fire up at it several times. One of Rex's shots finally takes it down.

"We have droids incoming," Ahsoka suddenly warns, tensing, moments before Theseus hears them too. She almost always notices them first, thanks to her enhanced hearing.

Two destroyers roll around the corner, shifting into position and open firing. Theseus immediately positions himself in front of the others, deflecting away the blasts, but Ahsoka seems to have other ideas. She takes off running straight towards them, jumping along the wall before flipping over and landing behind the droids.

She stabs her lightsaber through the top of one of them and it falls to the floor, sparking. One more to go. "Thisa help!" Jar Jar exclaims, seeming to have other ideas. He raises his blaster, preparing to fire. Apparently oblivious to the fact that blaster shots won't get through the shields.

"Jar Jar, no," Padme warns, pushing him out of the way. Theseus quickly spins his lightsaber to block the blasts that would have otherwise hit both of them. Ahsoka stabs her lightsaber through the other destroyer before running back over to them.

"We need to finish up down here," Theseus urges, trying to ignore the sudden exhaustion he's feeling. He can feel the virus running through his body, slowly draining out his energy. He needs to rest to make it draw out longer, hopefully long enough for their masters to return and save them, but they have to wait until the battle is won.

They take off again, passing through several halls before reaching the next hatch. Sure enough, a number of droids are right on the ladder. "How are you doing up there?" one of them asks.

"I'm almost through!" calls a voice from up above.

"There they are!" Ahsoka yells, charging forwards. Theseus slashes through the droid at the bottom while Ahsoka Force yanks down the one cutting through the hatch, bisecting it as it hits the floor.

The Togruta suddenly stumbles forwards, catching onto the ladder to avoid face-planting. "Ahsoka?" Theseus asks urgently, stepping up to her.

"I'm alright," she insists, pushing herself upright. Even though her skin is slowly darkening as the virus progresses.

And then, he's also hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion and moves to lean against the ladder for support. "Everything is sealed. We should get out of here and contact our masters."

Chapter Text

They don't have time for this. Anakin lands the ship back on the platform in Iego where he and Obi-Wan went to try and find a cure for the virus. Every time anyone tries to leave, a laser field is activated around the planet, and they need to find a way to get past it. But thanks to the vulture droids that are still on the planet from the time the Separatists were here, he has an idea.

Before he can say anything to Obi-Wan, a hologram flickers on. Ahsoka is leaning against Padme for support, barely managing to remain upright. Her skin is turning a deathly gray. Theseus stands on Padme's other side, leaning against the controls, and he looks in no better condition than Ahsoka, even over the blue-shaded hologram.

Anakin's blood runs cold. They're dying. If he and Obi-Wan can't get out of this mess soon, they'll get back too late. He'd fail his padawan and the boy he hardly got time to know. And Rex.

"Master, can you hear me?" Ahsoka asks weakly. She continues talking, but it's too quiet to make out the words.

"Artoo, amplify the signal," Anakin orders. The droid whistles, plugging itself into the wall and doing as instructed.

"... destroyed all the battle droids inside the compound, Master," she continues.

"Naboo is safe from further contamination," Padme adds, "I repeat, Naboo is safe. Promise me that no one will ever open this bunker."

With that the hologram promptly disappears. Padme is alright, but everyone else is dying. The virus kills in 48 hours, and it's already been a long time. Add in the rest of the fight to get off planet and hyperspace travel, and they'll barely make it. Anakin jumps out of his seat and sprints towards the door, struggling desperately to resist the urge to cry. He was too late with his mother. He can't let Ahsoka, Theseus, and Rex face the same fate.

"We'll borrow a power converter from Jaybo and reprogram it to feed our –" he begins to ramble.

"Slow down, Anakin," cuts in Obi-Wan.

"Slow down?!" he snaps, "You saw them, Master. They're dying!"

"A great leap forward often requires first taking two steps back," he insists.

"And sometimes all it requires is the will to jump," Anakin retorts. He's not going to waste a minute right now. Lives are depending on them.

***

Theseus leans against a crate, next to Ahsoka. They're seated back in the safe room, even if it's pointless by now. It's not going to help anything.

He's not sure if he'd be able to stand even if he tried anymore. But he does know that they're almost out of time. He feels so weak, and his temperature has risen to dangerously high levels. Even so, he clings to the belief his master will figure something out.

"I hope that their sacrifice brings us closer to peace," Padme says quietly as she attends to one of the clones, several of the others already having gone unconscious. Theseus is pretty sure they aren't going to make it. The only reason he's holding on is because he's a Jedi, he's certain of that. Jedi can tolerate far more than most people. He's surprised Rex is still conscious. It's probably only because he was wearing his helmet in the beginning, while the other clones had already taken off their own. It protected him for a short while.

Then again, he's not sure any of them are going to make it. "It will, Padme," Ahsoka finally speaks up, "You must believe that –" She trails off, collapsing into unconsciousness.

"Ahsoka!" Padme and Theseus cry in unison, as he hastily moves to catch her before she can hit the ground. Panic surges inside of him. Is it already too late? He can feel that she's still breathing right now, but for how long? He wraps his arms around Ahsoka's limp form, knowing that this might be the last time he ever does. They might die here, but at least it'll be together.

He's already beginning to feel dizzy. The last thing he hears is someone calling his name as everything suddenly blacks out.

***

Images dance before his eyes. Revan in his armor, fighting a group of people. Judging from their armor, they look to be Mandalorian. He advances on them, easily cutting his way through the group, killing everyone in his path. Theseus can feel the darkness, the cold, even if it's not really here.

Theseus can only watch with growing horror as Revan reaches out, one hand closing into a fist and the remaining Mandalorians still alive are lifted off the ground in a Force choke. The sickening sound of their necks snapping chills him to the bone. How could someone do that? He doesn't understand. How could someone kill with no remorse like that?

The masked figure suddenly turns to face Theseus as he suddenly finds himself in the vision instead of watching it from outside. "It is your destiny to become to like me."

Theseus jolts awake, looking wildly around. A shudder runs through him as he bolts upright with a start. It – that... no. He couldn't have meant it. There's no way he could do things like that, be like that. The white walls of the room he's in leave him slightly disoriented until memories of when he lost consciousness fade back in.

He and Ahsoka were dying, and – where even is he? Pushing back the images from his nightmare, he tries to focus on his surroundings, finally realizing that he's in a medcenter somewhere. Which means that Obi-Wan and Anakin must have gotten back with the antidote for the virus in time after all. Unless this is some sort of afterlife, and he does not believe that in the least.

He hastily pushes himself up, looking around the room. Obi-Wan is standing near his bed, looking over a datapad. One bed further down from his own, he sees Ahsoka lying in the bed, either still unconscious or sleeping. "You're awake?" Obi-Wan asks, looking up.

He glances back over at his best friend for a moment before turning back to his master. "How's Ahsoka?"

"She'll be fine," Obi-Wan replies, "She woke up a little while ago, but you both have to stay in bed. You've been through quite the ordeal." He's tempted to argue for a moment and insist that he's fine, but really, he's not sure he even wants to get out of bed right now. And he'd rather stay by Ahsoka anyway. He can't shake the image from earlier, of her collapsing unconscious into his arms.

"Yes, Master," he says instead and reluctantly lays back down. Even so, he can't bring himself to go back to sleep. His nightmare from earlier – and the fact that he and Ahsoka nearly died – are lingering at the front of his mind. He's not sure how long it is before Obi-Wan gets up and leaves the room, but he's still wide awake.

It is your destiny to become to like me. The words echo through his mind again. No, he's never going to do that. He won't use the Dark Side. He won't... become a killer. A part of him wonders if he already is, with the war going on. He doesn't want to sleep. Not if he starts seeing things like that again.

The door opens again and Anakin quietly steps into the room. He moves over to sit next to Ahsoka in almost complete silence, and Theseus has no doubt he wouldn't even realize the Knight was there if he wasn't awake. Anakin stops before sitting, eyes landing on Theseus. "Still awake, huh?" he asks quietly.

"I can't sleep," he mumbles, looking away. He doesn't want to risk it, but he can't stay up. Even if he was cured from the virus, it doesn't mean he's fully healed yet.

Anakin moves over to him after a pause, taking a seat beside him. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," he replies automatically.

"You seem restless," Anakin remarks, watching him.

"Maybe a little. I've had a hard time sleeping since the war started."

"Everyone has."

Theseus wonders for a passing moment if he should mention something about his visions to anyone. They're highly disturbing, and he thinks something might be wrong. It's strange. Like he formed some sort of... connection with Revan in the cave, except that doesn't make any sense.

"Where'd you get that droid, anyway?" Anakin asks, scooting closer to BD. "He's come in pretty handy."

"A friend. Someone I know from the underworld of Coruscant."

The Knight looks mildly amused. "You go there?"

"It's more like the lower levels," Theseus explains hastily. "He's taught me a lot about droids."

"Ever built one yourself?"

"I've helped him build before," the padawan replies, suddenly grateful for Anakin's presence. The lingering images of his vision have faded to the back of his mind.

"Well, if you ever want, I can teach you," he offers. "With Ahsoka."

A part of Theseus is surprised by the offer. Anakin hadn't been happy with him around at first, but he's already become so accepting. He's trying now, and a tentative hope lingers in his eyes, and it's not anything Theseus is about to refuse. Besides, how could he decline a chance to spend more time with the Chosen One? "Sure."

***

It's late evening as Theseus makes his way through the under levels of Coruscant, heading for Vraz's shop. He's almost there when he hears sirens. Police sirens.

What in the world is going on? The unsettled feeling that's been bugging him all day, even though he tried to ignore it, surges again. He quickens his pace as he hurries around another corner, finally turning onto the last street that leads to the shop.

People are rushing about. Suddenly he has the distinct feeling that something is very wrong. Pushing past the people milling about, Theseus runs over to the doorway of the shop.

He freezes at the sight in front of him. The entrance room to the shop is a disaster, looking very much like there was a fight from the numbers of things knocked over and damaged. But what sticks out most of all is the body lying in the middle of the room.

"Vraz!" the panicked cry escapes him as he bolts into the shop, running over to the motionless Twi'lek. The blaster wound is in his chest seems to practically glare back at him. "Vraz!" he cries again, dropping to his knees next to his friend and shaking his arm, trying in vain to get some response out of him.

But there's nothing. His arm moves limply under Theseus touch, already feeling cold. He frantically feels for a pulse anyway. Maybe, maybe it's not too late. Maybe... but still nothing. And that's what he notices strongest of all that even as he tries to reach out with the Force and for his relatively weak bond with the Twi'lek, he can't feel anything at all.

No. No. Let this be some terrible nightmare that he's going to wake up from any moment. Only days ago, Vraz was fine, and everything was normal. And now he's dead. Murdered in his own shop. Now, now... how can he be gone? He's always been there, whenever Theseus wanted to talk to someone who wasn't a Jedi. Or wanted to spend somewhere outside of the Temple when he was off a mission.

Yes, he's seen people die before, friends even – the clones. But this – this wasn't war. It should never have happened. Vraz was a civilian; he was supposed to be safe from things like this.

Theseus is not sure how long he's been sitting there, motionless, when the police droids finally show up. That finally semi-snaps him out of his haze, at least enough to answer the questions they have as they start looking around the place to figure out what happened.

"I want to know when you find a clue," states Theseus, as he stumbles for the door. He thinks his comm is beeping, but he doesn't have the care to answer it or even see who it is. He pauses briefly by the entrance to the shop, reaching down to pick up Vraz's custom blaster before he slips out the door into the now dark streets of Coruscant.

The main light is that of the police droids as they move about, trying to investigate. He knows he needs to get back to the Temple, but there's no way he has the energy for that right now. He slides to the ground, sinking back against a nearby building.

He's not sure how long it's been before he finally moves again, wiping his tear-streaked face on his sleeve. He feels hollow and empty inside, and part of him still wants to believe that when he gets up in the morning, this will have been a terrible nightmare. Why would someone even want to kill Vraz? Yes, he had debts and things... and there's so many criminals down here, but still. It's just... the Twi'lek was one of the kindest people Theseus has ever known. He didn't deserve this. He should have had better.

Through the pain stabbing through him, a certain sense of determination washes over him. Whoever did this, he's going to find them. And they will pay.

Really, he doesn't even have the energy to go back to the Temple right now, but he can hardly stay out here in the underworld all night, and everyone is probably getting worried. He shouldn't have stayed out this long.

Theseus slowly makes his way back to the Temple, slipping past the guards at the entrance mostly unnoticed as he heads for his and Obi-Wan's apartment. Maybe if he's lucky his master will still be in a Council meeting or have already gone to bed or something, and he won't have to face any questions tonight.

He finally turns into the last hall to approach his apartment, only to see his mother standing there, as though she's been waiting for him. And she looks worried.

"Theseus!" she exclaims, hurrying over to him, concern clear in her tone, "You were out late. And I sensed..." She tails off for a moment before continuing, "Come on. We should go inside." She motions him over to the door and he numbly enters the code, slipping into the apartment. It's empty, thankfully.

"What happened?" she asks softly as they sit down on the couch.

Oh. Right. Of course, she would have felt it. He's never been the greatest at shielding, and that was and is the same thing he was worrying about.

Theseus draws in a sharp breath at the question as the image of Vraz's motionless body swims in front of him. He thought he was done crying for the night – but he can't stop himself from breaking down again as he tells her the story.

"You can come over to my apartment for the night if you want," she says quietly, "I can explain what happened to Master Kenobi myself."

"... Sure," he agrees because he really does wants to stay with her right now. He doesn't care if anyone finds out who's not supposed to, and he gets in trouble. He doesn't care about anything at all right now, except that Vraz is dead.

***

The next morning comes far too quickly. Theseus slowly opens his eyes, staring dully at the early morning sunlight streaming in the window. The aching inside of him hasn't lessened at all. If anything, it's actually gotten worse, since now, it feels even more real than it did the night before.

How is he supposed to go on like this? He wants to curl back up in bed and pretend that everything is okay, but even if he tried, he'd never be able to. He'd lay there feeling it all anyway. Finally, he pushes himself up, glancing around the unfamiliar bedroom. It's the other one at his mother's apartment.

Last night, he may have been too lost in his grief to feel the anger, the bitterness, the fury that he's feeling towards whoever did this, but not anymore. Right now, all he wants is revenge, and he doesn't care that it's the Dark Side talking. That should probably scare him more than it does. Then again, it's not like he's ever been the best Jedi.

It's already late, so he's certain his mother has already left to attend to Council duties and giving classes. So, he's really not expecting it when he steps out of the bedroom into the main room of the apartment to see Ahsoka sitting on the couch, eyes focused on a datapad in her hands.

She looks up the moment he steps into the room. "Theseus!" she greets him, though he can see from the look on her face that she heard what happened. "I..." she pauses, suddenly seeming uncertain what to say, "Hope you slept okay," she finishes almost lamely.

"So, so," he answers, noncommittal, as he crosses the room and takes a seat next to her. "What are you doing here?" Even if he had the energy to care that someone realized he spent the night at his mother's apartment, he wouldn't care for Ahsoka anyway, since she already knows how close he and Athea are.

"Master Anakin said I could come over and make sure you were okay, and Master Shan didn't mind," she replies. He leans back against the couch, staring out the window, suddenly eternally grateful for her presence. He doesn't want to be alone right now, especially not when it feels like everyone else he cares about is going to disappear if he doesn't stay near them all the time.

She suddenly scoots closer, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry," she murmurs quietly. He can't bring himself to respond, especially when he's suddenly about to cry again, so he hugs her back tightly instead.

They sit there in silence for many long moments before Ahsoka eventually speaks again. "Hey, maybe we should go over to my master's apartment for now."

***

Obi-Wan is more than a little concerned over the recent turn of events. Athea Shan explained to him the details of the situation, and even two days later, Theseus seems overly withdrawn and subdued. He isn't surprised, but he's still worried. Athea seems equally concerned about it, which is why the two finally end up meeting privately to discuss the situation. With the war going on, it's not something they have much time to devote to, but he can't sit back and do nothing.

"We can't keep him out of this," Athea declares. "He won't rest until he finds the killer. Especially since the police already don't think they'll be able to locate him."

"My concern is how he will react when he does find the killer." He gets the feeling that what Theseus really wants right now is revenge, so he's not sure how good of an idea letting him go after the murderer will be. At least not until he's more stable again. But at the same time, it also seems like it's something he needs to do, before being able to let go.

"Perhaps one of us can go with him," she suggests. "Or have someone else who could."

"Someone he knows," Obi-Wan agrees. "Someone he can trust." He considers that for a few moments. Likely himself and Athea wouldn't have the time to spend finding the murderer with Theseus, considering that they're both on the Council. But he does know someone who probably would, and also who should be able to help the padawan. "Perhaps Anakin can go."

"If he's willing, that would be good," she agrees, "Anakin has much experience with darkness. He should be able to help."

Obi-Wan hopes it really is a good decision. After all, he knows better than anyone how Anakin can get when people he cares for are in danger.

Chapter Text

"You know, this speeder sounds like it's about to give up the ghost," Theseus remarks in a failed attempt to lighten the atmosphere as the speeder he and Anakin are riding on races through the underworld of Coruscant.

"That was the point, you know," Anakin replies, "We're trying not to stick out, so they won't see us coming." He has a point. It's been a week since the murder, and they finally managed to find a lead. Whatever it takes, they're going to find the killer. No matter what. Theseus won't let him escape. Between nearby security recordings – or rather the pathetic excuse thereof – they'd been able to use the Temple records to track down the person.

The speeder weaves its way in between endless buildings, further into the underworld until they finally come to a stop outside a very run-down building.

"We're here. Don't do anything... irrational?" Anakin cautions. "I know this is hard but try to stay calm."

"I will," he promises. He can handle this like a Jedi should. He has to.

They get off the speeder, heading into the building. There's a bunch of people lounging around in the large main room, and it reminds Theseus very much of when he was sneaking around in the pirate's compound on Florum. They look like the exact same kind of people, except they're various species this time. Really, he can understand how people like this can hide in large numbers far away on Florum, but right here on Coruscant? No wonder so many people – Vraz included – see the Republic as falling.

The memory of his friend sends a fresh stab of pain and anger through him. He draws in a deep breath, trying to keep himself under control. They're finally about to arrest the person who did it. He can't afford to do anything stupid.

"Go to the back entrance to block off the escape route," Anakin instructs him in a low voice as he scans over the group. Theseus nods, crossing the room doing his best to remain inconspicuous. No one pays him much attention as he shuffles through the crowd.

As he positions himself by the door, he spots the person who did it, who they were able to identify from footage and Temple records. All he wants to do, in that moment, is run him through with a lightsaber. All sense of reasoning is starting to evaporate, and he should probably be a lot more concerned than he is that he's already thinking like that.

He glances around the room for a moment to make sure there's no other escape routes aside from the entrance, and it's that moment that he's distracted in which all chaos breaks loose. The next thing he knows, blaster bolts are flying everywhere as Anakin deflects them. Apparently, the murderer actually thinks he'll be able to get away and a bunch of people are foolish enough to assist him instead of staying out of Jedi affairs.

He feels the danger in the Force but doesn't have time to react before someone tackles him from behind, knocking his lightsaber from his hands as they fall to the floor. "You're foolish to come here, Jedi," hisses the person as he punches him in the face. Theseus promptly returns the favor before knocking the man off him. The man catches his arm before he can get up, throwing him hard into the wall, racing out the door before Theseus has a chance to stop him – not that he would have tried if the man hadn't attacked him in the first place.

Pushing back the aching in his head, Theseus looks up in time to see Vraz's killer running for the door which he's no longer guarding, and he'll never be able to get up fast enough to block him. Anakin is fighting off multiple people at the moment and will never have time to reach him first.

A sudden, blinding rage grips him. That man dares totry and escape after what he did? He doesn't even deserve to live. Theseus is hardly thinking – no, he's not thinking at all – when he yanks out the custom blaster he brought with him and shoots at the escaping gangster.

The man staggers before collapsing to the floor with a sickening thud, and any momentary dark satisfaction Theseus was feeling promptly seems to evaporate. Instead of feeling satisfied... he feels sick if anything.

It is your destiny to become like me. The words through echo in his head and a shiver runs down his spine.

Force, what has he done? He just – he literally went against everything he's been taught his entire life. He supposes it's in moments like this that he understands why the Jedi teach that attachments are so dangerous. Obi-Wan and his mother are going to be so disappointed in him. And what's going to happen when the Council finds out?

"Come on," murmurs Anakin, suddenly appearing beside him before leading him out the back exit. Theseus follows him shakily, almost numbly. He just... The man may have deserved to die, but Theseus killed him in cold blood completely unnecessarily, and he doesn't even feel bad about it. Upset that he's come so close to the Dark Side, yes, but not regretful of the deed itself. He should have known better. He did, but it didn't stop him.

There are police sirens blaring outside. He stumbles back to the speeder, waiting as Anakin briefly talks to the police droids before heading back over to him. The Knight climbs into the pilot's seat but doesn't immediately take off.

***

Anakin watches his padawan-brother in silence. He doesn't know what to say. What could he say at this point? He remembers so clearly going through himself. The horror, the confusion, the 'how could he do something like this?'. And now, he wonders in part, if Obi-Wan didn't suspect it, if that wasn't why he thought Anakin wasn't good enough. But he never had anyone back then, so really, he doesn't know what to do.

After a pause, he decides staying longer will make it worse. For him, back on Tatooine in the Raider camp, he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. To run. Anakin fires up the engine, and they take off. He isn't going to go back to the Temple, not until he makes sure Theseus is ready. If he'd done something differently, maybe this could've been avoided. "Sorry," he mutters slightly stiffly. "I shouldn't've let that happen."

"... Excuse me?"

"I could've been faster. To stop him before you had to kill him." He should have. He already knew that Theseus wasn't handling it well. And all he did was not pay enough attention, and things went straight downhill.

"I'm the one who did it. Not you. And I knew better." Theseus looks away, staring into the lanes of traffic.

"I should've, too." Anakin wasn't thinking of the Raiders when he said it and realizes he should've chosen his words better only after the fact. But the padawan doesn't seem to think anything of it. "Do you want to go back to the Temple yet?" he asks finally.

"Not... yet," Theseus utters, staring out at the passing traffic. "When we do, are you... going to tell Obi-Wan?"

Right. That. Anakin winces internally. He can imagine how the boy the must be feeling right now, considering how he felt so similarly in that regard after killing the Raiders. "Do you want me to?"

"Does it matter? We have to tell him something," Theseus mumbles.

"Yes, but there was a fight, and he was killed in the fight." It's something for Theseus to talk to Obi-Wan about himself, it he actually wants to. And he clearly doesn't.

Someone needs to help Theseus deal with what happened, and Anakin isn't sure he's the best person for that, but he can't quite bring himself to tell Obi-Wan regardless. He knows what it's like, to have to face his master's disappointment like that, and he can't do that to Theseus.

The boy doesn't respond to what he said, and they continue to fly about in silence for a little longer. "We can probably go back now," he speaks up finally, "We can't take all day, can we?"

"All evening," Anakin corrects with a weak attempt to lighten the mood. He doesn't think it worked.

***

"I cannot believe we're back here again," Obi-Wan sighs. Theseus stands next to him at the front of the bridge, staring out at the looming reddish planet of Geonosis in front of him. This... it's the place where the war started in the first place. He never expected to find himself here one day, though it's not exactly surprising.

"It is unfortunate," Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi agrees, "The resistance from the native Geonosians was stronger than we anticipated."

"The same can be said for their loyalty to Count Dooku," replies Obi-Wan, "A fact that is often overlooked."

The doors to the bridge slide open and Anakin and Ahsoka hurry in. "You're late."

"Sorry, Master. Ahsoka and I were busy routing the Seppies near Dorin," Anakin informs him cheerfully.

"My squadron alone had 55 kills," Ahsoka boasts.

"Yeah, but mine had 76," Anakin shoots back.

"Showoff," Ahsoka retorts, rolling her eyes dramatically. Theseus chuckles quietly, in spite of himself. He's trying not to think about the whole Vraz incident at all, but it's hard not to when he's usually taking the BD droid everywhere with him on missions. He's not planning on taking the droid on this mission though, since it's mainly going to be a chaotic battle anyway, and there's no way he wants to risk anything happening to it. Not when it's the only thing he has left to remember his friend. It's so easy to throw himself into the war when there's not a constant reminder of his loss.

"Well, I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," quips Obi-Wan.

"Hey, it's just a little friendly competition, Master, nothing to worry about," Anakin insists.

"What I worry about is the way this war seems to be drawing out with no end in sight." Way to kill the mood, Master. The main reason they keep count of the number of droids they destroy in the first place is since it's literally the only way to stay sane.

"Which is why it is crucial our invasion of Geonosis meets with success," Mundi cuts in.

"Agreed," Anakin replies, before turning to the padawans, "Ahsoka, Theseus, contact the Outer Rim Command."

Moments later, they're standing in front of a transmission of Palpatine, Windu, Yoda, and Luminara Unduli while studying a map of Geonosis to discuss the plan for the invasion. Apparently, Poggle is likely hiding inside the main droid factory, which is protected by a shield generator.

"Anakin, Ki-Adi, and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield," Obi-Wan informs, pointing at the places on the holomap, "Once we've landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target."

"Isn't it risky committing three generals to one area of the attack?" asks Palpatine, "If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow."

"To ensure that rise again, Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must," Yoda says determinedly.

"Of course. As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi," decides the Chancellor.

"Our thanks, Chancellor," Windu responds, before looking to the Jedi, "May the Force be with you."

"Cody," Obi-Wan calls as soon as the holograms of Palpatine, Yoda, and Windu disappear, "These are the coordinates for the rendezvous."

"Yes, sir," he replies, stepping up to the other side of the holomap, "When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter there." They quickly finish up a discussion of the plans and prepare to head out.

"I'd still like to hear the story of the first time you were here," Theseus comments.

"We can talk about it later," decides Obi-Wan.

Theseus glances over at Cody, "Were you one of the troops here during the first battle?"

"No, sir. I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis," the commander answers.

"Well, you didn't miss much," Obi-Wan replies with amusement as they arrive at the gunship and he steps on board, "Last time I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters."

"Now I really want to hear about it."

"That sounds... entertaining," Cody remarks.

"It was," quips Obi-Wan, "For the Geonosians."

Theseus watches tensely as the gunships fly out of the star cruiser, heading across the sandy surface of the planet. Any moment now, the battle is about to begin. Almost all at once, a burst of green energy tears through the air straight past the gunship they're riding in, part of it catching the wing. The ship trembles violently form the force of the blast, and the padawan tightens his grip on handle on the top of the ship to avoid falling. The gunship fires back at the Geonosians, and the fight is on.

He winces as one of the gunships nearby goes up in flames and crashes. This is going to be a hard battle, considering that the Geonosians have the advantage of being able to fly. As if he's supposed to be ready to lose so many clone friends now, right after everything that happened. Whatever it takes, he's going to do his best to make sure they win this battle. All the lives that will be lost here will not be in vain.

"General Kenobi!" Cody suddenly calls over Obi-Wan's comm, "Don't land! The zone is hot!"

"But there's nowhere else to go," Obi-Wan objects.

"But we –" Theseus begins, just as a purple blast of energy strikes the back of the gunship. It lurches forwards, before rapidly spiraling out of control as it heads for the ground.

"We're hit. We're going down," the Jedi Master calls back.

The ground is approaching far too rapidly in front of them. "Brace yourselves!" Obi-Wan yells.

The ship slams hard into the ground. Theseus' grip on the handle breaks as he's thrown across the ship. He slams hard into, searing pain tearing through his head as stars dance in front of his eyes before the world goes abruptly dark.

"Theseus!" the next thing he registers is someone faintly calling his name. His head is spinning from the force of the impact, and he can feel blood running down the side of his face. Slowly, he opens his eyes, coughing at the smoke, debris, and sand in the air of the gunship. It's hard to tell much, but he can feel the death in the air. Almost everyone in the shuttle is dead.

"Padawan?" he hears Obi-Wan call again, this time more worried.

"I'm okay, Master," he rasps, grateful to hear that at least he's still conscious, even if he's injured, too. "Is anyone else...?"

"We need to get out of this thing," Theseus insists, trying to stand up but his head promptly starts spinning. He slumps back to the floor next to Trapper, who's sitting in between him and Obi-Wan. He's the only surviving clone, from what Theseus can tell.

"The doors are locked and from this position, we'll never be able to get them open from the inside," Obi-Wan replies.

"So, just going to sit here and wait for someone to come and rescue us?" he demands.

"We don't have much of a choice," the clone reminds. Which is when he realizes that the other two are injured worse than he is. They wouldn't even have the energy to try and force the doors open right now, and there's no way he can do it on his own.

Theseus can hear the sounds of battle all around and finds himself wondering what if they get stuck in here for days before someone comes to find them. Or maybe the Geonosians will blow up the ship before they have a chance to get off. As if in response, the doors suddenly groan loudly as they're forced open, Boil and Waxer appearing in the doorway.

"Waxer, Boil, am I glad to see you!" Obi-Wan greets them, "Trapper, Theseus, and I are the only ones still alive."

"Good to see you, sir," Boil says as he and Waxer help up Trapper and Obi-Wan. Theseus climbs to his feet on his own, his head spinning for a moment until he begins adjusting to the sudden change of position. "Commander Cody has established the square just beyond this position. The bugs are on the move and trying to surround us as we speak, sir."

Ducking the constant shooting on both sides, the five of them make their way over to a pile of crates for cover, where Cody is standing there waiting. "Are you injured, General?" he asks worriedly.

"No, no, nothing too serious," Obi-Wan insists, despite the fact that he can't even stand on his own. A clone medic approaches, injecting him with something.

"What's the situation here?" inquires Obi-Wan.

"We've got no air cover. Two generals on the ground beyond our position and a mess of bugs surrounding us," reports Cody, "The enemy was more than prepared for our attack, sir. They knew our every move."

"Well, I'm sure General Skywalker and General Mundi will make it to our position," Obi-Wan decides finally, "We just have to make sure we're still here when they arrive."

"Well, I'm going to help," declares Theseus, standing up and igniting his lightsaber.

The Geonosians are closing in on them from all sides, and they have the clear advantage, even though the clones are used the gunships for cover.

All other thoughts slipping from mind, Theseus throws himself into the battle, a purple flash ending the lives of any bug that dares venture too close to him. He's not going to let any more of the clones die if he can help it. They've lost enough already. As their commander, he can't really call the clones his friends, but they are, in a way. He's never formed close bonds with any of them, or with many people at all, but he can always count on them to cover for him, and he has to do the same.

Still, even with his help, the clones are rapidly being pushed back instead of advancing. They need backup. There's no way they'll be able to win this on their own. They're pushed back to take shelter behind the few remaining gunships and crates scattered across the area.

The Force suddenly screams of danger, and he tries to dive out of the way, but not fast enough. A green blast from the bug's cannons strikes a pile of crates right next to where he's standing. Pieces of the crates fly everywhere, the force of the explosion throwing him backwards into a nearby gunship.

Stars dance in front of Theseus' eyes for the second time in the past hour or so, but he struggles to force it back, the noise of the battle quickly bringing him back to reality. His head is still spinning violently but he needs to get up and keeping fighting. Although if he didn't have a concussion before, he's pretty sure he's going to have one before the day is out. And he's definitely covered with cuts from the debris thanks to being right next to that explosion, but at least he's still alive. For now, because somewhere deep inside, he knows this is war, and people die in war. It's so glaringly obvious from the bodies lying everywhere around him. Just like Vraz was.

"You okay, sir?" calls Cody.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Well, not really, but there's no time to deal with it right now. He shakily pulls himself to his feet, leaning slightly against the gunship when he nearly faceplants. Now would be a good time to do something, use the Force to pull something over and block off the Geonosians from getting close to them, but he hardly knows how. It's always been difficult, and especially now, he can't get over the increasing paranoia that if he reaches for the Force, all he'll be able to find is the Dark Side.

Just then, explosions shake the ground and Theseus turns to see fighters – Republic fighters – swooping down low over the surface, blowing up the bugs' weapons as they go. "Reinforcements!" he realizes, "The reinforcements have arrived." The other troops cheer.

From over the sand dunes, the clones of the 501st and the 21st run into view. Theseus hurries back over to Obi-Wan as he sinks back down behind the crates. What was he even doing standing up? He hates seeing his master in this condition. This – this is Obi-Wan, the first Jedi to kill a Sith in a thousand years. He seems so undefeatable, and Theseus hates getting reminders of exactly how human all of them are.

"Master Kenobi!" exclaims a familiar voice and he looks up as Ahsoka and Anakin dash up. Mundi is standing a distance behind them. Ahsoka reaches them first, crouching next to the Jedi Master.

"Well, what happened to you?" Anakin asks.

"I might ask you the same question."

"We need to proceed with planning," Mundi decides.

"Of course," Obi-Wan agrees. Moments later, the Jedi and their clone commanders or captains are all gathered around a holographic map of the area again as Obi-Wan explains the likely best way for them to destroy the shield generator.

Theseus waits near his master while the others continue the battle. He hates sitting here. People are dying, but he's injured. He should have been more careful now, as always. It'll be a while before the other Jedi return, so Theseus allows exhaustion to overtake him as he leans against the crates and dozes off.

He awakens to someone gently shaking him. Ahsoka is crouching next to him. "Come on, time to get out of here."

"Wha – oh." He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep. He stands up slowly and looks around to see Anakin helping Obi-Wan over to the waiting gunship. Mundi is already getting on board with some other clones. They must be taken back off-planet to go to the medcenter. Which means he'll be going, of course.

"You look terrible," Ahsoka informs him cheerfully.

"Nice way to boost the morale," he replies dryly.

"You're welcome."

"So, Master, what was your total?" Ahsoka asks as Anakin and Obi-Wan slowly approach the shuttle.

"Not now, Ahsoka," Anakin sighs.

"Come on! Are you afraid you lost this time?" she demands, smirking challengingly.

"Fine. Fifty-five, that's my count," he replies, "And you?"

"Sixty!" she chirps proudly, "Looks like I won."

"Yeah, but I called in the air strike. Tie!"

"You're impossible."

Theseus laughs quietly at the exchange. Being around Ahsoka and Anakin is one of the only things that manages to bring him calm, to distract him from the darkness and reality of war. "I only had thirty or something, but most of the ones attacking me were bugs not droids, so..." he interjects.

"I'll never understand how you can simplify these battles into some kind of game," Obi-Wan sighs as he arrives in the gunship. But really, it's the only thing can help keep Theseus sane sometimes when facing down endless lines of droids that won't stop coming even as all the clones are being shot down around him.

"Well, take care of yourselves," Anakin says, "I expect to see all of you back here by the time I've destroyed the main factory."

"We shall do our best," Obi-Wan quips. Theseus steps on to the gunship next to him, looking back at Anakin and Ahsoka. As much as he wishes he could stay with them and help, he does need to get his injuries taken care of, and rest.

"Sixty-five, Skywalker," Mundi says suddenly. Huh? Sixty-five what?

"I'm sorry?" Anakin queries in confusion.

"My total. Sixty-five," he repeats. Oh. Oh. He's talking about his droid count. Wait a minute... Jedi Masters do that too? "So, what do I win?"

Anakin blinds in surprise. Obi-Wan looks between the two of them with a smirk. "My everlasting respect, Master Mundi," he answers finally.

"... Oh."

"That is a gift Anakin rarely bestows, I assure you," Obi-Wan smirks.

"May the Force be with you," Theseus calls before the doors of the gunship slide closed.

Chapter Text

"It's good to see you managed not to get killed in my absence," Theseus quips as he joins up with Ahsoka again, and the other Mirialan padawan there. Barriss Offee. They've met in passing before but were never really introduced.

"Well... about that we might have almost been squashed under a building."

"Wait, what?!" he hisses, coming to a stop.

"Ahsoka and I were sent to infiltrate the factory and plant bombs in the main reactor," explains Barriss.

"What?" he echoes again. They went inside alone? Into the catacombs? They could have gotten lost in there! Now he's really beginning to wish he'd been here to help them out.

"Hey, don't worry. Anakin found us," Ahsoka assures him.

"You're not really making me feel much better about this," he mumbles. He was only gone for a day, and she went and nearly got herself killed already.

"It had to be done, regardless of the cost," interjects Barriss. Maybe, but that definitely isn't making him feel better about it.

Their conversation is interrupted as Mundi walks down the ramp of the shuttle, approaching Luminara, Obi-Wan, and Anakin who were discussing the situation with each other. "I'm afraid we have a complication," he declares.

"Don't we always?" Anakin asks dryly.

"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."

"We're delivering Poggle to Coruscant," Anakin objects, "And Cestus is not exactly on the way."

"The Republic must begin debriefing Poggle right away if we're to get useful intelligence form him," Luminara asserts.

"Master, I suggest we let our padawans handle the supply mission," Anakin proposes.

"Whatever needs to be done, Master, I'm happy to help," Ahsoka chirps.

"Me too," Theseus agrees. "Not like I'm helping here, anyway."

"As am I," Barriss agrees.

"Very well," Obi-Wan says, "Take a medical frigate, and after we've delivered Poggle to Coruscant, we'll rendezvous with you for the voyage to Dantooine."

***

Theseus stares up at the dull gray ceiling above him. He's on the upper level of Ahsoka's bunk. As hard as he tries, he can't bring himself to sleep, for more reasons than that he just got back from a recovery period. The room is too cramped for his liking. Too dark. It's too... quiet.

He can hear Ahsoka rolling around on the bunk below him, her movements punctuated by an occasional groan. Barriss is the only one who doesn't seem to be having any trouble, or maybe she's pretending.

"Can't sleep?" he finally asks rhetorically in a low voice, hoping not to disturb the other padawan in case she is actually sleeping.

"No," Ahsoka grumbles.

"What is it?" Barriss speaks up suddenly, opening her eyes.

"It's too quiet," the Togruta replies, "It's a big change from all the fighting the last few days."

"You should enjoy this peace while it lasts," admonishes Barriss.

"I can't," Ahsoka huffs.

"Then maybe we should do something other than rolling around in bed," Theseus suggests, sitting up.

"Like going to eat?" offers Ahsoka.

"Sure. We can try to rest after that," advises Barriss.

Theseus isn't tired. He already slept. Or he is tired, but he doesn't want to admit it. Every time he tries to sleep, nightmares plague him. Best to get up and get moving.

The three find themselves in the mostly dark cafeteria minutes later, the only light on being the one shining overhead. It's still dark, and Theseus has no idea why it feels like something might jump out at them from some dark corner. This is stupid. He's fifteen, and a Jedi. He should have outgrown fear of the dark at least a decade ago. So why is he so on edge?

He's grateful when Ahsoka finally breaks the silence. "I was just thinking about what you said earlier, 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," Barriss asserts.

"But it seems to me that all we're doing these days is being warriors," Theseus objects.

"We're fighting to restore peace. Once the war is over, it will be our job to maintain that peace." she replies.

"Yes," agrees Ahsoka, "But will we do so as keepers of the peace or warriors? And what's the difference?"

"I don't know, really," Theseus responds. "Maybe it's that warriors lead battles while keepers of peace... don't?"

"I don't have all the answers, either," the Mirialan responds, "Like you, I'm still a learner. What do your masters tell you?"

"Anakin?" Ahsoka asks, shifting almost as though suddenly a little uncomfortable, "Oh, um... you might find some of his thoughts on the future a bit radical." He supposes he understands why she probably is uncomfortable at the sudden topic change. Now that Theseus has been around Anakin for so long, he's realized that his opinions tend to be quite different from that of the rest of the Jedi. It's not something he really wants to talk about with anyone. Not that he has anyone to talk about them with.

"Really?" Barriss inquires looking almost amused, "Why?"

"Let's just say my master will always do what needs to be done. I'm not even sure how peacetime will agree with him."

"The same way it did before the war started, I guess," Theseus shrugs.

The door to the cafeteria slides open, two clones from Barriss' personal command which she'd brought with them for their mission appearing in the doorway. Still, Ahsoka has clearly been working with them long enough to remember names. Theseus would remember to, if he hadn't spent most of the mission in the medbay recovering from his injuries.

"Evening, Ox, Edge," she greets, "Would you like to join us?"

The two stare blankly back at them, and Theseus narrows his eyes slightly. What's going on? Something feels... off.

"Is something wrong, troopers?" Ahsoka frowns, clearly realizing the same thing.

Something suddenly seems to snap in them, and they both march forwards, raising their blasters to fire. What?! Only the constant need for instantaneous reactions that they've all learned during the war allows them to react fast enough. Theseus already has his lightsaber activated, blocking the blaster shots along with the other two, even though he has no idea what's going on. In war there isn't time to constantly question threats, only to instantly act to defend against them.

"Troopers!" shouts Barriss, "Stand down!"

Ahsoka jumps onto the edge of the table, so it flips over, and Barriss leaps over to duck behind for cover. Theseus charges the clones, his blade slicing through the ends of their blasters. Edge lunges at him, throwing him back into the table.

A Force wave from Ahsoka slams into the clone, throwing him across the room into the wall. He slumps to the floor, unmoving. Theseus dodges out of Ox's way as he tries to attack him next, punching him hard across the head. The clone falls to the floor, unconscious.

"Why would they have attacked us?" he asks with a frown. This doesn't even make any sense. Why would the clones attack them?

"I don't know," Barriss utters as she and Ahsoka step out from behind the table and walk over to him.

The door behind them opens again as they approach the temporarily stunned clones, two more troopers rushing in with raised blasters. They immediately spin around, leveling the lightsabers at their necks. The clones jump back in surprise, which Theseus is pretty sure isn't feigned. "What are you doing here?" he demands sharply.

"Two clones just attacked us. What is going on?" Ahsoka inquires.

"Trap, do you know what happened to those troopers?" presses Barriss.

"Couldn't tell you, Commander," he answers nervously, "I'm just as confused as –"

"You're in charge of those men!" snaps the Mirialan, "Did you order them to kill us?"

"No, sir! I did not."

"What's happening? Why would they do this?" Ahsoka demands.

"We don't know. We heard shots," the other clone answers.

"Why should we believe you?" the Mirialan snaps. Theseus may not know her well, but he already doesn't like her attitude. Obi-Wan may have taught him already how to not get too close to the clones while still caring for them, but it seems like she has little regard for even her own men. She doesn't even call them by name.

"Look, no guns." The clones slowly lower their blasters to the floor.

"There has to be a reason they attacked," Theseus frowns, turning off his lightsaber. He doesn't think the clones are planning anything, and they shouldn't be able to attack them unless something is going on. Something no one knows about, because he knows they would never try to kill their superiors of their own free-will.

"They wouldn't attack us for no reason," agrees Barriss.

"My master had a clone betray them once, a traitor who was paid off by Ventress," Ahsoka comments, sounding disgusted.

"It can't be that simple," argues Barriss as she turns to the two unconscious clones, "At least, it didn't feel like that."

"I think there's something more than that going on. They were acting... weird. But I don't think we should linger in here," Theseus interjects. "We have to figure out what's going on, and these men could wake up any time. We should go check the bridge." Because the last thing they need is for something to have happened there, and it's also the first place the Separatists would target if they were doing something.

"I'll contact them now," Barriss frowns, pushing a button on her comm, "Bridge, this is Barriss. Respond." No response. Just what he was worried about.

"We need to get up there!" Ahsoka exclaims urgently.

"I concur," Theseus agrees. "We should hurry." He doesn't waste another moment before sprinting out of the room. Every moment counts at this point. They leave Havoc to watch the two unconscious clones, and Trap follows them. Except the moment they reach the hall leading to the bridge, the ray-shields lining the halls turn on, cutting them off.

"Someone doesn't want us going up there," Ahsoka observes.

"I think we may have already lost control of the bridge," Theseus warns. "I'll see if we can override the controls." Suddenly, he really wishes he'd brought BD with him. The droid would be very useful in something like this. He crouches next to the controls and starts pushing buttons. Really, he needs more lessons in machines. He tries to suppress the memories that always comes with those thoughts.

Everything happens all at once. The Force is whispering a warning, tensing around him, and he spins around to see Trap aiming his blaster right at Barriss. She ignites her lightsaber in a flash and deflects the shots, only for him to lunge at her.

Her lightsaber falls from her hand as he slams into her, a long slimy green worm slithering out of his mouth. "He's infected!" shrieks Barriss, "Get this thing off me!"

Both Theseus and Ahsoka are momentarily frozen in shock, disgust, and confusion. Barriss calls her lightsaber back to her igniting it through Trap's chest. She throws him across the hall before reaching for the worm which is now crawling around her neck.

Ahsoka yanks it off with the Force, cutting through it with her lightsaber midflight. The smoking and still wriggling halves fall to the floor. With all his time being a padawan, he's never encountered anything like that before. And already hopes he never has to see one ever, ever again because that's disgusting, and it came out of someone.

Ahsoka shudders in disgust and voices everyone's thoughts. "What is that?"

"Looks like some type of parasite. It must be controlling their actions," Barriss observes.

'They're being mind-controlled, then," Theseus concludes, "So the question is how widespread is this? Havoc could've been being controlled too, for all we know."

"He probably was," Ahsoka agrees shuddering again as she looks back down at the worm halves, "This explains a lot. Trap was my friend. He would never have tried to kill us."

The girls kneel down next to the worms. Theseus grabs Ahsoka's shoulder when she tries to pick up one of the halves. "You have no idea what could even be on that thing!" he yelps. "Why do you want to touch it? We don't even know what it is!" And besides, that's plain disgusting. He'd think the girls would find it grosser than he does. Apparently not.

"... Good point," she concedes reluctantly.

"How did these things get on board in the first place?" Barriss wonders.

"They must have infected the clones while they were on Geonosis," Ahsoka realizes.

"We'll have to quarantine the ship," she states grimly.

"Which we can do once we actually get in control of the situation again. For all we know, all the clones could be infected by now. We need to be suspicious of everyone until we can confirm that they're actually on our side," Theseus declares, looking between the others, "We need to contact Mo- Master Shan and let her know about the situation." And he can't believe he nearly slipped up and called her 'mother' in front of another Jedi, especially one like Barriss. Thankfully, no one seems to have noticed.

"Let's go," Barriss agrees.

They take off running through the halls, Theseus staying on high alert for any signs of life. They've only rounded a few corners when Ahsoka suddenly slams to a stop, Theseus and Barriss skidding to a halt behind her.

"What?" he hisses, looking around anxiously.

"That sound," she whispers back, "Listen. It's... Geonosian." What would they ever do without her enhanced senses? It's saved them so many messes before. Togrutas have extremely heightened senses compared to humans, and she's always the first to spot danger.

He pauses, listening. Sure enough, right around the corner he can make out faint clicking noises, the same kind of sounds he heard the bugs making while he was fighting them.

"There's a bunch of clones right up ahead," Theseus warns, "We'll have to be cautious."

The three creep down the hall, looking into the room the sounds are coming from. A group of clones are gathered on the far side of the room, and two of them are pinning another struggling clone against the wall. A third one approaches him, holding a green worm in his hand. It makes Theseus feel sick, even for having been on the battlefield for half a year.

"We have to help him!" hisses Ahsoka. Yes, they need to. But how? By the time they cross the room, it'll be too late. The worm is already crawling up the clone's face, before slithering into his nose.

"It's too late," Barriss objects.

Theseus hears footsteps from behind them and spins around, in time to dodge a blaster shot that would have taken off his head. A clone is running towards them from down the hall, shooting. The trio instantly deflect the bolts away, but the commotion alerts everyone in the room to their presence.

They back up a few steps into the room as the clone advances and Ahsoka uses the Force to push a button on the controls, slamming the door in the other clone's face. Theseus turns to face the rest of the room, watching warily as a trooper approaches them, holding two green worms in his hands. The moment those things are close enough, they'll have to –

Ahsoka yanks them away, slashing through one as it flies through the air. Theseus is quick to finish off the other as the door hisses open behind them, and the other clone immediately starts shooting again.

Theseus whirls around to block the blasts, allowing the girls to focus on defending from the other larger group of clones. One of the deflected shots hits the clone in the chest and he collapses to the floor.

***

Ahsoka glances desperately around the room, looking for a way out. Even if they could fight off all the clones in here, she doesn't want to kill them if there's a choice. What would Anakin say to do in a situation like this? If they're trapped and outnumbered, a fight they can't win, they run. If there isn't a way, make a way.

She has the answer before the thought can even finish forming. "Come on, let's go for the vent!" she advises urgently.

Moving almost in sync, the three of them leap onto one of the crates, before jumping to a platform higher up in the room, all the while ducking clone fire. Theseus turns to deflect blaster shots as she and Barriss pull the heavy vent off with the Force and drop it onto the floor below. They jump into the vent, scrambling away from the opening to the room as fast as possible.

At least the clones probably won't be able to fit up here, so they're safe for now. But they can't keep hiding. Ahsoka immediately stops when she hears movement. Looking down through a nearby vent grate, she sees clones running past. They're all over.

"I'll go to the reactor room and disable the thrusters," Barriss whispers, "Two head for the aft comm center and send a warning to Master Shan. We have to stop the ship from reaching the medical station."

"I don't know, Barriss. I think we should stay together," Ahsoka frowns.

"If we split up, we'll all be more at risk," Theseus warns.

"I know, but unfortunately we don't have the luxury of staying together right now," Barriss insists, "One of us must succeed." She pauses for a moment, fixing both of them with a look, "If you need to, you'll do what must be done. I know it." There's no more arguing with her, and she does have a point.

"Yes. Of course. Then I'll see you soon," Ahsoka says reluctantly before they split off ways.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Theseus murmurs as they crawl.

"So do I," she replies, "We just need to deliver that transmission and then find Barriss."

Thankfully, it doesn't take them much longer to reach the control room. All of the clones seem elsewhere in the ship looking for them.

Even through all the tension, Ahsoka can sense how relieved Theseus is at seeing his mother, though he doesn't show it much visibly. "As long as these things are on board, we dare not land on the medical station," Ahsoka informs.

"You need to bring the ship in," Athea replies, "We have to analyze these parasites to know how to stop them."

"For all we know everyone on the ship could be infected except us," Theseus argues, "If we dock, who knows how far the infection could spread?"

"You don't understand how terrible these things are," Ahsoka agrees.

"We will take precautions," insists Athea, "You need to bring the ship in." The Togruta can see how worried she is for Theseus as well.

She sighs. "I have a bad feeling about this, Master Shan, but I will follow your instructions."

Rex calls almost as soon as the transmission with Athea Shan is broken. "Rex, this is Ahsoka," she responds, "Boy am I glad to hear your voice."

"Likewise, sir," he replies, "I've got someone here who wants to speak with you." He steps aside, allowing Anakin to come forwards.

"Ahsoka, Theseus, what's going on? Are you okay?" he demands.

"We are, but I can't say the same for anyone else on the ship," Theseus answers, "These worm-like parasites are loose everywhere."

"Make sure you both have a wrist comm," Anakin instructs, "Keep it on. I'm going to interrogate Poggle. He might have some answers. Find Barriss and wait for my signal."

Chapter Text

Ahsoka turns for the door, only to see Barriss standing right on the other side. "You're back!" she exclaims in relief, "Were you successful?" The girl doesn't respond, instead standing there staring at her the same way those clones first did back in the cafeteria. Oh no. Was she taken over by the brain worms too? "Barriss, what's wrong?"

"She's possessed," Theseus breaths, igniting his lightsaber.

The Mirialan raises a hand, shattering the glass with the Force, hurling the shards straight at them. "We're your friends, Barriss! Snap out of it!" Ahsoka yells.

"I don't think that's going to work," points out Theseus frantically.

"It won't hurt to try," she hisses back. The Mirialan stalks into the room, smiling cynically as she ignites her lightsaber. She jumps at them, but Theseus has his lightsaber out in a moment, stepping in front of Ahsoka to block the blow.

She pulls back, slashing at him again and Ahsoka runs forward to intercept the strike. "Barriss, it's not you!" she insists. "It's the creatures! Fight them!" Barriss is a Jedi. She should be able to resist it, right? To fight back? And after what they went through together, Ahsoka really, really doesn't want to fight her.

"There's no use," Theseus warns, swinging forwards to catch the blue blade with his own. "We have to run." She doesn't exactly want to, but she knows they have little choice. They can't stay here and fight, or the clones will find them. There's nothing she can do right now, either.

Ahsoka swings at Barriss again, their blades clashing into a saberlock. She kicks the girl across the room into wall, before spinning and sprinting out of the room, Theseus close behind. She's eternally grateful that at least he's here with her. It would be very bad if he was possessed also. He's one of the best lightsaber duelists of his age, and Ahsoka doubts his skills would be diminished, even if he was being mind-controlled.

She hears Barriss running close behind them. The Force suddenly slams into her, and she doesn't have a chance to counter the push. She's thrown down the hall into the far wall. Theseus jumps in front of her again, lightsaber ignited.

He parries Barriss' strikes, forcing her back a couple steps as Ahsoka scrambles to her feet again, throwing a Force-shove at Barriss that sends her flying down the hall this time. They both turn and run without a word.

"Back in the shaft?" Theseus whispers as they run. She nods in confirmation. The still-open shaft is right up ahead, and they can't keep running. Without wasting a moment, she jumps through the opening. Theseus follows a moment later, just before Barriss rounds the corner. The other girl pauses beneath them for a moment, then continues down the hall.

"That was close," Ahsoka mutters.

"We're not out of this yet."

"We'll have to wait for Anakin to call," she whispers. But for now... they should probably hold still and stay out of sight. Silence settles over them, and they back completely out of sight of the vent covers, staying crouched in silence. She longs to talk, because the silence is simply a sharp reminder of the dangerous situation which they're in. The darkness, the narrow area... it's making memories of the factory nag at the edge of her mind again, as hard as she tries to suppress them. If not for Anakin, she would have died in there. A sudden beeping draws her attention to her comm. "This is Ahsoka," she responds instantly, pressing the button. "Come in."

"Ahsoka, listen to me. The worms are affected by the cold," Anakin says.

"Cold?" Theseus echoes.

"Rupture the coolant system." Right on cue, a clone walks past, stopping and looking up at the grate. Ahsoka jolts back, instantly covering her comm. She can hear Anakin's muffled voice talking but waits until the clone heads off before uncovering it again.

"The coolant system. Got it." Ahsoka disconnects the call, glancing over at her friend. "Come on." She moves the grate, peering cautiously down into the hall. All clear. "It's empty," she whispers before dropping down. They make it successfully to the room only minutes later.

Ahsoka hurriedly chances the settings on the controls and Theseus pulls down the lever. With a hiss, icy clouds pour into the room from the vents. She can already feel the temperature dropping. "Now we need to find somewhere to sit this out," Theseus warns.

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can go back to the bridge," he suggests. Which they better do quickly. Ahsoka is already shivering. She'd really like if they could find something warm to hide in, but first, they better contact the medical station again.

The temperature is rapidly dropping towards freezing as they run through the halls. She wishes she had her outer robes with her or something right now.

"There you are!" snarls Barriss' voice suddenly, "You can't hide from me."

Wrapping her arms around herself in a failed attempt to stop shivering, she looks over her shoulder to see the padawan running towards them, blue blade humming in her hand. There's no way either of them can fight properly right now. She wouldn't even be able to hold her lightsaber straight right now without dropping it, and Theseus isn't in much better of a position, even if he is wearing more clothes.

There's only one option. She jumps straight down into the freezing vents. Theseus lands next to her a moment later and stay as close as possible to each other. Her hands and feet are going numb now, she can hardly feel them at all. Well, as long as she can keep moving until they get back to the bridge... One thing's for sure. She'll never be able to stand being cold again.

The clouds of freezing air pouring out of the vents clearly must have obscured where they went, because she hears Barriss continue down the hall in search of them. Once she's certain that the Mirialan is actually gone and not waiting for them to come out so she can attack them, Ahsoka cautiously raises the grate, peeking out. Her arms are shaking so badly she can hardly even hold it, but at least the hall is empty.

"Come on," Theseus urges, scrambling out. They take off running down the hall again. The controls on the bridge are starting to ice over when they get there, but at least they're still functional for now.

"We're coming in awfully fast," she observes worriedly as she pokes a few buttons on the controls. Theseus stands next to her.

"This is Ahsoka Tano, can you hear me?" she calls, "I'm shutting down the engines. I'll try to reverse the –"

"Look out!" shouts Theseus, whirling around and blocking the blue blade that was heading straight for her head. The Mirialan kicks him back, spinning and slashing her blade across the controls. Ahsoka dives out of the way, shoving Barriss into the wall and grabbing one of the hoses which freezing air is spilling out, holding it out towards her. She – or more correctly the Geonosian bug in control – lets out a shriek as she clutches at her head, before collapsing to the floor.

Ahsoka collapses to the floor, Theseus hastily moving to sit down next to her, though he keeps his lightsaber ready for a moment's notice.

Barriss finally moves again. "Kill me. Please," she requests. What?! There's no way she can do that. The thought of the other girl being dead makes her stomach turn. Even if she asked, how is Ahsoka supposed to look anyone in the face and tell them she killed a fellow padawan, simply because she was asked to? She can't do it.

"I can't!" she cries, before stumbling to her feet, to look out the viewport. She practically collapses onto the control panel from the effort. The medical station is rapidly approaching outside the window. Hopefully, they'll be able to take care of letting the ship land properly, because there's nothing more she can do.

Barriss slowly staggers up, and lunges at her. Theseus reacts first, yanking her leg out from under her and she faceplants behind the chair. She immediately starts pushing herself back up again, the worm starting to slither out of her mouth. Theseus ignites his lightsaber, slashing through it before falling back to the floor again. Ahsoka pushes herself off the controls, sinking down next to him, moving as close as she can. Everything is icing over now, including them. If they don't get to the medical station and get help soon, they're going to freeze death. Staying close to each other is the only way to slow it down.

She scoots slightly closer, pulling Barriss closer to her, who now seems to be unconscious. The world is rapidly slipping into darkness, even as she tries to resist it. Theseus is already slumped over next to her, and she's pretty sure he's already gone unconscious.

She's not sure how long it's been when she finally hears movement and looks up to see Athea and several clones behind her. "Hello, Master Shan," she croaks.

"We'll take care of the supplies. You rest now, Ahsoka," Athea says.

***

Theseus jolts awake with a start, looking wildly around the room. The last thing he remembers, everyone except Ahsoka was literally trying to kill him. It takes a few moments for him to realize that he's in a medbay. But what about everyone else?

He looks anxiously around the room, spotting Ahsoka lying in the bed next to him. Barriss lays sleeping in the bed on his other side. At least they're both alright. His gaze lingers on Ahsoka for another moment. This is the second time in the past couple months that she nearly died right next to him.

This is war. People die every battle, people on both sides. They're all mortal, even if they're Jedi. Even they can die. Any day, one of the people he's closest to could die. It shouldn't scare him as much as it does, but he can't help it. It isn't helping that the one person he thought he'd never have to worry about losing because of the war – Vraz – is now dead. Life is such a fragile thing. He sees that now.

As a Jedi, he should be prepared to let go. He's not. He still doesn't understand the whole idea of just 'letting go' of emotions, at least not how most Jedi do.

It almost seems as though he should keep his distance from everyone if only to avoid the pain of their loss, because if what happened with Vraz was any indication, it would be much worse for the death of someone he has a bond with, but that seems wrong. If he doesn't get to know them now, he may never have the chance later.

He wonders where exactly he is on the whole spectrum of light and dark, because if what happened after Vraz died was any indication, it's not very promising. It's his secret, a dark thing he should probably tell someone – like Obi-Wan or his mother – about, but he can't. It would make it more real, and it's a fact he doesn't want to confront. Only Anakin knew, and Theseus wonders if the slightly concerned looks Anakin gives him every now and then when no one is watching are an indication of how much he remembers the incident. To the best of Theseus's knowledge, the Knight hasn't told anyone.

The sound of footsteps approaching interrupts his thoughts, and he looks up to see Obi-Wan stepping into the room.

"Master," the padawan states quietly in greeting, not wanting to risk awakening the others.

"It's good to see you awake, padawan," Obi-Wan replies. He's known Obi-Wan quite a bit longer than Anakin and spent more time with him, but still his bond with Anakin is slowly growing stronger than his with Obi-Wan. He knows it's because Anakin is so much stronger in the Force than anyone, but it's still slightly unsettling.

"Ahsoka and Barriss are going to be okay, right?" he queries.

"Ahsoka already woke up," he replies, "But you need to rest."

"And all of the clones?" Theseus adds. They aren't in here, not like that's unusual, but he hopes it's not because they all ended up dying since they weren't able to tolerate the subzero temperatures. It's not like they had the chance to try staying warm, although he supposes their armor would have provided more protection than the padawans' Jedi robes did.

"Yes, they're fine. They're all making a recovery," Obi-Wan tells him. He sighs in relief. Even if they weren't his clones, they're still people.

"Do you know what those things were?" he inquires.

"Brain worms. We found them on Geonosis when chasing after Poggle. The Queen was using them to control her minions. After the place was destroyed, the worms must have been trying to find new hosts," Obi-Wan explains. So that's why they decided it was a good idea to hide on the medical transport and make what could otherwise have been a for once peaceful several hours into a nightmare.

"They're all dead now, I hope?" he asks. The cold was supposed to kill them, but he can never be too sure.

"Yes, they are, and they've been taken for examination," Obi-Wan explains, before standing, "But you should rest now."

Theseus sighs reluctantly. He doesn't want to know what kind of nightmares will be plaguing him if he attempts to sleep. He lays back down on the bed, anyway, staring up at the ceiling. It's a moment like this when he has plenty of time to think, that his mind often drifts to things he's tried to force to back of his mind since the incident with Vraz.

It is your destiny to become like me. The words echo through his mind again, from his nightmare – vision? – months ago. He hasn't had any more since then, but that doesn't mean they aren't still disturbing him. Master Yoda would probably have advice about them, but he really doesn't want to talk to the Grandmaster about it. It's something he'd much rather keep to himself. Like... go to the head of the Jedi Order and say, "I'm worried that I might Fall." No, that's the last thing he's going to do.

If he keeps ignoring the visions and refusing to think about them, maybe they'll stop. But that won't help if they're warning you about something that's going to happen his mind has to supply. Okay, he needs to think about something else, like right now.

Always in motion, the future is. It's a phrase Yoda used to say all the time. Even if he had a vision of himself Falling when he got his crystal, that doesn't mean it's something that's going to happen. It could just mean that he needs to confront his darkness and deal with it.

Well... that's something he's not really sure how to do, so for now he tries to push it to the back of his mind. He has more urgent matters to deal with right now anyway, like working on his lightsaber skills. Which he could do if he wasn't stuck in the medbay.

***

Anakin watches the sleeping forms of the padawans in silence. Ahsoka is twisting about restlessly, even in her sleep. She nearly died again, when he almost lost her only a couple days ago buried in the factory as it is. He should have sensed something would go wrong from the start. He should have gone instead of them. He managed to save her again. Both her and Theseus. But he saved them. And used the Dark Side. Again. It's beginning to become like a second nature to him.

Is that it? Is that why Obi-Wan never wanted him? Because he can never be a proper Jedi since he's always so close to the Dark Side?

He wonders, sometimes, what his former master would do if he knew everything. He'd be disappointed, for sure. Again. It's not something Anakin thinks he can handle. It was bad enough knowing, with so much certainty, that he never meant anything to Obi-Wan. Now, he wonders if all the kindness his former master had shown him isn't what he did to everyone, because in all honesty, he isn't treating Theseus much different.

He misses what things were like before the war, before everything. And maybe that's another one of his failures, of his flaws. Why he'll never be enough.

What more do the Jedi want from him? He tries his best. He's tried with Theseus, and – and now, they have something. He wouldn't call it a friendship exactly, but they do care for one another. He holds himself together around Obi-Wan. He's teaching Ahsoka the best he can, and she's progressing fast. He's one of the best generals already. But none of it's enough.

What more could they ask of him? What do they want that he's not doing? He's still human... right? He can't just... not have emotions. He doesn't know how to be as cold and collected as most of the Jedi. He's not supposed to be upset about how the Jedi always treat him, but he can't help it. If he has this destiny, why does he have to do it completely alone? When he was young, he thought they'd help him, but no.

It baffles him how he can love Obi-Wan so deeply, when Obi-Wan clearly doesn't care for him.

He's always been so different from the rest of them to the point that he almost feels like he doesn't belong there, and it doesn't seem like that's ever going to change.

Sometimes he almost has to wonder if the only reason they keep him around is because of the belief that he's the Chosen One. Supposed to bring balance to the Force when he can't even control his own emotions properly.

He's not even sure if he even believes in it. Even if he does, does being the Chosen One come with no help at all? He can hardly lean on Obi-Wan when he needs to because reasons. Ahsoka and Theseus are fifteen-year-old padawans, and besides, he's supposed be raising Ahsoka. What kind of parent dumps all their problems on their child? He can hardly lean on Rex either. Yes, he can trust him to always have his back during a battle, but he can't ask for his support in that way.

And Padme... he was depending on her support a lot, but now he's not sure anymore. Not long before the second battle of Geonosis, she proved flat out that she didn't trust him. Or at least, she didn't have faith in his opinions. She didn't listen to him. She could have died and left him alone.

It's almost ironic that he feels alone, anyway. All he can do is keep trying to prove himself.

Chapter Text

Theseus is both nervous and excited as the ship glides to a stop on the landing platform at Mandalore's capital. He can't believe he's seriously here, on the planet that his mother often talks about, and the place where he was born. It would almost feel like coming home – if he had a home here and knew anything about the planet, anyway.

"The Duchess awaits you, General Kenobi," a guard greets Obi-Wan as the two get off the shuttle.

"Far be it from me to keep the Duchess waiting," Obi-Wan replies. They get on a speeder, which takes them the rest of the way to the palace.

Glass windows line the walls of the large throne room, pictures decorating the walls in the few spots where there's enough room. Large elegant light fixtures hang from the ceiling.

Prime Minister Almec is the first to greet them, insisting that Mandalore would never turn against the Republic like the rumors claim and that they're fully committed to peace.

"Well, Master Kenobi," a woman's voice rings out. All heads turn to the doorway as the Duchess herself walks into the room, accompanied by a group of guards, "My shining Jedi Knight to the rescue once again." They used to know each other? From the way she's talking to him, the veiled annoyance in her tone and expression because of why they're here, Theseus has to wonder if they were more than acquaintances. Friends, perhaps?

"After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever." Theseus raises an eyebrow at Obi-Wan's unexpected greeting. Maybe they knew each other better than he was thinking.

"Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery," she retorts, sounding very unimpressed.

"I would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing, Duchess. However, a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers. A Mandalorian saboteur." Obi-Wan withdraws a recording device, displaying a hologram of the warrior wearing Mandalorian armor.

"You must be mistaken," objects Almec, "No Mandalorian would engage in such violence, not anymore."

"You can see that recording as well as us," responds Theseus, "He's clearly Mandalorian."

"Where is this prisoner now?" presses the prime minister.

"He took his own life rather than submit to questioning. I know these commandos fought in many wars, often against the Jedi," Obi-Wan says. Like in the Mandalorian Wars from literally 4,000 years ago, the ones Theseus keeps having visions about.

"Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am," Satine snaps, "I know we sound defensive, but –"

"Clearly, your investigation was ordered –" begins Senator Tal Merrik speaks up, where he stands next to Satine's throne.

"Because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs," Satine cuts off.

"My investigation was ordered by the Jedi Council," the Jedi Master replies.

"I stand corrected," the Duchess replies, much of her anger seeming to fade. Maybe the reason she was so upset was because she thought the Senate was involved. Considering that she's the head of thousands of currently neutral systems, that's hardly a surprise. "General Kenobi, perhaps you and your padawan would like to join me on a walk through the city?"

"Very well," the Jedi Master agrees.

Satine holds out a hand and Obi-Wan steps forwards, taking it as she walks down the steps of the throne. Theseus eyes them slowly. Something about that gesture seems more than a mere gesture of friendship. And it's weird to think of his master who's practically like a father being so close to someone like that. He always seems like such a perfect Jedi, even if Theseus knows he's still an ordinary human.

***

"This is my padawan, Theseus Shan," Obi-Wan tells Satine as the three of them walk through the city. Several guards trail a distance behind them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Duchess," Theseus says politely.

"And you," Satine replies before turning back to his master. Theseus falls a few steps behind them, allowing them room to talk to each other in private – though he can still technically hear everything they're saying – as he takes a look at the city. "It's so good to see you again, Obi-Wan," Satine murmurs, "Despite the circumstances."

"Your peaceful ways have paid off. Mandalore has prospered since the last time I was here," Obi-Wan asserts.

"Not everyone on Mandalore believes that our commitment to peace is a sign of progress. There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. There are those among us, certain officials, who are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation." Maybe they'll figure something out by coming here after all. Theseus supposes he can understand why she wouldn't want to talk about this back in the throne room in front of everyone. It's not something she would want the public to know and fear.

"How widespread is this Death Watch movement?" Obi-Wan asks.

"It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them in custody. We have tracked them down to our moon, Concordia."

"I hope you're right, Duchess."

Theseus looking around at the tall buildings surrounding them. It's a city, but it's very different from Coruscant. It has a much more peaceful feeling, completely as opposed to the visions he has of the planet. Everything is so... light. Satine has done an excellent job restoring peace to her planet. He lets his mind wander as the adults talk, taking in the sights to see.

Obi-Wan is in the middle of talking when a sudden explosion shakes the ground. Theseus instinctively throws up his hands to shield himself and smoke and flames leap from the ground only yards ahead of where they're standing.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks anxiously, glancing between him and Satine.

"I'm fine," she says.

Theseus nods, turning to survey the damage. A number of people were caught right in the explosion. He doesn't know how many were killed or injured, but there are a lot of people on the ground. Satine runs over to one of them.

"Hooligans couldn't have arranged an attack of this scale," Obi-Wan declares.

"Then this must be the work of an off-worlder," Satine suggests, as she helps one of the people laying on the ground sit up.

"Something tells me it's not a coincidence. We were just discussing a certain terrorist group before this happened," Theseus objects.

"I happen to agree," Obi-Wan says, his gaze riveted on the holographic image glowing right behind Satine. The Duchess looks up, eyes falling on it immediately.

"The sign of Death Watch," she breaths.

"This goes far beyond vandalism. This is a political statement against your government and against you. You're not safe here. I'm taking you back to the palace."

"Whoever did this is probably still nearby," Theseus murmurs quietly, scanning the crowd.

Obi-Wan nods. "I want to interview everyone here," he calls, "Nobody leaves this scene."

One of the gathered people promptly whirls around and takes off running. Way to look suspicious.

"You, there!" Obi-Wan yells, bolting after, Theseus close behind. And is Satine seriously following them? What is she even thinking?

They chase him down a staircase and through a building. The man runs out onto a balcony area, coming a stop at the railing. "I only want to talk!" Obi-Wan calls

The man whips out a blaster, firing at them. Obi-Wan dodges out of the way of first shot and Theseus ignites his lightsaber, deflecting the next shot. The man fires a few more times and he deflects the shots, one of them hitting the blaster it came from. It's ripped from the man's grasp, and he promptly charges them. Obi-Wan throws him back with the Force. "I don't want to hurt you," Obi-Wan insists.

Right on cue, Satine appears in the doorway. "Stay back!" he warns her.

The man jumps up, running to the railing. What?! He can't seriously be about to – Theseus sprints forwards, but it's too late. By the time he's close enough, the man has already climbed onto the railing. "Stop!" he shouts, but the man says something in a language Theseus doesn't recognize before jumping backwards off the edge.

"We need to get down there," urges Obi-Wan and they take off. The man is still moving slightly when they get down there, in the midst of a group of mortified spectators. Satine runs over to him. She's endlessly kind. This man tried to kill her, yet she's more concerned with his death than anything else.

"What's he saying?" Theseus wonders.

"He was speaking in the dialect they use on Concordia, our moon," she answers quietly after the man goes completely still.

"I should like to visit this moon of yours," Obi-Wan remarks, "Perhaps I and my padawan could accompany the body."

"The Concordia moon is a province with its own governor. You'll need me to escort you," Satine tells him.

"That won't be necessary," the Jedi Master insists.

"Actually, it will," the Duchess shoots back, "You won't make much progress without me there, especially since you've just been involved with the death of a Concordian." What?

"But –" Theseus begins.

"I didn't kill him," Obi-Wan protests.

"I know," she retorts, turning to walk away, "That's why I'm still talking to you." Then what, exactly, is the problem? Clearly, he still has a lot to understand about Mandalorians.

***

The Governor is waiting for them when they arrive, flanked by two guards.

"Duchess Satine. You are most welcome," the Mandalorian greets her. He has the same light blonde hair like most of them.

"Thank you, Governor Vizsla," Satine replies, "May I present Master Obi-Wan Kenobi representing the Jedi Council, and padawan Theseus Shan."

Theseus immediately feels Vizsla's eyes on him. The gaze lingers longer on him than Obi-Wan. It's slightly unnerving because people never do that. They always pay attention to Obi-Wan. He's the master, the adult. Theseus is the padawan, something Obi-Wan is always very happy to remind him of if he starts getting out of line. Theseus has already come to accept he's very strict, which is given being a Council member and all, but it's a good part of why seeing him with Satine is so weird.

The brief exchange that follows is interrupted when the body is brought off the ship, and Viszla and his guards head off to attend to it. Just like they suspected, the man is believed to be a part of Death Watch.

"What now, Master?" Theseus asks, looking to Obi-Wan as Satine turns to leave.

"I need you and Satine to keep Governor Vizsla occupied at dinner," the Jedi Master replies thoughtfully.

"What?" exclaims the Duchess, pausing to look back at them.

"Where are you going?" Theseus frowns. He doesn't like the sound of this.

"Just for a look around," Obi-Wan responds flippantly.

"So, you're planning on searching for Death Watch now?" he asks dryly, "And alone?" Of course, his master would do that.

"I'd like to see one of these mining facilities for myself," the Jedi Master agrees.

"You mean you want to determine if they're still operational," Satine concludes.

"I hope to determine they're not." Obi-Wan withdraws two earpieces. "I want each of you two wear one of these so we can stay in contact in case you run into trouble while I'm gone."

"Isn't it more like in case you run into trouble and need assistance?" Theseus counters. Obi-Wan gives him a pointed look which he ignores.

"Remember that you are here under my protection," Satine frowns, "Please try not to cause problems where none yet exist."

"Think of me as... searching for solutions." Obi-Wan climbs onto the speeder.

"I have to tell you, I'm opposed to all of this."

"I'd be disappointed if you weren't," quips Obi-Wan, "Padawan, keep an eye on her when I'm gone, will you?"

"Of course!" Theseus assures.

"I'm not the one who needs an eye kept on," Satine grumbles.

"Then let him do it to humor me." He fires up the speeder, zooming away before she has a chance to reply.

"Come on, we don't want to keep the Governor waiting," Satine sighs, heading back.

Theseus follows her through the building, continuing to look around. It's so hard to believe that he's actually here on Mandalore. He pauses for a moment when he catches sight of a girl milling about, who looks to be about the same age as him. But what really catches his eye and makes her stand out is that her hair is more of a brown blonde, very unlike the typical Mandalorian. The strangest part, though, is that she vaguely reminds him of his mother. He tries to brush the strange thought aside as he continues following the Duchess, but he still can't seem to shake the image of the girl from mind. It's probably nothing. He needs to focus, anyway.

Vizsla is writing a condolence letter to the dead man's family when they arrive. "Master Kenobi will be here shortly. He said he needed to meditate." Theseus hopes it's an excuse the man buys, because they can't let anyone find out where Obi-Wan really is.

He's only half listening as Vizsla and Satine sit at the table, talking about the situation with Death Watch and why they might be trying to undermine her government. All he can feel right now is a sense of danger humming in the Force, through his bond with Obi-Wan. And then the bond goes suddenly eerily quiet. He's unconscious, Theseus realizes. Because he's definitely not sleeping. That can only mean one thing. He found Death Watch.

He needs to – he needs to go find him. But he's supposed to be distracting the Governor. Urgh. Obi-Wan needs his help right now. Why does his master always need him or Anakin to come running to the rescue?

"General Kenobi's meditation is taking a rather long time," Viszla remarks, looking over at Theseus. Why does he keep glancing at him anyway? Maybe he's more polite than most people and doesn't completely ignore children.

"It's my master's favorite pastime, trust me," Theseus quips, trying to ignore the panic he's really feeling. He feels his bond with Obi-Wan flare again, and then so does his earpiece.

"Padawan, duchess, please acknowledge." And how exactly is he supposed to do that?

"May I offer you another drink?" inquiries Viszla.

"Yes, certainly," Satine replies. The governor moves over to the counter to pour another glass.

"I'm in a bit of an awkward spot. I'm being held by the Death Watch." Because of course he is. If only Theseus could actually respond without sounding like an idiot.

"Sorry, Duchess. We're out of ice," observes the governor.

"Sorry to hear that," replies Satine, absently fiddling with her hair.

"Perhaps we should begin dinner without General Kenobi," suggests Viszla.

"There's a tracking function on your comlink," Obi-Wan continues, "Follow it due to east to my location."

"I don't know if I can do that at the moment," Satine replies slowly.

"I think we should wait," Theseus declares. "Maybe I should go find him."

"It's extremely urgent!" Obi-Wan almost sounds alarmed now. They need to get going.

Satine presses a hand to her head as Theseus stands up, preparing to head out of the room. "Are you not feeling well, Duchess?" asks Vizsla.

"Perhaps some fresh air would do me good," she replies, standing.

"Shall I escort you outside?" he offers, ever an extremely polite host.

"Take a speeder. It's rough terrain," Obi-Wan cautions.

"We'll be fine," Theseus assures, hurrying out the door without another word, Satine close behind. "Just follow me," the padawan tells her, jumping onto a speeder and activating the tracker on his comm. He zooms away, Satine following close behind on her own speeder.

It isn't long before the speeders pull up outside the mining facility that is clearly definitely still active. They jump off the speeders, ducking in through the entrance and staying in the shadows. It's easy being that it's totally dark outside now.

"We're here," Theseus calls into the communicator.

"Where exactly are you?" Satine asks.

"Listen for the loud, metallic, clanging sound. That would be the machine about to smash me into bits!" Oh, great.

"Master, how do you always get yourself into these situations whenever I'm not with you?" Theseus sighs, heading towards the door.

"Just hurry!" He's freaking out now, not like that's a surprise. It means they really need to hurry.

"We need a distraction," Theseus declares, glancing around. There's got to be guards everywhere in here.

"Here's one," Satine murmurs, pushing the alarm button and bolting away down the hall. He runs after. So much for her following him. She seems to know her way around much better. This is her planet, after all, he supposes.

They run into a large dark room. On the far side, Theseus can see the large machine crushing things. And Obi-Wan is suspended upside down in the center of an orange ray shield only a short distance away. They duck down behind a counter as the guards run out of the room to determine the cause of the disturbance.

"Well, it certainly took you long enough!" Obi-Wan calls as they run for the controls on the far side of the room.

"You know, I haven't saved you yet!" Satine snaps.

"Yes, no need to remind me of that."

Theseus scrambles up the ladder leading to the controls. He frantically looks them over, trying desperately to find the right one. He may have overlooked it a few times.

"Be patient!" she yells back.

"I happen to be a bit short on patience right now!"

"It's one of these," Satine tells Theseus, appearing next to him and motioning to some of the controls.

"Yeah, but which one?" he hisses. He doesn't want to push the wrong thing and do something stupid to speed up the process. He's not about to do something stupid and get his own master killed by a dumb mistake because he's panicking so much that he can't even focus.

"Turn the machine off!" Obi-Wan yells.

"We're trying!" Theseus snaps, slamming his hand down on one of the buttons. He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as the machine stops seconds before smashing Obi-Wan into bits.

Theseus slides back down the ladder, Satine close behind. He senses a flare of danger the same moment Obi-Wan shouts, "Look out!"

He whirls around in time to see an armored Mandalorian lunging at him. Satine jumps forwards, hitting the 'off' button on the machine holding Obi-Wan in place, before another guard promptly tackles her. Theseus kicks the Mandalorian in front of him, but he retaliates with a hard punch to the face. The padawan stumbles back a step the man uses the opportunity to knock him to the ground. Theseus quickly rolls over, yanking his leg out from under him, sending him sprawling. He ducks out of the way of another punch, as Obi-Wan lands next to the Mandalorian holding Satine kicking him back into the wall hard enough to knock him out, before whirling to knock out the other.

Theseus jumps to his feet, running over to the nearby exit and opening the elevator door. They need to get out of here before reinforcements arrive. "For a man sworn to peace, you take an unseemly pleasure in the injuries of others," Satine quips as she and Obi-Wan step into the elevator after him.

"For a woman sworn to nonviolence, you don't seem troubled that I could have been killed back there."

Theseus shifts uncomfortably, turning to look out the glass of the elevator as they go down and tuning the other two out. The doors finally slide open and Obi-Wan lunges forwards, knocking out the guard standing outside before Theseus even finishes registering that there is one.

"Look there, it's the Jedi!" shouts a voice as two more armored figures run into view.

"This is not the way we came in!" Obi-Wan cries, trying to close the door but nothing happens. The Death Watch all open fire. He grabs Satine, yanking her down behind part of the wall, Theseus following. One of the blaster shots hits the control panel, sending the elevator speeding away.

"We'll have to stand and fight," Obi-Wan decides.

"Don't we always?" Theseus shoots back.

"Or in your case, just stand," he adds, looking to the Duchess who glares at him.

The Jedi master reaches for his lightsaber, only to realize that it's not there. Which for some reason suddenly reminds Theseus of something he's always telling him. Your lightsaber is your life. Well, see who lost it this time.

Theseus jumps out from behind the wall, lightsaber igniting to deflect the shots away from the three warriors flying towards them with jetpacks. Obi-Wan picks up a blaster, shooting one of them out of the air. The other two continue to fly closer, avoiding the shots. He snatches up the jetpack from the unconscious Mandalorian, throwing it in the air and shooting it. It explodes it cloud of smoke and flames, and for a a moment Theseus dares to hope that they defeated the others.

Except a figure promptly leaps out of the smoke, throwing Obi-Wan to the ground and spinning to shoot at Theseus. He deflects the first two shots before jumping at him, slashing his blaster in half. Theseus decides better of killing the person – Satine might throw a temper tantrum, and he really doesn't want to deal with that right now – and instead tackles him. They exchange a few punches before his first connects with the bottom side of the person's helmet instead (ow) and he rolls away the same moment, knocking his – her? – helmet off entirely.

It's the same girl he saw back at the Governor's mansion, he realizes. She's part of Death Watch? She's only his age. And now that they're here practically face to face, he really can't shake the sudden nagging feeling of how much she looks like Athea. It doesn't help that some part of his mind almost seems to think she's familiar, like he knows her somehow. But that doesn't make any sense.

The girl uses his moment of distraction to throw him to the side and starts to get up but Obi-Wan intervenes, slamming her over the head, rendering her unconscious.

Four more Mandalorians stride into view. The one in front is walking with an air of authority around him. He's someone important based on the Death Watch symbol painted on the front of his helmet.

The man glances at the girl on the ground for a moment before turning to face them instead, pulling his helmet off to reveal... Vizsla?!

"Governor?" cries Satine in shock.

"For generations, my ancestors fought proudly as warriors against the Jedi," he proclaims loudly, "Now that woman tarnishes the very name Mandalorian. Defend her if you will." He withdraws Obi-Wan's lightsaber, tossing it to him. He withdraws a saber hilt of his own, which literally looks ancient. "This lightsaber was stolen from your Jedi Temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic," he continues, igniting the blade. It's black, unlike anything Theseus has ever see. It even sounds different. "Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade. Prepare yourself to join them."

Theseus steps back, lightsaber in hand in case he needs to join the fight. Vizsla jumps through the air, bringing his blade down on Obi-Wan's, who shoves him back. He slashes again, and Obi-Wan jumps back. They exchange blows a few more times. Obi-Wan is fighting on the defensive, trying to get a feel of the other man's fighting abilities. Vizsla's good, Theseus has no doubt about that, but he could never take out a Jedi Master. At least not one like Obi-Wan. For some reason he feels ridiculously proud of that fact.

Vizsla slashes at him again and Obi-Wan grabs his wrist, twisting his arm to the side. The Mandalorian swings the darksaber again and Obi-Wan steps back, throwing him back with a Force-shove. The other three Mandalorians catch him. He straightens and runs forwards again, bringing his blade down with a dramatic spin. Obi-Wan blocks his slash, spinning and kicking the darksaber from his grasp.

Vizsla punches him repeatedly, knocking him to the ground. In a flash Theseus lunges at the Mandalorian. He's not going to let anyone hurt his master. Vizsla snatches up the darksaber hilt and ignites it, swinging it up to meet the purple blade. He easily keeps up with the Mandalorian's blows, at least for the moment. Honestly, Vizsla doesn't seem to be fighting quite as violently as he was a moment before, unless the fight with Obi-Wan already wore him down a little. He's skilled, but Theseus is focused on a single-minded determination of not letting anyone get past him. He won't let anyone get hurt. This man has no consideration for life. He's a criminal.

The padawan lets himself feel the Force nudging him on and draws on the skills he's been learning so hard since the war started. He twists his lightsaber in a sudden move, wrenching the darksaber from the other man's grasp. He punches Viszla in the face, kicking him back at the other gathered warriors.

"Warriors, finish them," the Mandalorian orders, standing up.

The other three step forwards, firing rocket blasts at them. Obi-Wan shoves Theseus aside, sidestepping the three blasts. "Come on!" he calls. Theseus doesn't waste a moment, sprinting through the doorway of the elevator. Obi-Wan picks up Satine, jumping after.

Chapter Text

The moment they get out of this place, it won't be soon enough, Theseus decides as he follows Obi-Wan up to the waiting starship where they'll be accompanying Satine to Coruscant. It's not that he hasn't stayed up all night fighting before. He has, many times, but he's exhausted anyway. He thought this would be an easy mission for once. So much for that.

"Oh, Anakin, am I glad to see you," Obi-Wan sighs, spotting his former padawan waiting at the bottom of the ramp.

"You sound tired," the Knight observes.

"The peaceful ways of the locals wore me out a bit," Obi-Wan quips as he heads past him.

"We have some things to talk about later," comments Theseus quietly. He can't shake the image of the girl from his head, and he really wants to talk to someone about it. Someone who isn't Obi-Wan. He's not the kind of master you sit down and have a casual talk with like that. Ahsoka isn't around, and he doesn't really feel comfortable at the thought of trying to talk to his mother about it. It's obvious that she doesn't really like dwelling on whatever events happened surrounding his birth which is hardly a surprise, so he'd rather not bring it up. It's probably best for him to tell Anakin about it.

"Really?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah. Privately, I mean." Thankfully, it isn't long before they find themselves alone. The ship went into hyperspace and Obi-Wan is busy making sure everything is under control. "I haven't told Master Obi-Wan about any of this," Theseus mumbles, suddenly feel awkward and beginning to rethink his decision to tell someone but he has to get this out of his mind. He doesn't really want to ask his mother something so outright like that, either.

"So, what happened?"

"When I was on Mandalore, I saw something. It's my home planet, but I saw this girl there who reminded me of..." Anakin doesn't know about Athea. It's not something Theseus exactly wants to confirm to him or anyone about. Not that he doesn't trust him. It's just something he doesn't want to tell anyone about. "Well, my mother."

There's a moment of silence. Anakin raises an eyebrow. "Your mother? You remember her?"

He has no idea. "She's..." He pauses. Should he really tell Anakin about his relationship with his mother? It's a secret hardly anyone knows, and even then, it's rumors. "Yes, I do," the padawan confirms at last. It's true, after all. Of course, he does. "It's just... this girl was working with a Death Watch, and I really don't want to be related to a terrorist." Because really, he's not sure what else would explain the weird connection he thought he felt towards her. Although how exactly they're related is a different story. His mother would have told him if she had another child, right? Well, probably.

"Don't let it bother you too much. Blood doesn't make someone evil. Even if these are your relatives, it was their choice. It doesn't affect you, not as a person."

"I know," he sighs, "But..." Has he really made any different choices than this potential relative of his? The memory of what happened when he went looking for Vraz's killer flickers before his eyes again.

He almost jumps when Anakin squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. "The Order is your family now." The conversation is cut short when Obi-Wan comes in to find them, telling them that they need to check on security. They're down in the lower part of the ship giving instructions to the clones when a guard shows up, saying that Satine has requested for their presence.

"Keep an eye out with Artoo," Theseus orders BD as he heads for the elevator with Anakin and Obi-Wan. The droid whistles affirmatively.

"As the designated regent of 1,500 systems," Satine is saying as they walk into the room, "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 announces as he steps into the room.

"You are quite the general now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?" Satine retorts, eyes narrowing.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect."

"Really?" she asks skeptically, "Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Theseus frantically smothers his laughter at the suppressed grimace on his master's face. "Your Highness is too kind."

"You're right. I am," she retorts, before Obi-Wan changes the topic by introducing Anakin.

"I remember a time when Jedi were not generals, but peacekeepers," comments Satine.

"We are protectors, Highness," Anakin interjects, "Yours at the moment. We fight for peace."

"What an amusing contradiction."

Theseus resists the urge to point out that at times, the only way to ensure peace in the future is to fight for it. There's nothing contradictory about that. But really, it's hardly the place of a padawan to be arguing with a Duchess, especially in front of so many people, so he keeps quiet.

"What Master Skywalker means is that we are acting at the behest of Your Highness to protect you from the Death Watch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view," Obi-Wan declares. Why does he seem to say everything possible to aggravate Satine? If that's what this kind of caring for someone is all about, he's not sure he ever wants to feel something like that.

"I asked for no such thing," the Duchess shoots back.

"That may be so, but a majority of your court did," Obi-Wan retorts.

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses," Satine snaps.

"I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities."

The Twi'lek Senator steps forwards, holding his hands out between them. "I am certain we all agree Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have proven there are two sides to every dilemma."

"Indeed," Merik speaks up, "Now in regard to the Senate vote, we think –"

"I think a multitude makes discord, not good council," Satine retorts. Well, that basically sums up the Senate in one sentence. Theseus isn't sure how they ever manage to get anything done.

"Right again, my lady," agrees the Twi'lek.

"There may be two sides to every dilemma, but the Duchess only favors hers," Obi-Wan quips. Seriously, why is he trying to start an argument with everything he says? "A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists."

"Even extremists can be reasoned with," Satine insists, standing up and descending the steps from her chair.

"Perhaps if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids," Obi-Wan shoots back.

"The sarcasm of a soldier," the Duchess snaps, glaring at him.

"The delusions of a dreamer."

Everyone watches them glare at each other for a few moments before Merik and the Twi'lek Senator speak up, advising they leave for dinner. "Fine!" Obi-Wan and Satine snap in unison, giving the rest of the room almost identical scowls. Satine shoves past him, striding out the door without looking back.

***

The three Jedi head down the halls towards their rooms, intending to rest until Satine calls them or if the clones spot something amiss. "... she took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world alone," Obi-Wan is explaining when they arrive at his room.

"You didn't stay to help her?" Anakin asks carefully.

"That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere."

"Demanded?" This is why Anakin can't ever tell him about Padme. He'd be upset, disappointed. Obi-Wan faced the same choice and chose to follow the Code. "But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision."

"Oh, it did. I live by the Jedi Code."

"Of course," Anakin agrees, almost numbly. This is why he'll never be a good enough Jedi. He can't do the things that they can. He doesn't know how to let go. "As Master Yoda says, a Jedi must not form attachments."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse."

The conversation is promptly interrupted by Rex, reporting that Artoo is worried about something and that two of the men are missing. That certainly explains the uneasy feeling Anakin has been having. "I'm on my way down to assist you," Obi-Wan responds, standing up.

"I'll go, Master," Anakin cuts in, "If there's something dangerous down there, the clones and I can handle it." If he's being honest, he wants to get away for a while. He doesn't really want to be with Obi-Wan right now. The only way to keep himself out of his own mind is if he has something to focus on.

'You should go with him," Obi-Wan tells his padawan who's been standing silently, watching the entire time.

"Sure, Master. Try not to get in trouble with mining equipment again in my absence," Theseus quips.

Anakin slips through the door and starts down the hallway. It hurts to watch them. This is the boy Obi-Wan wanted and chose. Unlike with Anakin. Sometimes, it feels like Ahsoka is the only person who manages to keep him sane. He worries over her whenever she's around, and it gives him something to focus on beyond himself. But now he has a mission to focus on.

"Alright men. What's the problem?" Anakin asks, as they step out of the elevator, "I'm missing dinner."

"We're not sure yet, sir. But there's still no sign of Mixer and Redeye," replies Rex.

Artoo beeps nervously, rocking back and forth the way he always does when something's wrong. "What's the matter, buddy?" The droid beeps again. "I know, I know, but I'm here now," Anakin assures it. "Use your scanners. See if something's out of place."

Artoo rolls away instead, shining a light in front of them. Anakin follows cautiously, hand close to his lightsaber. Something is very wrong, that much he can tell, but he's not sure what. If there's any intruders on the ship, they're droids, not people. Artoo stops next to a crate lying on its side, open.

"Looks like the contents of this box are missing," observes Rex.

"Or it got up and walked away," Anakin murmurs.

"You think we have intruders down here?" queries Theseus cautiously.

"Looks like it. All right, fan out, separate squads," Anakin orders, "I'll contact Obi-Wan." He needs to give him the report of what's going on.

He's just finished when Theseus reappears at his side. "BD did a scan. He's picking up on some other droids down here which I'm pretty sure aren't supposed to be."

"That's what I thought," Anakin says, "Now we need to find them." He hurriedly relays the message to Rex and the other clones before starting off through the narrow walkways between crates again.

Anakin rounds another corner, Theseus a few steps behind to see a familiar clone slowly stepping around the corner. "There you are, Redeye! Where have you been? You've had us all worried." He pauses as the clone comes into the spotlight. He's moving weirdly and his head is hanging down in an odd position. "... Redeye?" Something is very wrong here.

He ignites his lightsaber the moment he catches sight of something holding onto the clone from behind. Whatever it is promptly hurls the body at him. Anakin ducks out of the way as the huge spider assassin droid crawls into view. Theseus activates his lightsaber too as it charges straight at them.

Anakin slashes his blade across the droid, cutting off its front two legs. Theseus cuts through another one before it takes a few steps back towards the crates. It's about to start forward again when the clones run up, shooting it.

The clones and Theseus seem to have the situation under control, so Anakin glances around for any other threat, in time to see another assassin droid running around the corner, heading straight for the lift. Anakin sprints after, but by the time he reaches it the droid is already climbing inside. He's not about to let it get up there where Satine, Obi-Wan and everyone else are. He throws his ignited lightsaber up at the fleeing droid, the blade slashing through several of its legs. The droid loses its grip on the wall, falling back to the floor of the elevator shaft. Catching the flying saber with the Force, he stabs the blade through its head.

"There might be one left. Let's spread out and find it," Anakin advises.

"Well, there's one right there!" Theseus calls, pointing at the top of the destroyed droid, just as several tiny ones start jumping out of the holes in the top. They move back from the droids, only to see a swarm is headed towards them from behind. This isn't good.

Anakin starts cutting through the droids as fast as he can, but they're swarming everywhere. He, Theseus, and the clones move into a circle to defend each other as they try to contain the droids. Several of the droids run into the lift, scurrying up the wall. But there's nothing Anakin can do about it now, except warn Obi-Wan, which he does.

Artoo finally rolls over, electrocuting the droids. "Good work, everyone," congratulates Anakin. Artoo beeps. "You too, buddy."

"How'd those things even end up in the hold?" Theseus wonders.

"The question is, who smuggled him onboard?" Anakin replies, eyes narrowed. Time to find the droid that services the cargo bay.

***

Anakin and Theseus make it up to the upper levels to see the few droids that made it up lying destroyed on the floor behind Obi-Wan. "One of our four distinguished senators appears to be a traitor," Anakin informs, handing him the datapad with the shipping information. One of the Senators must've taken it on board. No one else could have.

"I sense it, too," Obi-Wan confirms before sending them back down. Anakin has a pretty good idea what he's planning, and hopes the situation up here isn't going to spiral out of control. He's back in the hold looking for signs of anymore droids when Obi-Wan contacts him again that Merrik is the traitor.

He's finished destroying the last of the tiny assassin droids when another large one charges out from behind the crates. It jumps on top of Theseus, who kicks it off him. The droid promptly scrambles for the lift and Anakin throws his lightsaber again, cutting through it. Rex jumps on top of it, firing his blaster repeatedly through the top, destroying all the tiny droids before they can come out.

"Send troopers to every escape pod," Anakin orders, "The rest of you make sure all the droids down here are gone. Theseus and I will go help Obi-Wan." They run into the hall in search of the Duchess but find his former master first.

"Merrik will try to signal his allies for help," Obi-Wan declares, once they update him on the status, "We have to find him." But from the way he's acting and the Force, Anakin can tell he's concerned over Satine's safety right now more than anything. Which really makes him wonder...

"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 back. Oh, so it's a yes. Theseus looks like he's trying very hard not to laugh and squirm at the same time.

No sooner have they stepped out of the elevator then the ship jolts violently, as though something slams into it. Boarding craft. Anakin has experienced them enough times to know what it feels like. Clones rush past, heading for the disturbance. "We'll take care of this, Obi-Wan. You go find your girlfriend." He doesn't wait for a response, dashing down the hall.

"Right," Obi-Wan agrees, then stops as Theseus chokes on a laugh. "No, Anakin, she's not my –" Anakin disappears down the hall before hearing the response.

Anakin and Theseus run into the hall where the battle is raging, to see the clones and Senate guards fending off a long line of super battle droids. Anakin leaps past them, jumping onto the curved wall and past the first line of droids, landing in the middle of them, slashing through a super battle droid as he hits the floor.

He cuts through the next several easily, Force-shoving the last three into the wall. Theseus has already finished taking care of the rest of the droids. "Hey, what's your count?"

"I don't think now's a good time for this," Anakin replies, "We have to go find Obi-Wan. Stay quiet."

"Nine," whispers Theseus, maybe a little too dramatically.

"Thirteen, so I still won."

He huffs. "Not my fault the Senate guards finished off the rest first."

"I still won. Now, stay quiet. I think I know which way to go."

The Force is nudging him down the hall, and he follows it. He can hear talking around the corner as he creeps closer near the wall. "... I don't know quite how to say this," he hears Satine saying, "But I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago."

"I don't believe this," Merik scoffs.

"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for –" Obi-Wan begins to object, then stops, "Alright. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order." His master would leave the Order? For a moment, Anakin suddenly wonders if he'd say the same about him, but hastily forces the thought away.

"That is touching, truly it is. But it's making me sick, and we really must be going," Merrik grumbles. Anakin is highly tempted to punch him for ruining his master's moment. Obi-Wan never gets emotional, and Anakin is not happy it was ruined.

"You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik. And slugs are so often trod upon," Satine snaps. He hears sudden movement in the hall up ahead of him and moves a little closer. Theseus is itching to move forwards, but Anakin shoos him back. If Obi-Wan has this handled, Anakin doesn't really want to interrupt and risk messing things up.

"Interesting turnabout," Merrik says sounding very unconcerned, "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," the Duchess insists.

"What will you do?" he mocks, "If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist idea 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?"

Anakin can see them now, Merrik facing his back their direction, finger ready to push the trigger of the bomb. Obi-Wan stands across from them with his lightsaber out, and Satine is pointing her blaster at him. But if either of them makes a move, Merrik will react faster. The fate of everyone on the ship is resting on him. He needs to move fast.

He ignites his lightsaber through Merrik's chest, reaching down to catch to the trigger to the bomb before it hits the floor. Satine throws the blaster aside the moment she sees that the threat was averted.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan sighs in that scolding tone, something almost like a glare on his face.

"What? He was gonna blow up the ship!" Anakin snaps back, doing his best to cover his hurt. He saved everyone here. No, he doesn't even get a thank-you. Somehow, no matter what he does, it's always wrong, and he doesn't know why.

"Obi-Wan, I..." Satine begins.

Cody promptly runs around the corner. "General Skywalker, the last of the droids have been defeated sir."

"Very good, Cody," Anakin replies, turning to the clone.

"I must get back to the business of diplomacy," Satine declares, shifting back into her 'Duchess' mode before she turns to head away.

"As you say, Duchess. Some other time," Obi-Wan says, looking almost disappointed for a moment. Anakin glances back at the others, waiting until he knows the situation is under control before slipping off to his room.

***

After making sure the ship is temporarily safe, Obi-Wan goes to check on Anakin. He can feel his former padawan is upset about something, and maybe he can figure out what's wrong. When he enters, Anakin sits up in bed, looking over at him. "I'm going to assume you're not here because you found more assassin droids."

"Not yet," Obi-Wan agrees.

"That sounds promising."

Time to get to why he's really here. "I came to see if you're alright," Obi-Wan admits.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're upset." He moves forwards, taking the chair near the bed.

Anakin's expression goes to completely closed off almost instantly. "It's nothing. I'm fine." It... didn't used to be like this between them. At least not this bad. Things have changed between them since the beginning of the war. They don't have the time to spend together they used to, and it's taking its toll.

"It's not nothing, or you wouldn't be upset about it." Anakin looks away. Whatever it is, it's perfectly clear he isn't very intent on letting on. So, Obi-Wan will have to say something more if he wants to figure out what the problem is, even though emotions aren't exactly his area of expertise. "I know we've been a lot more... distant with each other than we used to be. I would like if we could try and change that. It's difficult to work together if we don't talk openly."

"Why do you care?" he asks, narrowing his eyes almost suspiciously. And that honestly hurts, that Anakin really trusts him that little.

"You're my friend." My brother, but he won't say it aloud.

The expression on Anakin's face boarders on disbelief.

For a moment, Obi-Wan is hit with the memory of when his own master choosing Anakin over him, even while he was still a padawan. Except it doesn't make sense, because Anakin was already a Knight, but he has to make sure. He moves to take a seat next to Anakin, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, Theseus wasn't meant to replace you."

"You wanted him." The 'but not me' is unspoken, yet he gets the strong impression through their bond.

"I may have taken you as a promise, but that doesn't mean I don't care." The conversation is getting much too emotional, but clearly, it's one they badly needed to have a long time ago.

A tentative hope flares in his eyes. "Do you?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan promises. It hurts, really, that he even needs to ask. He'd always thought Anakin knew. Obi-Wan moves closer in silent invitation, and Anakin scoots over, wrapping his arms around him. It's not until now he realizes exactly how much he's missed this, the peacefulness of just being with Anakin. He doesn't know if this will change anything between them, but he hopes it does.

Chapter Text

"You need to meet Master Plo and me in the hanger as soon as possible," Ahsoka informs Theseus.

"I'm on my way," he replies and from the hologram, she can tell that he's already moving, "What happened?"

"Master Anakin and Windu seem to have gotten themselves buried under a Star Destroyer and we –"

"Star Destroyer?" exclaims Theseus.

"I don't know what happened, but Artoo came back with an emergency message."

"Just another everyday occurrence. I'll be there shortly."

She's pacing back and forth impatiently by the shuttle when he shows up a couple minutes later, and they board the ship, heading for Vanqor. She spots the wreckage almost immediately as fly down for the surface of the planet. It's already catching fire all over the place, smoke pouring off it.

"You know, every time I come here, it's because Anakin crashed somehow," Theseus mutters.

"How do you know he crashed this time?" Ahsoka points out.

"I don't, but it happens every other day, so it seems like a good assumption."

She doesn't take the time to reply as the shuttle finally lowers close enough for her to look over the wreckage. "There!" she exclaims, "In the bridge, I see them!" Artoo beeps in relief, but even his beeps still sound very worried. Ahsoka doesn't dare let herself think of what could have happened if they came later. He's almost entirely buried beneath the debris, and there's no way for him to dig himself out. He could have died here. If something else falls on them, she doesn't want to think about what could happen. No, there's no time for those thoughts. She hastily pushes them from mind. Anakin can't die that easily.

"Ahsoka, Theseus, hold the ship steady," Plo instructs. She instantly raises her hands, following his lead as they try to keep the falling debris from crushing Anakin and Windu.

A flaming piece of the Star Destroyer breaks free as the clones finish helping the two back to the shuttle. It crashes down onto a lower part and the entire Star Destroyer explodes into a ball of flames. Ahsoka shudders, turning back to check over Anakin. If they had arrived even a few minutes later, it would have been too late.

"Some pretty serious burns, but nothing a night in the bacta tank won't fix," Ahsoka remarks as she stands next to the stretcher the clones are carrying Anakin on. And why is he trying to sit up? She bonks his leg as a pointed reminder to keep him down.

"If we got there later, we'd be shoveling up ash. So, you owe me one," Theseus far too cheerfully.

"Guess we have Artoo to thank for that," Anakin smirks.

"Come here, droid," Windu calls from the stretcher he's lying on. Artoo whistles, rolling over to him. "I can see why your master trusts you, little one. Good job."

"That's definitely more praise than I ever get," Anakin remarks. Ahsoka is tempted to roll her eyes at him and chalk it up to her master being his usual dramatic self, but it suddenly hits her that she honestly can't remember the last time someone actually praised him. Or thanked him, other than the people he saves. The realization is slightly unsettling. Maybe he actually does have a point. And the way Windu gives him an annoyed look only seems to further it.

***

"Master Plo, I don't understand," Ahsoka states, "Shouldn't we be heading for the last place we knew Boba Fett was spotted?"

Theseus shifts in his seat in the speeder next to the Togruta, watching the passing traffic as they head for the lower parts of Coruscant. Somewhere he hasn't been since Vraz... It hurts to think about. He wanted to avoid the place as much as possible, along with any reminders of what happened, except now he's going to be confronting it again. Maybe – maybe it's this best way. He doesn't know.

No, he doesn't have time to get lost in emotions right now. He needs to focus on the mission. Yes, that will make everything easier.

"Why head to the one place we know he's not?" Plo points out from the pilot seat.

"Point," agrees Theseus, "But how are we going to determine anything down here?"

"The second bounty hunter in the hologram is Aurra Sing," the Jedi Master replies.

"Another bounty hunter?!" Ahsoka exclaims, "Like his father, Jango Fett." It's honestly weird to think about how all the clones have the same DNA as a bounty hunter, of all people. Then again, who else would clone themselves millions of times to have them all killed in a war?

"It seems this boy found himself in the care of at least one of Jango's associates," Plo continues.

"So, we're looking for other people who might associate with him?" Theseus deduces.

"Basically, friends of Jango or places where they hang out?" adds Ahsoka.

"And to do that, we must go to the lower levels. The underworld."

Theseus keeps his hood pulled up over his head as they get off the speeder and head for a nearby building. One of the places in the underworld a girl as young as Ahsoka – especially since she's a Togruta – really shouldn't be going. She may be able to defend herself just fine, but he'll be sticking close to her. Even if it annoys her.

"The data on Jango Fett suggested he frequented this area. We must be cautious," Plo advises.

"I already guessed that."

Apparently blending into these places is harder than Theseus was expecting, probably because they aren't spending the whole time either stumbling around drunk or looking to get in a bar fight with someone. How can people even stand being in places like this anyway? And it would help if they were actually finding some sort of lead, because right now all their doing is going from place to place in this area, and still, they have yet to uncover anything.

Finally, they head to the fifth one for the day, Ahsoka muttering under her breath as they do. She's definitely not enjoying this anymore than he is. "This time, try to be more subtle," Plo advises. As if they're not. Well, maybe they could be doing better, but...

"What do you mean?" the Togruta objects.

"You've adopted many of your master's ways, including a lack of subtlety."

"Sorry, Master Plo."

"Just try to blend in," he adds.

"That's what we are trying to do," Theseus protests.

"Two people stand out more than one. If you two want to stay together, you must appear more natural."

"We'll... try," he offers uselessly because that's the best they can do. He honestly isn't really used to this. Usually, Obi-Wan's there, and it's pretty easy to pass them off as being related. He and Obi-Wan do have a fairly similar hair color, after all.

"Do or do not. There is no try," Ahsoka supplies very unhelpfully.

"Just listen," instructs Plo as they enter the bar, "You may be surprised what people reveal when they've been drinking."

Staying close to Ahsoka, but trying not to be suspicious – hasn't he already been doing that this whole time? – Theseus heads off through the bar, trying to listen.

"We aren't getting anywhere," Ahsoka whines finally.

"Try to relax," Theseus suggests. He suspects it's what Obi-Wan would say.

She sighs, nodding as she stands still, trying to listen. He follows suit, though he knows she'll hear anything suspicious long before he does. Her eyes narrow after a moment, and she starts slowing edging backwards towards a table where a group of people are talking. Theseus follows her, doing his best to look casual and probably failing.

The group of definitely criminals seem to be chatting about random things, but then a remark suddenly catches his attention. "Florrum? A buddy of mine was just murdered on Florrum,"

"Murder?" repeats another person.

"Yeah yeah, he was working a big job. At least that's what he said. He was telling me he had some valuable information on a holotramistter, and then boom, she shot him. It must have been some good dirt."

"What's her name? Hope it's not who I think it is."

"He was working with Aurra Sing."

Theseus does his best not to perk up at the name, but his slight reaction – and probably the weird way he and Ahsoka are standing – seems to get their attention anyway. One of the pirates, looks over at them, looking and in the Force feeling seriously suspicious.

No, no, they can't get noticed again. Last time that caused a huge commotion and nearly got both of them injured. And besides, they can't miss important information because of something stupid like this. Ahsoka seems to notice the problem the same moment he does – or maybe she's reading the look of alarm on his face.

He's not sure which of them got the next stupid idea first. Except the next thing he knows Ahsoka pulls him closer to her, and he kisses her.

Doing things like that always seem to make people look away, and it definitely works this time too. The pirate returns his attention back to the conversation. "... There's always trouble when she shows up," one of the others is saying as Theseus and Ahsoka finally back away from each other.

... what in the world did they do? That's something totally forbidden for Jedi. Yes, it was because of the mission, to make sure they didn't mess up and get noticed again, but that doesn't mean that it would be considered acceptable. He glances anxiously around the bar, hoping that at least Plo didn't see. Thankfully, the Jedi Master isn't anywhere in sight.

Good. That's the last thing he wants to deal with. If Plo saw, their masters would hear. Anakin would probably understand for Ahsoka, but Theseus is certain he'd never hear the end of it. Obi-Wan is very strict, and Theseus doubts he'd put up with that.

"Uh, let's just... pretend nothing happened and forget about this," Ahsoka whispers, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the table of gangsters.

"Yeah, I agree," Theseus mumbles, "Now let's go find Master Plo."

***

"We can never stop running into him, can we?" mutters Theseus, irritated, as Hondo comes to greet the three of them.

Ahsoka smirks slightly. "Doesn't seem like it." She's doing her best not to think about what happened in the bar earlier today. It was for the sake of a mission. It wasn't a big deal. So why does it almost feel like it was something more significant than that?

"I should assume you are walking us into a trap," Plo responds to Hondo's welcome.

"Yes, you should," agrees Hondo flippantly, "They're waiting inside the bar. I have no idea what she has planned for you."

"For some reason, I don't really believe that." Theseus counters.

"And the reason you're telling us is?" Plo continues.

"So, you know that I am not involved in this."

"Remember patience," Plo instructs, leaving them behind as he goes into the room where Aurra Sing is waiting. They step back on either side of the wall, listening to the conversation inside.

"I wanted Windu!" she hears a boy's voice that sounds so much like the clones' it takes a moment for it to register who's talking, "What are you doing here?"

"We can do this the difficult way or the simple way," Plo says calmly, "The choice is yours."

She sees Aurra reach up, activating communication with someone. "Bossk, can you hear me? Execute the hostages if I give the word."

"Unwise," Plo warns, "You have already lost, and you don't even know it."

"I am prepared to kill you, the hostages, whatever it takes to get what Boba wants," retorts Aurra.

"Sounds more like what you want."

"Now," Ahsoka mouths at Theseus before sprinting around the corner, quickly deflecting away blaster shots as Boba fires at her. Her lightsaber slashes through the communication device Aurra wears before holding the blade up to her neck. Boba aims his blaster back Plo's head as Theseus sprints into the room.

For a long moment, no one moves, both sides staring at each other. "Let her go!" yells Boba.

"No chance," retorts Ahsoka.

"She won't do it, Boba. She's not like you," Aurra objects.

"She's right. I'm not a murderer," Ahsoka agrees, glowering at them.

"I'm not a murderer!" cries Boba, "But I want justice."

"Which justifies killing thousands, to get to one? No, it doesn't," Theseus retorts icily. "Many should not take the fall for one man's mistake. There is no justice in that."

"We are justice," Plo insists.

"Don't listen to them," warns the bounty hunter.

"No one will be harmed if you come quietly," Plo asserts.

Boba looks to Aurra, lowering his blaster slightly but she shakes her head. "I can't let you die," he protests.

"You won't have to."

Ahsoka senses the danger almost a second too late. "Aurra!" the boys yells before suddenly firing at them. Theseus springs forwards and deflects the shot into the wall. Aurra jerks suddenly, elbowing Ahsoka. She stumbles back into the wall with a grunt, and dives forwards again but the bounty hunter is already moving.

Plo slams a hand down on the table, flipping it onto its side as he stands up, shoving Boba back into the wall. Aurra spins around, whipping out two blasters and open firing on the padawans. Plo throws the table in between them before igniting his own lightsaber, cutting through the ends of her blasters.

"It's over. Surrender," he orders.

"Aurra, now!" calls Boba, throwing an all too familiar object into the center of the room in between all of them.

"Bomb!" Ahsoka yells, diving out of the way. Theseus ducks down next to her as it explodes. Flames are burning all over the center of the room as she starts pushing herself again.

"You okay?" inquires Theseus as he scrambles to his feet.

"Fine," she confirms in a rush as Aurra runs out the door, ignoring Boba's shrieks.

The padawans sprint out after, leaving Plo to deal with the boy. Theseus jumps on one of the nearby speeders first, firing it up as Ahsoka leaps on behind him. They zoom away after Aurra's retreating figure.

The speeder zigzags in between steep rocky walls. Going slightly off course would mean ending in a pile of smoking debris. They need to be careful. Ahsoka almost wishes Anakin was here. Admittedly, it would be easier with Anakin's expert flying skills. "If you get close enough, I can jump to her speeder," Ahsoka hisses, reaching for her lightsaber.

Theseus nods, spinning the speeder over to the side as he increases speed, moments later pulling almost even with the bounty hunter. She spins sideways, slamming her speeder into theirs, and Ahsoka uses the close proximity to jump onto the back of Aurra's. She stabs her lightsaber into the speeder, and it instantly veers off-course, crashing into the side of the canyon. Ahsoka flips off as it explodes, Aurra rolling to the stop right next to her. She instantly raises her lightsaber, aiming it down at the bounty hunter.

"You're under arrest, bounty hunter," she growls.

Theseus brings the speeder to a stop, running over to them. "Where are the hostages, Aurra?" he demands. She only cackles in response.

"Ahsoka!" Plo suddenly calls over the communicator, "She is trying to lead you away from the hostages. Go to coordinates 1-5-7-9."

"I'll handle this," Theseus tells her. Ahsoka nods, running for the speeder. "We have Aurra, and could probably use your help," he speaks into the comm as she speeds away.

The Trandoshan bounty hunter is already aiming his blaster at the clone and Admiral who are tied up on the ground as she speeds around the corner. She's never going to reach them in time. Her hand slams down on the controls and she fires several times at him. The Trandoshan hastily dives out of the way, and she flips through the air, landing in between him and the prisoners. She kicks him to the ground before spinning and cutting the other two free.

By the time the Trandoshan is sitting up, the admiral is already pointing his own blaster down at him. Well, they certainly won this round.

***

Images of the Mandalorian wars from 4,000 years ago swim through Theseus' mind as he rolls over restlessly in bed, trying to fall asleep. Ever since he went to Mandalore, they only seem to be intensifying. What he'd really like to know is why. Whatever sort of connection he has with Revan – if that's what this is – only seems to be growing stronger. As much as he wishes he could talk to someone about it, he's not really comfortable bringing it up. So, he'll have to deal with the unanswered questions for now.

He rolls over again, closing his eyes and letting himself drift off back to sleep again. And this time, a totally different scene forms in front of his eyes again. Revan, a woman who must be a Jedi judging from her blue lightsaber, andanother man who may or may not be a Sith, since he's using a red lightsaber, are fighting a group of guards. The man looks very much like a pureblood Sith, based on what Theseus remembers from his Temple studies of Jedi history.

Revan defeats the guard he was fighting and runs into a large room. It looks a lot like a throne room and even from outside the vision he can practically feel the intensity of the Dark Side in the room. A shiver runs through Theseus – if that's even possible in a dream. This place feels plain creepy, even if he's not really there. A dark robed figure starts shooting lightning at Revan, which he raises his hands to deflect, an ability Theseus hardly knew was possible. He knows very little about Force-lightning, or methods of stopping it beyond the use of a lightsaber.

The fights with the guards and the other two travel into the throne room, and the droid that was with them promptly seals the doors as soon as they're inside. Revan's Force shield suddenly gives way, and he falls to the floor as the lightning continues striking him.

The Emperor – assuming that's what the robed Sith is – ceases his lightning attack, calling Revan's lightsaber to him with the Force before raising to deliver a killing blow. The same moment, the woman finishes defeating the last of her guards and charges at them. Her blade intercepts the blow that would have otherwise killed him. The pureblood Sith defeats the last of the guards next, running over to join them.

All three of them stand, turning to face the Emperor. The first to move next is the pureblood Sith – but he does the last thing Theseus is expecting. He stabs his lightsaber through the woman's back. She collapses to the ground, dead almost instantly.

Revan's head snaps towards them in shock, and the Emperor uses his moment of distraction to his advantage, and blasts lightning at him again which he doesn't manage to block. He collapses to the ground either unconscious or dead, Theseus can't tell, as the scene fades.

Theseus jerks awake, eyes flickering around the darkened room. He's... on the way back to Coruscant from Florrum, not trapped in some unknown place being forced to watch fighting Sith Lords. He always feels so disoriented every time he sees these scenes. Taking a few deep breaths trying to ground himself, he sits up in bed. He's going to opt for not going back to sleep right now because he really doesn't want to see anymore strange battles from long ago. Or nightmares of the clones dying all around him. He wants to sleep properly for once. Meditating would be just as good, but he still struggles with calming his mind to that point. It was never his thing in the first place, and if he's being honest, being surrounded with so much chaos all the time only worsens it. It only makes him feel more like he's not a proper Jedi. Sometimes, he can't help but wonder if this is really his path because there's times things about it feel so wrong.

Chapter Text

"I still don't see why I had to be chosen for this mission, out of the million other padawans out there," Ahsoka whines.

"Maybe they enjoy torturing us," Theseus offers.

"Yeah, great. Makes me feel so much better."

"Good. And maybe they also thought you really wanted a meditative break."

"That really makes me feel better about it," Ahsoka huffs. Theseus smirks slightly in spite of himself. He doesn't mind the break from fighting, at least not that much, although he's still not looking forward to how boring this assignment is definitely going to be. At least being on guard duty or something would be more interesting than being a teacher, of all things. It is a little disturbing, though, how much Ahsoka hates doing pretty much anything that doesn't involve constant fighting and action. Not that he can blame her since that's all they've been taught to do since becoming padawans, but still. It shouldn't be that way, or at least that's certainly not what the older generation of Jedi are like.

"The Jedi Council has given both of you this mission. It's your duty to see it through," Anakin speaks up finally from the pilot's seat of the shuttle they're in. He's eyeing them in a way that somehow manages to be sympathetic and amused at once.

"Don't you think we're just a little overqualified for this?" Ahsoka grumbles.

"According to Senator Amidala, Mandalore is a deeply corrupted world. If the cycle is to be broken, the future leaders at the Royal Academy of Government must learn the evils of corruption. Yoda feels that only young padawans like you can get through to them," Anakin reminds.

"That's true," Theseus agrees cheerfully. "Half the times when adults talk, they have this way of being as confusing and boring as possible, no offence to Obi-Wan."

Anakin snorts. "I'm sure he'd love to hear that assessment."

Ahsoka snickers. "Let's hope he never does."

When they get off the shuttle, Satine, Almec, a group of guards, and several cadets are waiting for them. "That's a fine weapon," Cadet Korkie says literally the moment they're done being introduced, "Can I see it?" He looks unbelievably eager. Theseus supposes he understands why. If he hadn't been raised a Jedi, he'd be fascinated with the lightsabers too.

"I'm afraid not," Almec objects, "Because of Master Kenobi's recent visit and the trouble that followed, no off-worlders may carry weapons on Mandalore." Well, hopefully that doesn't include his droid which can be useful in fighting sometimes. He's definitely not parting with BD.

"Master Obi-Wan caused trouble? That's a first," Ahsoka smirks.

"It was hardly his fault! And I saved the day!" Theseus protests. Because he really doesn't want to be on this mission without a weapon. Yes, it's supposed to be... well, boring but he doesn't like going anywhere without a weapon constantly with him. He always has his lightsaber with him, ever since he got it. Even when he sleeps, it's always on the table by his bed or hooked on his belt or under the robe he's sleeping on, depending on where he is.

"Just give them to me," Anakin instructs. With a reluctant sigh, he hands his over.

"Excuse the interruption sir, but it's time to depart," Rex says, walking up behind them, "General Shan is expecting us." Speaking of his mother, Theseus really wishes he could be going on this mission with her instead of being here on Mandalore. But there's hardly a point complaining about it; it's not like it will change anything.

***

All in all, the first day as a teacher wasn't really that bad. Theseus is tinkering with some droids, even though he shouldn't be risking breaking them when Ahsoka returns to their quarters sometime later. He totally understands why Anakin spends so much time working on ships and droids. It really distracts Theseus too, and now it doesn't constantly remind him of Vraz. It's one thing he's grateful he's managed to get past, but it's only a painful reminder that even when people close to him die, everything keeps on moving, not even giving him proper time to mourn before he's thrown on forwards again. Life is never fair, as Master Obi-Wan said.

"So how was your first day as a teacher?" he asks cheerfully as she walks in. BD is sitting next to him, watching.

"Boring, boring, and boring," Ahsoka deadpans.

He laughs. "Well let's hope things stay boring. I don't really want to be getting into another mess here." He tries not to think about what happened last time, and the concerns that have nagged him occasionally ever since. He knows what Anakin said is true, about his family being the Order now, but that doesn't mean he wants blood relatives who are literally terrorists.

"We should be out there fighting," the Togruta huffs, flopping down on the seat next to him.

"Maybe we did need a short break."

"Oh, come on. Are you trying to sound like Obi-Wan?" she whines.

"Someone has to keep you in line," he replies cheerfully.

"That's what I have a master for."

"Who is arguably even crazier than you."

"I seem to remember you joining in chaos even more than me."

"Impossible," Theseus denies flatly. "You live with him. I don't."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes. "Well, care to tell me why you're dissecting these droids, very much like someone else I know?"

"I always put them together when I'm done," he insists.

"Let's hope you remember how."

"Well, you can always help if you want."

"Then I'll mess up for sure," Ahsoka smirks, "I didn't watch you take them apart."

"So encouraging," Theseus smirks, "I'll finish up here and then maybe we can take a walk around the city a bit before bedtime." He doesn't want to go to bed right now. Not yet. His visions got worse the last time he was on Mandalore, and he's afraid they'll only worsen. Besides, he'd really like to take a look around.

Not to mention getting to spend a little longer about Ahsoka. For a brief moment, his mind wanders back to that moment in the cantina when they were looking for information on Boba's whereabouts. It wasn't anything but the mission. Or so he wants to keep telling himself. A part of him can't help but feel like there was something a little more to it. And it scares him because he's not allowed to feel like that. He can't. But now isn't the time to think about it. Or better yet, maybe no time at all is the best time to think about it.

"And hopefully," he adds, grinning, "The attempt won't blow up in our faces literally like it did last time I was here."

***

Theseus is straightening up his classroom the next afternoon right after school is out when Ahsoka hurriedly enters. "Something wrong?" he asks, frowning at the worried expression on her face.

"Yes," she says, "I think I wished too quickly for this to get interesting." That doesn't sound very good.

"What happened?" he asks.

"We better go somewhere we can talk without being overheard," she replies. They slip outside, glancing around to ensure no one is in hearing distance. She's being so cautious; it makes Theseus wonder exactly how serious this is. "Several of the cadets seemed rather distracted today," she begins, "And when I asked them about it, they said that they decided to go break into the government warehouses to see if there was really a food shortage here."

"Don't they know that's illegal?" he asks in mild amusement.

"They apparently thought it didn't matter. They said they recorded a black-market deal happening there but were spotted and chased out. They're meeting up with the Prime Minister tonight to talk to him about this." Ahsoka sighs. "Sounds like a reasonable course of action, but I don't have a good feeling about it. With black market deals going on right in the warehouses, who knows how deeply the corruption goes."

"We need to stop them. We need to take this slowly," Theseus asserts.

"That's what I was telling them, but they weren't listening. I think it's a little late for that," Ahsoka objects.

Well in that case... "The least we can do is try to keep them out of trouble," he asserts, "Maybe we should follow them and see what happens. Intervene if necessary."

She nods. "Yes, so we better go track them down before we're too late." Theseus couldn't agree more. He doesn't have a very good feeling about this at all. Now he really wishes their lightsabers were with them.

***

Theseus and Ahsoka crouch out of sight above the buildings, waiting near where the cadets were supposed to meet the prime minister. "Either he's late or he's not coming," Theseus mutters as he carefully peaks over the edge, peering down at them. The only people he sees there right now are guards.

"Secret Service," announces one of the guards, stepping forwards, "You are all under arrest for treason, corruption, and conspiracy. You will come with us."

The cadets back into a circle as the guards advance towards them. "These are the same guards we saw last night," Korkie hisses, raises his fists to fight, "We've done nothing wrong." The cadets attempt to attack the guards but are all taken down in almost literally a few seconds. They have absolutely no idea how to fight.

"Now," whispers Ahsoka, leaping off the roof without another word of warning. Theseus jumps down after, instinctively reaching for his lightsaber for a moment before remembering that he doesn't have it. Fine. He'll have to do this the old-fashioned way.

Ahsoka lands on the first guard's head, kicking him to the ground before leaping onto the head of the next one. Theseus tackles the nearest guard, knocking him to the ground away from the cadet he was trying to subdue before yanking his blaster away and using it to render the others unconscious as well. Ahsoka is knocking the last of them out as Theseus turns around. The last guard sees everyone else is down and tries to run, but Theseus tackles him, throwing him to the ground and knocking him out too.

"Looks like the prime minister set you up," Ahsoka remarks.

"That's treason!" exclaims one of the girls, "He's the leader of our system. He couldn't possibly be a traitor."

"What else explains this?" Theseus asks.

"We need proof," declares one of the other cadets.

"We have the recording," reminds one of the girls. Korkie pulls it out, turning it on. It shows a hooded figure speaking with a group of guards. His face is too shadowed to be seen properly. "That's no good. You can't see who it is."

"Wait, stop right there," Ahsoka orders, and the hologram freezes zeroed in on the robed figure's face.

"BD, can you do an information retrieval?" Theseus inquires, "I need you to do an ID hologram."

The droid scans the hologram and after a moment, an image materializes over it. Almec. "That's him!" cries one of the other cadets in shock.

"You're right, that is the prime minister," Korkie agrees in alarm, "We have to take this to my aunt and warn her."

"We better move quickly," Theseus warns. It doesn't take them long to reach Satine's quarters, but by the time they arrive outside the door, he has the feeling that something is very, very wrong. They round the corner to see that the guards outside the door are slumped over on the floor.

"We're too late!" realizes Korkie with a start, pushing the door open and darting into the room.

"Korkie, wait," hisses Ahsoka, catching his arm, "The intruders may still be inside." He shoves past her, anyway, running into the room.

The guards lying dead on the floor and no sign of Satine pretty much sums up what happened. "They took her," Korkie moans, sinking to the floor and burying his head in his hands. "This is all my fault. Who knows what they've done to her?"

He sounds like Obi-Wan right now. On second thought, he looks a lot like him, too, and Satine, to a point. Either something very strange is going on, or the Force is trying to mess with Theseus' head.

The cadets look around the room before turning to face Theseus and Ahsoka, bombarding them with frantic questions. "Now what?"

"How are we supposed to find her?"

"Who can we trust?"

Theseus' mind whirls as he tries to come up with a plan. He's dealt with this before, the cadets haven't. "Okay, I need all of you to calm down and focus," Ahsoka speaks up finally.

"We know the Prime Minister is behind this, after my aunt, he's the most powerful person on Mandalore," Korkie says.

"Then that's where we need to start," Theseus decides.

"Let's go talk to him," concludes Ahsoka.

***

Within the hour, the cadets are being escorted off to prison, and they talk briefly with the Prime Minister who thanks them for their efforts. Theseus is pretty sure Almec is at least a little suspicious, but at least he's giving them free reign to move right now. And apparently, they already arrested Satine –as suspected – but Almec refuses to share where, so they'll have to figure that out on their own.

"Officer, we need to interrogate the prisoners immediately," Ahsoka commands. The guards let them past without further questions and moments later, they're in the prison cell with the cadets.

"We need to be careful," Theseus warns quietly as the door closes behind them.

"We're being watched," Ahsoka adds.

"Did he buy it?" asks one of the cadets.

"I think he knows something's wrong," Theseus admits, "But for now at least he's going along with it. Maybe he's waiting to see if we'll do something suspicious, I don't know."

"Have you found my aunt?" presses Korkie.

"Not exactly," Ahsoka replies, "But he said they have her in custody."

"He didn't say where –" Theseus begins.

"I knew this plan wouldn't work," one of the other boys sighs.

"Have a little faith. We'll find her," Ahsoka objects.

"I'm guessing she's somewhere else in this facility. We need to find a way of getting there," Theseus agrees.

"For now, we'll modify the plan. You'll know when to act when I give you the signal," Ahsoka instructs.

"What's the signal?" inquires Korkie.

"You'll know when you see it," she says, before turning to the door, "Time for some mind games."

"I'm not the greatest at those," Theseus replies dryly.

"I know. Just leave it to me." She steps out into the hall in front, approaching the guards. "You will take me to Duchess Satine," Ahsoka orders, moving her hand – maybe a little too obviously – at the Force suggestion.

"I will take you to Duchess Satine," the guard agrees slowly, turning and heading off down the hall. The other guard trails along behind them.

When they step into the room, Theseus immediately spots Satine in a cell in the center of the room, in a suspected security cell. There is a control panel nearby, which Theseus immediately hurries to. "What are you doing?" demands one of the guards sharply.

"We must interrogate the Duchess," Ahsoka replies with a Force suggestion.

The guard doesn't respond immediately and Theseus tenses. Ahsoka moves her hand slightly, clearly throwing the full weight of the Force into her words. "You must interrogate the Duchess," he agrees finally.

Theseus immediately pushes the button, and the cell begins to lower. He can't shake the feeling that this is a very bad plan, but really, what else can they do? When it finally reaches the main floor, the door slides open, and Satine stumbles out, sinking to the floor.

"I'm getting you out of here," Ahsoka assures, crouching next to her.

"Ahsoka, Theseus, it's a trap," the Duchess warns anxiously.

"I see you found the Duchess, younglings," Almec's voice rings out. Theseus whirls around to see the Prime Minister standing in the doorway, several more guards on either side of him. "You may stop your playacting now, Sergeant."

The guards immediately snap to attention. So much for being mind-tricked. Ahsoka frowns, and Theseus suddenly gets the feeling it never worked in the first place. "Using a Jedi mind trick was a very poor decision. My guards have been trained to resist such archaic magic. And now you have revealed yourselves as conspirators." Almec looks to the guards who are circling in all around them, "Set for stun."

The cannon up by the ceiling promptly turns and fires on them. Theseus is moving even before it does, attacking the guard closest to him. Ahsoka isn't able to react fast enough, and the blast strikes her. She falls back to her knees, clearly struggling not to slip into unconsciousness. He dodges behind the guard as the stun cannon fires again, kicking him hard and yanking away his shield to block the next blast when he stumbles. The guard lunges at him and he spins around, hitting him in the face.

Several of the others immediately pull blasters on Ahsoka. "Stand down, youngling, or she dies," warns Almec smugly. Theseus glares at them but drops the shield. He won't risk her life like that. Two of the guards step forwards, twisting his arms behind his back and pulling him away from Satine. He doesn't resist, knowing it would be pointless. The others do the same to Ahsoka, and Theseus has to struggle to withhold a snarl when he sees how roughly they're treating her.

Almec gleefully withdraws a holopad and holds it out to Satine, ordering her to sign the confession to her 'treasonous' ways, which she, of course, refuses to do, and then they start arguing about the black market. Theseus really fails to see how establishing the black market is supposed to help anyone, like Almec claims. He's being greedy and trying to deny it, as if there's someone who can't see through his lies.

"Sergeant, put the shock collar on her," Almec snaps finally, "My patience has worn thin, Duchess. Maybe this will convince you."

Theseus squirms against the guards holding him but doesn't break free as the shock collar is activated. He hates being forced to stand by and watch like this, as much as he's been forced to accept that sometimes, the one person has to suffer to save the many. They can't act now, not yet. Not without risking the cadets.

Finally, the Prime Minister turns the shock collar off again, looking so satisfied that Theseus wants to punch him in the face. "I would rather die than sign your confession," Satine retorts passionately.

"That can be arranged," Almec says, "Bring me those traitorous cadets." Just as the padawans had been hoping. With the cadets here, they can be assured they'll be safe and stage a break-out at once, plus they'll have extra help fighting the guards.

Satine's eyes widen in alarm. "No, you can't!" she protests, "They're just children." Almec ignores her.

Minutes later, the four of them are escorted into the room. "I'm afraid your nephew will have to suffer needlessly. Put the shock collar on Cadet Korkie."

Theseus' exchanges a glance with Ahsoka. They don't need words to know each other's intentions anymore, they've been around each other so much. Theseus rips free from the guards the same moment Ahsoka does, knocking them to the ground. The cadets jerk away from the guards that are holding onto them, and pretty much everyone tumbles to the ground as a fight ensues. Theseus rolls out of the way as the stun cannons start shooting stun bolts, and he grabs a shield to block the blasts. He moves in a blur, completely losing track of everything else as he blocks any blasts fired at him while attacking and knocking out the guards simultaneously, all the while trying to avoid getting beaten up in return.

He knocks out the last guard he's fighting, looking up to see Ahsoka slamming her hand down on a button on the control panel, and the shock collar, which is on Almec now, activates. He knows he shouldn't be feeling the flicker of satisfaction that runs through him, but he can't help it. The Prime Minister nearly got hundreds of people killed because he was greedy. And who knows how many other people have been practically starving because of him. He deserves it.

The guards run forwards again the moment Ahsoka shuts off the electricity. "Stop fighting!" pants Almec, holding up a hand.

"Send for my personal guards," Satine orders, standing up.

***

"I hope this assignment wasn't too boring for you," Anakin remarks with a smirk, waiting at the bottom of the ramp for them.

"Could've been worse," Theseus points out.

"It had its moments," Ahsoka chirps.

"Like the one where you convinced untrained children to help you overthrow a corrupt government?"

"That was a highlight," the Togruta grins.

"It sounds pretty risky. You're lucky you didn't get hurt."

"Nothing you wouldn't have done."

"Hey in our defense, it was technically them who got involved first," Theseus objects.

"And you went along with it even though you and the cadets didn't have any weapons to defend yourselves," Anakin states dryly.

"Hey, at least it worked out in the long run!" he insists, "Besides, what's the wrong worst thing that could've happened?"

"You got executed for supposedly committing treason before someone had time to show up and rescue you," Anakin deadpans.

"Oh, come on, we would've broken out first!"

"Without their help, could you have?"

"Of course!" He's almost offended by the insinuation.

"At least it's over. Let's hope in the future they save the boring missions for more boring padawans," Ahsoka chirps.

"Yeah, let's hope so," Theseus agrees as he and Anakin follow her up onto the ship.

Chapter Text

What Theseus would really like to know right now is why someone from far beyond the Outer Rim is contacting them with a Jedi signal that hasn't been used in over 2,000 years. Maybe some ancient unknown Jedi has discovered a bunch of Sith hiding out beyond the Outer Rim, just like what happened in the days of the Old Republic. That – Never mind. He's pretty his visions of Revan are starting to get to his head and make him go insane. Scratch that train of thought.

He'd also really like to know how in the world Rex can be at the rendezvous point when they are too, and neither of them see each other anywhere. Just then, all of the power to the ship promptly flickers and dies.

"You know, I think we just hit a dead end," Theseus announces.

"Everything's dead!" Anakin exclaims.

Ahsoka checks the controls next to her, "Even the life support."

"This is really strange," Obi-Wan murmurs.

Right on cue, the lights all flicker back on again. "There. See? Nothing to be concerned about after all," Anakin offers hopefully.

"Then what's that?" Ahsoka demands, pointing out the front window. Theseus turns, following her gaze. In the darkness of space beyond, a huge sort of pyramid shaped something looms in front of them.

"Looks a little like a way oversized holocron if you ask me," Theseus mutters.

"It's pulling us towards it!" Ahsoka exclaims, as the ship continues to move forwards, no matter what Anakin does to try and change course. The Force is humming strangely around them, unlike anything he's ever felt before. The center of the dark pyramid seems to almost open, a blinding white light shining out of it. What in the universe is that?

The ship is pulled straight forwards into the light. It's so blindingly bright that Theseus raises a hand to shield his eyes from it. "Everyone, strap yourselves in. Looks as though we're going for a ride," Obi-Wan warns.

The next thing Theseus knows, he's slowly returning to consciousness. The first thing that hits him as he opens his eyes – aside from the fact that everyone else mysteriously drifted off as well – is the strangeness of the Force around him. It's so blindingly strong and bright; he's never felt anything even remotely comparable to it. Almost as though his connection to the Force has increased a thousand times, and he also almost instantly notices how much deeper his emotions seem to run. It's a very strange feeling to suddenly be able to feel his confusion with every part of his body. For a brief moment he has to wonder: is this how Anakin feels all the time, with his connection to the Force? He forces the thought away as soon as it comes. It's much too unnerving to think of someone having to live like this all the time, because he already wants to leave. It's far too much to handle.

"I must have blacked out." Anakin is the first to speak as he slowly sits up from where he must've... fallen asleep on the control.

"Then who landed the shuttle?" Obi-Wan asks skeptically.

"Not me," offers Ahsoka.

"Seems like it landed itself," Theseus remarks, turning his gaze out the window. They're in the middle of a field of bright green grass, trees scattered all around. Mountain and hills rise in the distance.

"Where are we?" Anakin wonders.

"Some kind of organic mass," Ahsoka pipes up, pushing a few buttons on the controls next to her, "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid. But at least the atmosphere is breathable."

"Yeah, because suffocating to death isn't very high on my priority list," Theseus remarks.

"Why's it on your list at all?" Anakin shoots back.

"Because a natural part of life, death is," Theseus informs him much too lightly.

"Well, this is getting more unusual by the minute," Obi-Wan says as he studies the scanners, "I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are, or if we are even in our own galaxy." That's a concerning thought.

"The ship's systems seem fine, but for whatever reason, nothing's working," Anakin sighs. Ahsoka stands up, heading for the back of the shuttle.

"We won't get any answers if we stay in here staring at the control panels," Theseus reminds, rising to follow her. With his heightened sense of awareness, it's almost as though he can feel the lives of all the plants around him. Far more strongly than a continual buzz of life in the back of his mind like it usually is. For the first time, it feels as if the Force itself is reaching for him, urging him to follow. Obi-Wan pulls out a pair of macrobinoculars, scanning the horizon.

"Hey!" Ahsoka exclaims suddenly, pointing, "I saw something. A reflection, up on the hill."

Obi-Wan immediately follows her gaze. "I don't see anything."

Theseus shrugs, turning his gaze to the horizon. Large rock structures are floating mid-air in the distance, standing out against the cloud-streaked blue sky. He's seen a lot of strange things on the planets he's gone too, but nothing quite like this.

Anakin suddenly frowns, looking around uncertainly. "What the – what? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Theseus asks.

"I didn't hear anything," Obi-Wan objects.

"Well, I'm not seeing or hearing anything," Theseus informs the others. "But I –"

"Are you the One?" The voice practically echoes – which doesn't even make sense. They're outside; it shouldn't be doing that.

Theseus spins around immediately, eyes falling on the woman standing behind them. Light seems to be practically radiating from her, and he's never felt anyone who feels so strongly in the Force before, except Anakin. She's clothed in white and gold, and long green hair flows down her back.

"... Hello. Who are you?" Anakin asks slowly.

"I am Daughter," she replies, her voice echoing strangely again. What kind of name is that? "Are you the One?"

"Uh... the One what?" inquires Anakin dubiously.

"I will take you to him."

"Him who?" demands Ahsoka.

"Did you bring us here?" demands Obi-Wan.

"Only he can help you," she replies unhelpfully.

"We don't need help," Theseus objects. Well, actually, they kind of do, but not like that. "We just need answers."

"There is little time," she says, turning away, "Follow me. We must have shelter by nightfall."

"And we thought the planet was strange. How about this one?" Anakin mutters.

"Doesn't begin to cover it," Theseus replies lightly.

"We'll be fine, as long as we stay together," Obi-Wan reassures before they hurry to catch up with the Daughter. Theseus is very glad that he doesn't have a fear of heights as they keep on walking, along the edges of high cliffs and in between tall trees, and they have to go single file since the walkway is so narrow.

"Have you noticed the seasons seem to change with the time of day?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Yeah," Anakin replies. Up ahead of them, the plants are slowly changing from green to orange and red.

"And there are no animals," Ahsoka observes.

"And you sense it?" Obi-Wan queries. There's only one thing he could be talking about, so no one has to ask.

"Since we arrived," Anakin agrees, "The Force is very strong."

"An intersection unlike anything I've ever felt before. Be wary."

"You know what I'd like to know? Where in the world we're going. We're literally a few hours walk away from the ship now," Theseus grumbles.

"Well, we could try asking, but..." Ahsoka trails off.

"I know, she hasn't been very helpful as a tourist guide," he agrees, "But maybe we should try anyway."

Anakin takes a few steps closer to the daughter. "Excuse me. Who are you taking us to?"

"The Father, of course," she states it like it's some obvious fact.

"Of course?" echoes Ahsoka in confusion.

"I can't tell if she thinks everything about this place is already obvious, or if she's trying to confuse us," Theseus mutters.

"Maybe both," Anakin offers.

"And what exactly are you?" Obi-Wan inquires.

"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end." Um... is that supposed to have some sort of meaning to him?

"Glad she cleared that up for us," Anakin states dryly.

Theseus steps around Obi-Wan, moving up to walk beside his padawan-brother. "You know, it'd be much more helpful for you to answer our questions in –"

"Hey! Look out!" Anakin yells in warning. The Force screams of danger, and the next thing Theseus knows, Anakin is throwing him out of the way. He hits the ground on a ledge below and looks up at the large crash that rings out. Anakin and the Daughter have landed nearby. An enormous rock took out the ledge they were walking across, and he has no doubt it would have killed all three of them if not for Anakin's fast reflexes.

Anakin steps over to the Daughter, who's still sitting on the ground, reaching out to help her up. She jerks away as if touched by fire, standing up on her own. "It is forbidden for you to touch me."

"Now that was rude," Theseus chides, raising an eyebrow. "It's generally a 'thank you' that's said about now."

"Sorry, I was just saving your life," Anakin says, giving her an odd look.

"Are you up to giving us a crash-course on how the rules of this planet operate?" Theseus asks dryly.

"That was my brother's work," the Daughter declares, continuing her frustrating habit of ignoring everything they ask. "You are in great danger. Wait for me. Do not leave this place."

She turns and promptly starts walking away. "Hey!" Anakin calls, "Wait!"

She ignores him. Theseus groans. "Should we follow her or what?"

"I –" Anakin begins but is cut off when his comm beeps. "Anakin, are you there?"

"We're here," Theseus answers immediately.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Anakin replies, "But our friend here has run off!"

"Are you two alright?" demands Theseus. They sound fine, but his master has a bad habit of getting in trouble when no one else is around to watch his back. Ahsoka admittedly isn't much better, but Theseus knows she can take care of herself even if he'd much rather be with her.

"Yes, we are," Obi-Wan confirms, "But we need to find a way around."

"No," Anakin objects, "Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. We'll follow her and find out how to get off this rock."

"And if this is a trap?" Obi-Wan argues.

"Then I'm not gonna wait around to find out."

"Anakin, stop!" Obi-Wan calls, "Wait for us –"

Anakin breaks the connection without even letting him finish. "Come on, we should hurry."

"Let's hope we don't get lost," Theseus calls as they talk off running.

"We're following the Force. We can't get lost," Anakin shoots back as they run.

They haven't gotten far when the sky begins to cloud over. The planets all around him are starting to die, like it's late enough in the day for 'winter' to be coming, or whatever. And seriously, this terrain is ridiculous. He'd be worn out by now if he wasn't so used to being constantly on the move, thanks to the war. Staying up for a few days fighting nonstop before finally crashing for almost twenty-four hours isn't exactly uncommon for any of them.

Lightning suddenly lights up the sky, followed by a nearly deafening crash of thunder. It looks like nighttime, even if it's not. The main light around them now are the glowing plants. "I thought plants only did that on Felucia," Theseus calls over the sound, if only to talk. It gives him something else to focus on, and he has the feeling that on a planet this strong with the Force, freaking out over the storm would only serve to worsen it.

Anakin's reply is cut off as lightning strikes the ground only several yards away from them. At this rate, Theseus is beginning to think they're going to end up fried. They climb over another ledge and Anakin stops, looking up. "Whoever we're looking for is in that monastery." Theseus instantly follows his gaze to see a tall building lumining in the distance. The only reason he can really see it at all is because of the bright light at the top of the structure.

"I'm beginning to think this is a world of giants," he remarks lightly as they start making their way up a ridiculously gigantic staircase.

"I'm beginning to agree," Anakin replies dryly.

They hurry up the steps, entering the enormous main room of the building. A giant throne is in the center of the room, right opposite the long walkway. Two huge statues that vaguely resemble birds but at the same time not exactly are on either side of the throne. On it sits a man with a long white beard. He feels even stronger in the Force than the Daughter did, except he doesn't feel of the same pure light as her.

"I can't tell if he's ignoring us or sleeping," Theseus mumbles under his breath as he and Anakin stop in front of the man, who continues to sit there with his eyes closed.

"I think Obi-Wan would call it meditating," Anakin informs, taking a seat on the floor opposite him.

"I can't tell if I'm dreaming or not," Theseus asserts, "Because this has got to be the first time you ever willingly agreed to meditate." He settles down next to Anakin, unable to help feeling minorly annoyed that the man in front of them seems otherwise occupied. They'll have to wait. "Let's hope he doesn't mind we're getting the floor all wet," he grumbles after a moment.

"We already got it all wet by parading in here. Sitting here isn't gonna change much," points out Anakin, looking faintly amused.

After a long moment, the man finally opens his eyes. "Welcome, my friends." His voice echoes strangely, the same way the Daughter's did. He seems to radiate with a sensation of sheer power in a way Theseus has never seen before. Everything about the planet is growing strange and stranger.

"What is it that you want from me?" Anakin demands, standing up.

"To learn the truth about who you really are. One that maybe you have known all along." He rises gracefully, which Theseus takes as a cue to stand himself. "One you must believe in order to fulfill your destiny." He steps towards Anakin, standing only a foot away.

"Enough with the riddles, old man. Tell me what's going on here," Anakin replies sharply in a tone that implies he has no time for games. Theseus wonders what the cause of his sudden frustration was this time. He doesn't usually get like that unless someone is trying to talk about something touchy for him. Is he talking about Anakin's role as the Chosen One? And why would Anakin be upset about that? He suddenly wonders if this means they might be able to find more answers about the prophecy, the one that foretold Anakin millennia ago.

"As you can see, there is nowhere else to go. It is late. You will be my guests tonight," the man says.

"Did you ever consider maybe introducing yourself?" Theseus asks. Okay, that was rather rude, but he's really annoyed right now. And maybe part of the problem is that his ability to feel annoyance is being amplified so much, so it's a lot harder to handle.

"I am the Father," he replies, leading them down one of the walkways to a hall where the bedrooms are. With that, he leaves them alone.

"And here I though they didn't believe in answering questions around here," Theseus quips.

"Apparently this one is a first," Anakin replies with equally forced humor as he glances around.

Theseus follows his gaze, shifting anxiously. "I don't like this place," he admits finally.

"Me neither, but we'll get answers in the morning," Anakin reminds.

***

Theseus stares up at the ceiling several dozen feet above his head. He doesn't like being alone in here, something about the room is plainly unsettling. His concerns feel ridiculous considering the many droids he's faced all alone with only a few clones to back him up, but he still can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. With a sigh, he finally rolls over and closes his eyes. There's no use staying awake and waiting for morning to come, as much as he doesn't want to let his guard down in here, either. Anakin is right in the next room if anything happens. He doesn't need to be so worried. Besides, he can defend himself.

He isn't sure what awoke him at first, but the sudden knowledge that someone else is in here makes him jolt awake. He sits up, hand automatically reaching for his lightsaber as he looks around the room, and promptly freezes at the sight of the figure standing at the head of his bed. Revan.

But this isn't a vision. It's reality. What? If this planet isn't strange enough, it is reviving the dead too now? Or is he going completely insane?

"What do you want?" ventures Theseus after a disconcerting moment of looking at the mask of his dead ancestor staring back at him.

"I am here because of Skywalker," he replies. What? He's here because of Anakin? Why? "He will bring balance to the Force, one way or another. You must ensure he does not have to do so alone."

Um... "What am I supposed to do?" he asks carefully. He knows much about Revan's past, and he knows better than to trust someone who was a Sith, even if he wasn't always, but he can't ignore the warning. Besides, he has a point. For a moment he remembers how upset Anakin was when the Father was talking about the Chosen One prophecy. He does seem to be dealing with it alone. Theseus hasn't looked hard enough – he didn't know it was a problem – and he doubts anyone else ever has, either.

"Help him the way the Jedi aren't," Revan answers cryptically.

"You know, that's not very descriptive when we're dealing with the fate of the universe?"

"I can guide you, but the choice is yours to make."

Well, he supposes that makes sense. Maybe he can get some answers about other things? Except as he's about to speak, Revan... vanishes. As though he were never here from the start. Well, thanks a lot.

He can feel the Dark Side suddenly surge in the room, and the Force is suddenly humming with danger. He spins around, eyes falling on a tall figure standing right behind him. He has grey skin, that practically sucks the light of even the storm outside into himself, and glowing red eyes.

What?! Who is this person? And where did he even appear from in the first place?! "You should have listened to my sister."

"... Pardon?"

"She told you to wait."

"Well, following orders isn't really my style." He doesn't even have a warning. The person suddenly transforms into an enormous bird-like creature, grabbing ahold of him with one of its clawed hands and sailing straight out the window.

***

"Too much dark or light would be the undoing of life as you understand it," the Father explains. Anakin is listening to him, to a point, but something is alerting his senses. Something is... wrong. "When news reached me that the Chosen One had been found, I needed to see for myself."

"The Chosen One is a myth," Anakin objects sharply. Or he wants it to be. He doesn't want to be some supernatural freak of nature.

"Is it?" the Father counters, "I should very much like to know. Why don't we find out together? Pass one test and I shall know the truth. Then, you and your friends may leave." Something tells him he's not going to like this 'test' very much, but before he has a chance to comment about it, he suddenly senses danger from down the hall.

He whirls and sprints towards Theseus's room. Shoving the door open, he runs inside in time to see an enormous, black bird-like creature flying away from the tower. Although it's dark, he's certain he can make out a certain very familiar figure in its claws. That thing, whatever it is, flew off with Theseus. Right into the storm outside. And since Obi-Wan's not here, Anakin was supposed to be protecting the boy.

The creature is already too far away for him to get to from here, so he runs back into the main room. He has to go after them. Now. The Father is standing there calmly waiting for him as though nothing in the world is wrong.

"That creature flew off with Theseus!"

"It must have been my son," the Father declares.

"Where can I find him?" he demands.

"There is nothing you can do until morning when the storm is over. After you pass my test, you can go look for him," says the Father.

"I'm not going to leave him!" Anakin snaps.

"My son cannot take him off the planet." As if that somehow helps.

Anakin spins around, ready to leave. If the Father is going to keep refusing, he'll have to go without his permission. He's not going to leave Theseus with some sort of shape-shifting freak that literally tried to murder his own sister. "You must remain here for the night," the Father objects. "Force storms are extremely deadly."

"I made it here fine." And the storm was as bad then as it is now.

"Your emotions will intensify the storm," he warns. "It would be far too dangerous. You must wait until the morning," he insists. Anakin really doesn't want to listen to him, but he knows that the Father has a point. Running around outside and getting struck by lightning or something equally ridiculous is the last thing he needs to deal with right now. He definitely won't be finding his padawan brother then.

"Fine," he concedes finally. He can wait until the morning, but the moment it comes, he's leaving.

Chapter Text

"And now you see who you truly are. Only the Chosen One could tame both my children." The Father walks up behind Anakin, who stands over the kneeling forms of the Son and Daughter. Just a few hours after the sky cleared, and morning came, they had flown in with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, with orders to kill them. Anakin saved both their lives, but it's taken a lot more out of him than he expected. He is only human, after all. He's never used the Force so strongly before, to the point that he practically felt completely One with it. It's not surprisingly it's taking such a toll on him. But he doesn't have time for this. He has a missing padawan to find.

"I've taken your test. Now fulfill your promise and let us go," Anakin demands.

"Ah, but first, you must understand the truth," insists the Father.

"We're a little short on time right now," Anakin retorts, turning away, eyes narrowing as he regards the Son. He stalks over to him. "What have you done with Theseus?"

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan – who he's certain have both been wondering what happened to him –tense, exchanging worried glances.

The Son only smirks in response, suddenly transforming into his bird form before flying away into the sky, cackling. If he wasn't so worn out, Anakin might have thought to use the Force to try and stop him like he did only minutes before, but he's already high in the sky by the time the thought crosses his mind.

"What did happen to Theseus?" asks Ahsoka anxiously.

"Yes, I've been wondering that this whole time," Obi-Wan frowns.

"The Son took off with him last night, and the Father demanded I do nothing until morning," he explains, shooting a glare at the Father.

"Before you leave, you need to understand the truth," the Father speaks up again. Why does he keep repeating that?

"Then tell me," Anakin snaps.

"All of you, leave us," he orders in response.

"Do not trust him," Ahsoka whispers, narrowing her eyes as she looks at him.

"You think?" he says dryly. As if he even could at this point.

"I said leave us!" Shooting a final glance over their shoulders, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka head off. The Daughter has already disappeared from sight. "Do you feel your destiny?" asks the Father, "You must see it now. I am dying, and you must replace me."

Is he seriously asking him – "Replace you?" echoes Anakin, "I can't stay here!"

"But this is yours," the Father insists, motioning at their surroundings, "It has been foretold that the Chosen One will remain to keep my children in balance."

No, no there's no way he can stay here. The galaxy needs him more than anything. He won't be helping anyone by staying here. "No," Anakin repeats firmly.

"I cannot force you to do this. The choice must be yours. But leave and your selfishness shall haunt you and the galaxy."

His words are unsettling, but when people talk like that, Anakin has long since learned against arguing with them, so instead he asks, "Where's Theseus?"

"You must let the Force guide you." That doesn't really answer his question at all, but he can hardly expect a better answer from someone so cryptic.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are waiting outside the ship when he arrives. "Ready to go?" Obi-Wan asks.

"How are we gonna find him?" Ahsoka asks.

"The Father said to 'follow the Force'," Anakin replies, walking up the ramp. "We'll have to try meditating."

"That's a first," Obi-Wan quips. Anakin ignores him. They need to get moving.

***

Theseus jerks against the chains pinning him to the wall, his frustration only growing by the moment. If he could get these stupid things off with the Force... In a place like this, it's driving him up the wall to be able to have such strong access to the Force but be unable to use it for something so simple.

And he seriously needs to get out of here. He has no idea what this being wants with him, but for all he knows, it could be to lure Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan out here, right into some sort of trap. He can't let them happen.

He hears a sudden movement and turns his head to see Revan walking towards him. The masked figure stops in front of him. For a moment, he gets the feeling that something is wrong about this. Something doesn't seem quite right, but he shakes it off. Revan already appeared to him when he was awake earlier, there's no reason it's too strange to happen again. "You have been left here to die."

Well. That was a nice greeting and awfully comforting thought. "I'll escape," Theseus retorts. He's not going to sit around and do nothing. But first he needs to figure out how to get these chains off.

"Escape is impossible." Okay, can he at least try to be a little more motivating?

"Very inspiring," Theseus says dryly, "But it's not as though I'll have to do it by myself anyway." The others will come looking for him, he knows that much.

"No one is coming for you. You're here alone." No, that's ridiculous. He suppresses the fear inside of him that maybe they won't even know how to find him in the first place. Anakin and Ahsoka for sure will find him. They'll come because they always do.

"They'll find a way here," he shoots back determinedly.

"A conflict on this planet could have repercussions for the entire galaxy if care is not taken," he warns ominously, and Theseus stiffens slightly. That's... not good news. Then why did that being kidnap him in the first place? Isn't that dangerous? "At the risk of the fate of the galaxy, your master will not try to find you. He'll leave you behind here forever. He doesn't consider you important enough to even try."

"That's –" Theseus cuts himself off. What is he going to say? Ridiculous? He knows Obi-Wan cares about him, but he doesn't know how much. Obi-Wan's never speaks of his emotions. So instead, Theseus glares back. He has a point, as much as he doesn't want to admit it. He knows that Obi-Wan will always chose duty over anyone, no matter what. That's what he should do, so why does it hurt?

The figure in front of him seems to be practically reading all his thoughts. "He never wanted you, you know. He only took you because Yoda told him to. He'd be happy to get rid of the burden."

Theseus flinches back against the wall as the words seem to practically cut through him physically. The thought flits across his mind that Revan is speaking to him in a way he never has before, but he's too lost to think about it clearly. Besides, it's not like he's ever carried on a conversation with Revan more than once before. He knows what he's saying has truth to it, anyway. Obi-Wan didn't want him. Does he consider him no more than a burden?

"Why do you think he never praises you for anything? Why all he does is criticize?"

What can he say to that? It's honestly the truth. Anakin praises him more than Obi-Wan does. It hurts, but he figured it was because the Jedi Master had high expectations. Things he can never live up to, but that's his fault, not Obi-Wan's. Still, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

He can't shake the sudden feelings of anger and bitterness twisting inside of him. He tries not to think negatively towards his master, but he has to admit that sometimes he can't help it. And... it's probably his lack of emotional control on the planet that's suddenly making him so upset about it. "I don't really see what any of that has to do with the situation at hand," Theseus retorts finally, "Maybe you could tell me something helpful, that might actually help me escape." Because if all you're going to do is keep trying to talk me into being mad at my master, I'd much appreciate if you left.

"It's perfectly natural to upset with your master," Revan continues, though he doesn't sound much like the one Theseus has seen in his visions. This is... wrong. It doesn't make any sense. But he can't deny what he sees in front of him, can he? He couldn't well be hallucinating all of this. "Don't lie to yourself. You know he's teaching you to be as mindless as a droid, but you have needs, too. You can't give more than you get. You need to learn to trust your instincts and take care of yourself."

"Stop manipulating me," Theseus snaps, anger surging. He can't deny the words anymore, and it's infuriating. Everything Revan is saying is of the Dark Side, right? He shouldn't even want to listen. "You're not real!" Is this another vision? Something like what many experience on Ilum, of their worst fears?

As if in response, the former Sith steps forwards, snapping the chains on him free. Theseus stumbles forwards, nearly faceplanting on the floor with the chains so unexpectedly no longer holding him in place. Wait a minute. Did Revan seriously physically interact with the world? He's – he's supposed to be dead!

"The Jedi are preventing you from becoming who you were always meant to be, Theseus."

"Well, their rules have serves us for millennia. I won't defy them simply because I can't understand." Theseus straightens, eyes narrowed.

He laughs, the sound sending a shiver down his spine. "Don't you already?"

He's not entirely wrong, Theseus has to admit, if only to himself. "It's not my place to question them." That's really what Obi-Wan always tells him. That it's not his place to question his superiors, something Ahsoka hasn't quite seemed to understand. Maybe Anakin is easier on her. No, wait. Of course, he is, because he's... Anakin, and he's always so gentle with everyone. Except the people he's fighting against, obviously.

"Precisely my point," the man replies, "You make it so simple, dark and light, as if there is one without the other."

"I'm not going to start using the Dark Side," Theseus snaps. He's beginning to get extremely annoyed.

"You already have used the Dark Side. What else were you using when you killed the person who killed your Twi'lek friend?" How does this being even know about that?! "But what happened doesn't make you evil. Everyone has dark emotions. Light does not have all the answers. If you're using it for good, does it really matter if you're using positive or negative emotions?"

"That's not..." He trails off. He can't deny it. Not entirely. To a point, the means are justified by the end.

"You need to accept yourself." His voice drops a little, and something in it urges Theseus to listen to him, though he doesn't know what. "You may have been trained as a Jedi, but they simply abandoned you. How can you continue to believe they are good? You don't matter to them!"

"Stop it!" Theseus shouts suddenly. He can't handle hearing this anymore.

Just then, the door to the room slides open, an all-too-familiar figure striding into the room. But the sight of her makes Theseus' blood run cold. Ahsoka's eyes are practically glowing yellow, and her skin is darker, almost as though it's covered with a gray film. She's – No, no, this is impossible. What in the world happened to her?!

A shift in the Force catches his attention and when he glances back, Revan is gone. The Son stands a few feet away.

"What have you done to her?!" Theseus shouts, whipping out his lightsaber and pointing it at the figure. No wonder he didn't sound like Revan at all. He never was him in the first place. All this time he thought he was talking to his ancestor – even if he didn't sound exactly like him – and instead, he was talking to his kidnaper.

The Son only laughs in response. "I have done nothing," he replies.

"Stop lying to me," he snarls, stalking closer to the being.

"He didn't do anything to me, Theseus," Ahsoka says, taking a step closer to him. "He merely showed me the truth."

Theseus turns back to her, hardly even sure how to react to the sight of his best friend now Fallen. His emotions are raging so wildly right now. And it doesn't help that as much as he wants to deny it, there's so much truth in the things the Son was saying to him. "Join me," she requests, "We've always done everything together. This doesn't have to be any different. The Jedi left you here. You know I'll never do that."

"I..." Theseus trails off, unsure what to say. Something inside him aches, longing to stay at her side forever. They've been together his entire life, forming a bond far stronger than anything he's had with anyone else. It's different, in a way, from the one he has with Anakin, in part because of how long they've known each other and are the same age, in part because of... something else he can't quite place. It just is, and he never, ever wants to let her go, as much as being a Jedi requires that of him. He wants to assure her that he'll stay by her side forever, but that means going against everything he's believed his entire life.

"The Jedi are falling short, Theseus," Ahsoka points out. "They never should have allowed the war to happen."

"I can't join the Sith," he replies finally, crossing his arms. He forces himself to meet her gaze squarely, even though all his thoughts are screaming at the wrongness of it. For as dark and violent and short-tempered as she is, she was always so light. Now... she isn't, and it hurts to see. Her presence feels strange, warped by the Dark Side.

"Do you feel it?" she inquires, holding a hand out to him in offering. "The anger? The pain? The –"

He does. It's screaming through his mind, because how could this have happened to her? But this is too much for him to let go of.

"No!" she protests sharply. "You must embrace it. Accept it!"

"If you join me, we can find a way off this planet together," the Son promises, "And end the war. We will restore peace to the galaxy."

Theseus's instincts tell him better than to trust a Sith, but when he looks to Ahsoka, her expression promises the truth of it. "He will," she assures. "I've seen it."

Now, he has to ask himself the one question he's been dodging this entire time. Is one soul really worth that of the suffering and deaths of countless others? Of course not. If there's even a chance of the Son telling the truth, and if Ahsoka believes him...

"Yes," the Son encourages, "Follow your destiny, and become like your ancestor."

If this is truly his destiny, does it really matter how much he doesn't want it? It will happen, regardless of what he says or does to stop it. There's not even a point in fighting it any longer, and something is urging him to give in.

And then he does. He lets the Dark Side flow through him, he lets himself feel the Force in its entirety, something he's been holding back so much since what happened with Vraz. Now he feels more... complete, but it still hurts.

"Perhaps the disturbance in the Force will be great enough to catch the Jedi's attention," muses the Son. "They may be able to find you here. They will try to force you and your friend to come with them. You must unbalance them. Perhaps you can persuade your friend the Chosen One to join us as well." Theseus honestly isn't sure how much he likes this plan, but what other choice is there now?

"How?" he inquires finally.

"Confuse him. Distract him. Perhaps begin with taking on the role of your ancestor?" he suggests.

***

It's already dark out by the time Anakin reaches the tower. Or maybe just that this part of the planet is always dark, since there's no way he's spent an entire day already looking for the padawans. He, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka just figuring out where to go when the Son showed up at the ship and kidnapped Ahsoka. Both padawans are gone now, and just knows something very, very bad is going to happen to them.

Either way, he's completely worn out by now, after using the Force far more deeply than he ever has before and then spending the next several hours crossing the mountainous landscape and climbing up an almost vertical slope.

Finally, Anakin pulls himself over the edge, approaching the tower. It's then that he spots two figures on a ledge higher up on the tower. Ahsoka is standing with her back turned towards him, and a dark robed figure is next to her.

Something about her in the Force doesn't feel quite right. And the dark figure... whoever it is feels somewhat familiar too, though Anakin can't quite place it. "Ahsoka?" he calls cautiously, taking a step closer.

"Ahsoka!" he calls again when there's no response. Something's not right, but he's not sure what. "It's me, you're safe now. Let's go." And why does he sense the Son literally right in front of him even though he can't see him? The Son definitely isn't disguising himself as the robed figure, so what in the world is going on?

"Are you proud of me, Master?" Ahsoka asks suddenly, her voice sounding strange and very much unlike her. What?! It almost hurts that she even has to ask that. Maybe he never told her, but he thought it was obvious. And she sounds far, far too eerily calm.

"What?!" he exclaims, "Of course, Snips. Of course, I'm proud of you. Now let's get out of here."

"He's right," she retorts, "Right about everything. You must join him. He only wants what's best for the universe." ... What in the world is she talking about? She turns around, and he sees yellow eyes staring down at him. Even her skin looks odd.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" he blurts out.

"Always with the criticism, Master," she bites back, "Never really believing in me, trusting me. Well, I don't need you anymore." That stings in a way nothing else ever has. It's so much like how he feels towards his own master, and he tried to be better than that. He tried. But this... it's not like anything she's ever said before, and if she's ever mad at him she never hesitates to tell him, so where is this coming from? The Son did something to her.

"Ahsoka, Ahsoka, listen to me," Anakin urges, "He has done something to you. Snap out of it! This isn't you, Ahsoka."

"Isn't it?" she retorts, "I feel more like myself than I ever have."

Just then, someone else steps into view on the ledge next to Ahsoka. He's wearing completely black robes, and the mask on his face... Anakin definitely recognizes it from his history studies at the Temple. He looks like Revan – which doesn't make any sense. "Join us, Anakin," the Revan-imposter says. The mask is distorting his voice, but still, it sounds almost familiar. "The Jedi cannot help the galaxy anymore."

This... he's not the Son, is he? Anakin doesn't think so, but he does feel another presence. It's so frustrating to not be able to trust his own eyes anymore. "They can and we are," he replies, eyes narrowing on the figure.

"Do you call leading a war helping the galaxy?" Whoever this person is, they definitely seem to be siding with the Sith. He can feel the Dark Side surrounding them too, though their presence is very well shielded.

"Do you call sitting back and allowing the Sith to take control helping the galaxy?" Anakin retorts.

"The Jedi are the ones who stand in the way of peace!" insists the figure, "We must stop them."

"I'm never going to join the Sith," Anakin snaps. He's getting really, really tired of this.

Ahsoka suddenly spins around. "Then you will be forced to kill us!" she growls suddenly, igniting her lightsaber. A chill of icy horror runs down his spine. No. The Son – somehow – has completely control of her right now. He has no choice but to fight her, even if he can't – won't ever hurt her. Even if she were doing this of her own free will, he won't.

"Wait!" calls the masked figure after her, but she ignores him, landing on the ground in front of Anakin and slashing at him. He ignites his lightsaber blocking her blow as he takes a step backwards. She lunges forwards again, slashing blindly and missing almost every single time. It's a clear indication that she's not in control, since Ahsoka never fights that sloppily. And frankly, there's no Jedi who would unless they're high on pain medication, probably. Anakin continues to back away as she wildly swings him.

The figure leaps off the ledge, landing next to them. A purple lightsaber springs to life in his hand. Anakin freezes. Theseus?

Chapter Text

"I won't let you leave this planet," the Daughter declares firmly, glaring at her brother. Obi-Wan stands next to her, bracing himself for the fight that is sure to come. He was trying to get answers from the Father on what they should do about the fact that the Son kidnapped both Theseus and Ahsoka, but Anakin went in search of them alone. He can only hope they're alright.

The Son stands up from where he was sitting at the top of the staircase, a mocking smirk on his lips. "You are not strong enough to keep me here."

"Not alone, she isn't," Obi-Wan retorts.

"Are you referring to your friend, the Chosen One?" sneers the Son, turning and walking over to a window in the room, "You might want to check up on him. He's a little preoccupied right now." Preoccupied? What has he done? The Force is nudging him to go, to make sure Anakin's alright. The Daughter should be able to handle her brother, at least for now. Obi-Wan turns, sprinting out of the room.

The three lightsabers lighting up the darkness stand out too much to be missed. As he runs up, he sees Anakin blocking Ahsoka's lightsaber before stumbling a step back. A masked figure with a purple lightsaber is standing next to her. Wait – is that Theseus? Why are the padawans attacking Anakin? What has the Son done to them?

Obi-Wan activates his own lightsaber, running over to join Anakin. Theseus lunges forwards, his blade connecting with Obi-Wan's. He hastily blocks his blow, countering it with one of his own before spinning to meet Ahsoka's next strike when she lunges at him next instead of Anakin. He stays on the defensive against both of them for a few moments, allowing Anakin to recollect himself before he steps forwards to join the fight again. They move back and forth like that, taking turns fighting the two.

All the while, his mind is whirling. How could they – either of them – have Fallen? As he continues to fight them off, though, he can't help but notice that while Ahsoka is basically flailing wildly like she has no idea how to use a lightsaber anymore, Theseus' attacks are different then his usual style – which is confusing him – but there is a sense of strategy and skill in it.

"Any suggestions?" Anakin calls as the fight continues.

"Yes!" Obi-Wan replies, "We cut them free!"

"Free?" Theseus shouts, though his voice sounds different from the mask. "I am free! I've been held back by the Jedi my whole life until now!"

"You don't mean that," Obi-Wan insists, raising his lightsaber to block the boy's next attack.

"Of course, I do," he hisses. "You've been holding me back!" What? What is he talking about?!

Ahsoka continues to flail her lightsabers practically blindly in between Anakin and Obi-Wan, even as Theseus steps back out of the fight for a moment. As much as he doesn't want to think about it, Obi-Wan can't shake the disturbing realization that while he's certain Ahsoka is somehow being mind-controlled by the Son, he can't say the same for Theseus. He's actually fighting and talking coherently, even if what's he saying doesn't make any sense or sound anything like anything he's ever said before. A glance at the expression on Anakin's face pretty much shows that he's figured out the same thing, if he hadn't guessed already.

"Snap out of it!" Anakin practically begs, shoving Theseus back. "I don't know what happened, but we can sort this out together."

"Not this time," the other boy retorts darkly.

Where is this coming from? Obi-Wan has never seen anything like it. Yes, he's a teenager and has verge temper-tantrums from time to time, though rarely, but never, never has he expressed frustration with the Order, let alone something as serious as this. The padawans aren't themselves.

Obi-Wan turns to parry a few of Ahsoka's strikes while Anakin fights Theseus. Ahsoka is flailing wildly, and she isn't putting up much of a challenge.

Anakin does a sudden feign to the right and down – a move that reminds Obi-Wan surprisingly of what Dooku did to him on Geonosis, strangely enough – and when Theseus swings his blade to block it, Anakin raises his higher, slashing open the front of his helmet. The boy takes a step back, pulling off and tossing aside the broken mask, and turns back to face them.

His normally blue eyes are streaked with yellow as he glares back at them. Which is when Obi-Wan notices the other difference between him and Ahsoka. Her eyes are completely yellow, as though she's totally immersed in the Dark Side, but she's dark in a different way. It's as though the Son did somehow succeed in making him Fall.

"Theseus, what's wrong?" demands Anakin frantically. "Tell us."

He surprisingly doesn't move to attack again, though he keeps his lightsaber poised in front of him like he will at any moment's notice. "I want to bring peace to the galaxy!"

"By giving in to the Dark Side?" demands Obi-Wan sharply. Now that some of his shock is starting to fade, he's upset. He's certain he taught him better than this, so what is wrong with his padawan? It feels as though everything they've done together is for naught.

"Can you stop prattling about the Dark Side?! It's not like the Light has saved the galaxy in the past ten thousand years!"

"What has the Son done to you?" Obi-Wan demands.

"I don't want to fight you," Anakin argues, "We can talk this out. You need to calm down and tell me what happened." He sounds so desperate, it almost hurts.

Theseus falters. It's only a moment, but it gives Obi-Wan a flare of hope. Maybe there is still some sense in his padawan. "You happened!" he snaps instead, anger flaring to the surface again. "How long will you stay steadfastly loyal to someone who keeps hurting you? How long will you stay loyal to an Order that cares less about the very people it's supposed to protect?!"

"That's not true," Obi-Wan admonishes. "Just because we can't help everyone doesn't mean we don't care." Theseus has never said things like this before. What happened to him?

"You don't even try!" he snaps, "And repeat Jedi dogma to defend your actions... or the lack thereof."

"I get that but trying to kill us won't help!" Anakin snaps, shoving Theseus's lightsaber away from his face. "Listen to me. We can sort this out. I – we don't want to fight you. We need to talk. We want to help you, which I can't do if you're –" he wildly parries another strike, "Trying to cut off my head!"

"Look. With this power, we can destroy the Sith! We can do what the Jedi aren't strong enough to," he insists.

"Come to your senses!" snaps Obi-Wan, "It's not the Jedi way to want power." This isn't working. They need to break Ahsoka free and maybe after that they can try to figure out what's going on with Theseus. He's probably at least partly being affected by the Son – or he must be, because otherwise he doesn't know what's wrong.

"That's all you ever tell me!" the boy shoots back angrily. "You're blinded by the Jedi and refuse to see the bigger picture."

Obi-Wan raises a hand, Force-shoving his padawan back before reaching over and pulling out the dagger he got from the altar. "What is that?" Anakin frowns, eyes widening at the sight.

"It can kill the Son," he explains.

"Where did you get that?!" Ahsoka screams, her voice full of a fury he's never heard before. Her voice echoes, like the Ones, except the echo sounds like the Son. "Give it to me!" Even Theseus seems startled at the sudden reaction.

Ahsoka charges at him in a blind fury only for danger to suddenly scream through the Force from a different direction. Obi-Wan looks up at the sound of shattering glass to see the Son and the Daughter both flying out the window and crashing straight down towards the fight below. Everyone scrambles out of the way, lightsabers deactivating as the two land where everyone was a moment prior.

***

Theseus looks up as the Daughter lands right next to him. He hastily clammers back to his feet as the Son jumps up, raising his hands. Red lightning leaps from his fingers at the Father, who holds up his hands to block it with a Force shield. "You are too weak for me, old man," sneers the Son, "You mean nothing to me anymore."

Everyone stares, transfixed, at the fight, unable to intervene on either side, the former scuffle completely forgotten. The Father's Force shield suddenly gives way, and he collapses to the floor. The Son immediately begins electrocuting him. Theseus is far from comfortable watching, but if he interferes, the Father will stop them.

"Anakin! Now!" Obi-Wan calls suddenly, tossing the dagger at him. Before Theseus has a chance to react, Ahsoka streaks through the air, snatching up the dagger. She spins around and runs for the Son.

He lets up his lightning attack on the Father as she approaches, turning around. "Everything has transpired exactly as I planned," he gloats.

The Father stands up shakily behind him. "You showed them the altar?"

"I am sorry, Father," the Daughter says regretfully, as Obi-Wan helps her to her feet, "I didn't know how else to stop him."

"Give it to me, child," the Son requests.

"Ahsoka, no!" Anakin protests desperately.

She glances over her shoulder for a moment before reaching out, handing it to him. "Thank you," the Son replies, fingering the edge of the dagger, before turning back to her, "Your usefulness has come to an end." Wait, what?

Everything from that moment seems to happen in slow motion, even if it's too fast for him to do anything about it. The Son reaches out, resting a finger on Ahsoka's head for a moment. She promptly collapses to the ground, motionless, her lightsabers slipping from her hands. The same moment, Theseus feels the life drain from her body and their bond wrench free into nothingness.

He's seen people die before. He's felt it. He's lived through that and on, but this is different somehow. It's far worse than anything he's ever felt before, than when his clone friends or even Vraz died. Something in his mind feels gone. Empty. Dark.

Ahsoka. His best friend. She's... gone. He can't move. Can't breathe. Can't even think. It's as though his very world screeched to a standstill.

Anakin's scream of pain and rage rips through the momentary stillness. He lunges forwards, only to be flung back again with the Force, but Theseus can't tear his eyes of Ahsoka's fallen form.

The Son turns to face the Father.

Theseus continues to stand staring motionlessly at Ahsoka on the ground. He... killed her. He's been manipulating him and her this whole time, hasn't he?

"The Jedi have brought me the dagger and you have brought yourself," the Son announces gleefully, "Now, Father, you will die." He raises the dagger, preparing to stab him. Somewhere in the back of his mind Theseus thinks that maybe he should do something stop him, but everything is happening too fast, and his mind has come to a screeching halt of denial. He can't accept – can't process this.

"Father!" cries the Daughter, racing across the platform throwing herself in front of him. The Son doesn't manage to stop himself in the time, the dagger stabbing into her back instead.

The Son jerks back, staring in horror. "Why?!" he screams, staring down at his hands like they betrayed him. Lightning flashes violently in the sky up above as he transforms into the bird creature, taking off into the sky, disappearing from sight. Theseus doesn't find it in himself to feel bad for him. Maybe he should. He can't.

Everyone sprints into action the moment the Son disappears from sight. Anakin runs over to Ahsoka, dropping down next to her and rolling her over. Theseus runs to his side, kneeling next to her.

No, he doesn't want to believe that she's really – He can't. The true meaning of the word refuses to sink in. But her eyes staring blankly up at them says more than any words could. Obi-Wan appears behind them, but Theseus is too preoccupied to find it in himself to care.

"My daughter, what have I done?" he hears the Father moan, as he lowers her to the ground, pulling the dagger from her back.

"Do not hate him, Father, it is his nature," she murmurs weakly.

"All is lost. The balance has been broken. I thought by bringing you here I would... But I have destroyed everything," he laments.

"Can you help her?" Anakin looks up, expression one of pure desperation.

"There is no Light," he replies, shaking his head, "The evil has been unleashed and the Dark Side shall consume her."

"You must help her!" he insists desperately.

"I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope."

"Yes, there is! There's always hope!"

The Daughter raises a hand, pointing towards Ahsoka. Wait – is she –? The Father stands up abruptly, moving to stand in between the bodies and motioning for Anakin to join him. He scoots over to sit in between the two bodies.

"Then let my daughter's last act be to breathe life into your friend," he says. Anakin rests a hand on the Daughter's forehead, before reaching over and touching Ahsoka's, following the Father's movements. The moment he touches Ahsoka, the Force flares around them. The brilliant white glow the Daughter used to have – which had faded after she was stabbed – floods through Anakin and then onto Ahsoka, as their bodies start floating off the ground. Theseus didn't think anything about this planet could shake him up more than it already has but seeing his brother glowing is definitely the creepiest thing he's experienced. Ahsoka's body is changing, transforming. The darkness on it from before fades away until her appearance is like before.

The glow starts fading, and Anakin breaks away from the two of them, collapsing forwards and barely catching himself with his hands. The bodies fall to the ground, the Daughter's now not glowing at all and completely still. Lifeless.

Theseus stares anxiously at Ahsoka's motionless form, and for a long agonizing moment, nothing happens. Did it not work? Is she... still dead?

She suddenly coughs, slowly sitting up. Anakin is up in a second, pulling her into a hug. "Hey, Snips," he murmurs.

"What's going on?" she asks, looking hopelessly lost.

"Uh... not much. It's good to see you," he replies.

Theseus frowns. "You don't remember?"

"The Son took me here... and everything else after that is... hazy." She frowns. "What happened?"

It's... This... The Son was controlling her the entire time. How did he not realize? Ahsoka would never have Fallen, not like he did.

"We can explain later," Obi-Wan says, glancing at Theseus for a moment as they all stand up. Obi-Wan picks up Ahsoka's lightsabers, handing them back to her. Leave it to him for that to be his most major concern right now.

"As the balance in this world crumbles," the Father speaks up, kneeling next to his daughter again, "So shall war escalate in your galaxy. As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength."

Great. So instead of ending the war, he worsened it? He should have known better to trust in a Dark Sider like that, after all. The things that he told him might actually have been true, and he still agrees with it, but he shouldn't have let himself actually trust the Son so much. The point was to bring peace, not to escalate the war. That doesn't mean he doesn't still have hope he might have found another, faster way to restore peace. Because what he feels now, with the anger of the Son betraying him and killing Ahsoka, even if she is alive – something he still can't wrap his head around – is stronger and more powerful than anything he's ever felt. He feels... whole.

"We will stop your son," Anakin declares firmly.

"No!" the Father argues, "You must go, now! He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

"What about you?" Obi-Wan objects.

"I shall mourn all that I have done, and all that is yet to be."

"We should head back to the ship," Obi-Wan asserts, turning to head off. Theseus moves closer to Ahsoka as they climb down after, Anakin in in the back.

With the whole crisis regarding Ahsoka over with, Theseus' mind drifts back to what was happening right before. It's honestly almost awkward to be walking right alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan right now when they were fighting not long ago. And Ahsoka when she doesn't remember a thing about what happened.

He's really not sure what to do now. The Son betrayed him, and he was pinning most of his hopes on getting help from him, since whether he's embraced the Dark Side or not, he doesn't really know what to do alone. There's no way he can bring himself to trust the Son anymore after he did to Ahsoka. Especially not risking unleashing him on the galaxy. Not after what he did.

No, he's going to have to figure out on his own. He glances sideways at the others for a moment. And it's not like he can just go back to how things were before this all happened. Once start down the dark path, you do, forever it will dominate your destiny. He's already embraced the Dark Side; it's too late to turn back now. Truthfully, he doesn't want to, anyway. He feels far freer now than he ever has in his life. He's not going to go back to being a slave to the Jedi like before. Just no.

"Does someone mind filling me in on what happened?" Ahsoka speaks up finally, throwing what she seems to think is a discreet glance in Theseus' direction. She's likely sensing all his darkness and wondering what in the world is going on.

"The Son possessed you, and convinced Theseus to embrace the Dark Side," Obi-Wan explains, voice slightly pained.

Ahsoka comes to a complete standstill. "What?!" she hisses.

Theseus somehow conceals his flinch. Ahsoka may be alive, but he might have lost her regardless. "I've found another way to end the war," he replies instead, tone level. "No matter what the cost."

"You must understand we cannot allow the Son to leave the planet," Obi-Wan asserts firmly.

Theseus shoots him a glare. "I'd be an idiot to trust him with the galaxy's fate. I'll find my own way."

The ship finally comes into view, and at first glance he can immediately tell that it was damaged somehow. "It's going to need repairs," Obi-Wan declares, "I'll check out the situation." He boards the ship, and Anakin motions for Ahsoka to follow and leave him alone with Theseus.

"Do you truly believe the Dark Side is the only way to end the war?" Anakin asks him quietly. His emotions are always so easy to ready. The pain burning in his eyes is stronger than anything.

"I haven't seen anything else working. And tell me, do you really think one soul is worth that of all those who would die otherwise?"

"No." Anakin looks away. "I suppose it isn't. But you know this is a dangerous path."

"From which there is no return." His voice sounds hollow and empty, like he feels right now. It hurts knowing what he did, what he has to do, but what other choice is there now? It was a spur of the moment decision, and it's not something he can turn away from. "I understand what I have to do."

"Theseus... you know if you're a Dark Sider, the Jedi will consider you an enemy, right? That means we're enemies."

"We're on the same side," he challenges. "We both want to end the war."

The annoyance on his brother's face would be laughable if the situation weren't so serious. "You don't understand. I – you know they say I'm supposed to destroy the Sith, and that now includes you, right?"

"Maybe, but your choices are your own." A sudden thought strikes him. "Tell me. Would you choose to kill me or to keep your place with the Council?"

Anakin scoffs and turns away. "I have no place with the Council. You know they barely tolerate me."

Oh, he does know, but it's not something anyone ever talks about. Anakin is a bit too unorthodox for them. He probably shouldn't have mentioned it, but he can't help but wonder. What if the two of them – together – can end this? Theseus finds himself – for the first time, really – aching for a sense of belonging. Someone who understands him. Obi-Wan never would, and Ahsoka... he's not sure about her. They've been best friends their entire life, yet this is something he isn't certain she'd agree with him on. Not unless Anakin did, anyway. "Then we can do it together."

Anakin jerks back from him. "I'm not going to turn to the Dark Side!" he snaps. "Why do people keep asking me that?!"

"Maybe it's what you need to do. At least we can do this together."

"Even if it would work, you don't even know what you're doing, and there's no one to guide you. By the time you succeeded, you'd be so lost... Please don't do this."

It hurts, really, to be asked to do the one thing he can't. "I – I don't have that choice anymore."

"Many Jedi have lost their way since the war started," Anakin says, "This is dangerous, and it's not something you do without thinking about the consequences."

"I've been having these questions for years," he objects.

"Even Jedi Masters Fell for something good, but it corrupted them. You can't let that happen to you." He has a point. For a moment, the vision he had when he was going to get his lightsaber crystal flickers through his mind. Of his Fallen self attacking Ahsoka and his mother. It is your destiny to become like me, the words of Dark Revan from the vision he had so long ago flit through his mind.

No, he's not going to become like that. He won't hurt Ahsoka and his mother, though he did lose his mind enough to attack his own master and Anakin. Not that he would ever have hurt them. But still... it's something he needs to think about. It's a question no one can answer, except himself. "I'll figure it out," he promises, glancing out across the horizon. He needs a calm, quiet place to think. Maybe he can try meditating, though it feels wrong to do so after what happened. Somewhere a distance from the ship, far enough away so no one can disturb him is the best option. "I'll come back."

He hesitates for a moment before stepping forwards and hugging his older padawan brother, who instantly returns the embrace. Theseus has never really been one for physical contact, but he certainly doesn't mind it. After a long moment, Theseus finally pulls away, slipping off into the shadows to think.

Chapter Text

Anakin can't remember the last time he's felt so unbearably worn out. After watching Theseus walk off, he turns back and stumbles over to the ship, practically collapsing after he climbs the ramp. Obi-Wan comes forwards almost immediately, settling down next to him. "I – what are we going to do?" Anakin asks quietly. He feels lost. There's obviously been a problem for a while, but he was too taken up with the war and Ahsoka to take care of Theseus. The Council specifically asked him to help the boy control his darkness, and he failed.

"Truthfully, I don't know." It's jarring to hear Obi-Wan say that. "We have to take him back to Coruscant."

"What if he doesn't want to come? Then what? We can't fight him." Anakin leans against the wall, exhaustion nagging at him. He should rest, but he doesn't dare. He needs to stay on watch if something were to happen. Besides, he'll never be able to sleep.

"The Council will be able to help him," Obi-Wan reassures.

"Will they?" Anakin asks, looking away. He actually Fell. He didn't brush the Dark Side like Anakin has multiple times now. He fully embraced it. "Theseus may have had the best in mind, but he – he did what's not allowed."

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's sigh is about as exhausted as Anakin feels right now. "The Council may not always be able to help everyone, but we do our best. If Theseus needs help, then we'll give it to him."

"If?" Anakin snaps. "He does! He needed help a long time ago, or he never would've Fallen!"

"The Son twisted his mind."

"Perhaps, but he couldn't have convinced him of a problem where none previously existed."

"Then what do you want, Anakin?"

The question has him taken aback. He can't remember the last time someone asked him that. "I... I don't know." It feels like a weakness to admit it, something he's been having an increasingly difficult time showing to his former master. He wishes for the way things used to be, though when he looks back, there isn't really a point in time where they were as close as Anakin wanted. Shaking those thoughts from mind, he returns to the task at hand. "I'm not sure we're doing the right thing by leaving. The Son is consumed by the Dark Side."

"And if we stay," Obi-Wan objects, "We may be used to the Dark Side's advantage." That may be true, but they can't just leave. What if the Father isn't able to handle the Son anymore, with the Daughter gone? What then? The repercussions for the galaxy will be far worse than if they stay here and try to do something about it.

Ahsoka pokes her head out of the compartment. "Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?" she calls.

"Well, let's try the bad news laced with a little optimism," suggests Obi-Wan.

"We've got two cracked silo pins, a busted power converter, the engines should be fired twice to dump debris, the backup vents need charging," Ahsoka lists off.

"Sound terribly downbeat."

No kidding. Ahsoka picks up a few tools and jumps down again.

"Can it be fixed?" Anakin asks as he pulls out a speeder. If nothing else, he'll go talk to the Father himself and see if they're really making the right choice.

"Uh, I can re-route the primary initiator, weld the dampening vents, and that might give us enough power to leave the atmosphere. After that, I have no guarantees she'll hold together," Ahsoka replies.

"We'll take our chances," decides Obi-Wan, "Better than staying here." The Jedi Master turns, frowning when he sees Anakin climbing onto the speeder. "Where are you going?"

"To see the Father," Anakin responds, "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 argue.

"If I don't get the Father's blessing to leave, it'll haunt me forever," he interjects, firing up the engine and speeding away into the night. The Father is the one person who tried to help him accept who he is, and it's something he intends to repay.

***

Theseus really isn't sure what to think right now. He doesn't want to take the risk of losing himself to the Dark Side, but if he knows what he's doing, that shouldn't happen, right? Although does he know what he's doing? At the same time, there's no way he's going to go back to how things were before. That's impossible. The Dark Side has affected him, and it's something he can never let go of.

As he thinks about it, he feels a sudden shifting in the Force. Looking up, he sees a far too familiar figure standing in front of him. Revan. "Just so you know, it's rude to interrupt meditation," Theseus informs him flatly, closing his eyes. Or more correctly, he wants him to leave because if he has one more vision right now, his head is going to explode.

"We need to talk."

"Go away." Wait. That wasn't Revan talking. That was someone else. Not this nonsense again. Can't these crazy people leave him alone?! Theseus opens his eyes anyway, in spite of himself, to see someone else standing next to the masked figure. It's a woman with dark hair who must also be a ghost – unless she's an illusion created by the Son. "You're not real. This is another trick, and I've had enough of your games."

"The Son is far from here," Revan objects. "You needn't be concerned about him right now."

"If you're really real, then who are you?" Theseus asks the strange woman.

"I'm Bastila Shan." He's tempted to ignore her, but he knows it's the truth. It rings in the Force, and it's hard to deny it.

"You're dead. How do you keep appearing to me?" he demands bluntly. Normally, he'd take a more roundabout approach, but right now, he's completely done with this nonsense.

"We are," Revan confirms. Suddenly, his mask disappears. He didn't even move to take it off. It's just gone.

Theseus tenses instantly. The Son can shapeshift and change appearances like that, though he doesn't feel the same living presence right now that he did before. Maybe he's shielding himself really well.

"As your ancestors, we are connected to you. We have a bond I cannot share with anyone else."

"And that means...?" That he's the 'lucky one' to be haunted by ghosts who have been dead for millennia?

"It's what allows us to communicate with you," Bastilla explains, "Although I can only do so on this planet because of how strong with the Force it is."

"Oh." Because what else can he say?

"You need to find balance," Revan tells him.

Theseus groans. "I know, I know, you've said that before, but I don't even know what that means. At least not in practice."

"You've accepted the Dark Side, but you don't need to let it control you. The Force is one. It existed long before it was split into sides by the Jedi and Sith, and it will remain long after they have passed." He has a point. Now that Theseus has felt the Dark Side in himself, he can no longer ignore that it made him feel whole. "And remember, the key to finding balance is acceptance."

"Meaning?"

"You must learn to accept and embrace what you feel instead of denying it," Bastila replies, "Even if it doesn't align with your own beliefs."

Theseus is quiet for a moment, considering. "You know," he admits, "That actually makes sense." To a point. It's something that he'd actually have to try in practice before saying anything more about it.

There's a heartbeat of silence. "So, are you going to... keep haunting me after this?" Theseus asks after a moment.

"I'll keep watching you, if that's what you're asking," Revan replies, "But I can only appear to you in visions off this planet. I'll be there if you need me." And just like that, they disappear, leaving him feeling oddly alone.

***

Obi-Wan is near the ramp when Theseus returns, standing a short distance from the Father by the ramp. Ahsoka is atop the ramp, looking down with a frown. "Where's Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks the Father.

"He came to me for guidance, but at the crossroad, only he can choose," the man answers cryptically, "The Force will be his guide now."

"I don't like this. What have you done?" demands Obi-Wan.

"I have done nothing. I am merely letting the will of the Force take shape."

"Where has he gone?"

"To the Well of the Dark Side," the Father replies. The Well of the Dark Side? Theseus has no idea what that is, but he doesn't like the sound of it in the least. He's still figuring things out himself, but something about Anakin going there all alone... No, this can't be good.

Theseus heads over to join the two of them. "Why'd he go there?" he demands.

"He was merely following the Force," the Father responds. As if that helps anything.

"Anakin has gone to confront your son, hasn't he?" Obi-Wan presses, urgency clear in his voice. He can hardly blame him for being so worried, especially after what happened with him. And on that note, he's not quite sure where he stands with his master right now, but that's a mess to be sorted out after they get off the planet. If.

"What is this 'Well of the Dark Side'?" Theseus asks. It doesn't sound good to him.

"Deep within this planet exists a place where all that is dark is channeled," explains the Father.

"And how do I get there?" Obi-Wan asks.

"You cannot interfere," he objects.

"The way I see it, if we were not supposed to interfere, Ahsoka, Theseus, and I wouldn't be here in the first place." He heads to a speeder, climbing on. "Both of you look after the ship. I'm going to find Anakin."

"Wait!" Theseus calls, "I should go with you."

Obi-Wan pauses, even as he fires up the engines, looking back. "I don't know if you should."

"If something happens to him, I have to help."

Obi-Wan probably realizes that too because he finally concedes. "Alright but stay close to me."

Theseus climbs on the speeder behind the Jedi Master, and they speed away. He can't shake the sudden, very bad feeling he has about this as they cross the terrain. Something isn't right, that much he can tell.

The silence between them isn't exactly comfortable. It would have been before, but even if it's only been a matter of hours since everything happened, it feels like forever, and everything has changed. Theseus knows his master will be trying to talk to him any minute, and this is a conversation he's been wanting to avoid at all costs. But now, as uncomfortable as it's going to be, he knows it's better to get it over with. "I'm sure you have a thing or two to say to me, Master," he says finally when Obi-Wan doesn't speak.

"What do you expect me to say?"

That wasn't what he expected. He tries to ignore how unsettling this is and pushes on. "I don't know. Maybe something about how I betrayed the Jedi and am evil now? Which I'm not, even if I did. Something about how I forsook your teachings?" He trails off.

"You did all those things, but I wouldn't call you evil." His words sting, but they're also slightly relieving. There's a brief pause. "You should have known better."

And just like that, all the bitterness and frustration are back. It feels enhanced, probably from being on the planet, and the Son dragged all his insecurities to the surface earlier. They haven't had time to settle down. Even so, he tries to remember Revan's words about it being perfectly natural to feel. "Maybe," he replies icily, "But I thought it was for the best. That's what you've taught me, after all. Not all of us can ignore who and what we are, Master. What the Jedi expect of their students is impossible."

Obi-Wan goes quiet, and Theseus finds himself abruptly wondering if he pushed too far. "I failed you," he says finally, voice laced with regret.

At least that goes somewhere in comforting him. Whatever guilt he had over harboring resentment for Obi-Wan disappears. Now, at least it feels perfectly justifiable. "Maybe a little," he agrees quietly, "But I still made my choice." Something in him desperately wants to explain his reasoning, even if he knows no one will ever accept it. He wants them to know that he didn't betray them, even if that's what it seems like.

"I would ask why, but that's something we should all talk about together."

He grimaces. Right. And he'll have the honor of trying to explain to Ahsoka that she played a huge role in his Fall. Something she definitely does not need to know. She might be mad at him, and he really doesn't want to lose their friendship. They have more history together than anyone else, and in a lot of ways they feel like two halves of a whole. Or worse yet, she could blame herself for it. "Sounds exciding," he replies dryly.

"So glad you agree." Maybe there is something salvageable about their relationship, which is good. Obi-Wan always has been much like a father to him, even despite their disagreements and problems. It's not something he'd ever want to lose.

As they fly in between the rocks, he spots a glowing entrance in the ground up ahead of them. The Dark Side rises to an intensity like he's never felt before as they fly closer and start dropping down into the well. Streams of lava run along the rock walls, and it's everywhere on the ground below. There's really only a small area down there that isn't covered in lava.

He and Obi-Wan get off the speeder, and he glances around. Where is – A sudden noise from behind him catches his attention and he spins around to see Anakin approaching. Something about him feels... off. His bond with Theseus is far more closed off than it's ever been, making it practically impossible to give him any idea what's happening. "Anakin, are you alright?" asks Obi-Wan cautiously.

"There has been a change of plan," Anakin replies, raising a hand throwing their speeder into the lava. What? He finally raises his head, yellow eyes staring back at them.

This – what?! First Ahsoka, then Anakin? Why is this happening to him?

"Sorry," Anakin continues, "You will not understand what I have to do to end the Clone Wars. You will try to stop me." And suddenly Theseus realizes exactly how he was probably making Anakin and Obi-Wan feel only a couple hours ago. What is only a few hours? It feels like so long already. So much has changed today.

What did the Son tell Anakin while he was here? Whatever it was, it must've been far worse than what he told Theseus, because he knows it would take a lot more to push Anakin over the edge, and the pure darkness pouring off him is unlike anything Theseus has ever felt before. Now that he thinks of it, it almost reminds him of what the Son felt like after killing the Daughter, except far more wild. He's containing an overwhelming amount of self-loathing, and it's far beyond anything he thought anyone capable of having.

"Anakin, what happened?" asks Theseus cautiously, stepping forwards. He's distracted enough that he doesn't sense the Son until too late, when a jagged bolt of crimson lightning strikes him. He's been electrocuted before, a few times, but never anything like this. It feels as though every inch of him is being ripped apart. It only lasts a matter of seconds, long enough to throw him to the ground, but it leaves him breathless, and the pain still lingers. When he manages to look up again, Obi-Wan is pushing himself up from nearby.

"Anakin, why?" The horror and raw pain in Obi-Wan's tone makes his heart ache, though there's nothing he can do.

"I'm sorry," Anakin says again, and he means it. It's so obvious that he does, but why is he doing this? Somehow Theseus highly doubts it happened similarly to his own Fall. Anakin's way too smart to have been tricked like that. Whatever it was, it was something worse. "I have seen it is the Jedi who will stand in the way of peace."

"Anakin, wait!" Theseus calls after him, desperately.

For a moment, the Knight pauses, looking back at him. "You can come with me," he offers, "But it will be... safer if you don't."

"Anakin, he's manipulating you," Obi-Wan warns, looking between him and the Son.

His expression immediately goes completely closed off again and he turns away, climbing on the speeder and firing it up. "You don't know what I saw," he replies, and for some inexplicable reason the words send a shiver through Theseus. Before he has a chance to get out another word, Anakin zooms away, climbing up out of the pit and leaving them behind.

With their only method of escape. Theseus pushes himself to his feet rather shakily. The Son smirks. Smugly. "He's mine now," he cackles before shapeshifting into his bird form and taking off.

"Now what?" Theseus asks, turning to his master. It feels a little more like back to the ordinary, but only for a moment until he remembers that it was Anakin who left them here. Anakin, one of the most caring people he's ever known – if not the most, who turned to the Dark Side.

"We can't let the Son leave the planet," Obi-Wan reminds. "Ahsoka has to deactivate the shuttle. See if you can't find us a way out of here."

"Good idea." Theseus heads off, ignoring the nagging urge in the back of his mind that it should really be him trying to comfort Ahsoka right now. They can talk later. Now, maximum efficiency is more important.

They've actually made it a good way up the cliff by the time Ahsoka arrives with the last speeder. Theseus was beginning to doubt she'd arrive. "Nice job!" she calls cheerfully, coming to a stop behind them.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan grumbles.

"I was starting to wonder if you planned to arrive, or if you were gonna make us walk all the way back to the ship," Theseus huffs, swinging onto the speeder behind her.

"Given your recent antics, I ought to," she huffs, unhooking a device from her belt and raising it for them to see. "The shuttle won't be going anywhere without this."

Obi-Wan settles on the speeder behind her. "Good. That gives us some time to rescue Anakin."

"We will," Theseus promises. "If you could get me out of murder mode, it won't take much to make him see reason." Or so he hopes. He doesn't really know why this happened. It doesn't make sense. Yes, Anakin is hurting in more ways than he could count and harbors a lot of anger, but he's never actually seen him become like this.

"I very much doubt that," Obi-Wan objects, "But I won't give up on him."

"Well, when all that was going on," Ahsoka asks in a tone that very much implies she will have his head later but doesn't have time to yell at him yet. "What did you want most?"

He takes a moment to think. "Acceptance. Acknowledgement. Family. Something calming and grounding that I don't have any bad memories associated with."

"We need to approach him as friends. Try not to start a fight." Theseus has the feeling the last line of what Obi-Wan said was addressed to Ahsoka, but he huffs anyway.

"I'm not a hypocrite, Master. Why would I charge at someone, lightsaber blazing, for doing the same thing I did hours ago?"

The ride to the Father's monastery continues in silence, and suddenly, his bond with Anakin goes eerily quiet. He lost consciousness for some reason. When they arrive, the Father is seated in the courtyard,s with Anakin slowly sitting up from a few feet away. "Master!" Ahsoka calls as the speeder rounds the building and touches down.

"Anakin," Theseus calls, relieved. He doesn't know what happened, but Anakin is back again. He doesn't feel any traces of the darkness that was there only moments before.

"Are you alright?" demands Obi-Wan, hurrying forwards.

"I think so," Anakin replies, climbing to his feet, "But we must stop the Son once and for all."

"We have little time, and you will only get one chance," the Father speaks up, "You know what you must do."

"How quaint!" a voice suddenly rings out. Theseus spins around to see the Son slowly floating to the ground a short distance away. "My own personal send-off."

"I ask you one last time. Do not leave, my son," the Father implores.

"You have no power to keep me, old man," the Son scoffs, "You must understand by now this planet is not my destiny."

"What you will do will destroy all that is good. I beg you, restrain yourself and stay!"

"I cannot," he insists, not even contemplating it for more than a moment.

"Then it shall be. I love you, my son," the Father says sadly.

"Do you?"

The Father doesn't reply, instead stepping aside. Anakin ignites his lightsaber, lunging forwards. The Son raises a hand, yanking his lightsaber away, and grabbing him by the neck. A burning rage surges through Theseus and in a flash, he ignites his own blade, lunging at him. The Son casually throws Anakin over his shoulder before raising his hand to pull away the three of their lightsabers and send all of them flying backwards. Theseus slams into the ground a distance away, momentarily stunned, but not too much to hear the continued conversation.

The Father pulls away the dagger from the Son with the Force. "What?" sneers the Son, "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." He points the dagger at himself, suddenly running it through his own chest.

"No!" The Son screams, eyes widening in horror as he runs forwards, catching the Father before he falls to the ground. "What have you done? It did not have to be this way!"

"Yes, my child, it did. You and I are tied together, and your strength runs through me. This way, I take your power."

"Please don't die!" It's ironic, given he was the one so bent on killing the Father. Apparently, he's had a change of heart, only a little too late.

"I always knew there was good in you," the Father says, pulling the Son into his arms. He gives a slight nod to Anakin, who steps forwards, igniting his lightsaber, and stabbing the Son in the back.

"And so, you have betrayed me, Father," he gets out before slowly going limp.

"It is done," the Father murmurs, looking to Anakin, "And now I die, my heart broken, but knowing the role you will play."

"And what is that?"

"You are the Chosen One. You have brought balance to this world. Stay on this path, and you will do it again for the galaxy, but beware your heart."

Theseus watches in stunned silence as the Father falls motionless and his body... vanishes. Disappears into nothingness. He's never seen anything remotely like that before.

There's a sudden faint rumbling sound and Theseus looks up to see the floating rocks slowly falling. A glowing crystal descending towards the top of the tower. The Force is surging strangely, and the crystal suddenly explodes in a blinding flash of purple.

Light fills his vision, and the next thing he knows, he's opening his eyes back on the Twilight. What? How did they get back here? The other three are all waking up as well. Was everything... a vision? No, that doesn't make sense. All of it did happen, and everyone here definitely experienced it.

"General Skywalker, come in!" a voice calls. His eyes turn to the front of the ship to see a hologram of Rex. Well. They definitely will have a lot of explaining to do.

"We read you, Rex. Can you hear me?" asks Anakin.

"Yes, sir. Standing by. We were worried. You were off the scopes there for a moment."

"A moment? We've been gone more than a moment, Rex."

"Sir, I don't understand. You'll need to explain."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Anakin says, glancing at the others looking faintly amused, "We're coming in now."

Chapter Text

After returning to the cruiser, the four of them find themselves seated in Obi-Wan's cabin. They already made the hyperspace jump to head back to Coruscant, though it'll be some time before they arrive. Thankfully, because Theseus is not looking forwards to it in the least. This conversation will be bad enough. Except, no one seems to know what to say, a heavy silence settling over them. Whether everything that happened on Mortis was a vision or not, it felt like reality, and no one emerged unscathed.

"I don't remember what happened," Anakin says finally, drawing an instant chorus of "what?" from the others. "I – when I woke up, the Father told me he... did something to my memory. I don't know what happened. The last thing I remember, I saw Master Qui-Gon and was heading for the Well of the Dark Side. Everything else is just... gone."

Oh. That's why he felt normal again. After using the Dark Side, he should have been struggling, but no. It was all gone when they'd arrived. Theseus is glad because he himself is rather unstable. They don't have the ability to deal with two unstable siblings right now.

Theseus isn't sure what's going to happen once they get back to Coruscant, but he probably should be more worried than he is. He feels a lot more... at peace than he has in a very long time. Maybe since even before the war. But even so, that doesn't mean he's looking forwards to a conversation with Ahsoka or his mother, for that matter, about what happened, so he's glad Obi-Wan's currently more focused on Anakin.

And – wait. "So, I wasn't the only one seeing ghosts?" Theseus asks dryly.

"Seeing ghosts?" Ahsoka yelps. "What?"

"I might have encountered Revan a few times, though I'm not entirely sure that it wasn't the Son playing tricks on me."

"And you have some serious explaining to do," she warns, eyes narrowing.

He's never been this nervous before. "Well, I guess I've had... questions for a long time, but I finally realized – accepted – that the Jedi aren't always right."

"So, that's why you spontaneously decided to turn to the Dark Side?!" Ahsoka screeches.

"Well, I wasn't thinking clearly. And I know that's not an excuse."

"No, it's not," she agrees with a scowl, crossing her arms, "So what've you decided now?"

"I need some time to think about it," he admits.

The Togruta huffs. "Well, whatever you decide, don't even think about doing anything so stupid ever again."

"Don't worry, I have no plans on Falling again." Not as though he did in the first place.

"I will have to speak to the Council about all of this once we get back," Obi-Wan speaks up, "They might want to talk to you."

"Sounds fun." As long as he can keep his cool the entire time with a dozen adults staring at him like he committed a crime on the worst level – which he did, to them – including his mother, he'll be fine. Otherwise, he rather trusts Anakin to come fish him out of prison.

***

Athea Shan knew something was going to go wrong on the mission to investigate the ancient distress signal, but she was never expecting this. Theseus Fell. Her own son turned to the Dark Side. Yes, she knew he had problems, especially after the war started, but she wasn't expecting this. She's been so busy with the war herself, recently, that she hasn't really had much time at all to talk to him anymore. The few meetings they used to have at the beginning of the war have dwindled even further now, so she hardly ever sees him. She really needs a chance to go talk to him. She had no idea he was struggling, but that does nothing to quell her rising guilt.

"Mm... when my padawan, he was, much of Dooku, I saw in him," admits Yoda.

"What do you mean?" asks Athea with a frown.

"Always drawn to the Dark Side, he has been."

"This is concerning," Windu asserts at last.

"Perhaps he needs some time off the battlefield," Athea suggests slowly. "I know he's been taking the war hard." It's a known fact that the war is hard on all the children, including him. It worries her what the next generation will be like, though there's little any of them can do aside from bringing the war to a fast end.

"We should keep him here at the Temple on meditative leave," Windu suggests. "It is our best chance of helping him."

"Something else you should know. He's been having... visions," Athea says slowly. It's not something she ever brought up before, but now she thinks maybe she should have. They may have more to do with what happened than she realizes.

"Visions?" echoes Mundi.

"He told me a few times that he was having visions of Revan," replies Athea, "Perhaps they were more serious than he implied."

"Hmm, mentioned this to us sooner, you should have. Concerning, this is," Yoda declares.

"With the war, I never thought it to be a major concern." She was worried about it, but there was so much else going on... Maybe if she'd talked about it earlier, the whole mess could've been avoided.

"He never told me," Obi-Wan states with a frown.

"I imagine he didn't want to worry you."

"These visions, what were they about?" Windu inquires.

"Mostly of the past," she replies. "Of the Mandalorian Wars and Darth Revan. I thought they were occasional, but now I wonder if they were more frequent than he ever let on."

"The darkness is a part of him now," sighs Obi-Wan, "It isn't something he'll be able to get rid of so easily. He needs to learn to control it, so he doesn't give in to it again."

Murmurs of agreement ripple around the room. "Perhaps Windu can assist him," suggests Plo. "He is a Jedi Master with a deep understanding and control of the Dark Side."

"To teach him of the Dark Side now would put him at risk," objects Mundi.

"Would it put him any more at risk than he already is?" Obi-Wan shoots back. "He's unstable now. I've taught him everything I could, but if he cannot find balance, I can't teach it to him."

"You did what you could," Athea reminds him firmly. He doesn't need to blame himself for it. The fault was of many, and she's always found blame useless. It won't change anything, only cause more division, and hurt more people. "We all should have seen it coming."

"Clouded by the Dark Side, these things are," Yoda reminds sadly.

There is a moment of solemn silence as everyone considers the situation. Athea could have lost her son to the Dark Side today, and no one saw it coming. Her, least of all. She should have been more observant. "I will speak with him," she says at last. "I understand that studying Form VII is a process consisting of many risks and trials, but I am confident it will only make him stronger."

"I must ask that this remain a Council matter," Obi-Wan adds. "It will not be easy for Theseus if everyone hears what happened."

***

The first chance she gets, Athea heads off to Obi-Wan's apartment in search of her son. He opens the door almost instantly when she knocks. She steps into the room, the door sliding closed behind them before she pulls him into a hug. It's been far too long since she actually was able to spend time with him.

"How are you doing?" she queries, as they take a seat on the couch.

"Bored," Theseus deadpans, "Dying of boredom. After all the battles I fought in, I thought I'd at least die doing something heroic, but nooooo..."

She chuckles quietly at his overdramatic attitude. "You haven't even been back here at the Temple for a day."

"Yeah, well hearing how long I might get stuck here kind of killed all interest in everything I do and don't have to do."

"Well, you are behind in your classes so that's something you can use this time to catch up on," she says, ignoring him rolling his eyes in the background, "And then there's those... toys I'm sure you can play with." She gestures to the machines lying in a pile on the floor. He didn't used to be so sloppy. Must've picked it up from Anakin.

"Those are not toys!" He sounds amused and offended at once. "Besides, Anakin and Ahsoka are going to be gone on another mission before I know it, and then I'll really have nothing to do here."

"So, it's a good thing that I'll probably be here at the Temple for a bit of time, now," Athea muses, smiling slightly.

"You will be?" he asks, hopefully.

"Unless something changes." She really hopes that doesn't happen. She's been away from him for far too long.

"I hope not," he murmurs as a far more serious expression passing over his face for a moment, which reminds her of how old he really is. And how he's still seen far too much for someone who's only fifteen, nearly sixteen. "I've missed this," he finally admits quietly.

"So have I," she says, a nostalgic silence falling over them for a few long moments, before she decides to change topics, "So, beyond schoolwork and your machines, and the new lightsaber form Master Windu will be teaching you, I'm pretty sure you have an important meditation assignment?" Although he always struggled with it, he'll have to learn now. Meditation is extremely important when a Jedi has lost their way, and following the Force is essential in finding balance.

He groans. "Oh no, don't even start."

"You'll have to learn it, Theseus. Meditation is important, even if you don't like it. And, if you're up to it, I would like to hear your side of what happened."

He sighs. "Really?"

"Your master explained to the Council, but I want to know what prompted it. You've been struggling for a while."

"I get so confused sometimes." Theseus settles back on the couch, clearly uncomfortable, but at least he's talking. That in and of itself is a good sign. Athea has dealt with other nearly Fallen Jedi, and all things considered, he seems to be taking it the best. "Should we really be fighting the war? And if we are, then... what are we doing wrong? And what do we need to do? The war is dragging on, and more and more people are dying."

"I understand your point," she agrees. But that doesn't mean she agrees with what he did.

"And there's the whole attachment thing," Theseus says, "I mean... I get it to a point, but I can't just not care about anyone."

"It's not that you can't about anyone. It's a matter of learning how to control it, so it doesn't interfere with duty," Athea explains.

"Why are you and Anakin the only Jedi who ever explain it like that?"

Now that is something she's always wondered, too. Others make it sound like they have to be perfect. "I don't know, maybe because they don't fully understand it themselves?" she suggests.

"Oh niiiiiice. No wonder all the padawans and younglings are so hopelessly lost half the time when they're learning things," he grumbles, "Well, at least I usually was."

"Hmm, possibly," she agrees, "Those visions you were telling me about... are you still having those?"

"... Yes. From time to time."

"You never really talked to me about it," she comments. "I didn't realize how common... or upsetting they were."

"It wasn't really important. You have many other things to worry about." Well. She should have expected he was going to think that.

"Theseus, it's not selfish to ask for help if you need it," she chides, "As Jedi, it is our duty to take care of everyone else, but we can't do that unless we take care of ourselves too."

He nods his understanding and looks away thoughtfully.

"Now why don't we –"

"Don't say it!"

"– go meditate together."

***

As it turns out, training with Windu isn't as bad Theseus was afraid it might be. Only it's darker than the forms of lightsaber combat he's used to using. Vaapad is more than a fighting style, Windu had told him; it is a state of mind, a path that leads through the penumbra of the Dark Side. Theseus really knows what he means now that he's actually practicing using it.

As far as he's concerned, it basically is using the Dark Side, except for a good purpose. So then... what's even the difference between using this form and actually drawing on the Dark Side while fighting? Yes, he gets that it's dangerous, but there's numerous Jedi who have learned this, and they never Fell. Of course, there was that one Jedi Master who did but that was only one. He's really not sure that he gets this whole commotion about using the Dark Side since Windu basically does on a daily basis but calls it something else.

The only thing he finds somewhat challenging about the Form is that it requires a pretty much constant use of the Force while fighting, something he's never been the greatest at, though it's starting to become easier.

Theseus brings up his lightsaber to block Windu's as they spar, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that they're literally two of the only Jedi in the Order with purple lightsabers. And now he's learning Vaapad too. Now he's getting too many similarities to Windu. That's concerning. He doesn't want to be anything like him once he becomes a Jedi Master. He pushes the stupid thought from mind, turning his focus back to the fight.

He allows himself to be immersed entirely in the Force, using it at it's entirely like how he's pretty sure he needs to be as he lets it guide his moves. And he has to admit he finds himself enjoying the fight maybe more than he should be – though he's not really sure since apparently that's sort of a part of this form. Okay, he really has a million questions by now.

Windu wins the duel again – Theseus would be shocked if he didn't – before deciding that they're done for the day.

"How is this so much different from actually using the Dark Side?" he asks finally, bracing himself to hear a half nonsensical Jedi ramble in response. Revan was right about one thing – he needs to learn the Force in its fullest. He feels so much more whole now that he's not hiding from himself.

"Sith totally lose themselves in the Dark Side, focusing on their hate and anger. Everything they do is for selfish purposes. Vaapad only uses the internal and natural darkness of every person – which can then be used as a weapon for the Light Side. The dark emotions drawn on must be released to the Force as soon as the fight is over. It is only done for the greater good."

That sounds very much like a long way of saying 'we use the Dark Side but for a good reason'. Okay, that's basically what Theseus is planning to do, maybe a little bit more so than uses of Vaapad are allowed. Not that he has any intention of telling anyone that.

***

"I can't understand how he could've done this," Ahsoka grumbles. Theseus literally turned against everything they've been raised believing for as long as she – and he – can remember. It doesn't even make any sense.

"You always see things as black and white, Ahsoka." Anakin sounds tired, but come to think of it, she can hardly think of a time he hasn't. The war is taking a toll on him as much as it is everyone else.

"What do you mean?" she asks, frowning.

"I mean that sometimes, there's a point to which good and bad become blurred, and people can do bad things for a good cause. It doesn't make it right, but it doesn't make the person evil or bad, either."

She does understand what he's saying, but it's hard to see it that way. It's against everything she's ever been taught, and going against those beliefs, even for someone she cares for deeply, still feels like a betrayal on some level.

"He made a mistake," Anakin continues quietly, "But it wasn't his fault. The Son tricked him."

Like he did Anakin. She still isn't sure how to feel about it. She knows, somewhere deep inside, that anyone can Fall, but never would she have expected to hear that Anakin had. He doesn't remember any of it, whether for better or worse. She wants to know what happened, but at the same time, she really doesn't. "True," Ahsoka agrees grudgingly. But sometimes, being angry and avoiding Theseus is easier than trying to sort through the tangled mess of emotions she feels towards her best friend now.

"He needs our help. This... our family is clearly a mess," Anakin sighs. Family. He called them family. Yes, she always considered them that in a way, and she knew he did too but hearing it out loud is something totally different.

"I don't even know how to go about fixing it." Especially since to do that, she'll have to actually talk to Theseus, and she's not sure that she's ready for that yet.

"We'll figure it out. Together."

Ahsoka nods as she leans back against the couch next to her master. She's not sure what they're going to do now, and she still feels lost, but at least she knows Anakin will always be here to help. She scoots over and snuggles up against his side, and he drapes an arm around her shoulders.

They're definitely a family of some sort, even if they're a very disjointed one. Anakin is her sort-of older brother, and Theseus is her best friend. And Obi-Wan is their sort of uncle/father/way-too-old older brother, maybe, she's not sure exactly.

Chapter Text

"I should be doing something useful," Theseus declares flatly. It's been two weeks since Mortis and being stuck at the Temple this long is driving him insane. Well, mainly because he doesn't know when he'll be able to go back out on the front, but still. Plus, it feels so wrong for the others to be off fighting while he's stuck here. There's a war going on, and while he has his own problems to deal with, it feels irresponsible not to be participating.

"You are doing something useful," Obi-Wan reminds.

"Meditating all day? Necessary maybe, but boring. And it's not helping anyone except myself."

"Which, apparently, you've been heavily neglecting lately."

Great. This again. It's irritating even if it's not entirely wrong. "Well, I think two weeks has been long enough for me to at least start helping again."

Obi-Wan gives him an unimpressed look. "You're not ready to go back to the front lines yet. You're still very... unbalanced at the moment."

"Thanks," Theseus mutters.

"It was an observation," he replies. "You're still very distracted, and I don't want things to get as far as they did on Mortis." In other words, he's scared and being a stubborn idiot and refusing to admit it, not that Theseus will call him out on it. He can't blame him anyway.

"They won't," he promises. "I've figured out the worst of it."

"I've been too focused on the war this entire time," Obi-Wan argues, and Theseus suddenly gets the feeling he's about to say is making him feel uncomfortable. "I haven't been giving you the attention I should have." Theseus can't entirely deny that, but is a very, very strange conversation to be having with his master. They don't talk about things like this. They just don't. Obi-Wan avoids anything emotional like the plague, and Theseus prefers never to mention it unless it's absolutely necessary, thank you very much.

"Well, maybe?" he concedes reluctantly. It's difficult to talk about, but it's the truth, and he knows lies will only serve to worsen the situation. Nothing will be resolved if they don't talk truthfully, as much as he would like to avoid it.

Obi-Wan is quiet for a long moment, expression solemn. "I don't want that to happen again," he says finally, "So that's why I think you should stay at the Temple right now. I don't think you're ready to handle being on the front yet."

"I understand," he agrees quietly. He's certain he's ready, but it's his master who has the final say in the matter. Given what happened and how they nearly lost one another, Theseus isn't surprised of how overprotective his master is being. It's almost welcome, if he's being honest. However irritating, it's a reminder that he actually cares, which is welcome after what happened. "Still, I want to help somehow."

"Well, you could help with 212th, if you don't take time off your studies," suggests Obi-Wan after a moment of consideration.

Theseus perks up. "Really?

"Don't get carried away," Obi-Wan warns with the hint of a smile, "And I'll be going on another mission. I had to tell you in case I don't come back."

His heart skips a beat, and he jumps up, stepping towards his master. "No. Don't say that. You have to." The thought of his master dying is absolutely unthinkable. He can't... leave. Theseus has lost many friends before, but never – never someone who's like his family.

"It's one of the most dangerous missions," Obi-Wan says quietly, "I need you to know it's a possibility."

He swallows hard. No, he can't think about this. "You'll come back like you always do," he insists, not sure who he's trying to convince more.

"If it's the will of the Force," his master reminds quietly.

"What is this mission anyway, if you can tell me?" Theseus inquires.

"We're going to rescue a Jedi Master well behind enemy lines." He sounds unusually grim, and Theseus knows whatever the mission is, it's very dangerous. He wishes so badly he could go, but he's starting to learn how to cope with his family being in tight situations and trusting in the Force to bring them back. If he didn't, he'd probably go insane. "The rest, I can detail later. It's extremely risky."

"Who else is going?" he wonders.

"Anakin will be with me. Others will come in for backup if we need it," Obi-Wan replies.

"What about Ahsoka?" Theseus asks, tensing. If it's so dangerous that even Obi-Wan doesn't want him coming...

"Anakin wants her staying here," assures Obi-Wan, and Theseus lets out a sigh of relief. After she literally died on Mortis, the thought of her being in a situation like this when he can't help... "I need to leave now to prepare for the briefing," the Jedi Masters decides, standing up.

"May the Force be with you, Master," Theseus murmurs as he watches him head out of the apartment. He can only hope that his master and padawan-brother will come out in one piece.

***

"I still can't believe you snuck along like that on a mission so crucial," Theseus grumbles as he walks through the halls of the Temple next to Ahsoka. He's still getting over his total freakout when he realized that she wasn't at the Temple anymore, apparently having decided to go without permission. Of all the reckless, stupid things she's done, this is the worst.

"It worked out in the end," Ahsoka says flippantly.

Something about the tone is driving him crazy. How can she have such a carefree attitude about this? He can't even imagine how much Anakin must have freaked out when he realized she came. "What if it didn't?" he retorts.

"Well, it did, so you can stop worrying about it." A hint of irritation is creeping into her tone, reminding him again of how different things have been between the two of them since Mortis. He wants to do something about it, but now definitely isn't the time, and besides, he's not ready to bring up the whole mess again. He wants to let it rest for a bit. He wants it to be in the past, but he knows it won't fix itself.

"You could've gotten yourself killed."

"Come on, I'm in dangerous situations all the time," Ahsoka shoots back.

"You didn't even know the details of the plan in the first place," Theseus objects harshly.

"It worked out in the end. Besides, it should be up to me when and how I put my life in danger," she snaps.

"You're still a padawan!"

"So? It's still my life," she snaps.

"We have masters for a reason, in case you've forgotten," he reminds.

"It's not like you don't do stupid things all the time too!"

"Yes, but nothing like that."

"The mission might have ended up failing altogether if I hadn't gone," Ahsoka retaliates, "Because Master Piell gave me the coordinates! No one else would have gotten there on time."

Theseus sighs. "That's not really my point. It's just... did you ever think about how Anakin would feel when he realized you were there?"

"I'm on the battlefield all the time!"

"That's totally different. Besides you just..." It hurts to say it. It's something no one ever voices. "You just died, okay? And this wasn't a normal battle. It's a stealth mission, and if you were captured..." He doesn't even let his mind wander that far. Some things are too terrible to think about, and the thought of Ahsoka being hurt makes him sick.

Ahsoka huffs. "I get your point, but you're over-worrying. I can handle myself fine." She really isn't acting like she gets it, or at least isn't that bothered by it. Either that, or she's being stubborn right now because she's annoyed with him. He doesn't have a chance to say anything else before the Togruta speaks up again. "I have some lessons to attend. We can talk more later." She turns, hurrying off down the hall.

Back to avoiding him now. A quiet sigh escapes Theseus, and he finds he's too worn out to bother following her or trying to continue the conversation anyway.

***

Theseus' mind wanders back to his recent lessons with Windu, not long after the Citadel mission. He's still struggling in learning complete control of his emotions, though he is admittedly getting better. The one thing he has a very difficult time with is his temper. Generally, if Jedi talk during sparring, it's only to give advice to the other person. Windu is sometimes the same way, but he never gives any forewarning to when he starts intentionally being as aggravating as possible, intentionally throwing him off balance and upsetting him. It's testing his limits, but he can't figure out how to control himself.

Before when he talked to Obi-Wan, the only advise he got was to release it into the Force – something which... doesn't really work. When you're sparring, he can't take the time to breathe and let go. That takes a moment of concentration which he can't afford. He needs to find a better way of handling his emotions. It's hard when he's dancing so close to the Dark Side whenever it happens, which is precisely Windu's point.

Theseus swings his blade up to parry Anakin's next blow as the two of them continue their sparring match. He needs to focus now and think about his questions from lessons with Windu later, or he's definitely going to lose this match. Anakin suddenly twists the lightsaber out of his hands, and it sails across the room, flying out of his reach before he can catch it. Well. That's a move that should never have been so easy to work on a curved lightsaber.

"I guess you win this round," grumbles Theseus as he goes to retrieve his saber.

"I thought Master Windu was teaching you?" Anakin quips.

"He only just started, and I was distracted. Once I master the form, I'll beat you every time."

"Don't get cocky."

"I'm not. Yet." He sits down on the floor to catch his breath. They'd been sparring for a while, and as always, he's a little worn out. It's not in battle where he has to keep pushing on. Once he goes back to the front, it's going to take some getting used to again. He's been in a peaceful environment for a while now, and it's making him wonder how he's even going to survive once the war is over. He's not used to it, and it honestly upsets him to think of how many padawans are going to have this problem afterwards, though it doesn't even feel like the war is ever going to end.

"Sometimes, I wonder when the war is ever going to be over."

"I wish I could answer that," Anakin replies quietly.

"And what'll happen afterwards."

"We'll continue doing what we always have been. Whatever we have to, to restore peace." Which answers nothing.

"I know, but..." It doesn't really say what things will be like. That's not something they'll ever know until the time comes. And for whatever reason, whenever he thinks about when the war will end, it doesn't seem like it will for a very, very long time. Either he's being pessimistic, or he can't sense that far. It's not surprising. The Dark Side clouds everything, and it's only been worsening. Besides, precognitive abilities have never been his strength.

"It seems so far off, like the time will never come," Anakin deduces.

"Yeah," he agrees with a sigh.

"You two gave up already?" Ahsoka calls as she sweeps into the room.

"It's called taking a break," Theseus calls back.

"Does anyone want a triple spar?" she asks with a smirk.

"In other words, everyone fights everyone and hopes we don't behead each other? No thanks," Theseus replies, "If I'm headless, I won't be going back to the front any time soon."

"Or at all. You'd have a bigger problem," Anakin quips.

"Yeah, like the best method of re-attaching it."

"You're insane, you know that?" Ahsoka snips.

"Thank you," he replies with a grin.

"Up for another round, anyone?" asks Anakin, standing up.

"That's why I'm here," agrees Ahsoka. "What about you, Theseus?"

"Didn't we just finish deciding –"

Ahsoka groans dramatically. "Okay fine, then you can watch from the sidelines."

"Like I've been doing the past few months."

"Month. One month."

"Whatever."

He stands off to the side watching as Ahsoka pulls out her lightsabers, shifting into her fighting stance. Moments later, her and Anakin are dueling. He lets his mind wander back to what he was thinking about before as he watches. He needs to improve faster and at least make his time off the front worthwhile.

Of course, Anakin still wins the match. He pretty much always does, unless he slips up or is very exhausted.

"When someone won't stop driving you up the wall, like when you're sparing or something, how do you deal with it without getting too aggressive?" Theseus pipes up randomly.

"What's that got to do with anything?" asks Ahsoka.

"Just wondering."

"Ignore them," Anakin blurts out.

Theseus gives him a disbelieving look. "That hardly works."

"Anakin told me to breathe and count to ten – but I only have the patience to count to five – and ask myself it that's really what he'd want me to do," she chirps.

Theseus snorts. "Would you have time to do that in a lightsaber duel?"

Anakin rolls his eyes. "Honestly, I thought you'd use it to fuel yourself."

"What do you do?"

"I can't even believe you're asking me this question, but if you really have to know, I tune it out. Focus. And then be sure to drive them crazy by not giving them what they want."

"Now that you mention it, that sounds like a good idea," he concedes.

"Did you hear that things are picking up on Felucia again?" asks Ahsoka, changing the topic entirely.

"No, I didn't," Theseus says. The battle on that planet has been dragging out since practically the beginning of the war. Who controls that planet effects a lot of the surrounding systems, so no matter how close either side comes to losing, they keep on fighting.

"Master Plo is there right now, and we might get called in soon," informs Anakin.

***

Theseus knows something is wrong the moment Anakin steps into the main room of Obi-Wan's apartment. Theseus looks up at him briefly, in a silent nod of acknowledgement, before returning his attention to the call with Cody. They're discussing strategy for another battle, so he can't lose focus right now.

Anakin paces back and forth near the doorway as he waits, tension and fear radiating from his Force-signature. "I will speak with the General," promises Cody finally.

"I'll talk to you later, Cody," nods Theseus, finally disconnecting the call and turning to his padawan brother. "What's going on?"

"Ahsoka disappeared."

The words freeze him – and his mind – in place for a moment, before a chilling feeling of dread washes over him. "What?" His voice sounds faint, strained, even to his own ears.

"She was leading one of the attacks on Felucia," Anakin explains in a rush, "She stayed behind the clones, and we couldn't find her after the battle. There were no traces, only her lightsabers near where she was last spotted."

"Do you think...?" he asks finally, not even wanting to finish voicing his thoughts. Memories of his argument with her right after she got back from Citadel flash through his mind. Why does it seem like all these things keep happening to her all of a sudden? More than likely, the people who got her were the Separatists.

"I imagine they would have taken her lightsabers, though," Anakin points out.

"What can we do?" They have to find her, no matter what. It's wrong for her to be gone, and they have to bring her back. Somehow. They'll search the entire galaxy if they have to. Neither of them will rest until they find her.

"We'll find her," Anakin promises, a fierce determination and desperation in his voice. And Theseus wants to let himself believe that for now, because he can't accept there's a possibility they won't. Ahsoka is his best friend, and they've stuck with each other through everything. Even if things have been rough as of late. He never had a chance to make up for it to her, and now the knowledge of the likelihood he never will ... No. He can't believe that.

"No leads? No nothing?" Theseus presses. "Where do we start?"

"Wherever we can. If she's spotted anywhere in Republic space, we'll hear about it."

He finds himself struck by the instant instinctive desire to comfort him – Anakin was Ahsoka's master, after all – but he doesn't know what to say or how to say it. The reassurance that Ahsoka knows how to take care of herself means absolutely nothing. She's not quite sixteen yet even, and Theseus knows especially in the farther parts of the galaxy, there are a lot of very bad things that could happen to a female Togruta, none of them things he's going to dwell on.

He immediately forces away the instinctive thought of how he should have done something to help. There was nothing he could have done. Even if he was on the fronts, he wouldn't have been there. Even so, it's another painful reminder of how fragile life is, and how important it is to stay on good terms with people. He could never forgive himself if he didn't have time to properly talk things out with Ahsoka. It's a mistake he won't make again.

"I'm going to look for her," Anakin decides. "Will you come?"

"How could I not?"

He stands up, walking over to Anakin and embracing him. It's a pretty small measure of comfort given the enormity of the situation, but it's the most either of them can do for each other for the moment. Now, they have a padawan to find.

Chapter Text

It's been days now, and there's still no sign of Ahsoka anywhere. Theseus sits next to Anakin beside a galactic holomap. They aren't really getting anywhere either, but Anakin refuses to give up even though he's been awake practically nonstop since it happened. Theseus knows they both should really get some sleep soon, but he doubts he could even if he tried.

He looks up at the sound of someone approaching, to see Plo heading down the staircase into the room. "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," Theseus responds with a sigh. He absolutely refuses to give up, but he can't stop thinking about her. If it was something too bad, they would feel it, right? He doesn't know. She could be on the farthest side of the galaxy for all he knows, and their bond isn't that strong, all things considered.

"What is Ahsoka's strength?" Plo inquires, looking to Anakin.

"She is fearless," Anakin answers immediately.

"That can also be a weakness. Is she a worthy apprentice?" He circles around behind them, stopping with his back facing the holomap table.

"No one has her kind of determination."

"Except you."

"I'll find her," Anakin insists firmly.

"This may not be within your power," Plo declares, finally turning around to face them.

Frustration flashes across Anakin's face as he turns away from the holomap. "Whatever you're trying to say, Master Plo, just say it."

"I am suggesting that perhaps, if you have trained her well, she shall take care of herself, and find a way back to you," he answers, heading back for the staircase. That – well, Theseus knows that it's true, and he does have a point. Ahsoka is very experienced, but at the same time, he's not sure if it's enough to get through whatever situation she's in. He knows that wherever she is, she'll be doing everything in her power to find her way back, and maybe that in part is the problem, because if she's been captured by the Separatists and won't stop trying to escape... No, he needs to have more faith in her abilities. He can't let himself think like that.

"Maybe we should stop and get some rest," Theseus suggests finally.

"You go ahead. I'm staying here."

"You know we'll be much more effective if we're not both falling asleep on our feet tomorrow morning," he quips, even though he knows it takes more than a few days for that to happen.

"There's no time," Anakin insists.

"Fine. I'll stay... for a while." Theseus concedes. He may or may not have ended up falling asleep on the edge of the table.

***

They're still at the holomap a few days later when Theseus' comm suddenly beeps. His mother. "Yes, Master?" he greets as he answers. Anakin looks up from the map to listen.

"We found Ahsoka. She's on her way back to the Temple with several other previously missing padawans; they have escaped their captivity from a gang of Trandoshans."

Ahsoka. She's – she's alive. She's alright. Relief doesn't even begin to encompass the surge of overwhelming emotions that engulf him. He'd feared the worst, but like Plo said, she's found her way back.

"We're coming over," Anakin replies instantly, sprinting for the door with the other padawan a few steps behind. He was supposed to take care of her, but he failed. A million questions are forming in his mind, desperate to know if she's alright and what happened and how it happened, but those thoughts are washed away in the face of the desperate guilt crushing him. He'd made a stupid mistake and she could have died for it. What kind of master lets their padawan get kidnapped, anyway?

By the time they reach the hanger, Ahsoka is already there with a group of Wookies and several council members, along with two other padawans Anakin doesn't pay any attention to. "Ahsoka!" he calls, running to her. He longs to hug her, but people are watching, and he won't. It's hardly appropriate. He settles for resting a hand on her shoulder, and she reaches up to grip his arm.

She's back, though her presence is a touch darker and less wild than it was before, forever changed by this experience. Her face and body are covered with dirt, but her eyes are as bright as ever. She's glad to see him again, and it only serves to worsen his guilt.

"It is good to see you safe, little Soka," Plo tells her as he walks past Anakin. She nods, eyes never leaving his face.

"Ahsoka, I am so sorry," he begins desperately, knowing how inadequate it sounds after what happened.

"For what?"

He turns away, unable to look at her. "For letting you go, for letting you get taken. It was my fault."

"No Master," she objects softly, and it's jarring how different she is. "It wasn't your fault."

"I should've paid more attention. I should've tried harder."

"You already did everything you could, everything you had to do." She was the one hurt, yet she's the one comforting him. It's wrong. "When I was out there, alone –" His fault. "– all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive." She looks up at him again, and he meets her gaze even as much as it hurts. She's as pure and honest as ever. Ahsoka actually believes that whatever he taught her was what was able to help her find her way out, even if it's hard for him to accept. He knows what happened was dark – he can feel her changes, her sense of new-found maturity – yet she's still stubbornly insisting on only seeing the bright side. "And not only that, but I was able to lead others to survive as well."

"I don't know what to say," he admits finally. It's the first time in a long, long time he's been at a complete loss of words.

"I do. Thank you, Master."

There are a million things he wants to say, but now isn't the time to say them. "You're welcome, my Padawan," he replies gently, returning her bow.

Theseus moves forwards from where he's been watching from the side. "It's good to have you back, Ahsoka."

"It's good to be back," she agrees fiercely, turning to him.

"Are you alright?" he asks. "Do you need to get checked in the healers wing?"

"I think a change of clothes is in order first," Anakin points out, waving the two of them along. He doesn't want to have their much-needed talk in front of a bunch of people.

"Good idea," she agrees. "Let's go."

***

After Ahsoka told the boys a shortened version of what happened, Anakin leaves so she can talk to Theseus alone. They've needed to talk for a while, and she'd feared, for a long time, when she was captured that they were never going to see each other again. Even though they hadn't even had time to have a truly peaceful conversation since Mortis. Yes, they've teased each other as they used to, but there's always been an underlying tension to it.

"Things haven't been the same between us since Mortis," Ahsoka begins finally. She's never had a conversation like this with anyone before, so she most definitely is nervous, but they have to sort this out.

"I know," Theseus says quietly, "So... um. Just say whatever you need to say, and I won't interrupt." Where does she even start? She's thought about this for a while, but everything she had in mind to say promptly disappears from memory the moment she's ready to say it. And now she's even more nervous than before, which is utterly ridiculous. They've been friends their whole life. It can't be that hard to talk to each other – or maybe that's exactly the problem. This is what they need to fix.

"Well, I can't understand how you could have Fallen like that and attacked Anakin and Master Obi-Wan."

"I was being stupid," he replies, "I was lost in the Dark Side. I couldn't control myself at the time."

Ahsoka knew it already, but she still needed to hear it. "How are you doing? Recently?" It's been hard for her to accept that her best friend, for all intents and purposes, betrayed the Jedi, but somewhere deep down she knows it wasn't entirely his fault, and it makes it easier to forgive.

"I can't go back to pretending to agree with everything the Council and Code say," he offers after a moment of consideration.

"We were raised that way. I don't understand how you could turn your back on everything we grew up being taught."

"It's not all right. Not entirely. I can't always blindly follow what other people tell me, even if it's all I've ever heard. I don't see the Jedi helping the galaxy like they're supposed to be."

"They're doing the best they can," she replies, though it feels lame.

"But it's clearly not enough. Something needs to be done differently," Theseus objects. Well, she can kind of see his point, but that doesn't mean she agrees with the decision that he made. That's not the answer either.

"That doesn't mean the Dark Side is the answer."

"I understand that now, but I can't believe pretending it doesn't exist is the answer, either."

"What do you think, then?"

"I haven't entirely figured that out," Theseus admits, looking vaguely amused for a moment, "But regardless, we don't have to always seen eye-to-eye on everything. That doesn't mean we have to argue about it either."

She can't say she's entirely happy with what he's saying, but at the same time, it doesn't bother her as much as it did before the Trandoshan incident. She only wants things to be resolved. "True," Ahsoka concedes finally. "I don't want to keep this between us, but I can't understand how you believe what you do."

"Don't worry. Not like I'm planning to go all out Dark Sider on someone. I don't use it any more than Master Windu does."

"If you say so," she counters doubtfully. She's already said everything she could, and she doesn't want to argue with him anymore. "When I was out there," she adds after another pause of silence, "I was afraid we might never see each other again." He nods, letting her continue speaking. "I didn't want to spend the rest of my life feeling like there's an uncrossable river between us."

"I don't either," he says, "So, are things settled?"

"Yes, I think so." Ahsoka steps forwards, pulling him into a hug. No matter what, he's still her best friend and even if they aren't entirely seeing eye to eye anymore, she won't let that affect their friendship again. It's not something she ever wants to lose.

***

The rumors are all over the Temple. Anakin had accompanied Senator Amidala – is it just Theseus, or does he get an awful lot of missions involving her? – to Naboo to investigate the rumors that the Gungans were planning an attack on the capital, Theed. And apparently, Grievous showed up in the middle of it all, and then ended up being captured, but at the same time, Dooku managed to capture Anakin. Padme had agreed to the prisoner exchange, so they have Anakin back now, but he's currently still in the medbay.

And seriously, Theseus cannot believe that he's heard some of the Jedi saying that they shouldn't have agreed to the exchange. It's not like Grievous is the one in charge of the war. He's another one of Dooku's pawns. Just because they managed to keep him prisoner, that doesn't mean the war would be ending any faster. But what it would mean is that the Separatists would have Anakin, and he's seen a little of the times that they have captured him. He's never been in very good condition by the time he gets back, so the fact that he's still in the medbay is frankly disturbing.

Not to mention that it's a simple matter of strategizing. If they lost Anakin, it would be a huge blow to the Republic, and the Separatists well might have attacked and gotten Grievous back before any other Jedi managed to get there to help. Naboo might have been mostly spared, but the galaxy as a whole would have paid the cost. Theseus cannot understand what's wrong with people sometimes.

By the time he and Ahsoka arrive in the medbay to see Anakin, Obi-Wan is already there. The Jedi healer stops in the doorway of the room, warning Anakin not to even think about trying to leave the healer's wing yet, or even trying to get out of bed, since he needs to be resting right now. "None of you should stay for long," she adds as she disappears out the door, ignoring Anakin rolling his eyes in exasperation in the background.

"How do you always get yourself in these ridiculous predicaments?" the Jedi Master asks, a touch of fond exasperation in his voice.

"I feel fine!" Anakin all but whines. "I don't need to be stuck in here overnight."

"It's the only way to make sure you stay down," Ahsoka chirps, perching on the side of his bed.

"Yeah," he agrees grumpily, propping himself up on his right arm, "Well, I still don't think it's necessary."

"Because apparently nothing relating to your health is 'necessary'." Theseus almost rolls his eyes. "Moving until you collapse is generally not a good idea."

"I wasn't planning to, and it's not like I'm 'about to collapse' anyway, so you can stop fretting," Anakin huffs. "Honestly, it's not like it's any worse than... usual." Because apparently that's supposed to make Theseus feel better about it. How he can so casually talk about being captured by the Separatists and tortured and whatever happened exactly is beyond him.

"And you usually stay in the healers wing for a day, so that's what you're doing this time too," Obi-Wan informs him flatly. "Everyone does it, not just you."

Anakin flops back on the bed, grumbling something inaudible that likely was very unflattering under his breath. "Maybe I just don't want to be stuck here right now."

"Then maybe you should sleep," Ahsoka says cheekily.

He sighs in a way that makes him look as worn out as he really is, despite his insistence to the contrary. "I can't."

Theseus can only guess why, and he really, really wants to go murder Dooku right about now. He does not take kindly to anyone hurting his family, and he knows Anakin well enough to tell that he's often not as alright as he pretends to be, which makes him wonder exactly how bad this was. Anakin may have claimed it was just "the usual" but something tells him that whatever happened when Dooku captured him this time, it was a lot worse. Very possibly because the Sith himself was there.

"Then we'll stay until the healers throw us out," Ahsoka offers brightly.

"For now, you can," he agrees.

***

"You have to be cheating!" Ahsoka growls in frustration.

"Don't be a sore loser," chides Theseus, not bothering to conceal his smirk.

"I'm not! You've won the last five rounds! That is not normal." She crosses her arms, staring at him grumpily.

"I've had time to practice playing while you were busy fighting."

"No fair," Ahsoka pouts dramatically. "You're supposed to on mediative leave, not playing leave."

"Sorry, but I'm not going to meditate constantly for months. Only my master could do that."

Anakin snorts quietly, and Obi-Wan shoots him a look from where he sits at the opposite end of the couch, occupied with... whatever Council work he always does. Theseus has heard enough to know that he never, ever wants to be on the Council, not that they'd offer him a seat anyway.

"It's true," Anakin protests.

Theseus is certainly glad that he was able to work things out with Ahsoka so quickly. Even if they don't entirely agree with each other anymore, at least they're back to getting along again. They've always been friends, he supposes, and nothing will ever change that.

Maybe even something a little more than best friends, he can't help but think as his mind drifts back to that moment in the Coruscant cantina when they were trying to find Boba Fett and Aurra Sing. And... strangely, he finds that he doesn't feel guilty about what happened there anymore. Not since he started seeing things differently on Mortis. Now that he looks at it, not blinded by the Jedi's rules, he sees it for what it was, and understands that there was nothing wrong with what happened there. If it was, the rest of the galaxy wouldn't have families. Being Force-sensitive doesn't mean he's any more or less human than the rest of them.

"Who were you playing dejarik with when no one else was around?" asks Obi-Wan, eyeing Theseus oddly.

"The Holonet," he says cheerfully.

"... Pardon?"

Anakin sighs dramatically. "Really, Master? Haven't you ever heard of playing Dejarik against the holonet? Literally everybody does that these days."

Obi-Wan looks confused.

Theseus groans. Adults. Seriously. They are so clueless sometimes.

"I'm opting out of this now," Ahsoka announces, climbing back onto the couch between Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Feel free to go for a round or two, Master."

"Sure!" Anakin agrees with a grin that borders on evil, taking a seat across from Theseus.

It's sometimes hard to remember that he's not entirely as alright as he's been pretending most of their week off. Normally they would have had longer, but there is a war going on and Anakin is one of the best generals. Just because he went through something traumatic, it doesn't get him off for as long as it probably should. Anakin wants things to go back to normal, to give himself something else to focus on, so Theseus won't complain, though it worries him.

It reminds him of himself back in the day, when he didn't really want or know how to take care of himself properly, too focused on the war and everyone else. It's unsettling to see the same signs on Anakin. It's something he's tempted to mention, but he isn't sure how to go about it without upsetting him. Maybe he should bring his concerns to Obi-Wan. He might know what to do. Maybe.

But after Anakin's short leave-time ends, Theseus will be going back to the front again, and he can't believe it. It feels like it's been forever. He's a mixture of excited and worried. He wants to go back, and that thought scares him to a point, but he feels far more... balanced. He trusts himself and his judgment now, and he's confident in his own abilities to make the right choices, regardless of what the Order will say about it. Doing what's right is more important than following orders, he fully understands that now, even if it will get himself into a lot of arguments with his master. He's certain it will, but that's something to be dealt with later.

This is one of his last days off, something Obi-Wan only told him earlier today. He hadn't been expecting it to be quite so soon though Windu had mentioned it a few weeks back. It is a war, after all. No one has time. He has to admit that the last couple months have been some of the best that he's had since before the war started, but it will definitely be good to be back on the fronts. And when he does, he's determined to actually make a difference this time.

Chapter Text

"Anybody else think it's too quiet?" calls Ahsoka from next to Anakin on their speeder, looking around. "I haven't seen any colonists." The four of them have been sent to Kiros, home to a large colony of Togrutas. Apparently, the Separatists had just arrived, so why are they suddenly gone? It doesn't add up. It's been ten rotations since the Separatists got here, and anything could have happened since. Now that they're down on the ground, Theseus is on a speeder next to Cody while Obi-Wan is by Rex. Anakin and Ahsoka took their own speeder.

"They're probably hiding. Let's hope they stay hidden," Anakin replies as Obi-Wan pulls up next to them.

"It makes our job easier if we don't have to worry about them in battle," Obi-Wan adds optimistically.

"Point," Theseus agrees. He's been off the front so long he'd almost forgotten how thrilling the action was. It's good to be back, even if it shouldn't be. "It's better if they're out of sight, but something else is going on here."

"I don't like it," Rex comments, from his seat alongside Obi-Wan's, "The clankers have never been shy about using civvies as living shields. I'm sure they're here somewhere."

"I'm sure we'll find them eventually," Cody replies optimistically, where he sits next to Theseus.

"Let's make for the city center," Anakin decides.

They speed in between more buildings, but still, there's no sign of life whatsoever. It's like everything has been entirely abandoned.

"Biker droids dead ahead!" Ahsoka shouts in warning.

"Squad, tighten up! Form on me!" Anakin orders.

Rex and Cody start shooting at the oncoming droids, blasting several of them with their speeders. The droids instantly return their fire. Theseus swings the speeder to the side, igniting his lightsaber with one hand. He needs to focus on flying, or he'd turn those droids into scrap metal in a matter of seconds.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ahsoka standing up and drawing her own lightsabers. Anakin pulls out his own, slashing through one of the droid's speeders as it zooms past his.

Theseus takes off a droid's head with its own blaster bolt and its speeder careens off-course into a nearby structure. The droids slow down their speeders and come around to attack from behind. Cody, Rex, and Ahsoka swing the guns on the speeders around to shoot back at the droids, taking down most of them. Theseus and Anakin finish off the rest.

"We're all clear, Master," Ahsoka calls, jumping from a droids' speeder back to her own seat.

They spot the droids gathered in the central plaza from afar, and instantly open fire. They have a multitude of battle droids there, and two tanks. One of them moves to shoot, and Rex pulls out a rocket launcher, destroying the tank before it has time to fire. Ahsoka jumps off the speeder, landing on the back of the other tank and throwing a bomb inside, before leaping back to her seat. The tank explodes in a shower of smoke and debris.

"Captain, have your men secure the area," Obi-Wan instructs.

Before long the clones are securing the area while Ahsoka and Theseus try searching for signs of life and any clues as to where the Togrutas could have disappeared to. These are her people, and he knows she senses much the same connection to them as he did on Mandalore. It's only a sudden flare of pure rage that draws his attention.

He looks up to see Cody standing in front of Obi-Wan, holding a comm with a transmission from a Zygerrian. Anakin stalks towards him, ripping the device away with the Force and crushing it. Uh... He's had a lot of random outbursts, but never something like this. "Zygerrian scum! I'll handle that slaver myself," Anakin snarls.

"Anakin, he asked for me. I need you to locate the missing Togruta colonists," Obi-Wan replies calmly, stepping forwards. It's like he expected this kind of reaction. Cody is quick to make himself scarce, as everyone does whenever Anakin gets angry like this.

Anakin sighs after a moment, and the worst of his anger disappears or more likely, is buried. "Fine. I'll have Admiral Yularen initiate a planetary bio-scan." He spins around, stalking off, Obi-Wan's gaze following him. Artoo beeps, rolling after Anakin. Theseus hopes the droid is heading off to comfort its master, like it usually does, because he has no idea what's wrong.

After a pause, Ahsoka stands up, approaching Obi-Wan and Theseus follows. "Why is he so upset?" the Togruta inquires.

"Anakin has never talked about his past, has he?" asks Obi-Wan. What does that have to do with it?

"No. He never talks about things in the past," responds Theseus. For some reason, he suddenly has a very, very bad feeling about it.

"Only to tell me he won't talk about it," Ahsoka offers.

"As a child, Anakin and his mother were sold into slavery by the Hutt clans."

What?! Theseus knew Anakin was different, and that he's had a very bad, dark past, but never in a million years would he have guessed something like this. It's far worse than anything he ever imagined. All the implications are too overwhelming for him to contemplate at the moment, so he files them away for later contemplation. Anakin, the man he's come to consider his brother, was a... slave. A... thing, basically. No wonder he's so caring, even to droids. "Oh," he whispers faintly. It's no wonder he snapped at the mention of slavery like this. Whatever happened, Theseus can't even begin to imagine it.

"And these Zygerrians, they're slavers?" Ahsoka asks quietly.

"Anakin has struggled to put his past behind him," Obi-Wan says by way of explanation.

"Obviously," Theseus blurts. How could he not? Jedi are trained to let go, but he's come to realize that not everyone is capable of it. Especially Anakin.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," Ahsoka promises, glancing over to where Anakin and Artoo are transmitting a message to Yularen.

"So will I," he seconds immediately.

"Yes, make sure you do," Obi-Wan replies, "I'll be going to the tower to negotiate with the D'Nar now. Theseus, stay here with Anakin."

The unspoken request of 'be sure things don't go south' is understood. Normally he might object, but he understands the seriousness of the situation. Anakin does have a temper, even if it's hard to remember that sometimes, and if something were to happen, it would take very little to make him snap. Anakin will not be happy Obi-Wan went off with a Zygerrian alone, no doubt, but there is little choice.

He slowly approaches Anakin once he breaks off the call with the Admiral. "Hey... are you okay?"

"Why would I not be?" he replies, giving him an odd look that Theseus knows is completely fake. That he's standing with his arms crossed is a telltale sign he's uncomfortable.

"Some of us are concerned about your wellbeing," he replies mildly.

"I'm fine," he insists. "There's nothing to worry about." Seriously, if Theseus didn't know better, he could almost think that Anakin doesn't even know how to deal with people caring about him.

"As long as you're sure," he replies doubtfully, deciding it's best to drop the matter. He doesn't need to make this worse.

They're moving back to where the rest of the clones are when there's a sudden flare of danger in the Force. The ground trembles violently as one of the nearby towers suddenly explodes. Black clouds of smoke billow out from it as debris flies in every direction. Theseus dives out of the way, barely avoiding being hit himself. He turns to look around again once the worst of the debris has settled.

Cody is slowly pushing himself up off the ground a short distance away. Theseus runs to him instantly, crouching beside him. "Are you alright?"

"I am," he replies, and Theseus pulls him up. It seems to be the truth, unlike Anakin claimed literally five seconds ago. It's ridiculous how all Theseus seems able to do right now is run around checking on everyone. As expected, Cody's armor was able to protect him from the worst of the explosion. Theseus turns to survey the rest of the damage. A number of the clones are on the ground, definitely injured. Anakin and Ahsoka have hurried over to attend to several of them. Theseus sprints over to a nearby member of the 212th, trying to offer whatever assistance he can.

Kix runs to where Anakin is, and a few other medics start moving forwards to help the injured.

"Cody!" Anakin calls, standing up, "We don't have time for the planetary scan. Hook Artoo up, and he'll locate the bombs."

"Right away, sir," the commander answers immediately.

He heads for the walkers. "Ahsoka, let's go."

"Where are we going?" the Togruta calls, hurrying to catch up.

"To disarm the bombs while Obi-Wan negotiations. I hope he can buy us some time."

"W-hey! You don't get to leave me behind!" Theseus calls, running after.

"There's only two walkers, and I think someone should stay here in case something else goes wrong," Anakin replies in that tone implying no one can change his mind, jumping onto his walker.

Okay, fine. Just another day of getting stuck behind while everyone runs off to do the hard work. "Don't complain when I show up late to save your skin," he grumbles, heading back to rejoin his fellow commander. He's greatly missed working with the clones.

Artoo only takes a matter of minutes to start locating the bombs, and they transmit the information over to Anakin and Ahsoka. For some reason, Theseus has the feeling that Obi-Wan is doing very badly right now and decides to keep his concerns to himself. Instead, he turns away to help the medics. Not many were injured, but he can still occupy his mind with something other than his friends.

The padawan's attention is drawn towards the sky when a tremendous explosion rings out. It seems one of the bombs went for a fly, and he won't even bother asking. Some Skywalker-Kenobi dramatics, most likely.

"It looks like someone's having fun," Cody remarks dryly.

Theseus hums in agreement.

"Who do you think it is?" asks Waxer, mildly amused.

"Probably General Skywalker," Rex deadpans, "It's generally him doing those things." No questions there.

"It was thrown out the window," points out Boil, "And that's where General Kenobi is right now."

"Well, I could always call and ask them," Theseus chirps.

"I don't think such an inquiry is important enough to interrupt the negotiations or taking care of the bombs," Cody states dryly.

"Probably not. Either way, I'm sure we'll be finding out shortly." It really is good to be back.

***

"General Skywalker, I ran the bio-scan twice, but the results were negative," Admiral Yularen informs.

"Are you saying they're not in the city?" Anakin quires warily.

"I'm saying that they're not even on the planet," he clarifies, "The entire population appears to have simply vanished."

"Vanished?" exclaims Ahsoka with a rush of horror, jolting forwards. "That's impossible! Those are my people."

"Troubling is the return of the Zygerrians," Yoda states with a frown. He's changed so much since the start of the war. He seems sad, distant almost, in a way Theseus doesn't really understand. Not that he's even been with the Grandmaster much, but it still seems different than even when he was his padawan.

"It is likely they mean to use Dooku to rebuild their slave empire," suggests Plo.

"We cannot allow that, Master," Anakin promises fiercely, and Theseus knows he's willing to do anything to stop it.

"Agree I do, but first find the colonists you must. In great danger, they are." The padawan senses a darker note which he doesn't understand.

"What is it, Master?" Master Plo inquires.

"Sense I do a darker hand in this mystery. Slavery, a great tool it is for the rise of the Sith."

"Wait," Theseus interjects with a frown. Normally, he would never talk to the Council like this, but he can't hold himself back this time. "We are being kept on this mission?" The disapproval hangs heavily in his voice, though he doubts anyone takes note or care of it. "Even after we know what's happening?"

Windu and Yoda exchange glances. Obi-Wan looks away. "You already started the investigation. It would be unreasonable not to carry it out," Windu replies. "We don't have the resources."

He inhales sharply before reminding himself to calm. He needs to be calm, to address this with a level head, even if he's raging inside. "That's it?" he asks, "We're being sent on a very personal mission that could well interfere with our judgement, even if it isn't a conscious choice."

"Skywalker," the Jedi Master replies, never losing his cool. "Can you complete this mission?"

What?! That wasn't what he meant!

"Of course," Anakin promises firmly without a shred of doubt, though there is a hint of something dark beneath the surface.

"You must trust him to complete his part of the mission," Windu says before the hologram flickers out.

Is he really going to just leave it at that?! Theseus whirls around stalking towards the door as his anger surges. They're going to send Anakin and Ahsoka into the midst of something so incredibly personal?!

"Padawan, I understand your concerns, but we must carry out this mission properly, to completion," Obi-Wan calls after him.

"How would you feel if something like this happened on Mandalore?" Theseus shoots back. "How do you think I would feel? These are Ahsoka's people! I know it's not my place to question the Council, but how can a former slave and a Togruta not have emotional involvement in something like this?!" He turns to where Anakin and Ahsoka are standing together, neither of them speaking. Anakin is shielding too heavily to tell what he could be feeling, aside from being really upset and maybe a little hurt by... something. "I'm not saying you can't control yourself; I'm just saying you shouldn't have to be in this situation at all," he clarifies.

"Theseus, control is part of being a Jedi –"

"Not in something like this. Not now, Master. I need to get my head on straight if we're going to be figuring anything out." He stalks out the door without looking back.

***

After creating and trashing at least half a dozen plans, which somehow manages to pass without anyone strangling anybody else, though it comes close a few times, they've made their decision. Ahsoka will stay in the ship while the boys go out to search. They aren't letting a Togruta anywhere on a planet like that, and Theseus feels sick at the thought of anyone staring at her like that. He knows Anakin does too. Since he's going to be playing the role of the slave instead of her – he can't believe someone even suggested that – things are settled for now.

"Let's just hope the information our spies gave us about the Queen is accurate," Anakin comments as he heads down the ramp of the shuttle, Theseus and Obi-Wan close behind. Ships are flying everywhere, and the streets are bustling with people, mostly Zygerrians. And other beings with Theseus is certain are slaves without even asking, even if it isn't always obvious. He can tell by looking at them, and it's making him sick. How could anyone survive in such an environment? How did Anakin survive in a place like this for... nine years?

"Remember," Anakin adds as though as afterthought, "I'll keep her occupied while you locate the missing people of Kiros." And hopefully in the meantime, Ahsoka will be alright on the ship. It's unlikely anyone would try to board it for an investigation or anything, but it's hard to be sure. He knows Ahsoka can defend herself just fine, but he hates this entire situation. All of it.

"How do you plan on keeping the Queen occupied?" inquires Obi-Wan.

"With my magnetic charm, of course." For some reason, Theseus really isn't sure he wants to know what Anakin has in mind.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"I don't get how a civilization this advanced can still practice slavery," Theseus grumbles as they head through the busy marketplace. Rex and Obi-Wan linger a distance behind him and Anakin. He pointedly ignores the two creatures off to the side, literally fighting with huge knives. It reminds him of Hondo. Ugh.

"It makes them wealthy and powerful at the expense of others. Before the Hutts bought my mother, she was sold in a market just like this," Anakin replies. He says it almost nonchalantly, but there's a distinct undertone of darkness, like there has been much of the time.

A sudden commotion catches Theseus' attention. "Get up, you useless skug!" he hears someone shouting. Both of them stop, turning to see a Twi'lek slave on the ground, his Zygerrian master towering over him.

"Master, the bonds, they are too heavy," the Twi'lek protests weakly.

"Tell it to my whip," the Zygerrian snarls, pulling out and activating an electrowhip.

Never, never has Theseus had such an overpowering urge to murder someone with his bare hands. Yes, he's heard things about slavery before, but actually seeing it is something entirely different, and something like this?! Theseus glances at Anakin, who gives him a subtle nod to intervene. They wanted to draw attention to themselves, and he refuses to stand by and watch as an innocent being is beaten.

Theseus darts forwards, grabbing the Zygerrian's arm before he can swing the whip at the Twi'lek. The other nearby slaves fearfully back away. "You don't want to do that," he growls.

"You dare touch me?!" snarls the Zygerrian jerking away and whirling to face him. Anakin steps forwards, gently pushing Theseus aside.

"Excuse my slave, friend," he says smoothly, "He is freshly caught."

"What have we here?" the man demands from behind them as several guards approach, two of them with blasters aimed. "You wear Zygerrian armor, but you are not one of us. Who are you?"

"I've come for an audience with the Queen," Anakin answers easily.

"Then you have an invitation? We can't just let anyone in to speak with Her Majesty."

"No invitation, but I do bring news, news that the Queen will be eager to hear."

"I doubt that. You're nothing more than a brigand." Isn't that exactly what every single last one of these stupid slavers are? Funny how they can use the word like it's demeaning when it describes them so perfectly.

"I wouldn't say that." Anakin objects calmly, "Especially when the Queen learns you were preventing her from hearing the news about Bruno Denturri."

A probe droid flies up, hovering between them. "Halt," it orders. "Cease all hostilities. This man is to be escorted to the palace, by order of the Queen."

Good. It seems the few days spent researching the planet actually are turning out to be quite useful, and so far, everything is moving according to plan. Except, of course, Theseus knows it won't stay that way.

Chapter Text

All Theseus knows for sure is that he's not ready to see this royal slave auction Anakin has been invited to attend by Queen Miraj. Then again, he also wasn't ready to see Anakin flirting with her and seeing the way she falls for it is equally disgusting. Seriously, he sees Obi-Wan do it enough, and seeing Anakin go this crazy is making him majorly start questioning the sanity of this galaxy.

Not to mention he also definitely wasn't ready to see that Twi'lek slave commit suicide after a failed assassination attempt on the queen, and he gets the feeling that whatever he sees at the auction might be a lot worse, if such a thing is even possible. He can't wait until this mission is over. He's itching for his lightsaber, and to get this stupid collar off that he got stuck wearing since all slaves do, so he can start actually freeing the colonists. He wants to move, not keep waiting here, thinking of the best non-Dark Side methods of killing every single slaver here.

It's plain sick how many thousands of people have showed up for the auction. There are crowds everywhere. "Your Highness, Zygerrians, and guests from a thousand worlds," the auctioneer calls where he stands in the central plaza, "Our auction begins, with slaves of unmatched quality and impossible quantity. I give you Togruta from the Kiros System!"

The door at the far end of plaza opens, and the Togruta Governor is shoved out. He's stumbling, barely able to walk as he's lead to the center stage, accompanied by several guards.

"This handsome sample represents a lot of numbering no less than 50,000 beings. Note the compliance. Virtually untrained in combat. There will be no rebellion from these slaves."

"So where do you keep 50,000 slaves like the people of Kiros?" Anakin asks casually, turning to the Queen.

The door behind them suddenly slides open, and a guard enters, rudely shoving Theseus out of the way as he approaches Miraj, whispering something to her that he doesn't catch. But suddenly he has a bad feeling about this. Did something go wrong? Miraj's expression doesn't really change, so it's hard to tell, but he can't shake the feeling that something did.

He casually circles around behind the queen, moving to stand near Anakin. If things are going to go downhill, he'd rather be nearby. "All will be revealed in time," Miraj answers Anakin's original question once the guard disappears back through the door. She stands up, approaching the railing of the balcony they're standing on. "Before we begin the auction, I would welcome a most special guest. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight."

What?! Theseus doesn't manage to suppress his jerk of surprise, or the shock that definitely flits across his face. Anakin looks equally stunned, though he hides it faster.

The crowd starts chanting, yelling out insults at the Jedi. "My friends, my good friends, do not fear the Jedi. They are no different than others we have forced into submission, for they have forsaken their ideals to serve a corrupt Senate. Every Jedi has become a slave to the Republic. The Jedi Order is weak, and we will help break it." Theseus hates to admit it, but she does have some points. The Council does, in fact, blindly serve the corrupted Senate now.

Miraj picks up a too familiar object, handing it to Anakin. "Teach the Jedi his place," she requests, though Theseus can sense the underlying warning in her voice. She wants to know if they're spies too, or if they're actually who they claim to be.

Anakin gives her the fakest smirk ever – he's honestly surprised she doesn't seem to notice – before taking it and disappearing out the door behind her. Artoo beeps, rolling up to the edge of the railing. This wasn't supposed to happen, but it's a good thing the droid is here with their lightsabers, because Theseus knows they're going to need them momentarily.

"Prove to me you are a slaver!" Miraj calls as Anakin walks up behind Obi-Wan, who's on his knees on the ground in between the guards. "Swing that whip or die beside him."

"You leave me no choice, Your Highness," Anakin replies, activating the whip in one hand, while raising the other in a salute – actually a signal to Artoo. The droid immediately opens its compartments, Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers flying out as Anakin swings the whip at the Zygerrian guard. Obi-Wan leaps to his feet in a flash, throwing the other one aside as well as their lightsabers land in their hands.

"Guards! Subdue them!" shrieks Miraj, eyes widening in alarm.

Now. Finally, he can act. Theseus reaches out with the Force, detaching the stupid slave collar from his neck and throwing it to the ground. "Artoo, signal the ship," he orders, pulling his lightsaber to him from the droid and igniting it. He spins around, deflecting away the blaster shots from the guards that shoot at him. Both of them collapse to the ground, hit by their own shot. Stalking forwards, he holds the blade up to the queen's neck. "And so, you lose again, slaver scum," Theseus smirks.

"Get that thing out of my face, you skug!" she snaps, in a failed attempt to be threatening.

Down below, Anakin is fighting off the guards with his lightsaber in one hand and an electrowhip in the others. The guards are circling around him, Obi-Wan, and Rex who appeared out of seeming nowhere, trying to take them down, mostly with electrowhips.

"Stand down!" Theseus orders, hiding his lightsaber up to the queen's neck. "Or I'll kill her."

Predictably, the guards back off in a hurry.

Finally, the ship flies into view, the ramp down. Obi-Wan and Rex jump on first, Anakin follows, carrying Governor Roshti. The ship flies closer to the balcony, and Theseus leaps off the railing, landing on the end of the ramp before it sails off into the sky.

"Well, that went better than expected," Theseus remarks, brushing himself off. Not that it'll help. He still feels dirty after being in a place like that, and it's going to take some time to fade.

"You mean other than the part of where Obi-Wan got himself captured?" Anakin replies dryly. "How did that happen, anyway?"

"I was trying to rescue the governor," he protests.

Theseus decides not to ask for details. Only Obi-Wan could get caught on something like that. And he's supposed to be the master at stealth.

"Did you find out where the Togrutas are being kept?" Anakin asks.

"They're on Kadavo," Roshti replies.

***

Theseus is honestly surprised when there's not an entire force waiting for them when they touch down on Kadavo. But they've barely run down the ramp for the ship when several of the guard towers suddenly spin towards them, and the cannons all open fire. The laser shots explode against the sides of the ship, and moments later the whole thing is going up in flames. If they had been even one second slower, they would've been blown up too.

"So much for our ride home," Ahsoka quips as the flaming debris falls down around him. They run for the door, blaster shots raining down all around them. Artoo rolls after, beeping frantically.

"Now what?" Theseus asks as they skid to a stop next to the door to the facility.

"We find another way in," suggests Obi-Wan.

"We get through the old-fashioned way," Anakin answers simply, pulling out his lightsaber and stabbing it through the thick, locked door blocking their way into the facility.

Just then, the screen on the wall next to them suddenly lights up, to reveal the face of a smirking Zygerrian. "Greetings, Jedi," he spits, "If you do not surrender immediately, all of the slaves will be terminated in your names."

"Perhaps you should allow us inside to discuss the terms for a surrender?" Obi-Wan proposes, ever the negotiator. Theseus rolls his eyes behind his back. As if that's ever going to work. At least it should help them stall for time. Hopefully.

Anakin turns, slashing his lightsaber through the screen before the Zygerrian can even finish responding.

"Hey!" Obi-Wan protests, glaring at him.

"Well, it's good to see you're always ready to negotiate, but I've had enough bargaining with these slavers," Anakin snaps back, completely unfazed.

"They're finally here!" Theseus calls, pointing to the fighters swooping downwards and shooting at the surrounding area. Plo's finally here. But the blasts bounce harmlessly off the guard towers as the ships fly overhead, though they successfully destroy much of the surrounding area.

"I hope you told Master Plo not to destroy this facility before we get off it," Ahsoka calls above the commotion.

"Yeah, all of us and the slaves," Anakin shoots back.

"He should be smart enough to figure that out on his own," Theseus quips.

"We'll need a bigger ship," the Togruta observes, as Anakin finishes cutting the circle in the door and kicks it down. He jumps through the hole, lightsaber activating and taking down the three guards who immediately charge them even before the rest of them manage to get through behind him.

Explosions are shaking the facility as they run through the darkened hallway. "I cannot move the cruiser in for the rescue operation until those enemy canons are destroyed," Plo's voice suddenly crackles through their comms.

"We'll take care of those canons," Anakin calls back immediately, "Just make sure that cruiser gets down here. We're running out of time."

"I'm going to go help my people," Ahsoka decides, turning and sprinting down the hall towards where the Togrutas are being held.

"I'll see if I can buy us some time," Anakin declares, heading back the way they came.

"We should go help Ahsoka," Obi-Wan decides, motioning to Theseus and Rex. The three of them take off after her. She's already reached the locked door at the end of the hall and is working at the controls to try and get it open.

Finally, the door slides open, only to reveal electrified walls surrounding the people, and a large gap in between them and the door. They're doing this intentionally to make it basically impossible for them to escape, aren't they?

She runs forwards, Force leaping across the area and landing on the edge of the platform next to the others. It's strange to see her with so many other Togrutas like this, and honestly, it's a little jarring how well she fits in with all of them. Theseus is so accustomed to seeing many of all different species, but he's never met any Togrutas. The only two he really knows are Ahsoka and Master Shaak Ti.

"Jedi!" the awed exclamations run through the Togrutas as Theseus and Obi-Wan jump over to the platform with them. Rex stays behind in the doorway to cover for them if worst comes to worst.

Theseus does a quick scan of their surroundings. "There's no way we'll be able to shut these off from down here," he observes.

"We'd have to go find the controls to get them turned off," Obi-Wan suggests.

"I don't think we're going to have time for that," Theseus objects, looking around. He can feel the facility trembling from the damage being caused outside.

"Then we need to figure out how we'll get the people up to the landing platform from here," Obi-Wan says.

"I actually have an idea," Ahsoka replies, crouched at the edge.

"You're all clear, Master Plo," Anakin speaks through their comms not long later, "Bring the cruiser down to the landing pad."

"Cancel that order, Master!" she objects over the comm. "There's no way to get the people out of the holding cell and up to the landing platform, but I have an idea. We need to have the cruiser move in underneath the facility. We can escape onto the ship if Admiral Coburn can get in close enough." Good thinking. It should work, as long as they have enough time.

"Now we better prepare the people," Theseus declares, looking around. There's only so close the cruiser will be able to move in, so they're going to have to all climb down on it – which is pretty easy for clones or Jedi, but these are civilians.

It isn't long before the cruiser shows up, and clones fire grappling hooks up to the cruiser, allowing them to climb down onto the cruiser. The Jedi jump down onto the cruiser to catch anyone who falls – most of them make it on their own, but there are a few exceptions. The clones fly up with jetpacks to help out. Rex jumps down last. It takes long enough for everyone to get on board the cruiser, and by the time they are, the facility is already breaking up.

As soon as they're safely away from it, all gunships open fire. Theseus can feel the shift in the Force, as the many presences inside are blinking out of the Force at once, but he can't find it in himself to feel bad for them. They're slavers. They do much, much worse things to people every day and don't even think twice about it. The galaxy will be better off without them.

***

They get back to Kiros without any further calamities and accompany Governor Roshti back to his mansion. Everything looks peaceful, but Anakin can only imagine what the people are really going through. They may not have been in captive long, but the experience would have been extremely jarring for anyone.

"What's wrong Governor?" inquires Obi-Wan as he and Anakin approach Roshti, where he's standing next to the balcony railing, overlooking the city. "Shouldn't this be a day of celebration?"

"I wish it were so," he says quietly, "My people have changed, Master Jedi. Something has awakened in them. Something angry." He turns, heading away from the railing.

"The Jedi cannot allow this to happen again," Anakin states firmly. They should have been faster, paid more attention. He became a Jedi years ago with the hopes of abolishing slaver, yet it's not something the Jedi have ever made a move against. So many people were hurt and still will be because the Jedi won't actively take a move against all the slavers in the galaxy.

"No one on the Council would argue with that, my friend," Obi-Wan replies, turning to face him.

"What are we really doing?" he asks, finally daring to voice the one thought that plagues him more than almost everything else. Zygerria ripped open long healed wounds, drawing many old insecurities to the surface which he himself was hardly aware of, and once again he finds himself questioning everything. If the Jedi and the Republic can't stop things like this, then... what good are they?

"All we can," comes the immediate response.

As if that helps anything or anyone. It's not enough, or this would never have happened. It's only been getting worse since the start of the war. More and more, Anakin is seeing how the people aren't helped when they needed it. Yes, the mission might have been a success, but that doesn't change the fact they shouldn't have had the mission in the first place! The Republic keeps failing, and he understands why so many systems joined the Separatists. Maybe if the Sith weren't behind them, maybe if they weren't so evil, it's something Anakin himself would consider. "What good is the Republic if it doesn't possess the strength to protect all the people?"

"Fair point," Obi-Wan concedes, moving to the window. "However, we must take care not to trade one form of oppression for another."

This is why he has such a hard time talking to Obi-Wan. It always feels as though his opinions, his feelings don't matter. "There's a difference between imprisoning slaves and enforcing justice," Anakin replies heatedly. Why is that such an abstract concept that no one can understand? Or is there something wrong with him for thinking this way? He'll probably never know.

***

"You are never going to believe this," Theseus announces as he steps into the living room of Anakin and Ahsoka's apartment. He's not even sure he believes it.

"What?" asks Anakin, looking mildly amused.

"Master Obi-Wan just told me, but apparently the Republic and Separatists have agreed to hold peace talks."

"What? I thought that was illegal... Or something!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"Not if both the Senates agree," reminds Anakin.

"Let's hope this time won't end in disaster like last time did," Theseus grumbles as he sits down next to them.

He still can't believe Senator Amidala seriously convinced Ahsoka to help her sneak onto the Separatist capital of all places to meet with her apparently former friend, Mina Bonteri. If they had been caught, well... he'd rather not even think about it. He'd had quite a few words for her when she got back, although hearing about the incident had given both of them a new perspective on the war. An attempt at peace talks had started afterwards, only for it to promptly be destroyed when the Separatists attacked Coruscant, and then later when Mina was assassinated, supposedly by the Republic. Not like it's hard to guess who was really responsible for that.

"Well, I'm counting on Dooku trying to sabotage it like he did before," Ahsoka grumbles.

"I'm sure something will go wrong," Anakin agrees.

"Where are the talks happening?" the Togruta inquires.

"Mandalore," Theseus answers, "And I think Senator Amidala and Senator Organa are two of the Republic Senators planning on going."

Anakin frowns. "It's going to be risky, even with whatever security they take. I doubt I'd have time to go, but... depending on when this meeting is happening... Do you want another trip to Mandalore too, Ahsoka?"

"I'd be fine with that," she chirps. Ahsoka going to Mandalore alone? He immediately thinks back to that incident with Alemc, and before that, his experiences with Death Watch. He knows she can handle herself fine, and that she's a lot more mature than she used to be, but he really doesn't want her to be out there alone. Maybe he's being overprotective, but...

"I'll see if I can get permission from the Council to send you," Anakin replies, "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry. What 'stupid thing' could I possibly do anyway?"

"Well for one, no more trying to take down corrupt government officials with the help of untrained children."

"Hey, that was a one-time thing!" Theseus protests, "It's not like we're going to be taking down Dooku or something. These are supposed to be peace talks."

"Yes, hopefully they stay that way," agrees Anakin dryly.

"I'm going to ask Master Obi-Wan if I can go too," Theseus decides. That way, if anything goes wrong, at least Ahsoka won't have to face it down alone.

Chapter Text

Theseus can hardly believe that this is really happening. It's strange being back on Mandalore again, in the throne room itself. Somehow, it seems, he always ends up back here. But at least this time it's not to investigate fraud or the like, but rather for the ongoing peace talks between the Republic and the Separatists. The discussions have been going on for a while now, and while it doesn't sound like they've made a whole lot of progress, he supposes it's actually progress that they're sitting in the same room with each other without anyone trying to kill anyone else. Well, at least not yet.

He wishes he and Ahsoka could have brought their lightsabers with them, but he supposes announcing themselves as Jedi might not be the best of ideas anyway. It's just that the last time he was on Mandalore without his lightsaber, things didn't go very well. Shaking the thoughts from mind, he turns his attention back to the meeting. And now they're back to arguing about the legitimacy of the Separatist movement, which Theseus really doesn't get how it's so important right now. Shouldn't they be focusing on trying to end the war? Ugh, this stuff all flies way over his head.

"I have something to say about the legitimacy of the Separatists," an unfamiliar voice calls out. Theseus turns to see an older teenage boy with dark hair striding into the room. He walks between the assembled Senators, heading for the front of the room.

Ahsoka's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of him. What? Does she know who this is? "Why is Lux Bonteri here? What could he possibly have to say?" murmurs one of the Separatist senators, "He was not invited."

"Wait, that's Lux?" Theseus whispers to Ahsoka, from where the two of them are standing on either side of Padme's chair. He doesn't really know what he was picturing. Of course, he's just an ordinary boy if Ahsoka befriended him. He knows the Separatists aren't evil, at least the common people aren't, but still.

She nods, then leans closer to Padme. "You didn't mention that Lux Bonteri would be here."

"I didn't know," Padme replies, obviously as confused as everyone else.

Lux steps up to one of the stands at the front of the room, after sharing a glance with Satine, as if asking silent permission to speak here. The Duchess only nods, her expression remaining otherwise neutral as it has throughout the entire debate. Honestly, Theseus is surprised she can even stand listening to all the arguing that's been going on, considering how much she hates fighting.

"I stand before you, son of Mina Bonteri," Lux begins, "Loyal Separatist, a patriot, a friend." He throws a glance at Ahsoka at that word, and she returns the gaze with a small smile. Theseus isn't quite sure what to make of it. "It has come to my attention," he continues, "That my mother was murdered by Count Dooku in cold blood." The words have barely left his mouth and had time to register in Theseus' mind when all out chaos erupts.

"That is a lie!" shouts the green skinned Separatist Senator, leaping to her feet.

"Remove this traitor immediately!" another yells furiously.

Ahsoka moves forwards, but Padme holds up a hand, pushing her back.

Two assassin droids stride into view, grabbing Lux by the arms and dragging him away from the stand. Ahsoka's eyes widen in alarm as she watches. No, this isn't going to end well. Speaking out against Dooku like that is suicide. "I will not be silenced!" Lux protests as they continue to pull him away.

"Stop this!" Satine orders, standing up as she glares at the droids.

"We would ask you to respect that we deal with this matter ourselves," the green skinned Senator says, looking to the Duchess. After a moment, she nods in acquiescence.

"No! Dooku is deceiving you!" Lux protests frantically, "You will all be betrayed, just like my mother!" The droid's shove him out a side door, ignoring any further protests.

"I apologize for such a rude interruption. Please let us continue," says one of the other Separatist Senators.

"We can't let them take him," Ahsoka whispers desperately, "He'll be killed."

"Do what you can, but be discreet," Padme whispers back.

"I'm coming," Theseus adds in a low voice. This is the kind of thing he wanted to keep her out of. So much for that.

Ahsoka nods determinedly, and the two of them turn and slip out of the room. It doesn't take them long to catch up with the droids. They're leading him across the landing platform towards the waiting Separatist ship. Both of them crouch behind a nearby column as they watch. Other droids are stationed about as guards, which makes getting closer a little more difficult. They'll have to be fast.

"Kill him," Theseus can just make out Dooku's voice ordering on the other side of the door, once they finally manage to sneak onto the ship and track down the room he was taken too. Of course, the Sith would do that. That's what people like this always do when someone dares stand up against them. That doesn't stop his surge of anger. How can anyone treat another being's life as if its meaningless?

Ahsoka shoves the door open, in time to see the two droids taking aim at Lux who's looking around the room in a panic. There's a holo-transmission device which is now off. Likely, Dooku promptly disconnected the call as soon as he casually gave the order.

"Ahsoka?" Lux exclaims in surprise. Theseus throws the first droid into the wall while Ahsoka goes after the second.

"Lux, I think it's time to go. Don't you?" the Togruta responds as the now destroyed droids clatter to the floor.

"Come with us," Theseus urges, sprinting out of the room into the elevator.

She grabs Lux's hand as he stands there still looking unsure and pulls him out into the elevator. A flare of annoyance runs through him at the gesture. Maybe the two of them are little closer than he thought? But he brushes the thought aside for now. They need to focus on getting out of here. The rest is completely unimportant.

"Artoo, fire up the engines. We're leaving!" Ahsoka calls through her comm.

The elevator finally stops back on the main level of the ship, and they race out, Ahsoka running down the ramp in the front and tackling the first of the droids to the ground. Another one immediately stalks towards them, but Theseus throws it backwards over the railing with the Force.

Lux runs down the ramp after them and they take off across the landing platform. Three droids immediately spot them and run after, open firing. Now would really be a good time to have a lightsaber.

The droids don't let up their pursuit, even when they run into a nearby building as shortcut to where the ship is waiting.

"Ahsoka!" Lux yells as they run through another hall, lined with blue designed glass. "I appreciate your help, but –!"

"Just hurry!" Theseus cuts him off. It's moments like this that Theseus remembers how little experience civilians have with things like this. Knowing how to fight off and avoid droids is something he almost takes for granted now.

A blaster shot strikes the glass wall, and it shatters, glass flying all over the hall. Lux gives up trying to talk and runs after them.

Finally, the race through the doorway on the other side of the building where their ship is waiting. Several Republic guards are stationed by the entrance. Finally.

"Captain Taggart, we've got incoming clankers!" Ahsoka yells as they make a beeline for the ship.

"We'll cover you, sir," the guard calls back. 'There now much greater than three "escort" of droids runs into the hanger, still shooting. The guards start firing, and the three of them run up the ramp amidst the chaos.

"That was close," Theseus pants as he scrambles into the pilot's seat and takes off. Artoo and BD are waiting in the cockpit for them, both beeping in greeting when they arrive.

"Yeah, it was," Ahsoka agrees, before turning to Lux, "I didn't expect to see you there."

"I wasn't expecting to see you there, either," he replies, "I wasn't invited to the negotiations, but yeah."

"Well, it sure went south pretty quickly," Theseus replies, "I'm Theseus Shan, by the way."

Just then, the ship's communicator suddenly beeps. Ahsoka reaches over, answering the call. A hologram of Anakin appears. "Ahsoka, Theseus, Padme just contacted me. She told me the peace negotiations have all but collapsed. Where are you?"

Of course, they would have. He should've guessed. After that commotion, none of the Senators would be interested in talking to each other anymore. If only there was a way he could actually do something about this insanity. But it's not like anyone would listen to a sixteen-year-old padawan.

"I'm en route to Coruscant, Master," Ahsoka replies.

"Lux Bonteri is with us," Theseus adds.

"Master Jedi, I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble," Lux interjects.

"It's nothing," Anakin assures.

"You will be safe now with the Republic," Ahsoka promises.

He turns back to the padawans. "All right, bring Bonteri to Coruscant immediately. We'll discuss giving him amnesty."

"Yes, Master," the Togruta responds, disconnecting the call.

Lux suddenly stands up. "I can't go with you," he insists, and Theseus looks up to see that he's pointing a small, hand-carried blaster at them. Seriously? He really thinks threatening them with that tiny weapon is going to work? He feels about as uncertain of his own actions in the Force as he looks. Theseus doesn't even feel the slightest hint of danger, and he's pretty sure Lux wouldn't even fire no matter what they did. No wonder Ahsoka befriended him.

BD beeps in alarm at the sight of it, but Theseus motions him into silence. Artoo is already gone – luckily for Lux, or he'd probably be zapped unconscious.

"What?" Ahsoka asks dubiously, eyeing the weapon.

"Are you really trying to intimidate us?" Theseus asks in a deliberately bored tone.

"I told you, I had a plan." Lux looks more desperate than anything.

"Shooting us is not going to be part of it," Ahsoka says flatly, reaching over and pulling the blaster away. "What are you doing with a gun, anyhow? You're not a fighter."

"I'm no longer a Separatist either," he objects.

"That's why we're taking you to Coruscant," Theseus declares.

"I won't join the Republic," he insists stubbornly. Well. He can't exactly blame him for that, but he's not sure what other options he'd even have. Especially not now that Dooku is going to be after him.

"What other options do you have?" Ahsoka echoes his own thoughts.

"There is a different way," Lux insists.

"I understand everything that you've been through. I understand you feel alone. But the Republic will help you," the Togruta declares.

"Like they helped my mother?" he snaps back.

"You can't blame the Republic for that," Theseus reminds. While he is mildly annoyed right now, taking it out on the other boy who really needs help of his own right now won't help anyone. "It's not like we even knew Dooku was going to go after her. What's this plan of yours?"

"I've already made contact with a group on Carlac," Lux responds, "Who are noble and are allied with my cause." For some reason, he doesn't have a very good feeling about where this is going.

"And what cause is that?" Ahsoka inquires warily.

"To kill Dooku."

Wait – seriously? He's planning to blindly go after a Sith Lord? Theseus has no idea who this group is, but he knows they're going to be no match against someone who literally dozens of Jedi have fought and been defeated by. "You sure you've actually thought through this plan?"

"The only one you're going to get killed is yourself," Ahsoka declares, "I'm sorry, but we're taking you to Coruscant." She sits back down in the seat, turning to the controls.

"Without us, how did you think you were going to escape those droids?"

"Like this!" Lux exclaims and the next Theseus knows, Ahsoka is slumped over in his seat. He barely has a chance to register that she was literally zapped unconscious when Lux hits him with something, and the last thing he hears is BD scream beeping in protest before the world spirals into darkness.

Consciousness returns slowly. Wasn't he in the cockpit? And Lux just – Jolting upright, Theseus quickly realizes that he's in the hold of the ship. Ahsoka is slowly sitting up next to him, looking equally as disoriented.

BD walks over to him, beeping wildly. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he assures the worried droid.

"Lux?" Ahsoka calls, but there's no response.

From a simple glance out the viewport, he quickly realizes that they've landed on a planet somewhere that definitely isn't Coruscant. Snow is falling past the window, and the surrounding landscape and trees are covered in it.

"Where are my lightsabers?" Ahsoka mutters, reaching for them to find nothing, "Lux?!"

"Something tells me he's not on the ship anymore," Theseus remarks, "And by the way, this is embarrassing."

"What is?"

"We're supposed to be Jedi and he took us both down in one second."

She huffs. "Save it for another time. We need to find him."

"I think I just did," Theseus responds, moving to a stop next to the viewport. A familiar figure is standing in the middle of the snow in a distance away,

"Artoo, take a look around and see if you can find where Lux hid them. We're going to have a little chat with Mr. Bonteri," declares Ahsoka with an undertone of severe displeasure. Artoo whistles affirmatively and rolls off as the two of them head for the ramp.

"Stay here with the ship, BD," Theseus calls over his shoulder.

"Lux! Lux, where are we?" Ahsoka demands, as they approach the boy, "And what did you do with our lightsabers?"

Lux doesn't even glance over his shoulder, like he's waiting for something to happen. "You should've stayed on the ship."

Suddenly he has a very, very bad feeling about this, and he can't shake a sudden, serious feeling of foreboding. "This is Carlac, isn't it? What group exactly –" He cuts off at the sound of jetpacks whooshing through the air. An armored figure suddenly lands right in front of them. Several more start dropping to the ground in a circle around them, cutting them off from any possible escape.

Theseus freezes at the all too familiar sight. "Death Watch," whispers Ahsoka in equal horror, realizing the exact same thing. This is bad. This is very, very bad. What has Lux gotten them into? He literally made a deal with Death Watch. He obviously did not do his research on their background very well, that much Theseus can tell. He supposes he can understand Lux's desperation to get revenge over what happened to Mina, but right now, Theseus' only focus is on the armored terrorists surrounding them.

He can only be silently grateful that he and Ahsoka are both wearing coats with large hoods pulled up over their heads, mostly concealing their faces, at least when they're not looking directly ahead. He briefly scans the figures once more, his blood running cold at the all too familiar armor of one of them.

He saw her before; he fought her when he, Obi-Wan, and Satine were trying to escape that mining factory. She's the one who looked so much like his mother. It's been so long since it happened, he'd almost forgotten all about it. Almost forgotten all those worries about having Mandalorian relatives who are literally part of a terrorist organization. Although his biggest concern right now is what if she recognizes him? What if she realizes that he's a Jedi? It's probably a good thing Lux hid their lightsabers after all. He can only hope the Mandalorian doesn't place him.

"Hey, kid," one of them greets, "You're late."

"Did you get us what we need?" asks another.

"Yes, I have the information with me," Lux answers.

One of them steps closer, scrutinizing Ahsoka and Theseus. He does his best to remain perfectly calm. He's suddenly grateful for Windu's training, because there's no way the younger him could have succeeded in maintaining a perfectly blank expression. "Who are these?" one of the figures demands finally. It's a woman – not the mysterious possible relatives of his. And from the way she's acting, it's almost like she's the one of the groups with the greatest authority. Oh, great. How are they supposed to answer this?

"I'm his..." Ahsoka hesitates, "I'm his betrothed!" She steps closer to Lux, pointedly resting her head on his shoulder. Wait, what?! Did she –

All his thoughts pretty much run together in a blurred scream of horror. Where in the world did she even pull that from? It was a desperate, last moment explanation he knows, but it stings in a way he can't quite understand. Even if he's always ignored it, pretended it wasn't there because that's what he thought he was supposed to do, he can't deny that somewhere deep inside, his affection for Ahsoka is something beyond just a friend. It's a deeper, more intimate connection, something the Jedi aren't supposed to have, which is why he never mentioned it. Now he has to wonder, does she know? Does she remember or still think about that moment last year? When they were searching for Boba? No, it's not something he can dwell on.

"Right... right," blurts Lux awkwardly.

"And I'm the third wheel," Theseus deadpans. Ahsoka shoots him a glare.

Artoo beeps loudly behind them, and he turns to see the droid rolling towards them, holding out two of the lightsabers. Theseus shakes his head slightly, and the droid immediately retracts the hilts into its internal compartment. Now is not the good time to start a fight. With so many well-trained fighters here, he's not even sure they'd be able to win it.

The leader of the group eyes Artoo for a moment before she turns and starts to head off, rudely shoving past Ahsoka on the way. "We leave now. The snow is coming," she declares.

Lux turns to follow, but Ahsoka catches his arm. "What have you gotten us into?" she hisses.

"It's all under control," Lux says stubbornly.

"Do you have any idea who these people are?!" Theseus demands.

"They're Death Watch, Mandalorian terrorists. They'll kill us all," Ahsoka snaps. She's not angry, just worried.

"Are you coming?" asks the leader, turning and looking back at them.

"Yes," Lux assures, stepping away to follow the others as several speeders drive up, parking a short distance away.

"Uh, we should stay with the ship," Ahsoka replies, exchanging a glance with Theseus who nods. Especially with his various obvious padawan braid, they don't need to spend any more time around these people then they already have.

"No," the woman cuts in curtly, "You're coming too." Well. Okay. He doesn't protest. It's not worth starting a commotion right now, not when he feels like one is going to start if he so much as breathes wrong.

Two of the Mandalorians step forwards and pick up a screeching Artoo, carrying him to one of the speeders. Somehow, he ends up on the back of the same speeder as the female Mandalorian who appears to be the leader. Ahsoka is sharing with his-possible-terrorist-relative. The only one who knows about his worries is Anakin and he suddenly wonders if he ought to tell Ahsoka after this is over. Not that it matters right now anyway.

He can hear blaster shots echoing in the distance as they speed across the landscape for whatever settlement Death Watch has here. Finally, they pull up into the middle of a number of small houses and tents. Death Watch members are target practicing on droids which are desperately trying to avoid them. For a moment, he could almost feel bad for them, but it's not as though he doesn't spend all day every day destroying droids himself.

"The boss will see you in there," the female Mandalorian declares, motioning to a nearby tent as they stop the speeders and get off. More than a little eager to get away from all these terrorists, Theseus hurries after the other two into the tent.

The door to the tent flaps closed behind them, finally leaving them alone. "Don't ruin my plan, okay?" Lux sighs.

"Plan?" Ahsoka repeats, "What plan?"

"Yeah, what kind of plan involves Death Watch, exactly?" demands Theseus. He has no idea what's going on here, and he'd really like some answers. From what he's seen about Lux so far, and heard from Ahsoka, he didn't seem the type to make deals with terrorists, so he's really confused. Ahsoka always said he was a good person, so Theseus has to wonder how much the boy even knows about what's going on.

Lux holds up a small device. "This is a holotrace device," he explains, "It can identify the origin of any holo transmission. I knew if I accused Dooku of murder, I would be brought to face him."

"And?" Theseus prompts.

"Well, it worked. And I now know Dooku's exact location. If Death Watch moves quick enough, we can destroy him. Is that enough of a plan for you?" He looks so hopeful. Theseus hates to burst his bubble.

"That's... a good plan, except for the part where you're making deals with terrorists and have no idea when they'll turn on you," Theseus quips.

"This is not some idealistic political group!" Ahsoka retorts, "They will take the information and kill you."

Lux sighs dejectedly. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"The Death Watch are murderers!" Ahsoka exclaims, "Sworn to destroy the Jedi. You don't know what you're doing! This –"

Theseus senses them coming the same moment Lux spots the Death Watch members approaching outside the tent door. And Lux reacts before Theseus has a chance to hiss at Ahsoka – very suspiciously – to be quiet. Lux pulls Ahsoka closer, kissing her.

Theseus just freezes for a moment. Of all things, he wasn't expecting that. And it's so much like that moment back in the Coruscant cantina that he and Ahsoka both promised never to mention again. He's struck with a sudden, irrational jealousy. He knows Lux freaked out and did the first thing he could think if – much like Theseus did that time – but that doesn't mean he's not upset. Especially not when he can't help but remember these looks he's seeing the two of them exchanging from time to time, and how Ahsoka definitely unnecessarily grabbed Lux's hand before to pull him into the elevator. Maybe... she cares about Lux more than Theseus realized. And he can't help but feel a stab of jealousy, but this is her choice, even if it hurts him.

"Am I interrupting something?" asks a voice Theseus instantly recognizes as Vizsla. His heart nearly skips a beat at the sound. Yes, he already knew he was leader of Death Watch, but he never thought much about the fact that they were going to be meeting face to face. He literally spent several hours around him when he was still the Governor of that moon. There's no way Vizsla isn't going to recognize him. Theseus shoves his anger aside, focusing on the more pressing matter at hand. He turns his gaze to the ground, grateful his hood is hiding so much of his face. If Vizsla recognizes him, they're done for.

"No, of course not," Lux answers smoothly, "We were just..."

"It's time to talk business," the man says, removing his helmet, "Tell your woman to leave us." Just Ahsoka? Not him too?

"Of course," Lux agrees, giving the Togruta a pointed look. The female Mandalorian shoves Ahsoka towards the door, and Theseus barely resists the urge to punch her for such harsh treatment. Seriously, is the only reason they don't want her around because she's a Togruta? Speciesists aren't exactly uncommon in the galaxy.

"Now, give me what I want," Vizsla demands as he takes a seat. After a moment of hesitation, Theseus sits down next to Lux. He can't let himself be recognized but staring straight at the floor would be beyond suspicious, so he looks up to the wall, pretending to occupy himself with studying his surroundings.

"When I know that you will use it correctly," Lux asserts. Maybe he learned something from what they were telling him after all, but it's a little late for that now.

"Don't toy with me, boy," Vizsla snaps, "You see this scar? It was a parting gift from Count Dooku." He unnecessarily runs a hand across the scar under his eye. Wait, he fought Dooku? What an idiot. How did he even survive? "If you question my resolve to destroy him again, I will give you one just like it."

Lux stands, holding out the device. "This device will tell you his location."

Vizsla stands up too, taking it from him. "Good, that was painless, wasn't it?" he says, patting him on the shoulder.

It seems awkward to keep sitting there, so Theseus stands up, though he positions himself a distance behind Lux. Hopefully the relative darkness of the tent will at least somewhat obscure his features – Except great. Now Vizsla is looking right at him. And carefully avoiding his gaze would seem seriously suspicious. Theseus looks at him, trying to keep his face blank. It's hard. He's not arrogant enough to believe that he could escape the Death Watch, especially alone and without his lightsaber.

For a moment, he's certain he feels a hint of recognition flare in the Force. But the man's expression doesn't even change. And that honestly puts him on edge even more. If he knows he's a Jedi, why is he not reacting? "Now, let's celebrate," Vizsla declares, brushing past them and heading for the exit to the tent. Theseus really wants to be anywhere but here right now.

Chapter Text

It looks beyond stupid to go to a literal banquet with a huge fur hood on his head, but he can't exactly take it off either. Or everyone will know he's a Jedi and he'll be running for his life. What fun. Not.

Ugh. Why did Lux have to take a seat next to Vizsla – not that he had much choice in the matter, but still. Because now Theseus is stuck on Lux's other side and only one seat away from the lead Mandalorian terrorist who he's certain knows his identity.

Relief floods through him as Ahsoka walks into the tent, looking unharmed, even though he can feel her anger simmering in the Force. Although, he's definitely not impressed that they decided she has to serve them all food, along with a bunch of other women. Not that there's anything he can do about it right now.

"Hungry?" Ahsoka asks as she approaches them, holding out a platter, which he and Lux both take a glass off it. "Careful not to choke on your stupidity," she adds in a low voice before turning away.

"I see your woman has fit in well. Now, how will you fit in?" Vizsla asks, leaning closer to Lux.

"All I want is Dooku dead," Lux replies.

Should he say something? Will it be odd if he doesn't? Or will it be even more suspicious and obvious if he does? And even if he did, what would he say anyway?

"Vizsla!" a voice calls from the doorway. All heads snap towards the tent entrance, and Theseus breathes a sigh of relief for the interruption.

A man strides into the tent, two people who appear to be bodyguards on either side.

"Chieftain Pieter," the Death Watch leader replies, a vaguely threatening note in his voice as he stands, "I don't remember summoning you."

"You have taken our women, stolen our food, and threatened us for too long," the man says harshly.

"Brave for you to come here with such bold words."

"You are no longer welcome here!"

"Well, if our presence here isn't welcome, we'll make ready to leave." Vizsla exchanges glances with several other people in the room who seem quite smug and amused. No, that's not what he intends to do at all, Theseus can tell that much. In fact, he can only guess what they are intending to do, and...

"You'll return your people to us?" asks Pieter hopefully.

"Yes, sunrise tomorrow. You have my word."

"Very well. We'll be waiting." Pieter and his guards turn, disappearing back out of the tent.

"You see?" whispers Lux, moving to stand next to Ahsoka, "They're not the butchers you make them out to be." One look at the horrified expression on Ahsoka's face shows that she's thinking the exact same thing as Theseus.

With the interruption over, the meal finishes up quickly, after which Lux and Theseus are escorted to a tent. He'd much rather be with Ahsoka right now, but he knows that's not really an option.

"Still think this is a terrible plan?" Lux inquires quietly, sounding almost hopeful again.

"Honestly? I'm disliking it more and more by the minute," he mumbles, glancing uneasily around the tent. It's not even safe to be talking about this right now, even quietly. He doesn't know the positions of the guards around here, but he can guarantee there's some very close by.

Lux sighs. "I think you're over worrying about it. They literally agreed to leave because those people said they aren't welcome here anymore."

"Firstly, I doubt that's actually what they're planning to do," Theseus objects. In fact, he knows it isn't, "And secondly, I think we should save this conversation for later." He doesn't want to risk anyone overhearing.

Silence falls between them, and Theseus almost wishes he could say something a little less harsh about Lux's plan since he didn't mean to upset him or anything, but he can't tell him anything other than the truth. He needs to know what he's gotten himself into, even if he doesn't believe it until it's too late.

Theseus rolls onto his side, closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, but it refuses to come. Honestly, sleeping on the battlefield is more conducive to rest than in the middle of a bunch of terrorists. He's not sure how he'll be sleeping at all. But staying up all night isn't the greatest of ideas either.

He just... He wants to talk to Ahsoka. He can feel her in the Force, but he still wants to see her in person and make sure that she's alright. Something is nagging at the edge of his senses, and he isn't sure what. And suddenly he can't shake the feeling that he ought to go outside... not necessarily to talk to Ahsoka, but for a different reason, though he's not sure what. Almost without finishing the thought, he pushes himself to his feet, slowly making his way to the entrance to the tent. This is probably real stupid, but maybe he could try to find her...?

Pushing aside the tent flap, he slips outside into the snow. It's surprisingly bright out, the light of the moon reflecting off the snow and illuminating the surroundings. The camp is mostly quiet, but warriors are still moving about in between some of the tents. "What are you doing?" a voice asks sharply from behind him. Theseus spins around to see the female Mandalorian from before standing behind him. A hand is resting on her blaster, though she doesn't draw it.

This was stupid. Why did he even come out here? He's never going to be able to cross the camp and find Ahsoka.

"Just getting some air?" he offers.

"Well don't wander far," she warns.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he deadpans, turning to look up at the sky. The snow has stopped now, and if not for being in a camp of terrorists, everything might feel almost peaceful.

The Mandalorian reaches up, pulling her helmet off as she scans their surroundings for a moment. She has short red hair, similar in shade to his own, and green eyes. "Why are you here with Bonteri?" the woman inquires, something almost calculating in her gaze that really sets him on edge, even if there's something about her that intrigues him.

Theseus hesitates a moment to consider his words. "He's a friend. I want Dooku dead too." He really shouldn't have come out here... although he wouldn't have gotten that feeling if there wasn't a reason. He doesn't see why –

A sudden very familiar beeping catches his attention. Turning, he sees BD approaching in between the tents. It beeps happily again as it spots him.

In a flash, the Mandalorian's helmet is back on, and she's aiming her blaster at the droid. "Hey, wait!" Theseus protests, "That's my droid."

"What's it doing out here?" she demands sharply.

"Probably came to find me? I didn't exactly tell it where we were going..." Theseus steps past her, approaching the droid. "BD? What's going on?"

The droid beeps. Really, he can only hope the warrior can't understand it, even if it's not being too clear about what it's asking.

"No, that won't be necessary," Theseus replies. Even if BD sending out a signal to Coruscant for backup would be nice, it's far too risky. If Death Watch intercepted the transmission, they'd be as good as dead.

BD whistles again.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go back to the ship –"

"No," she counters firmly. "He should go stay with the other droids." Somehow, he gets the feeling that there's nothing to argue about. She won't listen anyway.

BD beeps unhappily as he's led off, presumably to join Artoo.

With that taken care of, Theseus slips back into the tent.

To his surprise, Lux is sitting up again when he returns. "Still awake?" Theseus comments rhetorically as he takes a seat.

"Yeah," he sighs, "I just... want to talk to you about something."

Well, if that isn't weird. "What?"

"About Ahsoka," he replies, shifting uncomfortably, "This probably isn't really the best time or place to talk about it, but..." That definitely wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"Just go ahead," he advises. Now that Lux mentioned it, he won't be able to stop thinking about it until he knows.

"I know that you care about her, and I'm sorry about what happened."

Well. He wasn't expecting that. He's not exactly mad at Lux, but he certainly didn't appreciate having to see that. "It's okay," he says finally, "I know it was for the mission."

"I... I don't know how Ahsoka feels about it, and I didn't mean to cause a problem between you two."

Theseus doesn't exactly think that it will, but at the same time he can see that Ahsoka really cares about Lux too. Still, he already knows what he decided about that, even if it hurts him. "The decision is up to Ahsoka," he admits finally, "Whatever she chooses, I'll... accept." He can't say 'be okay with' because that's not exactly true, but he will accept it. "Besides," he adds after a moment, "We're Jedi, so it's not really allowed for us anyway." He might not care much for many of the Jedi's rules anymore, but he's certain Ahsoka still does.

"... Oh," Lux says, a little awkwardly.

"Thanks, though," Theseus speaks up again. He wasn't really expecting an apology, and the fact that the boy actually did makes him see even more why Ahsoka does like him so much. He's a very decent person, just... a little misled with this whole terrorist organization thing.

Lux nods. "Now, maybe both of us should try to get some sleep?"

Theseus couldn't agree more.

***

Dawn comes far too quickly, and Theseus finds himself riding in a speeder alongside Lux to the other village. He doesn't know exactly what they're planning to do here, but he knows it's going to be nothing good. And he's dreading it.

"You have kept your word," Pieter says, coming out to greet them as Vizsla lands on the ground in the front, "We are very grateful for your understand."

"I am a man of my word," Vizsla replies, shoving one of the woman forwards, towards the leader. Death Watch members slowly land all around the village from various vantage points. Theseus exchanges a grim look with Ahsoka. Suddenly, he's certain he knows where this is going to go. "Here is your granddaughter, as promised." In a swift move he ignites the Darksaber, stabbing the woman in the back.

"No!" Ahsoka yells, and tries to run forwards, only for Lux to catch onto her sleeve. "Tryla!" She jerks away, running over to them as a horrified Pieter lowers his granddaughter to the ground.

Theseus was expecting nothing less, but that doesn't stop the surge of horror and rage that sweeps through him, and he runs to Ahsoka's side.

"Kill them!" shouts Vizsla, "Kill them all!"

One of the members perched on top of one of the huts, turning on a flamethrower. Others follow his example. Within seconds, all the nearby buildings are going up in flames. The villagers scatter and run. Theseus can only watch, momentarily frozen in horror. He's seen many things in battle, yes, but these are innocent civilians.

"Why? What are you doing?!" cries Lux, completely appalled.

"Never let the weak tell you what to do. Welcome to Death Watch," Vizsla replies, throwing an arm around his shoulders, as though a village full of people isn't literally burning up in front of him.

No, Theseus has to stop this now. And he doesn't care if everyone finds out that he's a Jedi. This is the sole purpose of the Jedi, to prevent senseless massacres and tragedies like this. One glance at Ahsoka standing up next to Tryla shows that she's thinking the same thing. Theseus raises a hand, calling a pipe to his hand. He may not have a lightsaber, but he can still fight. Jedi are trained with all sorts of weapons.

Ahsoka picks up another and throws it at one of the Mandalorians who was firing his flamethrower at some of the escaping people. Theseus stabs one of them with his pipe, and then whirls around to attack another. The person kicks him to the ground, his hood falling back as he lands as he rolls a distance away. Hastily pushing himself back to his feet, he untangles himself from his coat, leaving it on the ground in the process as he jumps back into the fight. It's too large and bulky and it's only hindering his movements.

Finally taking down the one fighting him, he spins around as Vizsla lands in front of Ahsoka, the Darksaber slashing through her pipe. Theseus hurls his at the Death Watch leader, who simply spins around and slashes it in half before it can even come close enough to harm him. Great. Just great.

One of the Mandalorians fires a cord at him, and it wraps tightly around him. He tries to jerk free, a hand instinctively reaching for his lightsaber because that's what he always does in situations like this, only to remember he doesn't have it. Several more cords wrap around him as other Death Watch members surround them. Ahsoka isn't in any better condition.

In a matter of moments, his arms are pinned to his sides. Both of them find themselves on the ground, unable to stand anymore with the cords wrapped tightly around their legs. "Now what do we have here?" Vizsla mocks, stepping towards them, "I think we've caught ourselves some Jedi."

It's only then that Theseus suddenly becomes conscious of his very visible padawan braid. Just what they needed. Not that it wasn't already obvious both of them were using the Force, but still.

"Drag them back to camp!" he orders.

The warriors head off, dragging them (very rudely, he might add) across the snow, back for the camp. Right now, Theseus really, really wishes he had kept his coat on because he's absolutely freezing, and it doesn't help that sky is totally clouded over, and it's snowing again. If anything, the temperature outside seems to be dropping. Ahsoka's probably doing worse than him, considering that she wears even less.

Not to mention how much he already hates the cold. He tries to force away the memories of running through that cruiser, trying to escape the mind-controlling worms and later, Barriss.

It's not soon enough that they finally arrive back at the camp. Not that he isn't dreading what's about to happen next anyway. They've gotten out of a lot of tight spots, but he's not sure how they're going to get out of this one. Unless their droids can do something, which he isn't counting on.

Several of the warriors roughly drag him and Ahsoka to their feet and shove them into the main tent where Vizsla is waiting. They're shoved to their knees in front of him. Well, at least it's not quite so cold in here, Theseus can't help but think, although he's pretty sure freezing to death is the least of their worries at the moment.

"Now, Lux Bonteri," the Mandalorian says, pacing back and forth in front of them. Lux is being held by another warrior in front of them. "This does not look good. This does not look good at all. I asked you to join us in good faith and you bring Jedi into our camp."

"They weren't meant to be here!" he protests, "Please let them go."

"I'm afraid that's not an option," Vizsla replies, pulling out the Darksaber. Theseus refuses to let the flare of fear that runs through him show.

Lux's eyes widen, and he jerks against the person holding him back. "I believed you had honor, but you're just murderers! No better than Dooku."

"You call us murderers? And yet it was your own lust for revenge that made you seek us out."

"I wanted justice for my mother's death!"

"And you shall have it. But the Jedi are no different from Dooku," Vizsla retorts, stepping closer until he's standing in of Ahsoka, "And this one shall pay in part for their crimes against Mandalore." This one? Why would he not kill him too? That doesn't make sense, especially since he's a 'Shan' after all, and he doubts they don't realize that has some connection to Revan. And he's pretty sure he's heard that Mandalorians have a serious grudge even against his descendants. Unless Death Watch doesn't care about that part, but that doesn't seem likely. Of course, they could also be planning to keep him alive for... something worse maybe. He doesn't know. doesn't want to dwell on that thought.

"So, you see, it's not murder at all. It's like you say. It's justice!" Vizsla shouts, raising the lightsaber.

"No!" Theseus shouts desperately, jerking in vain against the cords that hold him in place. He can't watch this, sit here helplessly as Ahsoka is – There's a sudden loud beeping noise, and Vizsla looks up in surprise, just as Artoo rolls into view, and starts spraying smoke throughout the tent.

Lux instantly jerks away from the guard holding onto him, shoving him aside and kicking back the next one who lunges at him. Well, even if he's really untrained he definitely can at least fight to a point.

Artoo rolls up behind the padawans and Theseus immediately reaches out with the Force, pulling his lightsaber to him and cutting himself free. Ahsoka does likewise, jumping to her feet first and beheading the four guards surrounding her. Both of them turn to face Vizsla.

Several warriors – including the one Theseus spoke to the previous night – stalk forwards, blasters raised, but Vizsla holds up a hand, motioning for them to stop. "Stop," he orders, "The Jedi is mine, and the other is not to be harmed."

Huh? He decides to not ponder the terrorist leader's strange attitude for now.

"Lux, get to the ship," Ahsoka calls over her shoulder.

Vizsla reignites the lightsaber and lunges at her. Ahsoka easily blocks his blows, first with one lightsaber, and then the other. Theseus immediately jumps into the fight, slashing at him too.

Vizsla parries his next blow, as Ahsoka flips over his head, swinging at him from behind. He spins to meet it, black blade moving in a blur between their green, yellow, and purple ones. For not being Force-sensitive, Theseus has to admit he is a very good duelist. Mandalorians, he supposes.

They need to get out of here, though. Theseus begins backing towards the entrance of the tent, and Ahsoka immediately follows suit when she realizes what he's doing. Vizsla pursues them, his blade slashing through the floor as Ahsoka jumps aside. He might be fast, but she's small and agile, and as always, it's to her advantage.

The fight only lasts a few seconds longer before Ahsoka is thrown out the tent opening, and Theseus sprints after. The burst of freezing air greets him again, the snow falling even heavier now. He suppresses a shiver at the cold, eyes instantly falling on the group of droids standing in front of them.

"I guess Artoo made some friends," Lux says cheerfully, before Theseus can prepare to attack them.

Vizsla and several others sprint out of the tent, pausing in their tracks at the sight of the droids, all of which promptly open fire. Ahsoka stumbles back to her feet, igniting her blades. She flips through the air, blades intersecting with the Darksaber as she lands.

He shoves her back and fires several blaster shots at her which she deflects away. Theseus jumps forwards into the fight again, purple blade spinning to block the black bade as Vizsla slashes at them again.

All out chaos is breaking loose around them, with the Mandalorians shooting at the droids, but most of the shots are staying clear of the fighting trio.

Ahsoka's blades cross with Vizsla's again, and she pulls back a second, jumping over his head and cutting through his jetpack before he has a chance to spin around. "Not bad, Jedi," he admits.

"I didn't miss," she shoots back, and Theseus can't help but feel a little smug at the sudden worry that flashes across his face before he yanks off his jetpack, throwing it to the ground seconds before it explodes. The force of the blast sends him flying, landing face first in the snow again.

"Come on!" Ahsoka calls, jumping to her feet. Theseus hastily pushes himself up to see Lux already firing up the engines of the speeder. Artoo and BD are seated safely inside. The padawans take off after, jumping onto the back as it speeds away, leaving the camp behind.

Of course, that doesn't last long. He barely has a second of warning before a figure streaks through the sky, tackling him to the ground. Another attacks Ahsoka, but he doesn't have a chance to see what happens, because the next thing he knows, he's falling straight into the snow below again. If he didn't hate cold before, he most certainly would now.

"Theseus!" he hears Ahsoka shout as the speeder zooms away across the snow.

"Just go!" he shouts, hoping his voice isn't too muffled by the engines and blaster shots ringing out. If she comes back, she's going to get herself killed. He'll find a different way to catch up. Besides, Vizsla seems to want him alive for whatever reason. Which is honestly more than a little disturbing. It'd be a lot easier to know what to expect if he wanted him dead like he does Ahsoka.

Over the sound, he thinks he might've heard a faint "I'll come back for you!" but he can't be certain.

They exchange a few punches as they roll across the snow on the ground, and Theseus realizes how much he hates armor right about now. Because he can't really hurt the warrior thanks to hers. Another figure lands on the snow behind them as Theseus knocks the other person off, their blaster aimed at him.

Great. Just great. Exactly what he needed.

He doesn't bother resisting as they drag him back to the stupid camp for the third time that day. The last time he sees this place won't be soon enough.

"The other Jedi got away," one of them reports, shoving him in front of their leader.

"Why?" Theseus demands sharply, glaring up at him. "What do you want with me?"

"You don't belong with the Jedi," Vizsla replies, looking him over. "Do you know where you came from, boy?"

"How does it even matter to you?" Theseus snaps back.

"The answer to that is quite simple. I am your father."

Chapter Text

The speeder finally screeches to a stop by their waiting ship, and Ahsoka jumps off, with Lux, Artoo, and BD getting out a little more slowly. They can't leave Theseus behind like this. She needs to go back for him. But she can't get Lux killed in the process.

The sky is clear for the moment after she fought off the last of the warriors cashing them, but she knows it isn't going to stay that way for long. They aren't going to let them leave so easily. And now, all the droids that Artoo had programmed are destroyed, and she'd be facing down an entire army of terrorists, all of whom are likely very skilled with how to deal with Jedi.

Theseus probably won't even be able to help her at first since she's sure he's been restrained. She needs to go back, but taking a moment to think about it realistically, she's not sure how she'll be able to do this alone. The two droids won't be much help in a situation like this, unless she can think of something clever, and she doesn't have any ideas right now.

The best she can do right now is get Lux off of Carlac, and then go back to the Temple and ask for help. She knows Anakin will come with her to try and find Theseus, and maybe some others will be able to come as well. But she's going to have to move fast, because they could take Theseus elsewhere in the meantime, or they could change their minds and hurt him after all.

"Come on, Artoo, BD, it's time to go," Ahsoka says.

Both droids beep in protest.

"We have to come back for him. There's nothing we can do now. We need to hurry," she adds in warning.

With a final unhappy beep, Artoo rolls up onto the ship. BD continues to sit stubbornly in the snow, refusing to move.

Just then, a sudden flash of light in the sky catches her attention. Looking up, she sees the armored figures of Death Watch streaking towards them again. No. They have to go. Now.

"Come on!" she yells over her shoulder, spinning and racing onto the ship without waiting to see if the droid will follow. If it has any sense of self-preservation, it will.

She fires up the engines, closing the ramp and barely getting the external shields activated before an explosion shakes the whole thing. Most of it is deflected off the shields, but if they weren't up, the ship would probably be in smoking ruins right now. Still, there's only so much of this they'll be able to take, which is exactly why she has to leave now.

Trying to suppress her fear over her best friend's fate, she takes off the ground, speeding upwards towards the atmosphere. Several more blasts strike the ship as she goes, the strength of ship's external shield starting to drop, but finally, she reaches high enough, so they stop pursuing her.

She's setting course for Coruscant when Artoo suddenly beeps next to her. One of the escape pods is being activated?

"Lux!" she exclaims, jumping from her seat and hurrying out of the cockpit. She knew he wasn't up here but... What is he trying to do now? The day keeps getting worse, doesn't it?

***

What?! Theseus stares back at Vizsla, his mind still reeling from the words. Suddenly all those questions and doubts he had from his first time on Mandalore are racing to the surface again. The mysterious member of Death Watch who looks so much like his mother and is around the same age as him. The fact that his father was Mandalorian, and that his mother will never talk about him. The Force should be telling him that Vizsla is lying, but it's not. But – but –

"You're lying," he snaps finally.

No, this is impossible. It can't be true. He has to be lying. Why else would he spare you? His traitorous mind has to go and whisper. You know how much he hates the Jedi.

No, no, it could be for any other reason; not this. There's no way in the world his father is the leaders of a terrorist organization. The very same person who ordered an entire village burned to the ground only an hour ago. Just no.

"Your mother is Athea Shan, isn't she?" Vizsla asks, "Or did she not even tell you that?"

"What does it matter?" Theseus spits back. "You're no relative of mine." It hurts to say, and he doesn't know why, because it's true. "Not all family is by blood. Mine is the Order." Even as he says it, a deep running, long since buried part of his mind cries out in protest, the part that – that longs for a real family. For someone he can freely call his father. Obi-Wan has very much taken that role but it's not... it's not the same. Even Athea, while she's his mother, it's not... There are so many lies, it makes their relationship hard.

"She took you without my consent," he snaps. The words are more jarring than Theseus cares to admit. From what he knows, parents always have to give their consent before their child can be taken to be a Jedi. It would make sense if his mother had known Vizsla was part of Death Watch, but... he's confused. He needs time to think, to sort this out, and it doesn't help that part of his mind is whispering there shouldn't even be anything to sort out. He does his best to ignore that insistence because he knows that's not the case.

"I can't say I have a problem with that," Theseus replies lightly instead. It's best if he keeps talking. He doesn't have the time or presence of mind right now to sort this out. "I'd rather try to help the galaxy than fixate on vengeance and imagined superiority."

"Death Watch is not weak, like the rest of the galaxy."

"As I said, imagined superiority." He rolls his eyes. "They are as living as you, and you know it. Maybe a little more."

"So the Jedi have brainwashed you into believing. Your place is here. Your birth name is Marr Vizsla."

He even had a Mandalorian name? It's too much to process, so instead Theseus shoots back the first thing that comes to mind. "I hope you don't expect me to start calling you "Dad" anytime soon."

"That would be unreasonable." The older man moves to stand in front of him. "I took years to accept that your mother was a Jedi, but the moment I did, I knew I would find you. You are not my enemy. You're my son."

It's crazy is what it is, but Theseus knows he feels what he's saying. He isn't lying. "It doesn't matter." He tries to sound firm, but his voice comes out strangely quiet, because... it does. Ever since he Fell, he's felt strangely unwanted among the Jedi. Here is someone who... wants him, even though they should be enemies of the worst kind. It ought to be easy. Theseus ought to accept it doesn't matter and be done with it, but he can't do it. "Maybe you should have thought about that before trying to kill my best friend."

"She was a Jedi. They are our enemies."

Theseus opens his mouth to argue but is cut off as a very familiar beeping fills the air and BD rolls into the tent. What? What in the world is he doing here? Didn't Ahsoka leave?!

Everyone immediately turns their blasters on the droid. "Hey!" Theseus protests, jumping up. "Leave my droid alone."

"That thing again?" the Mandalorian he was speaking to the previous night asks.

"What are you doing here?" he demands, looking down at it.

It beeps furiously.

Yeah, he'd love if the droid could contact the Jedi or Republic, but – "No, I don't think that's a good idea right now." He'd love to, but Ahsoka knows where he is, and he can't risk the Death Watch intercepting an attempted transmission and destroying the droid for it. No, he can help later, somehow.

The droid beeps unhappily. He doesn't like the idea of Theseus staying here, even temporarily, though it's not as though he has a choice. He can't very well escape right now. It'll take much more planning and consideration because he has no intention of giving up.

"Put a restraining bolt on it," Vizsla orders. So much for that.

"Of course," the other girl who had captured him replies, stepping forwards.

BD steps backwards, beeping angrily.

"Let her do it. I'll find you later," Theseus orders hastily. He will be able to, right? After all, it would do no good if his droid was destroyed. It... was a gift from Vraz, and Theseus has no intention of losing that.

The girl picks it up and exits the tent. For some reason, Theseus gets the feeling there's something important about her. She's hovering around way too much for someone her age. "Who is she?" he asks warily.

"My daughter. Anastasia."

"That... doesn't sound like a Mandalorian name." It's crazy how he's sitting here and having a decent conversation with a terrorist right now.

"It was her mother's idea. I agreed," Vizsla replies.

His sister, he realizes. He has a sister. No wonder he thought she looked so much like his mother because she's literally her daughter. Why did he never hear a word about this before? He can't help the bitterness that borders on betrayal which surges through him. True, he never asked much about his family, but it still feels like his mother was lying to him. Not lying, per se, just concealing the truth. There is a slight difference, but it still stings. He can understand, to a point, why his mother never wanted to tell him that he's related to a terrorist, assuming she even knew, but... that doesn't justify lying.

When he gets out of here, he needs to have a very long talk with her about this.

"She never told you, did she? She lied to you." He sounds almost disgusted, and it only serves to make Theseus angry. "Well, you can remain here now."

"I can't stay here," Theseus snaps back. "I have a life. I'm part of the Republic's army. I can't drop out because you want me to. You forfeited your custody of me years ago, anyway. It's my choice to make now."

"You are not going back," he replies darkly, angrily.

Maybe Theseus ought to be quiet, because getting angry will only worsen the situation, but he can't help it.

"The Jedi are enemies of Mandalore, and your time with them is over." Vizsla takes a sudden step closer to him, igniting the Darksaber.

"What –" He doesn't have time to finish his sentence before the blade cuts through his padawan braid. It takes a moment to sink it, to understand what happened, because he shouldn't have lost it until his Knighting, which is many years in the future. The fact that he's trying to sever Theseus' attachments to the Jedi registers somewhere in the back of the padawan's mind. He wants to scream at him, but he doesn't think any words would even come out. A blinding, all-consuming rage overtakes him.

"You sleemos won't control my life!" shouts Theseus, once he's able to get out something other than a scream. He's tempted to add a lot of other choice words he's learned from Anakin but decides against it.

"We are leaving to deal with Dooku now," Vizsla declares, turning to the others, and ignoring him entirely. Right. Because that is the whole reason he ended up here in the first place. With Lux gone, it had almost slipped his mind.

"If I didn't think you were crazy before, I definitely do now," he snaps. They'll get themselves killed. Not that would bother him. It totally wouldn't. He ignores the part of his mind that whispers in protest.

"You will remain here," the Death Watch leader adds, "And I expect you to still be here when I get back."

"If I'm not, I won't be here to hear about it," he shoots back. "And good parents usually don't let their children freeze to death."

His maybe-father ignores him and walks out. How nice of him. Well, not that he has any interest in talking to him right now anyway.

The only one who remains behind is the one he spoke with the previous night. She holds out his coat to him. Has she had that with her this whole time? He doesn't stop to question it, immediately pulling it on. He's admittedly freezing, even if he's been a little distracted from that fact for some time. He pauses a moment before reaching down and picking up his padawan braid from the ground, slipping into his pocket beneath his coat. It feels so... wrong to not have one. And he really doesn't want to start thinking about this all over again right now – especially when he already has so much to process – so he decides to distract himself instead.

"You know, it's kind of creepy you've been standing here holding that this entire time." She gives him an unimpressed stare but doesn't seem to be intent on answering. "You people here are so rude," he huffs. "Do you at least have a name, or should I just call you carrot-locks?"

"Do you ever shut up?" she snaps.

"On occasion. Are you going to answer me?"

She seems to be considering whether or not to keep ignoring him, before finally speaking up. "My name is Bo-Katan Kryze."

He blinks. "Kryze? As in... related to the Duchess?"

Bo's expression darkens slightly. "That would be correct." So, one of Satine's relatives is part of Death Watch also? Well then. He would never have expected that, although he supposes he couldn't expect all of her family to share the same views that she has.

Now that Theseus finally has some time to himself, his mind starts running through everything that happened. He doesn't even know what to think or do. It's... it's too much to process like this. His father is apparently the leader of Death Watch. A random member, and it would be fine, but he's their leader.

And... and he has a sister. He never thought he had any siblings, because his mother was a Jedi, and he assumed something might've happened to his father. Well, so he thought until he first saw his sister, but that doesn't make sense.

Is this normal? he wonders. Is it normal for people to want to know their blood relatives, even if they have the best adopted family they could've wanted?

For the first time in a long time, he finds himself remembering, remembering how none of them really wanted him in the beginning. Obi-Wan never did – he'd been passed off to him by Yoda. Anakin never really wanted him around, either, though Theseus knows things have changed a lot since.

A part of him almost wants to stay here, but he knows he can't. He has a family and a life elsewhere, and he can't leave them. It's hard to say no when someone is asking him like that, truly wanting their family – if it can be called that – to be back together. But Vizsla – should he start calling him "Dad" or something of the like? He can't imagine it – wants to mold Theseus into something other than who he is. Something he could never be or want to be. But that's not entirely unlike Obi-Wan, either, he admits to himself with a wince. Anakin and Ahsoka accept him for who he is, gladly, as do his mother and the clones, but the Council and Jedi as a whole don't. Not really.

After he Fell, Theseus has become far more entuned with his own emotions, striving to analyze and accept and use them. He's dark now, and he's embraced it, though in the future, it'll only serve to worsen his relationship with the Council. He wants to be a good Jedi. He does. But at the end of the day, there seems to be a difference between that and being a good person. He'll choose the latter without a second thought.

Still, he has to wonder. Is he drawn to the Dark Side because – because of his family? Of his relatives? Is this constant superiority and desire to cause destruction something in their blood? Theseus really hopes not. He doesn't want to end up like that. He doesn't feel superior to anyone, does he? Has he? Yes, there may be moments he thinks he knows better than the Council, but that's not the same, and he knows he's not always right himself. He can't pretend he is. He is only human.

He doesn't like all the doubts spinning in his mind right now. He needs to get out of here. Yes, that's the simplest solution. His place is back with his other family, even if the thought of leaving... almost bothers him more than it should.

He might not have his lightsaber with him, but he can still try to escape. Once the rest of Death Watch is gone after Dooku, of course. It would be the most convenient time, actually, since Bo is the only one right around here.

"If you're a relative of Satine, why are you part of Death Watch?" he asks curiously.

"She was trying to destroy our heritage," Bo replies, "I can't support that, even if so much of Mandalore does."

"So, you thought becoming a terrorist was a good alternative?"

"We're reclaiming our warrior ways," she retorts, a note of irritation in her voice again.

"Whatever helps you sleep," Theseus shrugs. She can say what she wants, but that doesn't mean it's the truth. It also doesn't mean he isn't enjoying this conversation, as crazy as that is.

Silence falls between them again, and he glances out the opening of the tent to see if the others are gone yet. He doesn't think they are, and even if they were, he should probably put of an attempted escape a little bit longer. It needs to be a little more unexpected. "Are you my babysitter here or what?" Theseus asks after a moment.

"If that's what you want to call it, yes. Until you learn to behave," Bo Katan replies.

He glares at her. "I'm not a child."

"Well, you are acting like one."

"Hey!"

She doesn't reply, and he can't think of another retort, so he goes quiet again, contemplating the situation. He doesn't really know where anything is in the camp, so he'll have to try to follow the Force and hope for the best. And, of course, rescue BD somehow.

The camp has gone almost completely silent now, so he's pretty sure most everyone is gone. It's now or never. Theseus raises a hand, Force throwing Bo across the tent before leaping to his feet and sprinting out of the tent. The snow has stopped falling, but the sky is still cloudy and it's freezing. But at least he has a coat this time.

He's not quite sure where the ships are, but he needs BD first. Throwing a quick glance around, he runs for the droid tent. "Hey! Stop!" yells a voice.

Spinning around, he sees two other warriors appearing from behind one of the other tents. He Force jumps through the air, kicking one of them aside. The other fires a stun bolt at him and he dives out of the way, grabbing ahold of the other person and using them as a shield when the man fires again, and promptly stuns his companion. Theseus Force shoves him backwards and then runs again.

Danger flares through the Force and he instinctively ducks aside as several stun blasts strike the ground where he was seconds before. Looking up, he sees the figure of the guard streaking through the sky after him. Jet packs are so unfair.

He ducks behind the side of one of the tents to avoid him, throwing a quick look around. If only he had his lightsaber. Just then, another all too familiar drops down right in front of him, blaster aimed.

"Hey Bo!" he says cheerfully.

She promptly fires in response, and the last thing he registers is a jolt of electricity running through him before the world goes dark.

***

Theseus slowly opens his eyes, staring up at the top of the tent above him. Bo is sitting a short distance away, looking decidedly grumpy.

"Was that really necessary?" he grumbles as he sits up.

"Was you trying to escape really necessary?"

"I was just going for a little look around!"

"Mmhmm."

Theseus groans. This is getting ridiculous. He doesn't mind her presence as much as he thinks he ought to – actually some part of him is glad she's her and he's not sure why – but this is extremely frustrating. "Seriously, have you been sitting there staring at me the entire time I was unconscious? Because that's kind of creepy."

Bo lets out an exasperated sigh. "Since all you want to do is complain, why don't you start by telling me why you don't want to be here."

Seriously? "I don't appreciate seeing mass-murders, for one. My apparently father is unbearably rude," he drawls, "And it's cold."

"What's so bad about that?" she asks.

Theseus huffs, tempted not to tell her out of spite, but for some reason, he wants to talk to her. He can't understand it. Maybe it's that somewhere deep inside he feels a sense of companionship with her because she also knows what it's like to have relatives for enemies. "A mission I went on a long time ago went very wrong. Ahsoka and I nearly froze to death. Her brother rescued us barely in the nick of time before we could die or be transformed into a mind-controlled minions."

"Mind-controlled?" Bo repeats. "How would that happen?"

"Ugh, don't even ask. We picked up some worm parasites that live inside people."

"Worm parasites? Where'd you pick up something like that?" She sounds kind of interested. Hopefully not for some sinister reason.

"Geonosis," he elaborates, "The only thing that could kill the worms was the cold so... we kind of ruptured the coolant system and froze the whole ship. Including ourselves."

"Well, I can see why you wouldn't like it," she concedes after a moment.

"How are you related to the Duchess?" he blurts finally, against his better judgement.

Bo's expression is instantly guarded again. "Why does it matter?"

"Oh, it doesn't. Just curious."

"She's my sister."

"... Oh." He didn't even know she had any. "Good to know I'm not the only one with a sister who's technically my enemy."

His gaze wanders to the entrance to the tent again, for a moment. If he's actually going to escape from here, it's going to have to be a much more well thought out plan. Not something he'll be able to do until he gets used to the camp. And that will take time.

The thought makes him almost miss Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka right now thinking about it. And it also almost scares him. Because he doesn't want to start questioning again if he even wants to leave.

Chapter Text

"Their camp was right here," Ahsoka frowns as she stares out the cockpit window. Anakin flies the ship down a little closer to the surface of the planet so they can get a better look. There's nothing left in the area, except for the burned remains of the town from before they left.

As soon as she got back to Coruscant, Ahsoka had gone straight to Anakin and the Council to get permission to look for Theseus. She is far from impressed with how the Council ordered them to drop by for no more than a "quick look" around and leave immediately if they don't find what they need. They're already supposed to be going on another mission, and with the war and all, the Council simply doesn't have the resources to search for one missing padawan. Ahsoka can't help but remember the way those padawans were left to the Trandoshans because no one was looking for them.

"Well, there's no one around here now," Anakin observes, "They probably already moved elsewhere before someone could come looking."

"And this place isn't even remotely civilized, so there's no way to know where on the planet they are, or if they even are still here," Ahsoka growls.

"There's small villages everywhere. Even if we did a droid scan, we wouldn't be able to find him immediately," Anakin points out quietly, and yes, that's what's driving her crazy. They can't leave him with Death Watch. "We should contact the Council to report what we found."

She really, really doesn't want to, because she knows what they're going to say, but they don't really have a choice. "Find anything, have you?" asks Yoda.

"Their camp is gone," Ahsoka reports.

"We'd have to search the entire planet," Anakin relates. She knows he's upset, but he's hiding it admirably well, as he always does.

"We don't have time for this right now," Windu declares, "You need to rejoin your battalion now."

"But we can't leave him there!" she protests.

"There is no other option right now," he replies, "We cannot risk losing the entire battle and several systems in the hopes of finding one person."

Ahsoka is about to argue back, but Anakin shifts forwards in a way that pointedly reminds her to be quiet and let him handle this. "We will proceed as you instructed, Master," Anakin states monotonously, bowing as the call disconnects.

"We have to find him!" Ahsoka yells, whirling on him. She won't leave Theseus here!

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka," Anakin says quietly, and she can tell he truly is, "The Council gave us a direct order, and we can't disobey it."

"But –"

"Ahsoka, do you trust him?"

The question floors her. "Of course," she answers without a second thought. Theseus will always do what he has to, what he thinks is right, even if she doesn't agree. But, he means best, and that's what matters most.

"When you were gone..." Anakin turns to the controls, slowly bringing the shuttle out of the atmosphere. "Master Plo told me that I have faith you could take care of yourself and find your way back. I guess we'll have to do the same for him."

Well. She didn't know that. There's no way she wants to abandon him like this, but she knows Anakin's right. And she knows that Theseus is more than capable of handling himself, and one way or another, he'll find his way back. She knows it.

***

Theseus isn't sure if being around constant cold like this is making him hate it more, or tolerate it a little better, but he's already been here on Carlac for a week now. He thought the Jedi or someone was going to come back for him soon, but he hasn't seen any signs of it. And he certainly doesn't know enough about the camp to try and stage an escape of his own any time soon. It's simply too well guarded everywhere, and even if he tried, he'd probably be captured before he got very far. And then he'd probably be under even heavier security, and that would make escape impossible for sure. Whenever he tries to escape again, it has to actually work. Realistically, he's pretty sure he's only going to get one more shot at it.

Most of the past week he's spent hanging around the droids. Even if BD is stuck with a restraining bolt so he can't call for help, at least he can talk to him. Besides, droids have always been his thing so tinkering around with them is at least a bit of distraction from the rest of the situation.

After the first few days, he's been given a little more freedom to move around, although he knows everyone is still watching him like hawks. Although that also means he hasn't been around Bo Katan as much, the only person he's talked to here really other than his father. He wouldn't exactly call himself and Bo friends, but at the same time, they aren't exactly not.

And then there's Vizsla. Theseus isn't entirely certain what to make of him. He can't help but notice that Anastasia seems to be pointedly avoiding him, though, unlike their father, and he's not quite sure why. Not that he's dying to talk to his raised as a terrorist twin sister or anything, but... Still. Besides, there's some part of him that almost wants to. He's always wondered what it would be like to actually have a biological sibling, not an adopted one like Anakin sort of is.

So finally, against his better judgement, he decides to approach her himself. She's occupied fighting one of the droids he put back together earlier. What a stupid hobby. Not that he'd ever tell her so. "Doesn't that get kind of boring?" he asks after a few minutes.

She fires another shot at the droid, throwing a surprised glance over her shoulder. "You did the same, right?"

"Well, I wasn't doing it for a hobby. Just saying," he argues.

Anastasia shoots at it several more times before deciding it's too badly damaged to keep fighting, then turns towards him. "I'm not doing it for a hobby, either. It's practice."

He decides to hold back the very snarky comment on what exactly she needs practice with anyway. For burning down more villages? "If you say so."

"Do you want something?" she practically snaps.

"Not in particular," Theseus says lightly, "Just dropping by to talk to my sister. We haven't really had the time to meet."

"Since when did you want to?" she shoots back. "Isn't all you care about your precious little Order?"

"Firstly, it's actually quite large," he replies mildly, and he can't help but think he's really picked up Obi-Wan's ability of making people mad. Clearly, even if Vizsla doesn't care that he was a Jedi, Anastasia definitely does. "And second of all, that doesn't mean we can't talk."

She makes a disgusted sound. "If I cared to talk to you, I would've done it a long time ago."

That, he kind of already figured, but what he isn't sure of is what's with her attitude anyway. Although he gets the impression that she's not happy with him being here in general, unlike their father. Most of the other Mandalorians don't pay much attention to him, and even when they do, they don't act so openly hostile. They clearly erroneously believe he's going to change. Not happening. "Oh, I see," he replies, with a fake note of puzzlement in his voice. "Maybe I thought you were shy."

The growl that escapes her made the whole awkward conversation worth it. "I have more important matters to attend to, Jedi," she snaps before spinning around and stalking off.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't want to keep you," he chirps.

She ignores the comment, disappearing between the tents.

Well, that probably went better than it could have. It's so hard to remember he is related to these people sometimes. It feels like they have nothing in common, though part of him is afraid they do. He's done many dark things himself, and after knowing the Death Watch, he can no longer say they're for a good cause. He's seen where that belief can lead a person, and he has little doubt anyone, no matter how good and noble their intentions are, can fall that far eventually.

He heads off across the snow again, carefully studying the area. The camp was moved to a different part of the planet shortly after his arrival, and it's made it harder for him to plan an escape. It's frustrating is what it is, but he has to keep working.

"Finally had a talk with Anastasia?" a familiar voice asks from behind him. He turns to see Bo-Katan eyeing him. Wherever she appeared from.

"Yeah," he confirms, eyeing her for a moment, "I did."

And he has to admit, at least to himself, that he knows the attraction he feels towards Bo is much like he does towards Ahsoka, even if it's also quite different. It's more fast developing, and while he cares for her deeply, he knows he can't trust her the same way he does Ahsoka. But he also knows these feelings towards Bo aren't from the formation of a bond, which always temporarily enhances any sort of feeling.

It's hard, but when he actually thinks about possibility of having a relationship – he'd be lying if he said his mind hadn't wandered there a number of times in his serious lack of activities – he knows Ahsoka isn't really a possibility. Even if she would want that, and he's not completely certain she wants that with him, he can't ask that of her. Theseus can't ask Ahsoka for something that could ruin her life and end in their expulsion. That would be selfish. Ahsoka is, above all, a Jedi.

He knows he'll always care for Ahsoka more – they've grown up together, and they know each other far better than anyone else ever could – he also knows that... as much as it hurts, it wouldn't work. Now that he finally has taken the time to understand as much, it makes it easier to let himself try to sort out how he feels towards Bo, even if he feels minorly guilty for it. He doesn't know that Ahsoka wants the same with him as he does with her, he has to remind himself again.

It... would be much easier to develop that relationship with Bo, but Theseus can't stay here. She's... a terrorist, even if he's certain she's a good person at heart, and she could do the galaxy and her people a lot of good. For some reason, the fact that she is quite a bit older than him doesn't bother him much. Maybe being on the front lines of a war has matured him past things like that, he doesn't know.

And most importantly, if he does develop such a relationship, he wouldn't want it to end. He'd want it to be something permanent, a guarantee, and... he doesn't have that chance with Bo right now. In the future, maybe, but not now. Now, he needs to find his way back to Coruscant.

"How'd it go?" she asks. Why does she seem almost amused about something? Maybe the reaction was pretty expected, he's not sure. He supposes she's known his sister for a long time.

"She's a very pleasant person to be around, to be sure." Sarcasm drips from every syllable.

"She isn't usually like that. It's just because of the situation."

"What situation? Or does she hate the cold, too?"

"Other than being a Jedi, which she thinks automatically makes you our enemy?"

"Maybe she should go complain to Vizsla then," he suggests. He supposes he can understand her attitude to a point, and it doesn't exactly bother him, but it's not like he's the one who wants to be here.

"After all the years he spent trying to find you, I don't think that would help the situation," Bo states dryly. Wait, he spent years trying to find Theseus? That's more touching than it ought to be. What did he expect, after all? Even if it takes years – that better not happen – Theseus is determined to go back home.

"So, the fact that I am a Jedi doesn't bother you?" he asks.

"You're Mandalorian, and you will be one of us," she says. Really. What makes her so certain that he's going to agree?

"I'd rather not spend the rest of my life hanging out on an icy planet like this one," Theseus quips finally. Because that's a lot simpler of a response than getting into another argument over beliefs. Seriously.

"You won't have to," Bo reminds, "We will return to Mandalore eventually." Right. To take over the planet.

"What are you waiting for?" He can't help but ask, because really, he's wondering.

"We need the people's support, and right now they're on Satine's side." He can sense her frustration, even though she's hiding it admirably well.

It's weird to think that Satine has a sister like Bo. They're on totally opposite ends of the spectrum.

And why is his mind promptly jumping to what sort of things could happen that might change the people's minds and make them warriors again? No, he's absolute not giving these people any advice, even if he probably could.

He nods in understanding instead. "So, assuming you do win, what then? You're going to let Satine be killed?"

Bo looks away. "It's necessary. I can't go along with what she's doing and how she's trying to destroy our culture." She sounds determined, but Theseus is pretty sure a part of her, at least, still does care what happens to Satine. Even if they're on opposite sides of a conflict like this.

Kind of the same way he is with his own biological family, he supposes. They'll never see eye to eye, no matter what happens, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about them more than he probably should.

***

"Still playing with those?"

Theseus looks up at the sound of Bo's slightly teasing voice.

"Don't have much else to do," he shoots back, turning away from the droids to face her. It's been a few days since his encounter with his sister, and he decided to not try talking to her again for now. No point trying to start an argument for no reason.

"Vizsla is asking for you."

Well, that's... a little unusual. "Why?"

She shrugs. "He didn't say."

"Well, I probably shouldn't keep him waiting." Theseus stands, slipping out of the tent.

It doesn't take him long to find him, but Theseus isn't very happy to see Anastasia there, too.

For some reason, the momentary silence when he walks up makes him feel uncomfortable, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "I hope you aren't planning to ask me if I want to join Death Watch."

"No, I don't expect the Jedi's brainwashing to wear off so quickly," he informs him flatly.

Theseus suppresses his instant flash of irritation at the words, avoiding the urge snap back at him. He has to admit, at least to himself, that the Jedi sort of do brainwash the younglings, but he'd like to think he's seen past that by now with everything that changed on Mortis.

He returns the passive-aggressive glare his sister is giving him before looking back at Vizsla. "How much do you know about Mandalorian tradition?"

Well, that was a kind of unexpected question. All he knows is... they're obsessed with being warriors, they seem to think they're superior... to some people at least but he doesn't really know, and umm... that they believe it's okay to burn down villages? So yeah, nothing very flattery. Not to insult their culture of anything, but seriously... "Not much," he offers instead.

"That's what I thought." Vizsla doesn't look particularly pleased, and Theseus has no idea why that bothers him. "Since you are the elder, the clan will be passed on to you after me, unless another takes it by winning a duel."

Well. Ummm... Okay. And wait a minute, he's the older of the two? He never really thought about it, for some reason. And talking about it makes him suddenly think about how he would have been around Vizsla when he was a baby which is... Too weird to keep thinking about, actually.

Theseus exchanges another glance with Anastasia, who seems to be giving him a veiled glare whenever she's sure no one is looking. Is this because she's afraid he'll want to take over a clan of terrorists instead of her? She's out of her mind if she even thinks he'd entertain the possibility.

"If you two have a problem, avoiding each other will not solve it," Vizsla commands.

Yikes. He sounds like a parent right now. Like the parent who really should have forcefully made him and Ahsoka sit down and talk right after Mortis.

"Oh, we don't have a problem," Theseus replies casually. "It's awkward meeting a twin for the first time in sixteen years."

Vizsla gives him a very pointed look. Which reminds him so much that look he gets from Obi-Wan all the time when he's not listening to orders. Okay, this is making him even more squirmish.

"Okay fineeeee, maybe we do," he concedes reluctantly when Anastasia remains stubbornly silent, "We only ever talked once, so..."

"Well, you need to work it out. Because you're going to be staying in our tent from now on."

Wait, he's going to – what?! Stay in the same place as his father and sister? He isn't sure if that'll make it more or less difficult to escape, but part of him is afraid it'll make him want to leave even less.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"You've been here long enough to start adjusting."

Theseus turns his gaze to Anastasia as Vizsla disappears through the tent door. The hostility in her expression is a little less visible, but he doesn't think it's gone. He suddenly feels like he almost should try talking to her, but he's at a sudden loss for words. She doesn't seem to be in any better of a state – assuming she's even planning on saying anything in the first place.

"Make yourself comfortable," she says finally, before disappearing out the tent flap and leaving him alone.

Well. That went better than expected. Sort of.

Chapter Text

Since Theseus started staying in Vizsla's tent instead of the other one he was in before, he's been able to feel his kyber crystal.

He'd been pondering the entire time he was here how he'd ever be able to get it back especially since he didn't even know where it was, but without knowing it, Vizsla accidently gave him the answer to both questions. Because apparently – and thankfully – the fact that Jedi actually bond with their lightsaber crystals isn't a very known fact. The Mandalorians never had a clue, anyway, or they most assuredly wouldn't have left it here. So, he can feel it, but only looking around briefly he hasn't been able to figure out exactly where it might be.

But everyone is currently safely away from the tent for the moment, so this might be one of the only chances Theseus gets at the moment to try and find it. If he gets caught... well, that's going to undo all the progress he's made. He can't afford to be seen.

Hearting pounding and with a final glance at the tent flap, he turns and slips deeper into the tent, the part where he really isn't supposed to be going. He scans over the things piled there, but hardly surprisingly, on first glance, he doesn't see anything. Not that he was expecting to. There's a lot of weapons and odds and ends that he doesn't care to look through in much detail.

He starts carefully sorting through the things, trying to keep them mostly in order. He wishes it were easier to find his lightsaber's exact location. He has to keep stopping and listening to make sure no one is approaching. Now would be a really good time to have BD here to watch.

He keeps sorting through the things, and finally reaching the bottom of the pile. The familiar hilt gleams up at him in the dim lighting of the tent. At last! Theseus reaches down, hand closing over the weapon. Finally.

If only he could take it with him, but there's no way he can do that. It's not like he'd have anywhere to hide it, and its disappearance would likely be noticed. But at least he's one step closer to an escape plan – even if he's not sure when he'll implement it.

It'll be difficult to get his lightsaber out of all this... mess in the middle of the night without waking anyone up, but it'll have to work. And then somehow get to BD and then steal a ship. At least he's noticed the positions and rotations of the guards for the most part, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

Suddenly, the feel of an approaching presence hits him. In a flash, the lightsaber is back on the floor, and he hastily covers it back up again before scampering back towards the entrance to the tent. Barely in the nick of time.

***

It's been almost two weeks since he ended up here on Carlac, and Bo finally demanded she introduce him to a more people, since he's really only been hanging out with her whenever she has time. So, here he is.

Also, he might appreciate this a little more if he didn't somehow end up getting stuck on babysitting duty. Well, he was trying to be polite, and somehow one thing led to the next, and now, he's supposed to be watching over the daughter of the head of Clan Wren. It seems like mainly members of Clans Vizsla, Wren, and Saxon that are part of Death Watch. Not that any of these names have a whole lot of meaning to him.

Sabine Wren, the not-quite-one-year-old that he was put in charge of babysitting, is crawling around on the floor of the tent in front of him, seeming fascinated with... he has no idea. It's not that Theseus hasn't been put on youngling duty before – he has – but he has no idea how to handle them. What is he even supposed to do, other than make sure she doesn't crawl outside and freeze to death?

Babysitting younglings was never exactly something he liked doing a lot – especially not since he got put on duty for that so much after he was on leave at the Temple after Mortis – but he'll have to do the best he can. Better than being bored for hours, he supposes.

"Who thought it was a good idea to bring their baby to a place like this?" he huffs aloud, knowing full well there's no one here to answer the question.

Even if he's been here for so long, it's so... weird to keep seeing more and more of their human side, like actually having families and raising children and such. And he has to say, with children being raised in an environment like this, it's not even surprising they don't have any problem doing the kinds of things they do when they're older.

Sabine looks up at him at the sound of his voice, replying with a series of nonsensical babbling sounds. It sounds like a mix of Mando'a, Basic, and baby language. And she almost seems to be expecting a response of some kind, but he's not quite sure.

She continues to study him when he doesn't respond and continues speaking in a very serious manner that nearly makes him laugh. Sabine loses interest after a while and stands again, stumbling a few steps forwards before losing her balance and plopping back down in the middle of the floor with an utterly bewildered expression.

Theseus attempts to cover a laugh with a cough though he's pretty sure she wouldn't care.

She crawls over to... something, picking it up and starting to play with it. In the process she knocks over a pile of some sort of weapons that Theseus personally really isn't sure why they're being left in an environment with little children. She lets out a gleeful scream for no apparent reason as they clatter to the ground.

He sighs. This is going to be a very long day.

***

Seriously, why does it seem like Mandalorians are incapable of solving anything except through the end of a blaster? Or a fist?

Theseus throws another punch at Anastasia, dodging it when she swings back at him. He has to admit that she is fast, and a very good fighter. She definitely has better training in physical combat than what they get at the Temple. He did end up learning more from Anakin, but he has to admit, at least to himself, that if not for being able to often sense her next move in the Force a split second before she attacks him each time, he'd probably have lost the fight already.

They'd were having another passive-aggressive conversation and they both kind of annoyed each other a few times too many. Somehow, that'd resulted in the decision to spar – or more like use each other as punching bags. Not very Jedi-like, sure, but it's not like Obi-Wan is around to lecture him about it. Besides, he was kind of bored anyway, so...

They exchange a few more blows before Anastasia manages to pin him down on the ground, punching him repeatedly.

Fine. He's been limiting how much Force he uses in the fight since it wouldn't really be fair that way, but if she's going to be like this... He shoves her off him – partly with the Force – and promptly tackles her again without giving her a chance to recover. He twists one of her arms behind her back, pinning her in place. Anastasia tries to shove him off again, but thanks to their position, that makes it next to impossible.

"I won," he announces smugly, conveniently ignoring that he only succeeded because he used the Force.

"Only because you cheated," she hisses.

"You kind of do have the advantage of armor anyway," he shoots back.

"Stop being a sore loser," she snaps.

"Part of fighting is using all your abilities to your advantage," he snarks.

"If I did that, I could've shot you from the start."

"It wouldn't have been fair unless I had a blaster, too."

"That also means you using the Force wasn't fair. You know that, right?"

Is that literally what he said? Umm... "Oh, did I? Maybe I see a difference between external armor and something... more inborn." Lame reasoning, sure, but so what?

She scoffs. "You don't want to admit that you were outmatched."

"Or maybe you're the one who doesn't want to."

"You know, you're impossible," Anastasia huffs.

"So, I've been told," he shoots back.

And he has to admit, at least to himself, that their relationship has developed to something beyond the point of simply toleration. Apparently Vizsla's... brilliant idea of forcing them to live in the same tent and everything – even if they haven't actually talked to each other about anything like he told them to – is actually working. Theseus isn't sure if that's a good thing.

***

He thinks it's been too long since he was at the Temple, at the place he used to call home. Spending time surrounded by these people is taking its toll on his mind. As a Jedi, he is sensitive to those he's surrounded by, and the constant craving for violence is something he can't entirely shield. It's partly the attitudes, too. He really, really wants to go home, but there's that part of his mind that... doesn't, and it scares him.

Because, in some ways, he doesn't want to leave this place. Theseus would very much like to stay living somewhere with his family, somewhere without war. Only now is he beginning to understand what normal families are like, and he can't deny that he wants that. No, Vizsla and Anastasia will never really, truly understand him, or accept him for who he is, but the Jedi aren't really different. He's not entirely the same as the rest of them.

If Theseus is being honest with himself, it seems impossible to find a proper sense of internal balance around anyone. It's as true here as it is with the Jedi. Everyone wants him to change and suit them, but – but that's not what he is.

Sometimes at night, he sneaks out of the tent to look at the sky, trying to pinpoint which star is Coruscant. Which one leads to home. He aches to be with his friends again. He misses their presences, everything. He's still working on the details of planning an escape, which he's since decided includes trying to earn the Death Watch's trust, though he can't help but wonder. to a point. if that isn't use making him want to leave even less.

But... at the same time, escaping almost feels like a dream. It's been so long, will things even be the same?

The thought of leaving Bo hurts, and if he's being honest, it's true for his father and sister, too. Sneaking out without saying a final goodbye makes him feel... sick. They do want him here, and his father – everyone, even – is going out of their way to make him at home. It makes sense for them to want a Jedi on their side, Theseus keeps trying to remind himself. Another Mandalorian Jedi, the first one in centuries if not longer. With the Force, he can do things they can't, and he potentially could become a far better warrior than the others.

But... this family does care for him. He can't deny it, and it scares him, because it's what he wants.

There's still the Clone Wars, Theseus reminds himself again. He's needed elsewhere, out there in the galaxy. Hiding here with a band of terrorists no less won't help anyone. They're more likely to change him than vice versa.

He really wasn't expecting the offer of being given Mandalorian armor, but he accepts it readily. After all, it means he'd blend in more. The armor is silver, and otherwise looks more or less like that of all the other Mandalorians. Somehow, it... rings perfectly, in a way he doesn't understand.

There's nothing to wait for anymore. He has his plan. He needs to carry it out.

And it's only now that he realizes that at least to a point, he's been stalling with finishing up the details. Because he missed his mother, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan a lot, yes, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about his family here too. And in a lot of ways, it's like his father is the first person who ever actually wanted him around other than his mother but having a proper relationship with her is so difficult. It feels almost like he has something here that he's never going to have if he goes back to the Jedi.

But at the same time, he can't stay. If he gives in and does, for all he knows, he could end up becoming like them. And he can't – he can't do that. Besides, he can't leave his family back on Coruscant behind like this, whether biological or not. They need him too.

No matter what decision he makes, it's going to hurt. But he knows what he has to do. He has to go. And so, he sets a time for his escape.

The time for his escape comes only a few days later. He stays awake that night, even though he's feigning sleep. It's not like anyone is paying that close of attention to him. He keeps his armor on that night. The others do it all the time, so he doesn't think his father or sister find anything strange about it.

Now that the moment has actually arrived, he's almost beginning to have second thoughts. He can't shake the guilt gnawing at him for basically betraying them like this – especially after the amount of trust they actually have developed between them. Yes, he knows he needs to do it, but that doesn't make it any easier. A part of him feels like he should at least say a final goodbye or explain why he's leaving, but he knows that's not even practical.

And... what if he fails? What if he gets himself caught? He knows that if that happens, he'll probably never get out of here for years. (Probably long after he's gotten almost too used to living with them to want to leave.) He can't afford to let that happen either.

But he knows one thing for certain. If he doesn't go today, he isn't going to end up going at all. If he doesn't go now, next time he sets a date he'll question it all over again, and soon, he might end up changing his mind altogether. No, he's come this far. Now is the time, even if it hurts. And even if it's extremely risky.

Theseus looks discreetly at the other two. They seem to be sleeping and feel like in the Force as well from how still their presences are. Now. He has to do this. He sits up, turning towards the things in the corner of the tent where his lightsaber is hidden. He lifts the things with the Force, finally reaching the bottom of it, and calls his lightsaber to him from across the tent. And for once in his life, he's grateful Obi-Wan and his mother made him practice telekinesis so much.

He slips his helmet on, throwing a final glance at the other two before he slips out of the tent into the snow outside. He easily weaves his way in between the tents, and anyone who catches sight of him doesn't really pay much attention. It's not that weird for people to be up at this time, and unless he's acting overly suspicious, no one should question him.

He circles around to the droid tent, signaling to BD to join him. He'd taken the droid's restraining bolt off the previous day to make sure he's not caught in the process.

Now, time to get to the ship.

He winds his way through the camp, taking the fastest route he knows has the least patrols and guards. It's easier than he anticipated, to be honest. He's been here long enough that Theseus doubts many of them are even keeping a lookout for him. Finally, he reaches the area where the ships are.

It feels like a dream, but he's used to battles and stealth, even if it's never been his specialty. He knows how to dodge patrols. He knows where to hide and when to move, and how to do it soundlessly.

"What are you doing?" a voice behind him suddenly demands sharply.

Theseus jumps, whirling around to see Bo standing behind him, her hand resting on her blaster even if she hasn't pulled it out yet.

Great. Just great This was never supposed to happen.

"I was just –" He frantically fumbles for something at least remotely sensible to say. The fact that BD is right next to him and that he has lightsaber is way too incriminating. She's not going to believe a lie he tries to come up with.

"Just taking a walk probably," she deadpans, "Save the excuses for Vizsla. I'm sure he'll want to hear them all." She actually sounds angry, he realizes with a wince. Betrayed, maybe. It hurts more than it should.

And he has no doubt she's about to tell the others. "Bo, wait!" Theseus protests. He needs to... think of something to say and fast, to convince her to let him go – if that's even possible. Because he knows he'd most likely not win a fight against her, and even if he did, it would wake up everyone else. Besides, he's doesn't want to fight her.

"Why?" she asks stiffly, and he can't help but feel a momentary flare of surprise that she's actually giving him a chance to talk first.

Whatever he says next, he can't mess this up. "I can't stay here, Bo. It's not – it's not where I'm needed," he explains, or at least tries to.

"We've done everything we could for you, yet you firmly believe you have to go back."

"That's not – that's not the point," Theseus objects, "You know what it's like to have family you can never agree with."

She doesn't respond, which he takes as an indication or at least a chance for him to keep talking. "Even if they're still your family. Like mine here. I can't stay. I can't agree with the things you do, and my staying won't change that. It won't be real. At the end of the day, I'm me, and..." He gestures towards the village. "You're all you. We can't be the same. I have to do what's right for me, just like you did."

"You'll have until you start your ship's engine," she decides finally.

He blinks. She seriously going to let him...?! Theseus turns to take off for the ship, but suddenly stops, though he's hardly sure why. "One more thing," he says hesitantly, suddenly hardly sure why he's doing this. Maybe because part of him really doesn't want their friendship to have been for nothing. "I'll give you my comm frequency. If you ever need to talk..." It's pointless, because she'll never use it, but it'll still make him feel marginally better. The world would implode before Death Watch asked the Jedi for any form of assistance or anything, but at least he'll know that she could.

"Now leave, before I change my mind," Bo orders once he's done.

He nods and takes off for the ships. He doesn't waste any more time settling in the pilot's seat and firing up the engines, setting course for Coruscant before he blasts off to give him extra time to escape.

The scanners are showing Mandalorians in pursuit, but he outpowers them easily enough as he lifts off through the atmosphere of Carlac. It's been far too long since he left the planet and saw the familiar star-filled expanse of space. He makes the hyperspace jump as soon as he can, lest Death Watch have time to catch up to him.

The moment he's safe, he slides out of his chair onto the floor and leans back against the wall as the rush of adrenaline wears off. He needs to contact Coruscant, to tell them that he's coming back, but right now, he needs a few moments to himself.

It hurts more than he thought it would, and... he'll probably never see them again.

He should be glad. They were holding him prisoner for all intents and purposes. Still, it feels like he lost a part of himself, like something was left behind on Carlac that he'll never be getting back.

Chapter Text

Theseus feels strangely numb as he lands in the hanger. The enormity of the past couple days will take a while to catch up to him. He's still dressed in his armor when the ramp lowers and he and BD disembark; he didn't have his Jedi robes with him anymore. It's fine; he has plenty here. He'd tried to contact Obi-Wan but couldn't get through, likely because his master is on a mission or something, so he'd left his message with his mother.

Theseus's blood runs cold when he sees one lone figure waiting for him. Where are Anakin and Obi-Wan? They should be here, unless they're on a mission, but the lost and confused look Ahsoka bears, not to mention the tear-streaked face that she isn't even making an effort to hide, is proof something is very, very wrong.

His worry overtakes all his other thoughts. "Ahsoka, it's good to see you again," Theseus greets her in a rush. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Theseus," she chokes out, flinging her arms around his neck and clinging to him.

This blatant display of affection catches him off-guard, but he returns it just as fiercely. It's been far too long. "Where's Anakin?" he asks.

"He – he's –" she trails off, drawing in a shaky breath through her tears. "Master Obi-Wan..." She chokes back a sob and breaks down into tears again.

"What happened?" he asks, dread pooling inside of him. What could have happened that would make Ahsoka be acting like this?

"I'm sorry," she manages to say finally, "I wasn't fast enough. We weren't fast enough."

He knows. He knows, but he can't understand, accept... because he expected to come back, and everyone would be fine, and everything would go back to normal, but – but... But how could something like this have happened? How could Obi-Wan – It feels too unreal. Like he's going to wake up out of a nightmare, or someone will tell him that this is all some sort of mistake. Or maybe that he's misunderstanding what Ahsoka's saying altogether, but he knows he's not, even if he doesn't want to believe it.

"The funeral is within the hour," adds Ahsoka.

"I should get ready," Theseus murmurs shakily, hardly able to believe this is happening. Maybe it'll sink in tomorrow, after a sleepless night, or maybe – maybe it never well. All this feels unreal.

***

He's still in too much shock to actually feel much of anything. How could Obi-Wan be gone like that? He was half-expecting him to walk up the entire time he was briefly at their apartment before heading to where the funeral is being held. He's missed his presence so, so much, and he can't accept or understand that he'll never feel it again.

He feels totally numb as he stares at the coffin.

Anakin is there too, finally, face mostly concealed by his hood. Theseus moves to stand next to him. He's glad to finally see him again, but it's all overshadowed by what's going on. He needs to talk to Anakin, once this is over, but right now, Theseus struggles to let himself think about... whatever it is you're supposed to when commemorating someone. Something must be wrong with him, because even his thoughts feel like they're swimming through something incredibly thick and not working properly. He must have gone into shock.

The only thoughts that really stick out to him is how he shouldn't have to be seeing this. Theseus has seen many people die before. He's even seen Ahsoka die, but never has he been to the actual funeral of someone so close to him. He never thought Obi-Wan would die, never considered what would happen if he did.

He... in many ways, he was like Theseus's father, the one he never really had. At the very least, he should've been able to complete Theseus's training. He shouldn't have... He shouldn't be gone. He was supposed to be here. The worst part is that Obi-Wan didn't just... die. He would have lived for a good several more decades, but he's gone. He was... killed.

It doesn't really make sense. None of it does, but an icy rage swirls deep inside him as Theseus vows to bring his master's killer to justice, whatever the cost. He knows Anakin shares the sentiment, even without asking.

He has his own hood pulled over his head, but he throws a brief glance around the rest of those gathered for the funeral. Ahsoka is standing next to Plo. He sees Padme on her other side, and a crying Satine next to her. He doesn't know why he wasn't expecting to see her there. Its jarring being as he spent the last month camping out with her arch enemies. And her sister. Maybe he should talk to her, but he can't right now. He's not in the right mindset, and he'd probably end up saying something incredibly stupid.

So instead, he stays in his place next to Anakin, watching almost numbly as the body is lowered below the floor and a cover closes over the top, a bright beam of light shooting out of it up to the ceiling.

And just like that, it's over.

The funeral is over, and his master is gone forever.

***

Theseus isn't even sure what to do. He's been gone a long time, and it would be awkward regardless, but now... His mother pulls him right after the funeral. It's good to see her too – it's been far too long – but he's too lost to feel anything right now. It doesn't help that he's still not happy that she was practically lying to him all these years.

"The Council spoke with me," she informs, her own usually light expression when he's around especially serious, "They want me to be your new master."

Wait – they what – It takes him a moment to realize what she said, and not only because his thoughts seem to be moving through molasses right now. Obi-Wan's funeral was just finished, and they're already expecting him to move on a with a new master? And secondly, he wonders what the sudden change of heart is about, because before, they didn't even want his mother around him as much as she was. But now they're going to let her train him? "They're giving me a new master? Already?"

"Yes. I offered immediately after it happened."

"They expect me to move on?" He sounds cold. It's... not intentional, but he can't help it. "Sure, I get that."

"Theseus..." She squeezes his shoulder. "I know I can't really imagine what you must be feeling right now, but we'll get through this together."

He nods, grateful for a moment that at least she's here. She's the only one who really will be able to help him through this, because Anakin and Ahsoka are as out of it as he is, if not more so.

They stand in silence for a moment before his mother speaks up again. "What happened, while you were gone?"

Right. Back to that. He really doesn't have the energy to get into it right now. "I camped out with the family I never knew I had," he says flatly, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Of course, whenever you're ready," she replies, giving him an almost sad smile.

He nods before finally excusing himself and heading for Anakin's apartment. He needs to move into his mother's apartment at some point, but he doesn't want to go anywhere near Obi-Wan's right now. Another day, but not... right now.

Anakin and Ahsoka are sitting listlessly in the living room of their apartment when he slips in to join them. They have endless things to talk about, but no one says a word. He knows neither of them really want to talk any more than he does right now. Being with each other, offering their silent support, is enough.

Theseus doesn't know how long it takes before Ahsoka finally breaks the silence and turns to him. "I'm glad you're back," she says.

"It's good to be back," he replies tonelessly because it is. He's glad he knew about this right after it happened, instead of coming back long after his master was gone. At least they can pull through together, somehow, but part of him wonders what would've happened if he'd left a day earlier. Would Obi-Wan still be alive, if he was there?

"What did Death Watch want with you?" Ahsoka asks.

"Their leader is... kind of my father."

"What?!" Ahsoka shrieks.

Anakin seems to suddenly blink himself out of whatever haze he was lost in, and his head snaps towards Theseus. "What?" he echoes.

"He wanted me to join him," Theseus continues, "Oh yeah, and apparently I have a twin sister too."

"Uh, okay," Ahsoka stammers out, "So that's how you got the armor?"

"Armor?" Anakin repeats. "What armor?"

"I escaped back here with my new Mandalorian armor," Theseus informs him lightly, "I guess they thought giving it to me would help me fit in better. I'll show you all about it tomorrow, if you want."

"Sure," Ahsoka agrees. She doesn't sound terribly enthusiastic, but at least she's talking.

Honestly, he doesn't care to at the moment either, but at least it might give all of them something to do. Maybe. But he kind of left his armor in Obi-Wan's apartment, and he really doesn't want to go there right now, so...

"I'm surprised they could stand a Jedi there at all," Ahsoka comments.

"Me too, honestly," he admits. He was expecting a lot more hostility than he got. He shakes off any thoughts of how he could almost have fit in better there than he ever will at the Temple. Maybe he'll tell the other two more about his time on Carlac later... when they're all a little more up to it. Whenever that will be.

***

He still feels as numb and broken and gone as ever. Anakin doesn't know how long it's been since it happened, but it feels like – like the world should stop turning, stop moving, something. How can everyone and everything keep acting as though nothing is wrong when Obi-Wan died?

His master, his best friend – his father – is gone. It doesn't make any sense.

All he can do is throw himself into whatever he has to do, which at present, is protecting the Chancellor. With everything going on, especially now, Anakin can't lose him, too. He feels strangely disconnected, as he has since it happened. It's so hard to remember to act present when he's feeling like this.

Anakin's comm beeps for what he suspects isn't the first time, but he answers it immediately. With how out-of-it he's feeling, it can take a ridiculous amount of time to realize that people are talking around him.

"Skywalker." It's Master Shan, and to her credit, even if she sounds slightly irked, she doesn't chastise him. "We located Master Kenobi's killer." Anakin's blood runs cold. "The Council is sending you and your padawan to arrest him. Come to my quarters immediately when you're done."

"Yes, Master," he replies automatically. At the very least, he can be grateful that he's being allowed to bring his master's killer to justice. If it were up to Anakin, he'd kill him, but – but he knows that's not what Obi-Wan would have wanted.

Anakin hardly feels better even after he and Ahsoka arrest Hardeen. It's a small measure of comfort that the man is imprisoned and can't hurt anyone else, at least, but he craves vengeance, even as he knows it'll be fruitless. It won't bring Obi-Wan back.

Athea seems perfectly composed when the duo arrives at her quarters shortly after dark, but Anakin knows better. Something's wrong.

Theseus, who's already there and waiting, gives them a slight nod without actually looking. He's taking this as bad as they are.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asks.

Athea looks between the three of them seriously. "What I'm going to tell you is directly against orders from the Council, so you can't speak of this to anyone."

Well, that definitely does get his attention, even if the words still take a few moments to register. What could she tell them that's this serious? "So, you've heard the rumors about the plot against the Chancellor during the Festival of Light?"

"I didn't," Theseus replies, "But... what about that?"

"The Council decided to send a Jedi undercover to protect the Chancellor if it becomes necessary. They chose Obi-Wan. His death was fake, for the mission." Athea's expression darkens a little. "I told them they should tell you, but they said it was too dangerous."

Confusion sets in first. It doesn't make any sense, because they'd never do something like that, would they? Is this a dream, a figment of his own imagination? Something his mind is making up to convince himself Obi-Wan is still alive? "I don't..." He trails off, unsure what he's even trying to say. If Anakin knew him at all, Obi-Wan would never do what Athea is saying he did. He... wouldn't. He may be a Jedi above all, but he would never hurt Anakin that way.

"I know it's hard to accept," Athea says quietly, as if she somewhat understands the turmoil all of them must be going through, "But he's still alive, disguised as Hardeen."

That... it doesn't make any sense. Why would Obi-Wan do something like that? But he knows what Athea is saying is true. And that also means that he and Ahsoka had literally been sent to arrest Obi-Wan... His mind is spinning in circles, and he doesn't know what to make of anything anymore. If – if they did this, then what else are they doing? What else could they do? What else have they done that he never knew? And how – how could Obi-Wan do that to him, to them?

"How could they do this?!" Theseus demands.

"They believed it was necessary, and that Anakin's reaction would make his death seem more believable." She sounds almost bitter herself.

"What?" Ahsoka hisses, "They – did all this for that?"

"A Jedi Master dying by a sniper wasn't very believable, so they decided it needed to be more convincing," she says flatly.

"So, they think that excuses this?" Theseus demands again.

Athea sighs, looking almost worn out. "Yes, they do, but there's no question that they're wrong this time."

Anakin still can't believe what she's saying. How could Obi-Wan willingly agree to deceive them like this? It just...

This betrayal hurts far worse than anything he's ever experienced. They used him, like he's nothing more than a tool to them. Again, the dreaded question Anakin's managed to lay to rest for so long is pulled to the surface. Does Obi-Wan even care for him? He does his best to force the question away, because it hurts too much to contemplate.

He feels numb, empty. Broken, a dark part of his mind supplies.

Somehow, he doesn't think that description is entirely inaccurate.

It's nighttime – and definitely near bedtime – as the three of them sit in the living room of his apartment again. Anakin knows he'll never be able to sleep now even if he tries. Every time he closes his eyes, all he can see is his master's death. And then to think that all of that is nothing but a lie... No, he definitely won't be sleeping any time soon.

Ahsoka and Theseus seem to feel similarly, since neither of them seem very inclined to go to bed either. It's quite some time before Ahsoka finally decides to head to her room, leaving the two of them alone.

Despite everything, he still needs to take care of Ahsoka and Theseus. He can't stay lost in his own head and emotions, even now. Especially now, actually, because he knows the other two are also struggling.

"What do you say to a sparring match?" Anakin suggests finally. At least that should get him focused. It... should be enough to pull him out of his own head, at least for now.

"Sure!" Theseus agrees immediately, "And maybe I'll... go pick up my armor quickly. At this time, we should have the area to ourselves so..."

"Go ahead," he agrees. It's nice, actually, because Anakin won't have to worry as much about accidentally hurting him.

Before long, they find themselves in the training area which is thankfully empty given how out of place Theseus looks dressed up like that. "Alright, let's see what you've learned."

***

The worst of Theseus' anger is temporarily gone after his sparring match with Anakin, but his bitterness is still simmering. How could the Council do this, make them think that Obi-Wan is dead for some stupid mission?! They could at least have had the decency to tell them once it was over. If not for the fact that his mother was on the Council, they'd all still believe he was dead. And to think that they literally made Anakin and Ahsoka witness it...

He draws in a breath, trying to stop his anger from surging all over again. He needs to... do something before he explodes or something. Theseus knows how it may have been the easiest option for the Council to take, but that doesn't mean it was right. Yes, it may have been 'for the greater good', but how far will the Jedi go? Theseus has seen firsthand where such beliefs can lead people. He's not naïve enough to blindly follow the Council any longer, even if he's not arrogant enough to think he knows better. More and more, he's beginning to wonder if the Jedi are really the right place for him.

Theseus knows he should be catching up in his class work, but he doesn't have the remotest ability to concentrate on it right now. But there is something else he can do. He hasn't seen the clones in a long time.

Admittedly it will be difficult going to see them knowing that Obi-Wan is still alive while Cody and the others will think he's dead. He almost wishes he could tell them – out of spite, if nothing else – but he promised his mother he wouldn't tell anyone. A part of him can see why the Council didn't want to tell anyone considering it's a very hard thing to keep a secret, but why did they even have to choose to make the mission like this in the first place?! There are other ways they could've done it, and other people who could have done it in the first place.

The next chance he gets, he slips out of the Temple and heads up for the main 212th cruiser. He doesn't know many of the clones that well, so he heads for where Cody is. "Hey, Cody," he greets the commander when he finally does find him. He only realizes now how much he's missed him, how much he's so used to him always being around.

"It's good to see that you're safe, sir," says Cody. He looks grimmer than usual, and of course Theseus knows why without even having to ask. Not telling him that Obi-Wan is still alive almost feels like he's complicit in the lie but he can't... go around telling everyone. He'll get his mother in trouble if the Council finds out that she told them. She's already walking a thin enough line with them. He won't risk getting her in trouble because he can't keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah, camping out with Death Watch wasn't the funest thing I've ever done," Theseus agrees.

"I imagine not." Cody sounds faintly amused.

"So... how have things been around here while I've been gone?"

"About the same as usual. The war only seems to be getting worse," he answers, "General Kenobi wanted to spend some time looking for you, or at least have General Skywalker and Commander Tano do it, but with the Clone Wars, there wasn't time."

Well. Good to know. Theseus might find Obi-Wan's concern a little more touching if not for what else he literally just did. "Well, good thing I managed to make it back on my own," he replies with feigned lightness.

"Yes, it is," Cody agrees, "The General thought you would." He's silent for a moment, almost as though debating if he should speak up, before he finally keeps talking. "With what happened to General Kenobi, will you be staying with us?"

Oh. Oh. He hadn't even thought about that until now. He'd been so preoccupied before, and now knowing that Obi-Wan is alive he knows that he'll stay with them, but otherwise no, most likely he wouldn't have been. And he can only imagine what that would mean for the clones too. After what happened on Umbara to the 212th and the 501st, none of them have been very trusting of any of the Jedi beyond their generals and commanders. The thought of being passed off to an unknown Jedi can't be sitting well with them.

"I don't know," Theseus answers finally, guilt suddenly twisting inside of him. If only he could tell them... "But whatever happens, I'll make sure you won't end up with someone like Krell in charge."

"Thank you, sir," Cody says quietly, almost awkwardly.

"No problem." But he really wants to change the topic right about now. "But while I'm here, what would you say to a sparring match?" A physical one, without the Force, of course. That would be cheating.

"If you're up to it, sir," the commander replies, his mood thankfully shifting to something a little more positive. But Theseus can tell that Obi-Wan's death is affecting him too, even if not nearly as badly as Anakin and Ahsoka.

"Of course, I am." He almost wishes he brought his armor now.

Chapter Text

Theseus knows he can't avoid the conversation with his mother forever. It's better to get going and talk to her about it. It's honestly a far less major problem then this whole Obi-Wan faking his death thing, so at least this they can work through. As far as the situation with Obi-Wan... well, he'll worry about that when he sees him again.

He hasn't actually moved into his mother's apartment, but he is staying there, so he's waiting in her living room when she finally gets back from some Council meeting. "Do you have time right now?" he inquires finally.

"Yes, I do," she quickly assures him, taking a seat on the couch across from him, "So, what is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me who my father was?"

She seems to consider her answer a moment before speaking. "I didn't want you to have to carry that burden. I didn't know he was a terrorist at the time, but I did know him long enough to realize he wasn't a very good person." He doesn't know why her describing Vizsla like that almost irks him. It's true, after all.

"Besides," she adds after a moment, "I doubted you'd actually end up on Mandalore one day... and I didn't really think it would matter." Fair enough, he supposes. He never did ask about his father. A name would have been meaningless, until he actually ran into him, of course.

But, he supposes, that's not what upsets him most about the situation. "Why didn't you at least tell me I had a sister?" he presses.

"When I left Mandalore, I knew I had to leave her behind." She sighs quietly, and Theseus can feel her true regret. Maybe any ordinary time, it would be enough to calm him, but not right now. "Not talking about her ... seemed like the simplest option."

"That's... lying by omission." In any other circumstance, he probably wouldn't be so upset, but everything that happened with Hardeen, he can't help it. He's off-balance, and it will take him a long time to re-find it. It's frustrating, because he spent so long finding himself after Mortis, and now it feels as though everything was for naught.

Maybe it wasn't. Maybe the Jedi aren't anything like he wanted to believe they are. Maybe... maybe his father was right. It scares him that he's considering it.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she admits, "And I am sorry. Most Jedi know nothing of their birth families. I didn't want you to try searching for her, or to think you left something behind. I know it may not mean much, and it may not be what you want to hear right now, but I am sorry."

Theseus sighs. Suddenly, he feels more worn out then he does angry. "I know," he assures. "It's just... there's so much going on. I can't stand by what the Council is doing anymore. I've seen how much the 'greater good' excuse can be used to cover for evil. Vizsla, my father, always said the same thing, you know. He burned an entire village to the ground once for his 'greater good'."

She winces. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Theseus."

"It doesn't really matter. It would've happened, whether I saw it or not. At least I know what things are like out there." Theseus hesitates a moment before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the padawan braid he's been keeping there ever since he lost it. At first, he was planning to give it to Obi-Wan, but now... No, he can't do that. "Here," he says quietly, "You're my master now. I think you should keep this."

She reaches over, taking it from him. "Oh, I was wondering what happened to this."

"Uh, Dad might've chopped it off. I guess I'll have to learn to go back to being a padawan, about now." Theseus certainly still isn't happy about not being told, but it's the past now. It's not like there's anything she could do to change it even if we she wanted to. For now, he decides, he'll let the matter rest. It feels like – like there might be something else he ought to know, that she's hiding from him. Not unlike the rest of the Council, though what they did was something far worse, something inexcusable and unforgivable.

***

"Alright," Anakin calls, reentering the room. "It's time to get ready. Padme commed, and we need to go meet up with the Chancellor and Master Shan within the hour, if possible."

Ahsoka casts a sideways glance at Theseus. She's still struggling to believe that he's here and, more importantly, what happened with her grandmaster. She can't make sense of how the Council could have done something like that. It feels as though her entire belief system has been shaken, and it will take a lot of time for her to come to terms with it. This, she imagines, is much like her best friend felt after Mortis.

Theseus sighs. "I guess this means I need to make myself look like a padawan again, for the first time in a month."

"I'd thought you'd be glad," Anakin replies with a hint of mild amusement in his voice. "You do like keeping your hair ridiculously short."

Ahsoka sighs. Why do they have to argue about this now?

"Like you're one to talk, when you have yours longer than girls. Is it as much a nightmare to comb as it looks?"

The half-amused, half-insulted look on Anakin's face made the entire awkward conversation worth it. "I take offense to that," he grumbles.

"Excuse me?" Ahsoka huffs. "I'm a girl and I don't have any."

"Precisely my point."

"I'm not going to shave my head! I'd look like Master Windu!"

"Shh! Don't let him hear you say that." Theseus cautions with an exaggerated look around, as if trying to make sure that no one's listening.

"You're paranoid. I doubt he's planted listening devices in here," Ahsoka informs.

"Now you're being dramatic," Anakin sighs. "Let's get going."

***

Theseus stands near Anakin as he listens to Chancellor Palpatine's speech. The evening of the Festival of Light has finally arrived and they, his mother, and Ahsoka all accompanied Palpatine here in case something goes wrong. A ray shield is surrounding the platform, so at least he can rest assured that no one will be able to try shooting from a distance.

Obi-Wan is around here somewhere, he knows, and running into him is inevitable. Theseus isn't ready. Then again, he's not sure he ever will be. It's not like Anakin or Ahsoka are ready either. He wasn't about to let them come here all alone.

Still, he decided to bring along his armor instead of wearing Jedi robes. No one commented, but he doesn't exactly think his mother is very happy about it. And he knows Obi-Wan isn't going to be happy either. Maybe that's part of the reason he's wearing it. He knew the Order was wrong about many things, but for them to go this far and do something like this... It's far more extreme than anything he ever thought they would do. So, part of him wants to do something totally contrary, as a silent sign of rebellion.

Besides, having armor and a blaster will be useful in a situation like this anyway. Maybe he should consider taking this on missions in the future. Maybe. He'll consider that a little more when the time comes.

Fireworks explode in the sky as the Chancellor finishes his speech. Theseus can feel the happiness of everyone around him as they watch the show. He wishes he could share in it. Instead, all he can feel is the stinging betrayal, and a simmering anger at the Jedi and Obi-Wan for what they've done.

"Anakin, the shield generator!" his mother yells suddenly. Theseus' head snaps the direction she's talking about, right in time to see the tentacled arm of a being of some sort reaching through the ray shield towards the generator. Anakin is already in motion, racing across the platform towards it. He doesn't reach it in time.

The generator explodes, the ray shield instantly dissipating. Theseus runs after Anakin as he chases the fleeing bounty hunter while as his mother runs to the Chancellor and Ahsoka starts ushering Padme and the rest of the audience off the platform to safety.

The creature instantly open fires on Anakin, who spins his lightsaber to block the bolts. Theseus flips the setting on one of his blasters to stun and fires at the being. The blast strikes it before it can react, and the creature collapses, motionless, to the ground.

The Force is still humming with danger, but Theseus doesn't see anything wrong right off. Anakin's eyes narrow as he spots the speeder where the Chancellor is being escorted to. "That's not a guard, it's a bounty hunter," he hisses in warning.

Oh. That explains a few things. They both take off running for the speeder, and his mother joins them from across the platform. She obviously noticed the same thing. The three of them reach there almost all at once, and she levels her lightsaber in front of the guard. It's hologram disguise fades, revealing that of a changeling.

"Chancellor, are you alright?" asks Anakin worriedly. Palpatine climbs out of the back of the speeder, taking a step towards the Jedi Knight, then suddenly punches him in the face. The hologram on him fades to reveal another bounty hunter. What?! So, where is the real Chancellor?!

Anakin seems to get the thought instantly and flings the bounty hunter back against the side of the speeder with the Force.

"Over there!" his mother realizes suddenly, pointing across the platform to another speeder. A guard is throwing another unconscious one into the back of it, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out who it really is.

She and Anakin immediately take off running for the speeder, but Theseus has a sudden better idea – even if it's potentially risky. He raises his blaster, firing at a part of the speeder that he's pretty sure will make it mostly dysfunctional without risking blowing it up.

It crashes immediately, and Bane and Eval leap out of the speeder, drawing their blasters. Anakin and Athea deflect their blaster bolts as they open fire, and Theseus promptly fires at Bane. The bounty hunter sees it coming and dives out of the way, flying off the ground with his foot propellers.

Anakin slashes through the end of Eval's blaster, holding his lightsaber only inches away from him. The Phindian raises his hands in surrender immediately.

Athea catches onto Bane with the Force, throwing him into the side of the speeder. He's the next to surrender, thanks to another lightsaber and two blasters pointed in his face. "At least the Chancellor is safe," Theseus' mother decides, "I'll call Obi-Wan and see what the situation is."

***

The next morning comes otherwise uneventfully, but Theseus is feeling no better than last night. Worse, actually, since he knows he's about to meet Obi-Wan again. At least they succeeded in saving the Chancellor. It's really all he has to be grateful of.

Now, most of the security is leaving. Anakin is staying behind, and Theseus opted to stay with him. Obi-Wan is probably going to go back, too, and Theseus would very much like to avoid him and maybe help sort out his padawan-brother's mind before they go back to confront him. Anakin is pretending to be fine, but Theseus knows he isn't. To be fair, Anakin seems to be handling it better than Ahsoka – her black and white view of the world was thoroughly destroyed – but still, it was more personal for Anakin. Maybe he feels slightly awkward being at the Temple after so long and being around Ahsoka after... everything that happened on Carlac.

"Are you sure about staying?" Ahsoka asks as her and his mother stand together on the landing platform. Ahsoka still has some time before she has to leave, which is good. Anakin is talking to Obi-Wan a distance away, and Theseus would much rather wait to talk to his... technically former master a different time.

"Yeah." He shrugs and glances around. "It's a nicer place to stay than Carlac, and a bustling city is a bigger change from a wasteland than a forest planet."

Ahsoka grimaces. "Sorry about leaving you there."

Theseus waves it off. "Really, it's fine. It wasn't so bad. I'd rather that than have seen... you know. Besides, I have the feeling Anakin may need my help. This might not be over yet."

"Or, you've gotten very attached to your armor," Ahsoka smirks.

He glances down at himself slightly self-consciously. Theseus had worn it a lot with the Death Watch, and it's a symbol of... his family. The one he shouldn't have, according to the Jedi. "I'll have to permanently ditch it as soon as we get back to the Temple."

"You could keep it," Athea points out. "It could turn out useful at a later date, as a disguise."

On second thought... "Good idea. I think I will." He's selfishly glad he has a reason to actually keep it, because it feels like a sole thread tying him to the life he wants. To a real family, to some unknown and unimagined time and place where he can really, truly learn what it means to be at peace and be happy.

Theseus tries to ignore the sudden swell of rage and pain he feels in the Force, and he instantly knows its source. Anakin. Ahsoka instantly tenses, looking past Theseus to where the other two are. "I'll go find Anakin," she says tightly, all hints of playfulness lost.

"I'm coming," Theseus decides.

It doesn't take them long to track down Anakin. He's having an off-to-the-side conversation with Senator Amidala.

Except now that they're here, Theseus doesn't even know what to say. He and Ahsoka stand to the side until the two are done and Anakin turns back to them, expression carefully blank.

"I'm staying," Theseus blurts.

Anakin gives him a questioning, slightly confused look.

"I'll stay here," Theseus repeats. "I don't want to go back yet, and... I'm not certain all of this is over."

Anakin nods silently, turning away to scan the horizon. He's trying not to think; Theseus can almost sense it. It's a jarring reminder of how much he missed everyone while he was gone.

Ahsoka is quiet for a moment before she starts rambling off something about the war. Clearly, she agrees that Obi-Wan is not the best topic of conversation right now. Besides, what is there to say? They all understand that he chose to hurt them inexplicably by the Council's orders. He had the choice, and he didn't choose them. That, and the fact that the Council itself did something of such magnitude to hurt them, that they don't trust them... It's best not to dwell on it.

Theseus is suddenly glad he decided to come back. Anakin needed him, and Theseus could so easily have made both Anakin and Ahsoka think that – that he didn't care for them if he didn't come back. At least, not entirely. It hurts, but now, he knows he made the right choice. He only ever wanted a family, and somehow it turns out, he's got two. What he spent searching for so long, he had at his side all along.

***

Obi-Wan stayed. Theseus didn't realize it until his former master somehow managed to corner him. The fact that he still looks like Hardeen makes Theseus bristle, but his shielding is down enough that the padawan can actually sense who he is, at least.

"Padawan –" Obi-Wan begins.

"I have a name, and I'm not your padawan anymore." Theseus sounds maybe a bit sharper than he intended, but he doesn't back down. White, hot betrayal washes over him again, and all thoughts of trying to avoid awkwardness abandon him. Anakin may be quiet about this, but Theseus does, in fact, believe in standing up for himself, thank you very much.

Obi-Wan sighs, and he feels weary. Fine, because the others haven't slept in days, either. "I didn't know you'd come back right now, or I wouldn't have taken the mission."

"Oh, I think you would," Theseus shoots back. "It was the only way and for the greater good."

"Do you believe that?"

Theseus scoffs. He can't help it. "That you had to hurt Anakin and Ahsoka to get the mission done? No. That you had to go undercover? Maybe. Probably, yes." He has to be fair in that way. A Council member would be best, and there aren't many – if any – bounty hunters the same species as they are. A Mandalorian like Hardeen is the best option, but that doesn't mean simple logic will change his opinion on the rest.

"Then you understand I did what I had to do."

"Did the Force decree that you hurt them unimaginably? You saw your own master die. What did you expect them to do? Just shrug it off and keep moving as though nothing happened? Did you do that? How could you hold Anakin and Ahsoka to standards which you yourself are incapable of?"

Obi-Wan sighs again. "I may not have wanted to do it, but Anakin's reaction was necessary. I knew that if Anakin believed it, Dooku would as well."

So that's his excuse? "So, you think that justifies what you did?" Theseus asks coldly, struggling to reign in his temper. If loses control entirely, he'll likely end up doing or saying things he'll seriously regret later, "To any person not emotionally involved, your death wasn't believable at all. Did you really think they would really be able to realize something was wrong with it when you made him watch you die right in front of him?"

"Theseus, I know you're upset, but –"

"Upset?" he scoffs. "I suppose that's one word for it. I don't want to hear about how this was for the greater good. I've seen what that belief will do to people. If you never even bother to stop to consider who you're hurting achieve your goal, you could end up walking the same path as Death Watch."

On second thought, maybe he shouldn't have said that to him, but he's too upset to regret it. He knows it was also highly disrespectful, and while he may regret it later, he doesn't right now.

Theseus turns on his heel, stalking away. All Obi-Wan seems to want to do right now is justify himself and the Council, and he's not about to deal with it right now. Not after he saw how it affected Anakin and Ahsoka. He's never seen Anakin in a state like he was the night after it happened. And now it's like he's trying to move on and pretend that nothing happened, but Theseus knows he's not really feeling any better.

And Ahsoka... he hasn't had much time to actually talk to her about how she's feeling over what happened, but in a lot of ways, it's like everything she ever believed has been severely shaken. Theseus already lost his trust in the Jedi a long time ago, but Ahsoka didn't, and now she's being forced to question everything she knew.

He knows he might have hurt Obi-Wan with what he said, but especially with his attitude, Theseus knows the scars this has left on all of them aren't going to fade for a long time. If they ever do.

Chapter Text

The door to the banquet hall hisses open, and Anakin instantly tenses as the familiar cold sensation crashes into him. "Welcome," Dooku states from the head of the table, and Anakin can hear his smugness. This was what he wanted; to wait until a time where Anakin was alone with Palpatine.

A million emotions rush through him at once, too chaotic for him to take the time to try understanding, but the largest being the very familiar fear of what he could lose in this sure to come fight, and the ever-smoldering fury. He's off-balance – has been since Theseus was lost, Anakin thinks – and the instant realization that all of this happened because of Dooku is enough to set him off.

Theseus... is still on-planet, though he hasn't been staying with the Chancellor the entire time like Anakin has been. While he would much rather not get the younger boy involved in a fight with the Sith, Anakin knows he may well have to.

"My gracious, it's a trap!" Palpatine exclaims.

"Stay back," Anakin warns, pushing him out of the way of the MagnaGuards heading towards them, and he struggles to suppress his surge of fear at the sight of them and being here in Dooku's presence. The last time that happened – it was also on Naboo – it didn't go well for him. As he moves away from them, shuffling forwards to face Dooku, he discreetly comms Theseus. It should be enough to let the padawan come looking. The doors slide shut behind him, and Anakin ducks out of the way as one of the droids nearly hits him with its wildly swinging electrostaff. He's had quite enough of that, thanks.

"You should have quit while you were still alive, Dooku," Anakin growls. He has every intention of ending this here and now if he has any say in the matter. He can feel Obi-Wan's presence on the planet still, and he knows his former master will be coming as well, though that's something he prefers not to think about. If both Obi-Wan and Theseus show up, Dooku won't stand a chance. Anakin's been preparing for this; he always is. Every encounter he learns something from, and it won't be long before Dooku's out of tricks to pull.

And if he doesn't succeed, everything that he and Ahsoka and Theseus have gone through the past few days will mean nothing. Palpatine had personally entrusted his protection with Anakin, after all, and he can't afford to fail.

Dooku rises, laughing in a way that grates on Anakin's nerves like nothing else can. "Fighting off the entire Jedi security force would have been difficult, but now they are gone." He ignites his lightsaber, holding the blade in front of himself. "Defeating you alone will be an easy task."

Anakin delves into the Force as he always does before battle, wrapping it around himself protectively, anger burning hot and fierce within him. That ceaseless craving to prove himself surfaces again, and he loathes how somehow, despite everything he's accomplished, he means nothing. He's nothing to Obi-Wan – he knows that now – and he's always been insignificant to everyone else.

Anakin tries – he really does – not to let Dooku's words affect him, but they hit too close to home, to his greatest fear. Still, he remembers their last encounter. He knows how Dooku works a little better now; he knows to take out the droids first. The two behind him move, and Anakin spins around, blocking their blows. He finds an opening in a matter of seconds and ducks out of the way of the second to stab the first. He kicks the now destroyed first to the floor and spins around to the second. They trade a few blows before Anakin grabs its arm with his metal hand, crushing the metal of the droid before swinging up his blade to chop through that, stabbing it through the center.

"Chancellor, get out of here," Anakin advises as he turns his attention back to the Sith Lord.

"Good idea," he agrees, heading for the door, and it slides open, only for another MangaGuard to enter.

There's a whoosh of air and Anakin glances up as Theseus flies – literally, because he's in his armor with a jetpack and all – through the door, landing gracefully beside Anakin and igniting his lightsaber. "You called?" he asks cheerfully.

"We have a... situation," Anakin replies, not taking his focus off Dooku.

"So, I can see."

They stalk towards the Sith together, breaking apart from each other to circle to opposite sides of the table. Anakin clashes blades with Dooku first. The Count blocks his blow, shoving him back, then spins his blade to parry a blow from Theseus as the boy slashes at him. Anakin lunges for Dooku again, and their blades clash into a brief saberlock for a moment, broken when Theseus swings for the Sith's head.

He's quick to pull back from Anakin, instantly spinning to intercept the purple blade. Anakin doesn't waste a second or let him have a moment to consider his next move, throwing strike after strike at him. Theseus is doing the best he can on Dooku's other side.

The Sith begins backing across the room and they give chase, continuing to press their attacks. Finally, Dooku throws up a hand, Force-shoving Anakin a few steps backwards, and then throws Theseus into the wall, before lifting a chair and a bunch of dishes from the table with the Force and hurling them at Anakin.

Theseus charges for the Sith again, batting aside the flying dishes that Dooku directs at him next, as Anakin detaches several stupid forks from his leather glove and runs to join him. Dooku's blade moves in a blur, furiously blocking their blows.

The Force hums a warning as lightning leaps from Dooku's fingers. Anakin instantly positions his lightsaber in front of himself to block it, trying not to let the mere sight of it affect him. Theseus pauses, holding his own blade in front of him, obviously preparing for an imminent similar attack.

Anakin charges Dooku again, raining attacks all around him furiously, forcing him to keep retreating. He won't let the Sith get away this time. He can't. They finally have their chance to stop him once and for all.

The fight travels out the door of the room and back into the hall. Theseus activates his jetpacks, flying past them over to the MagnaGuards holding onto Palpatine. He slashes through one of them from behind as he hits the ground, then whirls around to attack the other.

Anakin doesn't take the time to watch the fight, instead focusing all his efforts on defeating Dooku. At least he has him on the defensive now, although Anakin is still pretty sure part of the reason he's retreating so quickly is because he's trying to lead the fight somewhere.

The fight finally travels to the end of the hallway, all the way to the staircase. Anakin kicks Dooku, and he stumbles, half falling onto the stairs, hastily bringing up his blade to intercept a blow that would have otherwise taken off his head. Anakin shoves down on Dooku's blade, reaching out with his other hand and wrapping it around the Count's neck, strangling him. He can't help the vicious satisfaction surging through him. Dooku struggles against his lightsaber but can't force it aside. The Force suddenly flares in warning, a split second before lightning engulfs him.

The all too familiar burning pain sears through every inch of his body, the force of the blast throwing him down the hall. It's to be expected; it happens nearly every time he fights Dooku, but nothing seems enough to prepare himself for it. Force, it's like he's cursed or something, because this never seems to happen to anyone else. He struggles to shake off the effects of the still oppressively lingering pain, especially when he sees Theseus finally finish cutting down the last MagnaGuard and promptly charge at Dooku.

A blast of electricity catches him next, throwing him down the hall as Obi-Wan runs into view. It's only through sheer willpower that Anakin shakily forces himself back to his feet. "Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks, pausing.

"Come on," he urges instead, sprinting back for the stairs where Dooku disappeared to. A worried Palpatine is standing off to the side watching, but Anakin doesn't stop to see if he's alright. He can handle that later.

They don't manage to catch up with the Count in time. He's already hurrying up the ramp of a shuttle which is blasting off from the landing platform

He was too late. He failed. Again. But there's nothing more he can do now. Darting past Obi-Wan, he runs back into the building, hurrying over to Theseus who's still on the floor.

Obi-Wan appears next to them. "Are you okay?" he asks again, and Anakin's hardly sure which of them he's talking too. Maybe both?

"Obviously," Theseus mutters sarcastically, moving in an attempt to sit up, only to fall back against the floor with a groan.

"You may consider not moving for a few minutes," Anakin advises quietly. The boy has thankfully never gone through something like this before, and it makes him despise Dooku even more.

As soon as Theseus is able to move again, Anakin helps him to his feet, ignoring the effects of the lightning that are still clinging to himself, too. "We should get you to a medbay for a checkup," he advises finally.

"You should get checked up too," Obi-Wan reminds, giving Anakin a pointed look as they start making their way down the hall.

"How do you manage?" Theseus asks finally.

"Manage what?" Anakin repeats.

"You've literally been walking this whole time."

Oh. So that's what he's asking about. "You get used to it," he offers finally. He's been electrocuted so many times – especially by Dooku – since that day back on Geonosis he's gotten far better at handling it and shaking off the effects afterwards.

"Well, that sure made me feel better about it," Theseus mutters, "You know what? I agree with, Master Obi-Wan. You better come along in this trip to the medbay."

***

Of course, Theseus had already figured that he was going to be given back to Obi-Wan as soon as they got back to Coruscant. The Council agreed for him to be his mother's padawan because it was only going to be temporary. He'd almost rather stay as his mother's padawan, but he doesn't really have any good reason to complain. Besides, if he's with Obi-Wan, he'll be around Anakin and Ahsoka more. They need him right now.

It's strange, being back at his apartment with Obi-Wan and hearing him literally moving around right in the next room. He underwent a transformation so he looks like himself again – or at least will once his hair grows back – but it's awkward being here. Theseus doesn't think he'll ever be able to trust his master again. Not like he used to.

He's still angry with him, and he's not sure this is something he can ever forgive him for. But he doesn't want to go around being hostile and causing constant arguments between the two of them either.

That's going to drive the point home even more and make everything worse. He doesn't want to deal with that, either. Instead, he supposes he can try to do about the only other option at this point: fake everything is back to normal on the outside, even if it never will be. At the very least, he'll try to avoid unnecessary hostility. But it's not going to be on Theseus if his still-not-entirely-normal attitude makes Obi-Wan bring something up that starts a fight between them all over again.

He's sitting in the living room when Obi-Wan steps back in. "That armor... you got it from Death Watch, right?" he inquires. Apparently, he's going to try and go for normal, too. He's not sure if that irks him more or makes this easier.

And also, why do people always have such stupid ice breakers? "Yeah," he says instead.

"I saw you using back there on Naboo," he continues. Duh. Whatever he's trying to say, he should just say it. Although Theseus has a sneaking suspicion he already knows where he's going with this.

"It's useful," Theseus shrugs.

"It's not the kind of weapons a Jedi uses."

"And your bounty hunter armor is?" he shoots back, anger flaring. The armor is his last connection to the life he's always wanted, and no one is going to tell him if he can't wear or keep it.

"It was for the mission," Obi-Wan replies

"Well, this worked pretty well for the mission too. I'm beginning to think more Jedi ought to carry blasters, too."

"I'm not saying you can't keep it," Obi-Wan retorts, "I'm reminding you that how a Jedi chooses to fight is as important as what they are fighting for."

If he's trying to go about saying in a very roundabout way that he wants him to get rid of his armor, that's not going to happen. "I know," Theseus replies flatly instead, moving past him to stare out the apartment window. So much for trying to go for normal. Coupled with the fact that he hasn't been here in a month, he doesn't even know how to act anymore. It's going to take a long time before he gets used to this again.

***

"I thought I'd find you here."

Ahsoka brings her lightsabers up to parry Anakin's next blow, returning it with a strike of her own as she looks up to see Theseus standing in the entrance way to where her and Anakin are sparring. And there's another boy with him who she doesn't recognize. Who is that anyway?

She can't help her flare of amusement as she sees the boy staring at them with awe as they trade a few more blows before finally pulling back and turning their attention to their audience. She's far too used to other padawans or initiates running across her master sparring, and totally hero-worshipping.

"Meet Caleb Dume," Theseus chirps, patting the boy on the shoulder, "Master Shan's new padawan."

"She took a padawan?" Anakin asks in surprise.

"Yeah," Theseus agrees, "Decided she liked having one after me, I guess."

"Hi!" Caleb offers, then blushes slightly for no apparent reason. Except that he's probably dying from awkwardness now that is his probably-hero is paying attention to him.

"Nice to meet you, Caleb, I'm Ahsoka," the Togruta introduces herself, "And I'm sure you know who my master is."

"Of course!" Caleb splutters, "I uh... just wanted to meet you." His gaze darts over to Anakin, though he seems at a serious loss for words. She could almost feel bad for him, so she does her best not to laugh. It would only embarrass him farther, and that's not nice.

"What do you think about finally being a padawan?" asks Anakin, likely in an attempt to break up the awkwardness of the moment. He tends to be the best at that then all of them, even if he firmly denies his abilities at handling younglings. Ahsoka sometimes finds herself wondering how he didn't get stuck on that duty permanently.

"I can't wait for my first mission," Caleb chirps. Like all initiates and new padawans, it seems. Excited for something when they truthfully don't know what it is they're wanting.

"You might find it a little less exciting when you actually get out there," Ahsoka informs him. At least he deserves a forewarning that the missions he's looked forward to might not be quite as fun as he's expecting.

"Really?" the boy asks doubtfully.

"You are going to be a commander now. Not just a padawan," reminds Theseus.

"It's a responsibility you can't take lightly," Anakin adds seriously.

"I know," Caleb says, though Ahsoka's pretty sure he won't truly understand that until he's actually out there fighting, "But I'm ready."

Ahsoka glances at the others. She remembers how when she was young, she used to believe the same. She, like so many other Jedi, believed there was nothing she couldn't handle. She knows better now. It took many lives for her to realize otherwise. If she can help it, she'd rather not let Caleb have to go through learning that the hard way. "Just remember that the clones have had more experience. Listen to what they believe would be the best strategy or approach in situations," she advises him finally.

"Okay, I'll remember that," Caleb promises.

"Don't ever rush into something unless you know you can handle it," Theseus adds. "It will only get you killed."

"It's easy to think that you can handle everything until you actually get out there and get into a situation where you can't," Ahsoka speaks up again. She used to be like that far too much when she was younger, like in the Citadel when she could have so easily gotten herself killed. She can understand now, why Theseus was so upset with her for what she did afterwards. Sometimes, it's hard for her to remember even now, but the important part is that Ahsoka understands that sometimes she needs to run.

"... Okay," he says slowly, sounding a little uncertain now, and she's pretty sure they've taken the edge off his excitement with all their warnings and advice, but he needs to know it now. Still, it's not something he'll truly understand until the situation arises. And speaking thereof...

"When are you going to leave on your first mission anyway?" Ahsoka inquires.

"I think it's going to be soon, within a couple hours," Caleb replies, "Master Shan said I didn't have long."

"I expected as much," Theseus responds. "War can be... a bit stressful." Ahsoka somehow manages not to snort at the absolute understatement.

"Trust in the Force, don't pull any heroic stunts without your master's approval, and you'll be fine," Ahsoka assures finally. Or at least he should be.

Chapter Text

Theseus never thought he was going to end up teaching battle strategies like this someday. He and Caleb are sitting in the living room of his mother's apartment as he talks to the boy about strategies.

It's weird that technically Caleb is his padawan-brother too now, since he was briefly Athea's padawan. Not to mention he'd still be a bit like a brother regardless, since his mother is raising him. He never thought one day he might end up looking at someone as a younger sibling, but that's unquestionably how he's starting to see the boy. It's been several weeks since he became a padawan, after all, and spending time helping him is a good excuse to get out of Obi-Wan's apartment.

Even now, Theseus doesn't really feel comfortable hanging out with his master, and it hurts. Things have changed, and he's learned well after Mortis that they're past normal.

Just then, Theseus' comm beeps. It's Obi-Wan. "Yes, Master?" he replies immediately.

"I need you to meet me back at our apartment immediately. There's a situation," Obi-Wan explains. Always another situation, it seems.

"On my way, Master," Theseus assures, disconnecting the call and turning to Caleb. "I guess I have to go."

"Just when we were getting started," he agrees, sounding mildly disappointed.

"More like just when we were getting to the more... interesting stuff."

"Honestly, I'm not sure I'd call any of this interesting, exactly," Caleb mumbles under his breath as Theseus heads for the door.

"Well, don't worry, you'll appreciate it a lot more eventually," he calls over his shoulder as he slips out into the hall, and then sprints for the apartment. What could possibly have happened this time?

Obi-Wan is waiting outside when he arrives. "A group of rebels on Onderon contacted the Council, requesting assistance in overthrowing the Separatist government on the planet."

"Isn't that like... something we technically aren't allowed to get involved in?" Theseus queries with a frown.

"Openly, yes," agrees Obi-Wan, "The Republic will not send assistance as long as the monarch is loyal to the Separatists. Anakin suggested to the Council that we go there to train the rebels on how to fight."

Why does he sound so doubtful? "And they agreed?" he deduces.

Obi-Wan nods. "I'm going with him to observe how this new strategy will work. You should come as well." For whatever reason, there's a note in his voice that implies he's not pleased with this, and Theseus isn't even sure why. It sounds like a strategy that – if used on a larger scale – could work to bring the war to a much faster end. Finally.

Then why does he sound so skeptical? Or is because it's Anakin's idea? A surge of bitterness rises inside of him at the thought. After the Hardeen incident, and seeing how little anyone, not even Obi-Wan, respects Anakin, Theseus doesn't even find the thought surprising. But it definitely does make him more than a little angry.

"When do we leave?" he asks instead, because that's a far easier question to deal with.

"As soon as Anakin is ready to go."

***

Ahsoka is radiating a strange amount of excitement as she, Theseus, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Rex all fly overhead the Onderon forest. Theseus throws a questioning glance her direction. There's no way she could be that excited for a mission like this, unless he's missing something. She seems to understand what it is he's asking.

"Lux will be there," she tells him a low voice.

Wait, Lux?! Oh. Oh. Eagerness and a slight flare of annoyance or maybe even jealousy run through Theseus at the same moment. He wasn't exactly friends with Lux – they didn't know each other long enough for that – but at the same time they weren't exactly not either. Still, Ahsoka's current excitement reminds him all over again about how she obviously feels towards Lux, even if he knows they were friends too, so it's not like that's the only reason she's looking forward to seeing him again. It probably wouldn't be bothering him so much if he wasn't feeling so... irritated and emotionally drained with his life, in general, right now, he supposes.

They need to talk about this. They've always been friends, and he can't let something as ridiculous as this become a problem between them. Obviously, though, now is hardly the right time.

The shuttle finally flies to the right spot above the trees, and the ramp lowers, allowing the five of them to jump down into the forest below. Theseus senses movement in the trees almost as soon as the ship is safely out of sight. He can sense almost as much as see blasters being leveled at them from all around, before a dark-skinned girl riding a strange creature ride out from between the trees.

Once they explain who they are, she introduces herself as Steela, inviting them to come along as she heads back to the hidden rebel base. A young man who looks a lot like her, who introduces himself as Saw Gerrera, is the next to greet them. Apparently, he's the unofficial and totally unelected leader of the group.

The rebels are hurrying about, carrying supplies around under Rex's instructions when Ahsoka slips away from them, heading over to where Lux is standing a short distance off. Steela moves over to join them, so Theseus turns his gaze back to Anakin and Obi-Wan. "So, what do you think?" Anakin is asking.

"I am cautiously optimistic," Obi-Wan replies.

"I know it's rather... unusual, but I'm sure it will work," Theseus remarks.

"Still, we can't have this turning into terrorism," insists the Jedi Master.

Umm...? "I think the only ones we'll be terrorizing are the droids."

"We must watch closely to see how the people will react to what the rebels are doing," asserts Obi-Wan.

"Of course," Theseus finally agrees, sensing an unusually large amount of discomfort from Anakin.

The other rebels are finally returning with the supplies, which pretty much ends the conversation. Theseus slips away from the others when he sees Lux making his way back over to them. Ahsoka is still talking to Steela, who seems a little annoyed about something, he's not exactly sure what.

"Hey, Lux," Theseus greets, approaching the other boy.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," he returns the greeting amicably.

"I wasn't expecting you to be."

"Onderon is my home planet," Lux explains.

Oh. "I... didn't know that," he admits lamely, then glances at where the rebels are starting to gather, "We should get back to the others." It's training time.

Theseus loses track of time as they focus on training the rebels, starting with going over how to destroy tanks, before finally moving on to taking out destroyer droids. As Rex finishes giving out instructions, he finally tosses a bomb to Saw.

"Watch and learn," Saw smirks at Lux, then throws his bomb. It promptly bounces off the destroyer's shield.

"Quite brilliant," Lux teases, and Saw glares at him.

Ahsoka tosses one to Lux, who tries and actually succeeds. "Nice touch," she compliments, the two of them exchanging a smile. Theseus can't quite suppress another flare of something near annoyance running through him. Steela's eyeing them with far more visible frustration, and he can't help but think that there's something going on between her and Lux, especially when she rather rudely pushes past him, approaching the destroyers herself.

Theseus throws a bomb to her, which she tries to throw and fails. "Good try," he compliments anyway.

"Be mindful of your frustration. It will only hold you back," Obi-Wan adds.

Lux heads over to Steela, resting a hand on her shoulder as he begins trying to demonstrate how it's supposed to be thrown. Ahsoka turns away, a flash of something that he doesn't quite catch crossing her face. She's upset too, he realizes. She's likely being torn between him and Lux, plus the fact that Steela is there.

Theseus moves in between the gathered people to stand next to Ahsoka. "Are you..." he trails off, suddenly uncertain how to even approach this, seeing as he's probably part of the problem here. Still, they're best friends, and if she's upset, he has to do something.

She looks up in slight surprise. "Yeah," she says unconvincingly after a moment, "And you?"

"I... think we should talk about this. Later," Theseus replies. Because they can't very well have an emotional talk here when they need to be focusing on the training.

Ahsoka nods her agreement, turning to go as Saw approaches them, suggesting she come help him practice. Theseus heads off to help some of the other rebels, his mind returning fully to the mission, and he loses track of everyone else.

They spend a while longer on destroyers before moving on to target practice.

Steela is just taking aim at another droid when she suddenly freezes. "Wait a minute," she says, fear creeping into her voice, "What is that?"

"Droids!" Saw exclaims as Theseus whirls towards where they're both looking. The Force screams in warning a laser blast flies through the air, tearing into the ground all around them. He dives out of the way, whipping out his lightsaber as the long lines of regular and super battle droids marching into view open fire.

He already knows they can't attack. If they did, they'd not only be fighting the rebels' war for them, they'd also be letting the Separatists know Jedi are involved if anyone came by to look at the debris and noticed lightsaber marks on the droids. Theseus backs away to a more concealed location as he spins his blade furiously, deflecting the shots away. Even if he can't attack, at least he can defend them.

Ignoring any of Obi-Wan's protests in the background about how they should be evacuating, Saw and the other rebels begin throwing disruptors into the droid's ranks, blowing up dozens of them. Still, Theseus knows the fight is far from over. They're going to get overrun unless they can figure something else out, and fast.

Especially when he hears an all too familiar sound, and then tanks roll into view, along with dozens more droids. Steela finds a solution quick enough, blasting open the fences holding in their animals, and soon, the unfortunate droids are being trampled right and left.

It isn't long before all the droids are destroyed, the rebels are retreating from the position to regroup. They won, at least for now. But now it's time to move on to the next stage of the rebellion. Heading into the city.

***

Keeping his hood pulled up over his head, Theseus moves silently in between the alley ways of the city of Iziz, watching the proceedings.

His gaze falls on Lux and Ahsoka for a moment. The two are walking side by side down the street, before Lux finally steps away, darting over to crouch behind a crate, throwing a bomb into the midst of the droids as a group rounds the corner.

"Are you okay?" Anakin whispers to him as they slip down the streets together, heading for a rooftop where Steela will be waiting.

"Of course," he replies almost automatically, shooting him a confused look. Why's he asking?

"You're... a bit preoccupied."

Oh. He didn't realize it was that obvious. "It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Anakin objects quietly.

For a moment, he wants to admit the truth, but Theseus hastily forces the urge away. Unless Anakin already knows, he doesn't want to admit to how he feels towards Ahsoka to anyone, or mention her relationship with Lux. They're Jedi. It's... not done.

They pause at the building which Steela is waiting atop for them. Anakin pats his shoulder. "I understand, to a point, what it's like," he admits. He does? "Just remember, try to put purpose ahead of feeling."

From how many times he got a less-understandable worded version of that from Obi-Wan... "Of course." How would Anakin know how this feels? Theseus decides not to comment as they Carefully climb into the roof. He can't, for the life of him, imagine Anakin being stuck in a weird love-triangle. Actually, it's far more complicated than that. It's more like... a pentagon.

He tries to force those thoughts away, refocusing on Steela shooting down the droids.

***

"This should be enough for today," Saw decides finally. Ahsoka nods her agreement as a tank rolls into view. They don't need to get into taking down one of those today, especially not since they keep sending in more and more reinforcements to back it up. They've already done enough damage anyway, and it's time to discuss the situation.

"Your success will not go unnoticed," Anakin declares, looking between the rebels as they all take seats inside their base. Ahsoka sits between Anakin and Theseus. Her gaze lingers on Lux for a moment – who's standing next to Steela – before she tries to return her attention to the conversation.

She didn't realize until this moment how much she still cared about Lux. It's awkward, being here with both him and Theseus together for such an extended period of time. It's reminding her of what she sometimes wants, even if she knows it's not something she'd ever have anyway as a Jedi.

Theseus has always been her best friend, and she'd always put him first like he would do the same, but she can't deny how she feels towards Lux either. And in a lot of ways, she could actually see something like that with him a lot more. It's just... confusing. Theseus is right. They do need to talk about this.

"We need to be mindful of public perception," Obi-Wan is saying, pulling her back to present, "What were your observations, Padawans?"

"The people were fearful, Master," she replies.

"They don't know our intentions, so they're understandably wary," Theseus supplies.

"Indeed. Judging from the reactions I saw today, I'm afraid they will mistake your intentions," Obi-Wan replies.

"We need to do more damage," Saw declares firmly, "A few dozen broken-down droids will do little to free Onderon."

"The people need to believe we can succeed. Without their support, our efforts are meaningless," Steela concurs.

"If they're afraid, they won't support us. We need to assure them of our intentions," Lux replies.

"I don't understand," Saw objects, "Why are they afraid?"

"They're afraid we're not strong enough to win. We need to earn their trust," Steela explains.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that," Anakin speaks up again, "All of you are going to be very busy." Of all of them, he really is the best at knowing how to talk to the rebels, Ahsoka can't help but note.

And that soon leads the rebels to decide that it's time for them to hit a bigger target. The power generator station.

"We will share the developments with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan decides as the four Jedi and Rex step out onto the streets, away from the rest of the rebels. It's time for them to return to Coruscant. "Ahsoka and Theseus will remain here as advisors. Monitor them and report back with their progress."

Ahsoka looks up at the sudden hand resting on her shoulder. "Are you up for it, Snips? Or would you like to return to Coruscant?"

Would she? She considers it for a moment. The situation is literally messing with her head, but she's really glad to be here with Lux again. No, she doesn't want to go, even if it's difficult to be here. Someone has to, and... she couldn't leave for herself if Lux and the rebels here are going to be in danger. "No, Master, I want to stay," she decides finally.

"Good," he says. He glances at Theseus, eyes lingering for a few minutes before turning away.

"We should continue to provide supplies and credits, but they must learn to operate on their own. Their survival depends on it," Obi-Wan declares, as he turns to walk away.

"I understand, Master," Theseus responds.

"Remember your purpose," Anakin calls back before he heads off after the others.

***

"Why is the light off?" Ahsoka asks as she slips into the room where she and Theseus have been staying. Time for that talkthey need to have. They haven't had time until now, being as they spend the entire afternoon and evening blowing up the power station.

Theseus gives her a half smile. "I figured it would be easier to talk in the dark."

Okayyy, then. "You humans are weird," she teases as she takes a seat next to him.

"Thanks," he deadpans.

Back on topic. Suddenly, she doesn't know what to even say. "Where do we start?" she asks finally.

Theseus seems to be mulling over that for a few moments before replying. "Why don't we start with... being open with each other. About how we feel."

Ahsoka nods, hesitating a moment before she starts talking. Talking about emotional things like this so openly isn't something she has an easy time with – although being Anakin's padawan certainly made it far easier than it was – but she knows they need to do it. "I know there's been something more between us than just friends ever since... that day," she says finally, "I suppose I never really thought about it much, though, until I ran into Lux. I do care about him too, but he's with Steela anyway, so..."

Theseus nods slowly. "Yeah, I know. The same was true for me too... until around Mortis." He smiles wryly for a moment. "I suppose I should add there's someone else I also thought of a little like that too, but it's also something I know couldn't go anywhere because of her situation." Well, that is good to know. Ahsoka had no idea. She's not sure who he could be talking about, but it doesn't really matter right now.

"What do you want, in all this?" Theseus asks after a moment, "You know, practicality aside."

"I don't know," Ahsoka admits, "I know we're Jedi so it really shouldn't matter anyway, but I suppose it still does, at least to a point. Ever since... Hardeen," she trails off. She can't look at the Jedi the same way anymore, and it hurts. She knows, now, that they'll go to any means necessary to achieve their goals, no matter who gets hurt in their way. Even if they are trying to do what's best, they aren't always right like she used to believe.

"I know," Theseus says quietly, "I've thought about... leaving before, but..."

Before, Ahsoka would never be able to understand how he could even think something like that, but now... "I have too," she admits, "But it's always been my – our lives. It's not something I could decide right now. But, back on topic, I'm not really ready for a relationship like that anyway. I don't even know for sure if I actually want too... you know."

"Yeah," Theseus agrees, "I... do want that with someone. At least some day. I want... more than the family we can have in the Order. I suppose since we've always been best friends and only had each other I kind of assume that if I ever did, it would be with you, but at the same time..."

She's pretty sure he's thinking about whoever that other person is. "You can almost see yourself with... her even more?" She guesses, suppressing a pang of jealousy.

He nods. "Yeah, even if I know it's not really realistic."

"I can say the same about Lux," she admits, even if it almost hurts to admit.

Silence falls over them for a few moments before Theseus speaks up again. "Hey, think about it like this. We've always been best friends, and there's no reason anything ever needs to change that. Maybe it is better for both of us if we stay as just friends?"

Maybe he's right, even if Ahsoka doesn't really want to admit it right now. She knows he doesn't either. They're loyal to each other first because they've always been friends, not necessarily because that's what either of them wants more. "Maybe," she agrees finally, "And if we ever change our minds one day, we still can."

Ahsoka scoots closer to him, turning so she can slip an arm around him. Theseus returns the gesture immediately, pulling her into a tight hug. She's missed this, having some proper time to spend with him, especially without any confusing thoughts as to their relationship.

She wraps her arms tighter around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "If we're never anything other than friends, I'd still be okay with that," she whispers finally.

"Me too," he concurs, "It doesn't change anything." Neither of them says anything for a few long moments, Ahsoka letting herself focus on the feel of her best friend's Force presence next to her. "So, to be sure we're clear," Theseus says after a moment, "We're both free to do what we want or are we both going to wait until we've figured this out?"

Ahsoka pauses, considering that. "If anything ever happens with us... it'll be because we both truly want it. I don't think it's something we need to wait anything for."

With that settled, she feels... freer than she has in a while, and she can imagine Theseus feels likewise. For now, she's grateful she'll always have him at her side.

***

Initially, Theseus is feeling a lot better after his talk with Ahsoka, but now that he's lying awake in bed as he listens to the sound of her even breathing, his mind starts whirring again. When he's focusing on the mission it's much easier, but now that he's sitting alone in his quarters for the night, all the doubts that keep haunting Theseus' mind come pouring back to him. The Hardeen incident... it shook his faith in the Jedi far more than anything ever has, even more than when he Fell, than when he constantly questioned how he could be a Jedi if he stayed in contact with his mother even though nothing felt inherently wrong about wanting to have a family. He – he can't see the Order the same way anymore. He knew they were wrong about things, but this... they stooped to a level far below anything he ever thought could happen.

Something needs to change. The Order can't keep going on like this. That much he knows, but he doesn't know what it would take to change them. Force, he doesn't even know what needs to change. Even if he did, it's not like anyone would pay a mere padawan any attention. And it's not like there's anyone he can even talk to about this.

He feels so lost, and he doesn't know where to start looking for answers.

In the end, no matter how much he wants to walk away from the Order, it has always been his life. He wants to do something about it, before it's too late. Whatever 'too late' means, he doesn't know, but the very thought sends a chilling fear through him, and he doesn't let himself dwell on it any longer. One attachment all Jedi seem to have – and that still includes him to a point – is to the Order, and he really wishes there was something he could do.

First, he probably needs to re-find balance in himself. He had things mostly sorted out after Mortis but now it's like everything was plunged into chaos all over again, even if he's pretending everything is the same. Yes, he expected that the Dark Side is a part of himself he can never get rid of, but now he's questioning if he doesn't actually need to do more. To learn it? But how could he ever do that?

Unless... there's only one thing he can think of, one person who might be able to offer him some advice. Someone he hasn't talked to since Mortis. Revan.

Assuming there's even a way he could initiate a conversation with him in the first place. After a moment of contemplation, Theseus shifts into a meditative position, letting his mind drift off into the Force. He's hardly sure what he's doing, but he tries reaching out for him... and let's his mind take it from there.

Theseus reaches out, hardly sure exactly what he's doing, but finally he senses who is it he's trying to find. "Revan?" he asks, suddenly feeling awkward. He's never initiated any communication between the two of them before.

In his meditative state, he finds himself standing across from the familiar helmeted figure, the background surrounding them is dark, not that he's focusing on it. "What is it, young one?"

"I... want to learn the Dark Side," he blurts out in a rush, ignoring how he's technically betraying everything he's worked for. "Can – can you teach me?" There. Right to the point.

There's a pause before he speaks, the helmeted head inclining slightly. "I cannot," he says at last, "I can no longer interact with the living to that extent. I can guide you to find balance, but you must find another to teach you."

Well, that complicates things. Who could he go to for that? "Who could I ask?" Theseus queries.

"The choice is yours," he replies, "But you will find the right opportunity in time." That... is about as clear as mud, but okay. The only people who even know the Dark Side that he's aware of are the two Sith. He's definitely not about to go to Dooku for help, not when he makes a hobby out of torturing Anakin. And he has no idea who the Sith Master is, but he's definitely not going to him, which leaves him pretty much out of options for the moment.

Apparently, he'll know when the time is right. Well... that doesn't help him much right now, but he decides to get back to that line of thought later. "What about the Jedi?" he blurts finally.

"They have long since lost their way."

"I know, but... is there anything I can... do about that?"

"The younger ones perhaps could change. The older ones are too set in their ways. First, you must find balance within yourself," Revan responds.

"I understand," he replies slowly.

He should have figured as much, Theseus supposes. He can't help anyone if he can't help himself, so he needs to focus on finding balance. Somehow.

Chapter Text

Theseus moves silently through the streets again, dropping the holodevice he's carrying in a nearby stand before moving on like he didn't do anything at all. Time for the next step of the plan.

"It's time," the message finally cracked through his comm, and he pushes the button on his. All across the city, large holograms of Steela appear.

"People of Onderon, the time has come to take back our freedom. We have all been deceived. King Rash is a traitor who has sold Onderon to the Separatists for the crown. But Onderon is ours. We need your strength to reclaim our planet and restore our sovereignty under our true king, King Dendup!"

Steela really is good at giving these speeches. It's no wonder she accidentally got herself appointed as the official rebel leader only the night before. He didn't have a very good first impression of her, but now he's beginning to rethink that.

Glancing around, Theseus doesn't miss how a number of the surrounding civilians are murmuring quietly to each other, some of them nodding seemingly in agreement over what she said. This may have been the next very important step in freeing Onderon.

Of course, when they're getting support is when everything has to promptly fall apart. The Separatists announce the scheduled execution of King Dendup the next afternoon. Being the reckless idiot he is sometimes, Saw promptly takes off to try saving him on his own. Of course, that works out splendidly. Theseus feels a mix of irritation and fond exasperation.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Ahsoka sighs as Theseus follows her back to their room.

"I don't either," he agrees grimly. Going to openly rescue Dendup like that, especially when that's what the Separatists are expecting, could easily get them all killed. "But it's their choice. I don't know what we can do."

"Me neither," Ahsoka sighs, sinking down onto the bench, "They're have to be the ones to make the decisions, but..."

"Yeah, and their minds are already made up," Theseus agrees, "Come on, let's call our masters."

She nods as she dials the frequency to their comms. They answer almost immediately, and they start giving their nightly update.

"I sense fear in you," Obi-Wan comments.

"The rebels are divided. If they try to rescue the king now, I'm afraid we might lose them," Ahsoka explains.

"If they go through with this, they could easily destroy themselves entirely," Theseus agrees.

"We cannot control their fate," his master reminds.

"I know," he sighs.

"It's just... they're risking so many lives to save one," Ahsoka sighs.

"Do not underestimate the king's power. He represents hope and he's critical their success," Obi-Wan says. True. But that will only make a difference if they don't get themselves complete wiped out in the process of trying to save him.

"I feel responsible for them," Ahsoka admits finally.

"I know you do, Snips," Anakin speaks up at last. He's been quiet almost the entire time. "But remember, purpose must come before feelings."

"Step in only if you must, but remember," Obi-Wan cautions, "If this experiment is to become an effective strategy, they must learn to survive on their own."

***

The next afternoon comes much too quickly. Theseus finds himself standing next to Ahsoka admit the throngs of people here for the execution, though both of them have their hoods pulled up to avoid recognition.

King Rash steps forwards to give his announcement about how Dendup is responsible for terrorist acts, and bla bla bla, before the droid guards shove the former king onto his knees, pushing his head through the ray shield.

"Wait for my signal," Steela whispers to the others. Theseus still can't believe she seriously decided to come out here without any disguise. It's not like the droids don't know who she is.

"Ready weapons!" shouts Rash. The droids raise their electrostaffs, preparing to strike.

"Now!" Steela hisses. Several of the rebels instantly open fire, blasting the two guard droids. Lux runs forwards, throwing smoke bombs onto the platform, blinding everyone. The rest of the rebels run forwards, freezing Dendup and Saw, before racing back down the steps.

But what they don't see – and what Theseus has no way of warning them about – is the group of super battle droids barging through the crowd. The one in front fires a blast, shooting down the rebel in front. Moments later, they're surrounded on all sides.

No, no, this was exactly what Theseus was afraid of. He exchanges a tense glance with Ahsoka. They can't stand back and let the rebels die. "We need to do something," Ahsoka whispers in agreement. The two more forwards together, pushing their way through the crowd.

"Yeah, I think now counts as time for an emergency intervention," he agrees in a low voice

"Surrender now, or die," warns the droid general.

"It's over. Do as they say," Dendup advises.

The people start shouting in protest as the group is led back onto the platform. "Calm yourselves!" Rash calls, obviously intending to pretend they aren't literally protesting his rule, "The threat is over. See for yourselves as these traitors all endure the same punishment."

Dendup's head is shoved through the rayshield again, the droids moving back into position. "The snake will not strike again," Rash growls.

Theseus continues to push through the crowd, realizing with growing panic that they'll never get not in time. Not unless they Force-jump up there, which would be more than likely to end up getting a bunch of the rebels killed rather than anything else.

Just then, the doors behind them swing open, and the General and a group of Onderoni military run into view, aiming their weapons at the droids. "Stop!" the General yells.

"What?!" Rash exclaims in shock.

"The only snake I see, sire, is you," the General snaps in response.

"Traitor!" the King spits.

"I was," he shoots back, "Not anymore." He steps forwards, grabbing the king and pressing the long handle of his spear up near his neck.

Cheers ring through the crowd, and Theseus won't deny his satisfaction. Finally, the people are showing what they truly want.

"What are you doing, General?" demands Rash angrily.

"Go," he orders, and everyone immediately takes off. The crowd parts to let them through.

"Everyone, go with them," he adds, giving his own soldiers a pointed look, even as they continue to protest. Finally, they give in as well, following, leaving him alone. All the droids immediately shift into firing position.

"What now, General?" Rash growls, "As soon as you release me, you'll be shot dead."

"Now!" Ahsoka hisses, and leaps over everyone's heads, landing on the platform. She Force-throws all the droids to the ground as Theseus lands behind her.

Shocked exclamations run through the crowd.

"Come on," Theseus urges.

"Follow me," Ahsoka commands.

The General lets go of the king, knocking him face first onto the stares before he turns, hurrying after them into the crowd. Theseus stays in the back, hand on his lightsaber as he prepares for the droids to give pursuit and open fire.

But they don't, because the moment they reach the bottom of the stairs, the crowd moves forwards, blocking the way. "Dendup is the true king! We want the Separatists gone! Save Dendup!" People in the crowd yell as the three hastily head for where the other rebels are heading. All in all, it seems this mission has been a success so far. Theseus only hopes it will stay that way.

***

"This will really help rally the people to our case," Saw states happily, as he and Theseus stand off to the side, watching as King Dendup finishes giving his speech. After the execution, they were forced to retreat back out to a hideout in the mountains again. Several of the other rebels, Lux and Ahsoka included, went back to Iziz to drop off more comms so the king could give a speech, rallying the people against the Separatist forces.

"Well, we shouldn't have to wait long to find out their reactions," Theseus agrees, turning to watch the horizon.

Sure enough, one of those large orange bird-like creatures soon flies into view, Lux and Ahsoka riding on its back. From the way Lux is grinning as he hops off it, whatever happened obviously went well. "The people are turning against the droids," he announces, "There's rioting in the streets now."

"That's a beautiful thing," Saw grins, patting his shoulder.

"We need to keep the battle in the outskirts of the city," cautions Steela, walking over to them, "Less structures and people."

"But less clankers," her brother argues, "Their main force is in Iziz. We should join the fight down there and take it straight to King Rash." He sees the reasoning, but it's hardly the right tactic. All it'll do is get a lot of people killed.

"We all want victory, but not at the cost of innocent lives! If we fight door to door, no one is safe," she objects.

"This is war, Steela."

"She's right," Dendup cuts in, "The more you draw the droids from the city to the highlands, the safer the people will be."

"My men await your command, my lord," the general declares. With him and so many other of the Onderoni military having joined up with the rebels, the chance of their success has grown a lot higher. Well, excluding the tiny fact that the Separatists now know Jedi are involved, so they're bound to bring in a lot of new toys.

"I believe there is a new contender," Dendup replies, then turns to Steela, "You will lead our forces, including the royal army. Steela is now the commanding general."

"Let's ride," Steela orders once the discussions are over.

"You planning to go with Lux?" Theseus queries, moving to stand next to Ahsoka.

"Yeah," she replies, "You could ride in with Steela if you want."

"No, I think I'll stay here with Saw," he decides after a moment, "Best to have one of us in both places in case something happens."

Ahsoka nods her agreement, then hurries back over to Lux as his animal finally lands. She climbs on its back, but Steela catches Lux's arm before he has the chance too. "Just in case," she whispers and kisses him. Theseus can understand why – they don't even know if they're going to see each other again – but that doesn't mean it doesn't somewhat bother him that they did that right in front of Ahsoka.

She's pointedly looking away but turns back to Lux as soon as he climbs on in front of her. The two exchange grins almost like they're sharing some sort of inside joke before the two creatures fly away.

Theseus decides to reconsider his position, and moves to join Ahsoka, Steela, and Lux on the top of the cliff once all the rebels are gathering for battle. If he's not going to be fighting down there, he'll be more at risk of being collateral damage than anything else. He really, really wishes they actually could fight, but unless it becomes urgent, they'll have to stick to sitting it out.

Sunlight flashing off metal catches his eye, and he looks up sharply to see the long columns of droids finally marching into view, practically covering the entire flat ground where they are. Tanks roll into view within their ranks.

All chaos breaks loose. Saw and the other rebels on those animals take off, flying overhead and throwing explosives into the droid's ranks. The rebels on the ground all immediately charge the droids, and everyone open fires on each other. Steela and Lux start shooting down at them as well, and at least for the moment, they actually seem to be winning.

Just then, a sudden deafening explosion tears right through a large group of the rebel forces. What?! Theseus' head snaps up, scanning the area trying to figure out where it came from. Smoke is hanging thickly in the air from all the fighting, so it's hard to actually see anything.

"Where did that come from?!" Steela cries.

"There!" Ahsoka yells, pointing.

Following her gaze, he spots several large cylindrical droid ships circling around the side of the canyon. Lux and Steela instantly shoot at it, but the blasts bounce harmlessly off the sides.

"Ray shields," Theseus realizes grimly.

"Yeah, and now we have its attention!" Ahsoka warns, as it flies straight at them, firing again. The large laser blasts barrage the side of the cliff they're standing on, making it shake violently.

"Any ideas?" Steela demands.

"Yeah. Run!" The Togruta whirls around and takes off.

They race for the waiting animals, Ahsoka and Lux leaping on one, and Theseus jumping off the side of the cliff to land on Steela's as they fly away in the nick of time.

The new droid forces rain constant fire on the rebels, forcing them all into a rapid retreat. Most of those who don't have an animal to ride or fly on don't even make it that far.

"We need to do something!" Theseus exclaims, running over to Ahsoka once they finally get off the animals back on the ground, where the others go to join the raging and now rapidly growing hopeless battle.

"I know!" she calls back, "Maybe we can –" Without bothering to finish the thought, she withdraws her comm, calling their masters, and rapidly explaining the situation.

Of course, Obi-Wan only delivers the bad news Theseus was already certain they were going to hear anyway. "Even Master Windu would be wary at this point. The Council will not engage or involve the Republic in an internal affair."

"But they'll never be able to do this alone anymore, with the Separatists full attention on them like this!" Theseus argues.

"They have a new gunship with a powerful ray shield. Nothing's getting pasts it," Ahsoka adds.

"I'm sorry, but they will have to find a way," Obi-Wan insists, "Do not stay there if their failure is certain." Don't stay?! They need to help them! Yes, this isn't the usual thing they get involved in, but now that they're here, they can't leave! "Evacuate who you can and return to Coruscant immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," he replies reluctantly, as the connection breaks.

The battle around them is only growing more and more hopeless. The only chance they have now is retreating, and it seems the rebels are rapidly reaching the same conclusion.

***

Steela immediately takes control once they've retreated back to the Nest, issuing commands on what they need to do to prepare for the droid's arrival. What happens when the droids show up is anyone's guess. Unless they can find a way to get past those ray shields, they're pretty much doomed.

"You have to help us," Lux requests, turning to them.

"We'll do all we can to protect you, but we can't fight this war for you," Ahsoka sighs, regret clear in her tone.

Theseus wishes so much there was a way they could do more. But he does know one thing. When those droids so show, he will help, even if he's not actually attacking the droids.

Disappointment flashes across Lux's face and he turns to leave.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without you," Steela asserts.

"I wish there was more we could do," Theseus murmurs quietly.

"Wait, looks like we have company!" Ahsoka exclaims suddenly, pointing. Sure enough, a large ship is landing in the middle of the clearing outside. Steela and Lux withdraw their blasters as they run out there.

An all too familiar figure strides down the ramp. "Hondo?" Theseus utters in confusion. Glancing around, he sees other pirates unloading crates of something from the ship. What in the world are they doing here? The last times he ran into them, it was never under very good terms.

"Well!" Hondo exclaims, looking around, "Look what we have here." His gaze falls on Theseus. "Padawan Shan, my old friend, am I correct?"

"I'm surprised you remember me," Theseus retorts, eyes narrowed, "And for the record, we're not friends."

Hondo laughs. "I remember all of my Jedi friends." Fine. Whatever. This conversation is stupid anyway. It's best not to keep arguing. He's probably here for a reason.

"What are you doing here?" demands Ahsoka.

"You should thank me, child," he retorts, "I have brought you a gift from Skywalker and Kenobi. The latest from Sienar." What?!

One of the rebels reaches down, shoving off the top of one of the crates to reveal rocket launchers. "Rocket launchers?" Ahsoka realizes in surprise. What's going on here? Why is Hondo delivering them weapons?!

"Shoulder fire. Very expensive," Hondo says by way of answer.

"Who paid for them?" Theseus inquires suspiciously. This was definitely Anakin's idea, he knows that much. Obi-Wan would never have come up with it on his own, or likely even approved if he heard the details.

"Very handsomely!" he exclaims, as if that answers the question. A blaster shot suddenly rings out and Theseus whirls around to see two assassin droids leaping up over the side of the hill, charging them. "Oh my, look at the time!" Hondo exclaims again, "Well, my work here is done." He turns, rapidly disappearing back onto his ship, and moments later it takes off.

Several of the rebels immediately start shooting back, and Steela calls her animal, which flies down over the hills, picking up the droids with its clawed feet and carrying them away. "They must have seen Hondo's ship," she grumbles.

"It was only a patrol," Ahsoka points out.

"Or so we can hope," Theseus replies, "Either way, the droids will be here soon enough, and we'll have to be ready."

"We should get these down to the others," Steela decides. Each of them takes one, and they climb back onto their animals, taking off for where the battle is already breaking out again. It doesn't take them long to find Saw, and Steela hands him the rocket launcher she's carrying.

"I hope they work," she sighs.

"There's only one way to find out," he retorts, then promptly runs out from where they're taking cover – ignoring Steela's protests – and aims it at one of the oncoming saucer-shaped droids. He fires a blast, and it strikes the side, exploding instantly. The droid spirals out of control, crashing to the ground amidst smoke and flames. "I love this!" Saw cheers.

"Distribute the rocket launchers and take out those gunships," Steela orders. Then her comm suddenly beeps.

"They're attacking the Nest," someone warns, "They're after the King/"

Steela is already running for her animal before the person is even finished. She takes off seconds later as Ahsoka and Lux scramble to theirs.

"Looks like I'm staying behind," Theseus concludes, turning back to watch the battle. They've reached the most crucial moment of it, and it's time for him to join. Theseus pulls out his lightsaber, positioning himself so he can protect them while they use the rocket launchers to shoot down the droid ships.

"Last one's mine," Saw decides gleefully, as he takes aim, firing. The blast strikes it spot on, and it spirals out of control, spinning towards one of the higher land formations.

Theseus is about to turn his attention back to the battle, since even if the droid ships are down, there's still plenty of ground forces to go, when one of the other rebels yells, "Look!"

He spins around to see Steela dangling off the edge of the cliff, barely managing to hold on. Saw drops his weapon, eyes going wide with panic as he runs towards her – not that there's even anything he can do from here.

But there is something Theseus might be able to do. Deactivating his lightsaber, he runs for the cliff. As he does, he sees Lux run to the edge, trying to pull her back up, but not managing to reach even close enough. Ahsoka appears at the edge moments later, pulling Lux back to safety, and then reaching out with the Force to lift Steela back over the edge. But for some reason, Theseus is pretty sure something is about to go terribly wrong. He finally skids to a stop below the cliff – or at least as close as he can get given the jagged rock formations everywhere – staring up anxiously at it.

With the commotion of the battle still raging, he can't tell exactly what happens, but there's a sudden flash of something – another blaster shot – and it hits Ahsoka. She falls out of sight, her Force grip on Steela breaking. The girl falls straight over the edge, plummeting far too quickly for the ground below.

"Steela!" Saw cries.

Theseus instantly reaches out, struggling to slow her fall with the Force. He's done this before, all the time with the clones when they jump off cliffs – or get thrown off courtesy of Anakin and Ahsoka. It's not that difficult. It's only thanks to their insanity, in the end of the day, that he knows how to do this. Tuning everything else out, he wraps the Force around her and slows her fall. Gently, he lowers her safely to the ground.

"Steela?" Saw cries, running over to her. He reaches down to help her to her feet and pulls her into a hug.

Theseus doesn't know why the moment suddenly makes him wonder what it would be like to have a biological sibling who he could actually be a sibling with.

You had that chance, a voice whispers in the back of his mind, but you chose to walk away.

He pointedly ignores the thought. "Are you okay?" he asks instead.

"Yeah," Steela replies, several long moments passing before she finally pulls away from her brother, "We need to get back to the battle."

A battle that, with the droid ships gone, they're now rapidly winning. It won't be long before the Separatists are defeated, and once the droids are destroyed, they'll be able to reclaim the capital. Onderon's freedom is finally within reach.

Chapter Text

The method they used on Onderon was extremely effective and thank the Force for that. So far, neither side has been gaining ground. Now, there might be hope. After everything that happened, the planet decided to join the Republic after all. Lux was appointed the Senator, which means that there's a chance he and Ahsoka will be able to see each other from time to time now.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Theseus looks down at his comm. The frequency isn't one he's ever seen before, which is weird. He generally doesn't get calls just out of nowhere like this. It could be something important, or it could be a wrong number altogether.

He reaches down, pushing the answer button just in case, instantly freezing at the sight of the holographic figure who appears in front of him. What – what – He'd recognize those armor markings anywhere, even if he hasn't seen it in months.

It's hardly a surprise – given that he's just standing there, staring stupidly – when Bo-Katan is the first to speak. "Marr?" That name. His Mandalorian name. He hasn't heard it in so long. It's not something he ever told anyone else about.

"Bo?" he blurts finally, "What's..." Why is she calling? Yes, he gave her his frequency for a reason, but he still doubted she was ever going to use it. Why would she?

"You said I could call if I wanted," she replies, removing her helmet, "And there's a bit of an emergency going on right now."

Theseus stiffens. An emergency? What sort of emergency could make a terrorist call a Jedi? "What's going on?" he demands.

"You've heard of the Sith named Maul and Savage, right?" she asks.

Of course. How could he possibly not have? Shortly after the Hardeen incident, Maul had shown up again, determined to get revenge on Obi-Wan for... Theseus isn't sure, even. He never heard all the details. Didn't ask. "Yes..." he answers cautiously.

"They've taken over Death Watch and are now in control of Mandalore."

They did? Then what happened to Satine?! Something tells him that that's not why Bo is calling him, though. This is what she always wanted, after all. "I thought that's what you want? I mean, shouldn't you be glad?" Theseus queries instead.

"After our initial alliance, something I was opposed to from the start," Bo responds, "Maul challenged Vizsla to a duel... and won." He can sense the grief and rage swirling in her, even if her expression doesn't change. "He's the so-called leader of Mandalore, now."

"What?" Theseus breaths, the implications of what she just said not wanting to sink in. He learned enough about Mandalorian tradition to know what happens to the person who loses duels like that. And that means... that Vizsla...

His father is dead.

He doesn't want to believe it. He almost wants to ask in the stupidest, slim hope that she'll say he's still alive, but he doesn't. He already knows the answer, way inside, if nothing else.

Yes, he might have left Carlac with the intention of never going back, but a part of him always expected that someday, he was still going to see his family again. At the very least, he knew they were still alive.

Vizsla might have been a terrorist, and a terrible person, but in the end, he was still his father. Theseus cared about him, far more than he probably should have, and he never realized until this moment just how much.

For a moment, he thinks of that last time he saw him and his sister, right before he snuck out of the tent that night. He'd wanted to say goodbye, all the while knowing that there was obviously no way he could. And to think that it was the last his father heard of him, knowing that he left everyone anyway... A surge of crushing guilt rushes through Theseus, and for the first time he'll actually admit to himself, he misses his father.

Theseus is silently grateful that Bo doesn't speak, just allowing him time to get over the shock. He can see a look of silent understanding in her eyes. "What do you want me to do?" he asks finally.

"We could your help and that of other Jedi to defeat the Sith," Bo replies, "Satine has been imprisoned and may well be executed, so I imagine Master Kenobi will be... interested in assisting. Some of the people are still loyal to Satine as well, and though we have not been in contact with them yet, I imagine they will attempt to stage an escape for her, which is almost certain to fail without help."

At least Satine's still alive, Theseus mentally sighs with relief. "I'll explain the situation to him and see what we can do," he promises, "And I'll call you back with an update."

Bo nods, giving him a grateful smile for a brief moment before the call ends.

Now how to go about awkwardly explaining this to his master... "Master?" Theseus asks, stepping out into the main room where Obi-Wan is working on Council work on his datapad.

Suddenly, he's nervous. How is he even going to explain something like this? He's basically asking for a very long lecture.

Still, it's not like he has a choice anyway. Bo and Satine need his help, and this is urgent.

"Yes, padawan?" Obi-Wan asks, looking up. He looks worn out already, and it makes him feel worse about making this day worse.

"I... got a call," Theseus begins finally, crossing his arms, "Apparently Death Watch has taken over Mandalore and Satine is imprisoned. Darth Maul is now the head of Death Watch," he finishes in a rush.

Obi-Wan blinks, seeming rendered speechless for a moment, "How do you know that?" he finally inquires dubiously.

Now for the hard part. "Someone I knew when I was with Death Watch called me," he says, doing his best not to squirm, "She... is one of the few opposed to Maul's rule."

"You have contact with a terrorist?" Obi-Wan demands, voice rising slightly.

"Not exactly? I mean... she has my frequency but –"

"You gave her your comm frequency," he repeats flatly.

"Yes! But aren't there more important things to worry about right now? Like the Duchess' life?" Theseus objects. There's no time for a long lecture about how he should never have done that or whatever right now. As it turns out, it might be a good thing he did, or they probably wouldn't have found out. "If Maul is there, I think we should make a move."

"How do you know that this contact of yours is even telling you the truth about the situation?" Obi-Wan queries.

"Why would she lie?" He knows he sounds seriously defensive now, but he can't help it.

"Maybe to try luring you back there."

"Yeah, well she wouldn't have to come up with something that extreme to get me to – I mean!" he splutters, realizing he implied he actually might want to go back if asked, "There's no reason she'd come up with a story that extreme. She said that Satine has other supporters still on Mandalore who are planning a rescue – one that will likely fail if Maul and Savage are left at large. They need the Jedi's help."

"I'll speak with the Council about it," Obi-Wan replies in a tone Theseus can't quite read. He seems annoyed and worried at the same time.

***

"I don't mean to point this out," Anakin comments, walking alongside Obi-Wan and Theseus, "But it's kind of strange to see you acting... well, like me."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Anakin," Obi-Wan objects.

Theseus smothers a smirk. Sure, he doesn't. There's only one reason he agreed to any of this in the first place, and it's very clearly because of how he feels towards Satine.

"You're putting your relationship with Satine ahead of what the Jedi Council wants," Anakin elaborates. He had tried talking to the Council about it, but since there was no Separatist involvement in what happened, the Jedi and Republic have no authority – or resources – to get involved. Instead, Theseus and Obi-Wan had gone to talk to Anakin instead; simply because they can't go there on an official mission, doesn't mean they can't go at all.

"Really, I'm simple helping Satine in her time of trouble. The policies of the Chancellor and the Jedi often don't meet eye to eye these days." Honestly, Theseus can tell that the only reasons Obi-Wan's even bothering to go in the first place is because of how he feels about Satine, and because it's Maul who's doing this. It's admittedly weird to see him doing things because it's so... personal to him.

But what Theseus doesn't exactly understand is why Obi-Wan doesn't want to tell Anakin that Maul is the one behind what's happening on Mandalore. Yes, he'll want to come, but why would that be a problem? Unless it's because he doesn't want them to create a bigger scene then they already will be.

Anakin chuckles, stopping to rest a hand on his former master's shoulder. "Hey, if you want some time alone with your girlfriend, just say so."

Obi-Wan shakes his head in exasperation, turning his attention to look at the Twilight. "What happened to that thing?" Theseus exclaims.

"It crashed. I was repairing it," Anakin replies lightly.

"Are you sure it will get us to Mandalore in one piece?" Obi-Wan asks skeptically.

"Positive!" he insists, smirking. Anakin looks like he's trying not to laugh. Theseus narrows his eyes at him. "I made some modifications. Trust me. We should change the name from Twilight to Flawless."

"Oh, absolutely!" Theseus exclaims. "With all that smoke pouring everywhere... and how close it looks to going to pieces. Perfectly normal. How many bolts did you take out of this thing? Actually, how many are left?"

"Enough to carry you to Mandalore," Anakin promises.

"Good, or you'll be picking us up floating in the hyperspace lanes."

"We should go," Obi-Wan advises finally, heading for the ramp. Theseus throws a final glance over his shoulder before following. Something on the control panels is sparking and crackling as Obi-Wan starts up the engines, and the ship shakily takes off the ground.

"Now I'm questioning if it will even make it off Coruscant," he adds under his breath as it blasts away into the sky. They wouldn't have taken this if they had another option, but they didn't. It's a Council unsanctioned mission, and the 212th didn't have any ships available. Anakin always does... even if it's a half-built wreck like the Twilight.

"I should probably call her back," Theseus suggests. "We can try to plan on the way."

"Go ahead," Obi-Wan replies.

Suddenly feeling unbearably nervous and decidedly uncomfortable thanks to his master sitting next to him, Theseus dials Bo's frequency back in. He's never liked Obi-Wan seeing how attached he can be to his family and friends. Bo answers almost immediately. "Marr?" she asks.

Obi-Wan gives him an odd look, which he chooses to ignore.

"I'm on my way. Master Kenobi is here with me," Theseus explains without preamble, "We can probably... plan on the way?"

Bo nods. "Very well."

***

Landing the ship is truly flawless, indeed. They trail smoke all the way, and it barely manages to land. The gears are screeching and groaning like the miserable hunk of metal they are the entire time. The ramp doesn't lower all the way, either. Theseus stomps on it several times to actually get it to lower enough that they can walk down without banging their heads. It still doesn't lower all the way, so they climb off.

Somehow, he thinks Anakin was trying to make a fool of them. Well, that, and the fact that it's not like he had another ship to lend them in the first place. It's the only ship, other than his fighter, that he actually owns.

Bo Katan is standing in the front, waiting for them, as they step off the ship in the remote location she asked them to meet. Theseus stiffens at the sight of who's standing behind her. Anastasia.

Seeing her so unexpectedly is a glaring reminder all over again of how his father is dead. And how they were just starting to form a bond of sorts before he... left. He's not looking forwards to the conversation, especially not right in front of Obi-Wan.

Suddenly, he's immensely grateful that he has the helmet of his Mandalorian armor on. He'd been planning to use it as a disguise when they came, since it would conveniently make him blend in.

"Well, look who it is," his sister snarks, "And here I thought you'd be too busy running back to your Jedi friends again to show up." He winces internally, the comment stinging far more than he wants to admit.

"Anastasia –"

"What?" she snaps, "Planning on trying to lecture me on how you had to so badly run off to save the galaxy or whatever other hero nonsense you can come up with? Don't even bother. I already know never to trust a Jedi again."

"That's enough," Bo says, giving her a sharp look. He can practically feel his sister glaring back before she turns to stalk off. "Come on," Bo gestures for the two of them to go on ahead.

Theseus is certain he can feel Obi-Wan's gaze on him, but he pointedly looks away, letting him past to follow after the others.

Bo catches Theseus arm before he can go any farther. "It's good to have you back," she says quietly.

He looks up at her in surprise. Yes, she'd been being polite to him, but after what his sister just said, he wasn't sure what to think. "It's good to see you again," he admits, and it's true. More than it should be.

"So that's your master?" she comments, gaze following Obi-Wan as heads after the others towards their tent, apparently still not noticing that the two of them aren't following yet.

Theseus nods, eyes following his sister for a moment as she disappears into the tent. He can't help but think any relationship they were ever starting to form before is totally gone now. He was stupid for even thinking or wanting otherwise, and it hurts a lot more than it should.

"Don't let it bother you," Bo advises, "She's upset right now, after what happened. It's not because of you that she's being like that, at least not entirely." Oh. He should've figured as much. Her father died too, after all. As much as Theseus might have cared about him, Vizsla never raised him like he raised her. How he feels can't begin to compare to what she must be going through right now.

Maybe... he could try talking to her later. After the mission is over.

"What happened after I left?" He blurts the question almost without thinking.

Bo's helmet inclines slightly, but with it on, he can't really read how she feels about all that. "Do you really want to get into that right now?"

On second thought... He knows a part of him is only asking because of how guilty he feels right now and knowing the answer to that is likely only going to make it much worse. "Maybe not," he admits after a moment, then hesitates, "No one ever did find out that you... Did they?"

"No," she answers, almost stiffly, and he winces internally again. Is she upset at him too? Or is it just that she's been badly affected by Vizsla's death, also? The two of them were quite close, even if he never really knew what their relationship was. Something a little close to adopted father and daughter, perhaps? He's not really sure, but they often acted a little like it.

"Do you regret it?" he asks again.

Bo's quiet for a long moment, as though considering her answer. "I don't know," she says finally, "But we shouldn't keep the others waiting." She turns to go, and then stops again, "I do hope you've been practicing with your jetpack enough to actually not promptly crash this time?" A more teasing note slips into her voice.

"Hey, that was one time!" Theseus protests, "Only the first time I tried it out!" And an embarrassing experience he's much rather forget. "And yes, I have been practicing." Sort of.

"Good."

With that, the two of them finally hurry into the tent to catch up with the others. Now, time to finish finalizing the details of the plan for Satine's rescue.

***

Something is wrong. Anakin can feel it. Obi-Wan and Theseus may have said they were going to Mandalore to help Satine with whatever's going on with Death Watch, but he feels like there's something more going on, maybe that they didn't even know. It's been a while since they left, and there's still no signs of them or anything. Of course, it's possible and quite likely that they ran into some sort of complication, but he's still worried.

He should've gone with them. But at this point, it's almost too late.

"You seem tired, Chancellor. Is something the matter?" Anakin queries as he approaches the Chancellor's desk.

"Just pondering the great matters of our galaxy, my boy," Palpatine replies, standing up, "Now, what can I do for you?"

"In confidence, Chancellor, Master Kenobi and his padawan have gone to Mandalore, but they haven't returned."

"I suspected as much," he replies.

Now for what he needs to do... "I know there's nothing the Jedi Council can do, but maybe I can help them," Anakin says slowly.

"Impossible," Palpatine objects, "Master Kenobi has made this a personal matter. You have to hope the strongest hand prevails."

Something inside him twists painfully. Especially now, after realizing exactly how easy it would be to lose Obi-Wan forever, Anakin doesn't want him somewhere dangerous alone like that. He could die. "It just seems unlikely that the Death Watch are strong enough to stop him. They haven't in the past. I fear he has encountered... something else. Something more powerful, connected to the Force."

And he doesn't know what it might be – even if a part of him wonders – but it scares him. He doesn't want to leave Obi-Wan or Theseus alone in something like this. Anything could happen to them and by the time he could do something, it would be too late.

"I agree with you, Anakin," Palpatine says, "But I do not think Master Kenobi's... time has come." Anakin flinches internally at the words, the image of Obi-Wan being shot by that bounty hunter replaying in his mind all over again. He needs to go find him, but...

"I am certain the answer will be clear soon enough," the Chancellor continues, "Remember your Jedi training. Have patience. And whatever you do, do not go to Mandalore."

***

It would be a lot easier if this wasn't in the middle of the day. Still, it's easy enough for them to lure one of the guards away from the prison facility and then quietly knock him out. Obi-Wan quickly changes into his armor, and the two of them head for the prison.

"I've been here before," Theseus comments quietly as they slip inside the building, "Likely they're holding Satine in the same area of the prison now that they were the last time when Almec had her arrested."

"Yes, that's most likely," Obi-Wan agrees.

No one pays them much attention as they hurry through the halls. Theseus doesn't have the regular guard armor, but since he's with someone who does, no one seems to really think anything of it. He can silently hope that none of the other Death Watch members who definitely know who he is will recognize his armor.

Sure enough, Satine is exactly where Theseus was expecting. She's sitting on the floor with her back facing the door when they stop outside her cell. For a moment, Theseus can't help but remember that the last time he saw her was at Obi-Wan's funeral.

Obi-Wan pushes the button on the wall, and the door slides open. "Here to do more of your master's bidding?" she asks without turning around.

"I do my own bidding," he answers lightly, pulling off his helmet.

"Obi-Wan!" Satine exclaims, jumping to her feet, and practically throwing herself into his arms. Or at least tries to, because he stumbles back a step, holding his hands up awkwardly like he's unsure what to do. Theseus snickers at the comically started look on his face.

Satine pulls away as sees him standing in the doorway. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replies, "The Jedi Council and Galactic Senate will be of no help to us here."

"I trust you have an escape plan, then?" Satine inquires.

"As always, my dear," Obi-Wan quips, and Theseus grumpily wishes they'd not flirt in front of him. Obi-Wan is literally a lot like his father, and that makes Satine... well... Just ewww.

Theseus briefly glances up and down the hall, but no other guards are anywhere in sight. "Come on," he urges, motioning for them to follow. Obi-Wan and Satine immediately slip out into the hallway, and the three of them hurry to the elevator.

Of course, there has to be another guard in there when they step inside. For a long moment, Theseus dares to hope that this is going to go smoothly, but then the guard promptly starts talking. "There's no record of a prisoner transfer here."

"The orders came from upstairs," Obi-Wan answers easily.

"What's the authorization code?" the guard demands.

Obi-Wan pauses for a split second before swinging at the guard's head, knocking him unconscious before he can even see it coming.

"Well, so good so far," Theseus comments as the elevator finally comes to a stop, "But something tells me it won't stay that way."

"We'll have to move quickly," Obi-Wan warns, looking out into the hallway briefly before they all sprint out and take off for the nearby hanger full of speeders.

"Stop!" a voice shouts from behind them.

"It's the Duchess!" another one realizes.

Obi-Wan runs for the nearest speeder, firing it up as Satine jumps on behind him. Theseus scrambles on in the back, barely managing to squeeze on at all. These things are absolutely not meant for three people, but it's about the best they can do for now.

Theseus throws an anxious glance over his shoulder as they speed through the city. He can just make out the figures of guards up in the sky pursuing them. The guards are rapidly gaining on them now. A blaster shot suddenly rings out, and Obi-Wan swings the speeder aside to avoid letting it hit them.

The hangar doors are rapidly approaching in front of them when a bunch more guards open fire. Theseus shifts his position, doing his best not to fall right off in the process, as he turns so he can shoot back at them. He fires off a few shots, but with the constant movement of everyone, all of them miss except one, which hits one of them in the shoulder, and does literally nothing since his armor more or less absorbs it. If anything, though, that just made things even more difficult for them, since now even more of the guards are shooting at them.

The speeder finally streaks through the last stretch of space to the hanger, zooming inside. The pursuing guards fly right in after them, several stopping in the doorway as they take aim. Immediately, Bo and several of her supporters fly into view from wherever they'd been concealing themselves, opening fire on the guards.

Theseus jumps off the speeder, yanking out his lightsaber and turning to deflect away the blaster shots. Obi-Wan immediately joins him, pushing Satine behind him.

More guards fly in through the opening, this time circling around behind them. The Force hums in warning, and Theseus spins around to block a few shots fired at them from behind.

Great. Now they're being shot at it from multiple angles. This fight is going to be hopeless unless they can actually take down some of the guards, which is pretty much impossible with their seemingly impenetrable armor. He yanks out his blaster, firing several times at one of their jetpacks. This time the shots actually do hit the target, and the jetpack abruptly starts to crackle, and then sporadically blasts off for no apparent reason, spiraling out of control and crashing into the side of a nearby structure.

Amidst the commotion, he suddenly makes out an approaching speeder. Abruptly, he can feel the Dark Side... like he does the occasional time he's fended off Dooku. The speeder pulls into the hanger, a Mandalorian flying in the front. Theseus may never have actually seen the Sith before – other than Savage – but he immediately knows who the two Zabraks are as they climb out of the back of the speeder.

Chapter Text

Anastasia whirls around from where she was fighting off several of the other guards, and promptly fires at Maul, using her other hand with a combat plasma shield to block anyone who's currently shooting at her. What is she even thinking? Shouldn't it be obvious that you don't attack a Sith Lord with only a blaster?

She's promptly lifted off the ground in a Force choke. Raw panic runs through Theseus and not caring how stupid he's being, he charges the Sith. A ruby blade springs to life in Maul's hand, swinging down to intercept his blow. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his sister lying on the ground behind him, and he breathes a silent sigh of relief.

Or at least would have, if not for the fact that another red lightsaber, courtesy of Savage, is swinging for his head now. He dives out of the way of both Sith, jumping back as Savage slashes at him again. Obi-Wan finally runs up, and Maul lunges at him.

He doesn't have time to keep track of them with the other Zabrak charging at him now, spinning that double-bladed lightsaber around almost like it's some sort of club. Theseus hastily parries the next couple of blows, taking a few steps back from the force of them. It's not that this Sith is good with a lightsaber as much as it is that he uses so much brute force, which, in the long run, can make it easier for an opponent since he'll wear himself out. Doesn't help right now, though.

They continue trading blows wildly while Obi-Wan fights Maul behind them. The Mandalorians are still creating chaos in the background, with constant blaster fire and a few occasional explosions that Theseus doesn't know the source of.

Someone – he doesn't see who – fires a few shots at Savage, who whirls around with a snarl, and promptly charges for them. It gives him a moment, at least, and he turns to scan the rest of the battle scene.

This is a fight they're losing, that much he can tell. The other guards keep on coming, and they don't have infinite numbers like this. They need to try making a run – or fly – for it, or they're never going to get out of here. Maybe they'd stand a better chance against the Sith elsewhere, but not here in the middle of so many other Mandalorians.

In the midst of the chaos, he catches sight of Satine standing near Bo, who finally turns, shoving a blaster into her hands. "Make yourself useful," she orders, before whirling around and firing off another round of shots.

Obi-Wan is still fighting Maul, and Theseus throws himself into the fight without a second thought. Maul – very unlike the other Sith – actually does use a very deadly fighting style. It's much easier with Obi-Wan at his side. If they had enough time, maybe they'd be able to defeat him – with the speed at which the red blade is constantly whirling between them he's hardly even sure – but they're running out of time. They're going to be completely surrounded soon.

Obi-Wan finally throws Maul back with the Force, sending him flying straight into Savage as the other was running to join the fight, and the two of them take off. "Get to the ship!" Bo yells over the commotion.

Theseus nods sharply, sprinting for the ramp, Satine close behind. She tosses the blaster aside, which he's not sure she even used in the first place, running up the ramp. Obi-Wan skids to a stop at the bottom of the ramp, spinning his lightsaber to deflect away the shots as Theseus runs onto the shuttle.

He slides into the pilot's seat, hands flying over the controls. He slams a hand down on the control for the guns, but nothing happens. They don't have time for the ship to malfunction right now.

Finally, they activate, and he fires several laser blasts at Maul as he tries to run for the ship. Flipping some more controls frantically, the ship takes off the ground, shakily wildly as more controls spark.

Theseus' heart is pounding as his hands clench around the controls, struggling to direct the ship up into the air. It seems very close to totally giving up the ghost now, and there's no way they can deal with that right now. Blaster shots repeatedly strike the front viewport, the other Mandalorians now shooting at the shuttle in an effort to prevent them from escaping.

Maul motions to two of them, who fly off into the air in pursuit of the ship. Though something tells him they're planning to try something like blowing it up. He increases the speed, reaching over to fire the guns at one of them as Obi-Wan finally runs into the cockpit none too soon.

His master immediately takes over the guns as they fly away. Several of Bo's supporters manage to take out the guards flying after the ship, and then take off themselves as the Twilight speeds away from the surface, leaving the Sith behind.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan inquires at last, turning to Satine.

The Duchess nods. "I'm fine." She stares out at the receding landscape for a few long moments in silence. "How did you know to come?"

"That would be thanks to your sister," Theseus replies.

"Her sister?" Obi-Wan repeats, surprised.

"Bo Katan," Satine explains, "She... asked you to come?"

"Yeah," Theseus confirms, "She doesn't appreciate Maul ruling Mandalore either."

"How did this happen anyway?" Obi-Wan asks.

"There were terrorist attacks all over Mandalore and our forces weren't able to stop them," Satine replies, "But then Vizsla and Death Watch showed up, claiming that Mandalore needed to return to its old warrior ways, and they started taking down the terrorists. The people supported him."

"Apparently there are times that pacifism doesn't work," Obi-Wan snarks.

Satine glares at him. "Death Watch was behind all of it! I'm certain. Them or Maul, because he took over later and killed Vizsla."

"I was merely suggesting that perhaps you should at least consider being ready to handle threats this major when they arise, the same way the Jedi do."

"I'm not turning Mandalore into warriors who pretend to be peaceful the way you do," she snaps.

Do they really need to have this argument right now? Theseus tunes them out, focusing instead on making sure they aren't being followed before heading to the designated meeting spot with the others.

They're already there and waiting when the Twilight lands.

"What now?" Theseus asks, approaching Bo.

"We will continue to fight to free Mandalore," she replies, her gaze moving past him to her sister, "What do you intend to do?"

"I'll go back to Coruscant with them," Satine decides, "I might be able to convince the Republic Senate to help us."

"You won't," Bo says flatly, "They won't get involved in an internal conflict like this. The fight is up to us."

"We will be returning to Coruscant now as well," Obi-Wan declares, "We were here on a personal mission and now it's over."

Bo turns to eye Theseus for a moment, and he knows what she's silently wanting, even if she already knows the response. He'd say more if not for his master standing right behind him. "I have to go, too," he responds, then pauses, "Where's... Anastasia?"

"She was injured in the battle," Bo replies, "But you can go talk to her if you want."

Theseus nods, slipping off in search of his sister. It won't be a pleasant conversation, to say the least, but he needs to talk to her. Their father just died – he still can't accept it. He feels oddly numb, actually – and he feels duty-bound to try to make her feel better, if that's even possible.

"What are you doing here?" she demands, immediately moving to sit up as he approaches her. He's not expecting a particularly warm welcome, but he has to do this. Especially since he doesn't know when (or if) he'll see her again.

"I figured we should... talk," he blurts finally.

"I don't think there's anything we need to talk about," she grumbles stubbornly, though it's with less heat than earlier.

"For one, I just wanted to see how you were doing," he offers after a moment.

"That didn't seem to bother you very much when you... just ran off like that."

"Look," he sighs, moving to sit next to her, "I'm sorry, okay? I never –"

"Are you?" she interrupts, skeptical.

"Yes." And that is the truth. The guilt gnawing at him refuses to go away. "But I would have regretted whatever choice I made at that point."

"Why?" Anastasia asks, "We were your family. I know we... started off badly, but Father and the others did everything to help you fit in. Even though you were a Jedi."

"I know," he replies quietly, "But I do have a family elsewhere too. It's not like... You wouldn't want to leave your home here even if my mother and I had offered you something like that."

She looks away, not replying. He's pretty sure she understands, at least to a point, even if she isn't happy about it. A lot of her anger from earlier seems to be gone, maybe because she already screamed it out at him, and partly because right now, he gets the feeling she's thinking about their father again. He can feel her pain in the Force, even if she's not visibly showing it.

"You're leaving now, aren't you?" she queries finally.

"Yes. I am," he confirms, "I can't just stay, even if..."

"Even if what?"

"Even if I want to, sometimes," he finishes.

She raises an eyebrow in slight surprise at the admission. "You can always... call me again if you need assistance... Something that we can actually get involved in, you know," he adds awkwardly.

"Yeah, and you're welcome to... come back home any time you want to. Dad still wanted to find you, even after." He didn't think it could hurt more than it already did, but... it does. He wishes he could have done something differently, but he doesn't even know what else he could have done and looking back is pointless anyway. The past is gone, his father is gone, and neither are coming back.

He moves to get up, stopping when she suddenly rests a hand on his arm. "Good luck, I guess," she says.

"You too," Theseus replies, returning the Mandalorian not-quite-handshake before he slips out of the tent.

Obi-Wan and Satine are talking – more like arguing and flirting – in the doorway of the ship when he approaches. "How'd it go?" Bo asks.

"Better than expected," he admits. Except that now a part of him almost doesn't want to leave again, but he knows he can't just stay. His other family needs him more right now. Things may seem like they're back to normal after the Hardeen incident, but they're not, and he knows Anakin and Ahsoka need him more than ever now.

"Have you thought of actually talking to Satine?" he inquires, hardly sure why he's bringing this up the moment the words leave his mouth.

Bo stiffens. "We don't have anything to talk about."

He shrugs, trying to keep his attitude nonchalant. "It's up to you, but I think I've just realized it's often better to sort out problems with family before it's too late, instead of not doing it and then regretting it afterwards."

Bo doesn't reply to that, not that he expected her too anyway. He hopes she'll listen to him and figure it out, because despite everything that's happened, he's certain she still cares for Satine.

Now, it's time for him to leave. "I'll see you later."

"Take care of yourself," she warns.

Throwing one last glance around, Theseus finally heads for the waiting Twilight. "Ready to go?" he asks cheerfully.

"It's past time," Obi-Wan agrees, "And we need to leave before Maul is able to track our location."

***

They're on the way back to Coruscant now, and Satine went to the back, leaving Obi-Wan alone with his padawan.

Obi-Wan wishes he could say that the Republic would be willing to help, but he already knows there's a very low chance of getting involved on Mandalore, and he's pretty sure Satine knows as much. It's not as though she could stay on Mandalore either, though, without risking getting captured by Maul all over again.

Why did Maul even come to Mandalore in the first place? Something tells Obi-Wan that it was not a coincidence, and he's certain the Sith was trying to use it as another way to get revenge on him. Or a way to lure him into a trap to kill him, though he's not sure how Maul would have even known how he feels towards Satine in the first place.

Regardless, they need to do something to stop Maul. He killed Qui-Gon, and a number of other Jedi more recently. He has no right to be walking free like this. Obi-Wan wishes there was more he could do to help Satine, and to stop Maul, but for now, it's impossible.

Right now, he has another more pressing matter to deal with anyway. Namely, Theseus' obvious attachment to his... friends? from Death Watch. All this time Obi-Wan had the impression that Theseus was basically being held prisoner there and certainly would never have spoken to anyone enough that he even could consider them friends. But apparently that isn't true, from the way he's been acting. Working with them when it's necessary is one thing, but this is more. It wasn't a contact out of necessity, and even if it worked out; the fact that they were on such casual terms with each other is... concerning. "I didn't realize you knew them so well," Obi-Wan says finally.

Theseus avoids his gaze. "I was there for a month."

"I know, but I thought you were their prisoner."

"I couldn't very well have earned their trust enough to escape if I spent the entire time sulking."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan agrees, "But there's I can tell there's more to it than that."

A nearly frustrated sigh escapes him. "Whatever you're getting at, Master, just say it."

"You have an attachment to them. That is hardly appropriate for a Jedi, especially because of who they are."

"I know."

"You can't let this interfere with your duty." Like the fact that he shouldn't have attachments like that in the first place.

A flash of irritation crosses his face. "Have I yet?"

"No," Obi-Wan admits, "I am merely reminding you."

"Well, thanks for the... reminder," he mutters, a note of sarcasm in his voice.

Obi-Wan gives him a sharp look. "Theseus."

"Sorry," he grumbles, gaze pointedly fixed on the floor.

What's wrong with him? He might have a tendency to be difficult sometimes, but he doesn't act like this. "Is something the matter?" Obi-Wan asks after a moment.

"Not... no." He shakes his head, standing up, "The mission was just... a little exhausting. I'll be in the cabins, unless you need me." He slips out of the cockpit without another word.

That was... odd, to say the least.

***

"Need anything else?" Caleb asks, leaning over the side of the fighter's wing to watch as Theseus works on fixing it up. He needs to have this finished soon, so he's ready to leave with Obi-Wan on their next mission.

"Not right now," he answers distractedly. Although this would be easier if Anakin was here, but ever since Theseus got back to the Temple after rescuing Satine, he and Ahsoka have been gone on a mission to Cato Neimoidia. It likely will be quite some time before he sees either of them again, especially considering that he and Obi-Wan should be heading out again soon too.

BD beeps behind him as he continues to work. He's just glad that Caleb is here with him, since pretty much everyone else he knows is busy or gone right now. Sometimes, like right now, he can't help but think of everyone he used to know who's died over the past few years. So many of the clones, Vraz, and now his father...

Every time it happens, he supposes it's just a jarring reminder that yes, he can, in fact, lose someone at any time and there may well be nothing he can do about it. So, he's glad that Caleb, at least, is here right now. Honestly, he's torn between calling him his mother's padawan, and his new little brother, because he feels more like the second, even if they haven't had much time with each other so far.

"Where'd you get a droid like that anyway?" Caleb speaks up again. "Isn't that kind of... not normal?"

"It's from a friend. From outside the Temple. I got it as a gift," he explains, glancing up for a moment to eye the droid. The last thing he has from Vraz, other than the blaster that he still keeps in his room. He wonders in mild amusement how appalled Obi-Wan would be if he realized how many blasters he's been slowly collecting.

"Oh," Caleb says, rounding the fighter to kneel next to BD and look him over, "Well he's... interesting. And helpful."

"Yes, it really does come in handy," Theseus agrees, finally finishing screwing in the last of the bolts on this part of the ship. "There. Done," he announces, standing up.

"Great! What now?" Caleb asks eagerly.

A faint smile slips onto his face at the boy's eagerness. It's beyond him why Caleb's following him all over the place, not like he's complaining. "How much longer do you have?"

"Master Shan said probably like... another twenty or so minutes?" he replies.

"Well, what about getting back to those ship lessons?" Theseus suggests, "Presumably no one's around to mind."

"Don't worry, we can make sure to get in as many people's way as possible until they call the Temple guards to throw us out!" Caleb chirps.

"Great idea," Theseus deadpans, rolling his eyes with a chuckle, "Come on."

He absolutely blames it on Anakin that he even cares about ships this much, but Theseus has been teaching Caleb a bit of technically unnecessary information about different types and designs in the rare moments they actually have some free time. And that sometimes involves wandering around in the hangar near other people's ships.

They head off between the ships again, and their conversation goes totally off-topic, but it's still... fun.

They're standing near a particularly larger ship when Theseus suddenly senses it. Something feels off, and he doesn't like the feeling at all. It almost feels like... the warning in the Force he usually gets before they get ambushed on the battlefield.

And that doesn't make any sense. They're literally in a hanger of the Temple. No one is going to be ambushing them here of all places. Of course, there was that time once towards the beginning of the war that a bounty hunter broke into the Temple, but surely Master Yoda would have sensed it again if that happened, and they'd probably have already been warned.

No, that can't be what this is, but that doesn't change that he's still sensing something, and the disturbance is only growing greater by the moment.

Seemingly oblivious, Caleb circles around to the other side of the ship they were discussing, happily chatting about something, though the words are escaping him now as Theseus cautiously reaches out with the Force, trying to see if he can figure out what could be wrong.

"Theseus?" Caleb asks, snapping him back to present.

"Do you –" he starts to ask, and then the Force screams.

Everything seems to happen at once. A sudden deafening explosion shatters the silence, the floor shaking violently beneath him. A blinding flash of light fills his eyes – an explosion from somewhere on the other side of the hanger he has a brief moment to realize. Smoke and flames seem to fill the air all around him, debris somehow tearing right through the side of the ship in front of him. Pieces of it go flying and the next thing he knows he's on the ground, pinned beneath something,

Everything suddenly hurts, and he only has a moment to register the burning debris still falling down around him – only missing him thanks to whatever he's stuck under – before the world spirals into darkness.

Chapter Text

The room slowly comes into focus around Theseus, and the memories of what happened right before he went unconscious rush back. The next thing he registers is how his body aches all over. He's in the healer's wing, having been treated from the injuries he sustained in the explosion.

Theseus shifts his position, turning his head slightly to see that Obi-Wan is sitting near his bed. "Master?" he croaks. "What happened?"

"Someone let off a bomb in the Temple hanger," Obi-Wan explains. He looks grave, and tired, not exactly unlike how he often is. The war has taken a toll on all of them.

"What? How?" he utters, the implications of it all rapidly catching up to him. How could someone get into the Temple like that and blow it up? Out on the battlefield, yes, but right here on Coruscant, right in the home of the Jedi? It doesn't make any sense! He remembers when Cad Bane infiltrated the Temple well over a year ago, but this is on a far more serious level. How could an intruder – was the person an intruder?! – enter the Temple and set off a bomb without anyone sensing them?

"We don't know who did it, at this point. Everything is still in too much chaos," Obi-Wan explains.

Naturally, he doesn't understand how this could have happened. How many other people were injured in that explosion? He's seen plenty of things blowing up over the years, and from what he briefly saw, he's under no delusions that he easily could've been killed if not for the ship that protected him.

Which means – which means – a sudden icy fear like he's hardly felt before crashes through him. No, no. "What about Caleb?" Theseus demands.

Obi-Wan's expression immediately turns grimmer. No, no, no. Suddenly he doesn't know if he wants to know the answer to that question anymore. It's not – He can't be –

"He's alive," Obi-Wan answers finally. A quiet breath of relief escapes Theseus, but that doesn't mean much. "But his condition is a lot worse than yours."

Of course, it is. His relief rapidly vanishes all over again, and he feels totally sick instead. He doesn't want to believe this. It can't... he and Caleb were just being brothers, and everything was fine only – was it hours ago? – and now. "How bad?" he asks weakly.

"They don't know at this point," he replies, which really does little to make Theseus feel better. "His condition has been temporarily stabilized, but it could continue to deteriorate. Right now, you need to rest."

Maybe, but somehow, he doubts he's going to be getting much for a while.

***

It's sometime the next afternoon – after Theseus got out of a bacta tank treatment – that he gets another visitor. Ahsoka, followed by a droid holding a datapad.

"Ahsoka? What's going on?" asks Theseus urgently.

"I came to see how you were doing and talk to you about what happened and if you saw anything," she explains, "Master Anakin and I have been assigned to investigate."

Oh. "I'm doing fine, or I will be," he replies, "Have you heard anything about Caleb?"

Something between sympathy and concern flickers across her face. She knew Caleb relatively well, too, after all. "No, I haven't, beyond that he's been injured much worse than you."

Theseus sighs, sinking back against the bed. He was really hoping that at least she'd be able to tell him something other than that. Caleb has to be alright. He has to be. He needs to stop thinking about how... how things could end with that, the very thought filling him with a sickening dread. He's lost so much, and he should have been able to protect this child. He thought they were safe, in the Temple, in their very own home, but he was wrong.

"Did you see anything suspicious, when you were in the hangar?" Ahsoka queries.

"No, I didn't. Caleb and I were there to look at the ships and stuff. Everything seemed pretty ordinary to me, but I suddenly sensed danger. Then there was the explosion and the next thing I knew, I was trapped under that ship. I didn't see anything more. Not very helpful, I know." He wishes he could tell her more. They need answers, as soon as possible. Whoever's behind this needs to be found, before they do something even worse.

"You were quite far away from the actual explosion, so I didn't really expect you to see anything," Ahsoka replies, even if she seems a little disappointed.

"Have you found anything else?"

"Not yet. I stopped by here first," she says.

He doesn't understand. Why would someone do something like this? For that matter – "How could someone do this?" he finally asks rhetorically. It's not like it would be that easy for someone to randomly sneak a bomb into the Temple. There's way too much security for that, even in the places where civilians do work.

"I don't know, but now, there's rumors that a Jedi might be behind the attack," Ahsoka informs grimly.

What?! "Why would someone think that?" he demands, even as fear suddenly clenches him in a vice. Yes, it sounds completely far fetched and ridiculous, but at the same time, there have been traitorous Jedi before. The entire war is the fault of a traitorous Jedi. Not to mention Krell. It would be a lot easier for a Jedi to carry out an attack like that then for anyone else. He doesn't want to believe it, but...

"I don't know, but Anakin and I are going to find out who's really behind this." There's a fire in her eyes, and Theseus does not at all envy what happens to the culprit when Ahsoka finds them.

"Well, good luck. I shouldn't keep you," Theseus tells her.

"I'll be back as soon as I have time," she promises, slipping out the door, the droid following.

Theseus stares up at the ceiling above him, now alone in the room again. Especially with what Ahsoka just told him, he can't shake a sinking feeling that somehow this incident is going to change everything forever, and not necessarily in a good way. The feeling of foreboding, of approaching darkness in the Force that he's sensed from time to time only seems to be growing stronger, and all he knows is that it scares him.

***

It isn't until that night that he gets another visitor. This time it's both Anakin and Ahsoka. "How's the investigation going?" Theseus inquires immediately as they step inside.

"We found the person who did it," answers Anakin, "She's been taken into custody."

"Who was it? What happened?" he wonders.

"The wife of a Temple worker here decided to feed her husband nano droids, which detonated when he was working in the hangar," Ahsoka replies, expression darkening.

"She killed her own husband?" he echoes incredulously. Yes, he can get why someone might be upset enough at the Jedi to do something like that – if they're blaming them for the war – but to kill one of their own family members to make a point? Not like he knows all the facts, but that doesn't make it any less appalling.

"Yes, she did," Anakin confirms, "And all she said was that 'we're dealing with things we don't understand.'"

"Has she said anything else since being taken into custody?" Theseus frowns.

"Not that we've heard."

Well, at least this does confirm one thing, and it's more than a little relieving. "At least it wasn't a Jedi," he says finally.

"Yeah, at least," Ahsoka agrees with a sigh, "I'm relieved that this is over, but..."

"What if it had been a Jedi?" Anakin finishes.

"Yes," she replies, "I don't know how I would have felt if a Jedi was really behind this."

"We'd know we had another Dooku around," offers Theseus unhelpfully. The thought unsettles him just as much.

"There are always going to be Jedi who disappoint us, Ahsoka," Anakin speaks up, "But as long as we know there are good Jedi who fight for what's right, it makes it all worthwhile."

They leave him to his own thoughts again, shortly thereafter. There are things to do, and it always frustrates Theseus to be stuck in the medcenter. The healers already forbade him from getting involved in military matters and strategies – basically, all the important things he has to do, because it'll interfere with his recovery. Supposedly. Doesn't do much to help anyone else, though.

He can almost hear his mother's voice in his head, telling him to look out for himself once in a while.

He takes the time to meditate, instead. It's hard, because it's hardly been any time since his father died. If... if Theseus had stayed there, he could have handled Maul – maybe – and... He hasn't had time to tell his mother what happened, yet. He should, probably, but he hasn't entirely had time to think it through.

It's later that evening when Ahsoka and Barriss come over. "Have they had the funeral yet?" Theseus asks when they enter.

"Just finished," the Togruta replies. "The Senate is having Letta turned over to their custody." She seems slightly irked, to say the least.

He resists the urge to rub his head. If he's being honest, Republic laws are quite confusing, and he never had time to study them properly because of the war. "Why?"

"Clones and civilians were killed in the explosion as well," Barriss replies. "They made this a military case."

"I see the point, but this happened in the Temple." His anger surges, simmering furiously beneath the surface. Letta is the woman who could have killed Caleb, who maybe even will. She must be dealt with, and it's unfair for the Senate to come taking over something this... personal to the Jedi.

"I don't understand this either," Ahsoka huffs. "Admiral Tarkin says the Chancellor wants the Jedi removed from as many military matters as possible. Maybe that's why."

Theseus stops himself just short of snapping back a 'well then he's an idiot' because he knows Anakin has a very high opinion of the man. Personally, Theseus doesn't like him much. He's a politician, and even if a few of them are good... he's willing to bet that the man in charge of the galaxy is not, seeing the corruption that goes around. "Wow. Who will be leading the army, then? I can't very well imagine the Chancellor leading a battle."

Ahsoka laughs. "You're being extreme."

"We were put in charge of the army," he retaliates, smirking at the mental image.

The conversation is cut off by Ahsoka's comm beeping, and Anakin telling her to come over to a briefing. Despite everything that's going on right now, there's still a war and those that can, have to keep moving. "Go on," Theseus nods to her. Ahsoka darts out of the room, leaving him alone with Barriss.

She's close friends with Ahsoka, even if Theseus doesn't know her that well. The other girl is... a typical Jedi. She's too closed off for his liking, and not in the way Anakin often is. She's a healer, though.

"How is Caleb?" Theseus asks, turning serious. Even if he can momentarily distract himself, he has to know if the boy is alright.

"He took a hard hit," she answers, slowly. "If he lives, he won't fully recover."

He swallows hard. Yes, he expected as much, but still. Things like this happen all the time in battle, and he's reminded all over again how easily it would be to lose any of the people he cares about, even beyond the clones. Nothing will ever be the same again after this, even if Caleb does live.

He leaves the conversation at that, when Barriss leaves to attend to her healer's duties. Now that they've been together for an extended period of time, he can't help but notice that something seems a little... different about her. Not with the way she's acting, just how she feels in the Force as opposed to all the other Jedi. He feels something dark, something that reminds him of the Son and himself, when he embraced the Dark Side on Mortis.

It's strange. Why would he feel the Dark Side around another Jedi like this? He highly doubts any other of the Jedi have been thinking about using both sides of the Force the same way he has, or he's pretty sure he would've heard about it.

Still, he knows what he felt, and there's obviously something to it. It's not like he can very well ask Barriss about it either, but he'll keep an eye on her.

***

Athea Shan doesn't know what to think of everything that's happened in the past couple days. The Temple bombing itself shook her up a lot, the realization that with everything going on now, they aren't even safe here on Coruscant anymore. Not even in their own home.

And Caleb... Even if the healer hasn't outright said it, she knows the chance of him actually recovering from the injuries is extremely low. This is her padawan, and he could die.

She was beginning to think that maybe the bombing aspect of everything would start to settle down now that Letta Turmond was taken into custody. It didn't, though. The next thing she knew, Ahsoka was accused of being the real culprit.

How could Ahsoka do something like that? She doesn't want to believe it. She's known the Togruta quite well over the years, because of how much time she's spent with Theseus. She doesn't see how it even could be her. Wouldn't Theseus have noticed something? Or Anakin? It doesn't even make sense.

She wants to believe what Anakin said before he went out to look for her, that she was running to prove her innocence. It's certainly possible. It would be a foolish decision on Ahsoka's part, but she is just a padawan. The thing that doesn't make sense to her, though, is why was Ahsoka seen with Ventress? The timing of it all is too... suspicious, and she's not sure what to make of it.

They're missing an enormous part of the story, and it's something they actually need to take the time to investigate. It simply doesn't make sense for it to be Ahsoka who did this, but something is clearly going on, and Athea isn't sure what.

"The Senate requests that Ahsoka Tano be indicted for acts of treason against the Republic." Tarkin speaks from the hologram in the center of the Council room.

Athea narrows her eyes at him. They haven't even taken the time to look over the evidence in detail at this point. They aren't going to indict her for treason without looking at the facts.

"A fair trial Padawan Tano will have, in accordance with Jedi tradition," Yoda replies.

"Ah, yes, Jedi tradition," Tarkin replies, in a tone that grates on her nerves. It's obvious he has very little, if any, respect for the said traditions. "I'm afraid, Master Yoda, that the Senate believes that an internal Jedi trial would be seen as biased. Therefore, the Senate asks that the Council expel Ahsoka Tano from the Jedi Order so that she may be put to a Republic Military tribunal where she will receive more impartial judgment."

They want them to throw out Ahsoka? Yes, the Senate may be demanding it, but there's no way they can do that. "And who would represent Ahsoka in this tribunal, Admiral?" Obi-Wan is the first to speak up.

"That would be up to the Council, General, but I would recommend someone outside the Order," he replies stiffly.

"Of course," Obi-Wan agrees.

"The Council will act as they deem necessary. Thank you, Admiral," Windu states before the call with Tarkin ends.

"Surely we cannot do what Tarkin suggests," Obi-Wan declares, "We need to stand together with Ahsoka."

"And yet there's evidence that she is indeed the mastermind behind the attack on the Temple," Mundi argues.

"Most of which is circumstantial," Athea cuts in, "There's no actual definite proof against her. We need to look at all the facts before we make a decision."

"She was found in possession of nanodroid explosives," Tiin objects, "This alone is enough to convict her."

"Perhaps she was trying to investigate on her own and was actually on a trail," Athea argues, "Just because she was there doesn't automatically mean she's guilty. Why would she go back to such an obvious scene of the crime in the first place when she was already on the run?"

"Perhaps she was planning something else," Windu suggests, "After all, she was seen only shortly before with Ventress."

"We don't know for certain that Ventress was involved in any of this," she points out hesitantly. There's not much she can argue to that point, especially when she has so many questions about it herself. In truth, she doesn't know. She wants to believe she knew Ahsoka too well for it to be true, but many years ago, she also knew Dooku. She hadn't wanted to believe he Fell back then, anymore than she does Ahsoka now.

"Unlikely," Mundi argues, "Her appearance on Coruscant is far too suspicious for it to be anything else."

"I understand your sentiments, Obi-Wan, Athea," Windu replies, "But if the Council does as you suggest, it could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate. I'm afraid we have little choice."

Little choice? Yes, they do have a choice. Arguing about this with the Senate might create some problems, but they can't just throw someone out without even looking at the evidence behind it! Why does literally everyone – even Plo? – seem so convinced of Ahsoka's guilt already?! Maybe Athea has questions herself, but that doesn't mean they should throw her out without being certain of her guilt.

"Hmm, to the Chamber of Judgment, summon Skywalker and his padawan," Yoda murmurs, "And in our decision may the Force guide us."

Guide them? They've already made up their minds, unless they're still planning to hear out Ahsoka. Athea can only hope, because otherwise, she doesn't know what to think of the Council. She's had questions for years, but this is... something beyond what she ever thought they would do.

She can't not think about how much this is going to affect her son – and Anakin – if the Council actually goes through with what they're implying they will.

***

Finally. It's way past time that he's finally going to be able to get out of the healer's wing. He missed the funerals and the entire investigation and everything because he was stuck in here. It's fairly early in the morning, the day after the funeral now. It irks him that he couldn't have gone to it, because it was important. It was a turning point, a time which will largely affect the Order and possibly the war as a whole.

Although Theseus might be a little more eager about it if not for the feeling of wrongness hanging in the Force. Something is happening, but he's just not sure what. It hardly helps that he's heard little of what's happening to Caleb, other than that his condition is critical.

The healer is just finishing a final – and quite unnecessary, he thinks – checkup when Anakin enters the room. Something about his expression, and the way the Force seems so turbulent around him right now – in the way always responds to his every emotion – immediately sets Theseus completely on edge. "Is everything okay?" he asks.

"Ahsoka has been accused of being behind the bombing and killing Letta," Anakin replies bitterly.

Wait – wait – "What?!" he splutters, "Letta is dead? And what does Ahsoka have to do with anything?!"

"Letta asked to speak with her. I don't even know what she told her, but in the middle of the conversation someone Force-choked her to death."

"And they thought Ahsoka did," Theseus realizes, a sinking feeling settling in him. Of course, they would. It's the first logical conclusion anyone would reach, but – "But what does that have to do with the bombing? How does that even connect her to that?"

"She escaped the prison and clones were found dead on the way," Anakin explains. There's a sense of hopelessness around him, and it's unsettling, because Anakin has always been the one to fight. "And she spotted with Ventress... and then arrested at a warehouse where the same nanodroids used in the bombing were found."

This does not sound good. With so many suspicious things happening like this, he supposes he can see why they might suspect her of being behind everything. But that doesn't explain who really is. And whoever it is, is doing a really good job at making it look like Ahsoka is responsible. "Someone's setting her up," he realizes grimly, trying to think past his whirling emotions. He knows all the possible horrible ways that this could end and dwelling on them is not going to help right now. Even if he can't help it.

"Yes," Anakin agrees, "But who?"

"Why would Ventress be on Coruscant?" he asks rhetorically. That's the most suspicious thing so far.

"I don't know, but that's where we need to start."

The hopeless note still doesn't leave Anakin's voice, and it's... unsettling. He wishes there was something he could do to reassure him – hard when he's freaking out himself – but Theseus doesn't even know what to say. "Can we go now? I'm able to leave." How they'll find Ventress is a different story, but if this is their only lead...

"We can't," Anakin objects.

"Why not?" he frowns.

"Ahsoka and I have already been summoned to the Chamber of Judgment. We have to leave immediately."

"What? But – we haven't even had time to look into it!" he protests, "Did you talk to Ahsoka about what happened, at all?"

"They haven't let me yet, and as soon as she's done being treated, we have to go."

Without even giving them a chance to talk about this, or look into it? This is just – he doesn't even know how to feel, but he wants to scream. His fear is skyrocketing at what Ahsoka's fate is going to be, and he's furious. This is completely unfair, and anyone with even the tiniest sense of decency can see that.

"We can go as soon as this is over," Theseus offers quietly, "And we'll figure out who's really behind this, too. Together."

There's nothing Theseus hates worse than standing there helplessly watching as the Temple guards lead Ahsoka to the Chamber of Judgment, with Anakin following behind them. He hates seeing them guarding her like she's some kind of dangerous criminal. When they finally do reach the Chamber, he has to stay outside when Anakin and Ahsoka go by themselves.

He almost doesn't want to be there when the Council is talking about making their decision, but in a way, being stuck out here waiting is going to be even worse. What is the Council going to decide? They'll listen to Ahsoka when she explains, right?

Dread is gnawing at him, and he feels completely sick. He wants to believe that everything will be okay, but he can't, and the Force isn't being very helpful at the moment when he tries to reach out to feel something about the future. He's panicking too much to even begin sensing anything clearly, anyway.

He takes a few deep breaths, trying to center himself and let go of his fear, but it really isn't working. Not right now. Trying to find any semblance of calm at the moment can't last for even a second.

Reaching out with the Force at all, all he feels is darkness, or at least he thinks he does. Maybe he's just sensing his own emotions. And if he isn't – The very thought sends an icy chill through him like nothing else. No, he has to be sensing his own feelings, because... It's the most likely anyway.

Every passing second feels like an eternity. He doesn't know how long it's been, but finally, the doors to the Chamber of Judgment slide open again, and somehow, in that moment, he knows.

From the devastated looks on both Anakin's and Ahsoka's faces as she's led out, it says everything he dreaded. The glaring lack of Ahsoka's padawan braid on her head – now clutched in Anakin's hand instead...

No, no. He wants to scream in denial, because how is this even possible?! How could the Council do something like this?

He almost wants to ask what happened, in the stupid slim hope that maybe he's imagining this, but he can't.

They threw Ahsoka out. He knows it.

They threw his best friend out of the Order. Did they even listen to her? Did they – What happened?! A million questions whirl through his mind, and he wants to... scream.

The Temple guards have just disappeared around the corner with Ahsoka when Obi-Wan walks up. "How can they do this?!" Theseus demands furiously.

"The Senate felt that a Jedi trial would be biased," Obi-Wan replies.

"Certainly seems like it was," he snaps, turning away. He might not know all the facts of the situation, but he knows enough to know that they must not even have paid any attention to whatever Ahsoka had to say.

"Her fate is up to the Senate now," he says in a tone that is maybe supposed to be reassuring, but it grates on his nerves even more. Because apparently that is supposed to make Theseus feel better about it?!

"She might not be my padawan anymore, but she's still my friend," Anakin retaliates, and Theseus doesn't miss the slight tremor in his voice as he says it, "I'm not giving up on her." He turns and stalks off down the hall, Theseus right behind him.

Chapter Text

"How are we ever going to find Ventress down here?" Theseus wonders as he and Anakin make their way through the busy streets of the underworld. As soon as Anakin left Padme at Ahsoka's cell to discuss the trial, the two of them headed out to the same level that Ahsoka was first spotted on with Ventress to begin with. If she's still here, she's likely going to be around somewhere on this level.

"When I look for her, she's easy to sense," Anakin replies as they keep moving, "She's close."

Anakin pauses in the middle of a walkway between two buildings, and moments later, an all too familiar figure walks into view down below. She suddenly pauses in her tracks, obviously sensing them.

Anakin jumps off the ledge, landing a short distance behind her. Theseus follows. "Anakin Skywalker," she greets, slowly turning around.

"I know you're behind all of this," Anakin snarls, lowly.

"Prove it," Ventress shoots back, whirling around and leaping onto the top of a nearby building.

Anakin ignites his lightsaber, jumping onto the building. Theseus jumps after him, only for Ventress' boot to promptly collide with his stomach. He stumbles back with a grunt, nearly falling over the railing. Anakin swings his lightsaber at her, and she ducks out of the way, punching at him. He shoves her back and his blade slashes through one of the poles near the walkway.

She doesn't draw her lightsabers, which is strange. Theseus ignites his own, just as Ventress flips over their heads and snatches up two pipes. She's planning to fight them with those? Where are her lightsabers? Did she lose them?

Theseus doesn't take the time to ponder it and lunges forwards, cutting through one of her pipes. Ventress swings the other at them, and Anakin lops it in half. He throws her back into the wall behind them, hard enough that the faintest fracture lines seem to form. Or at least, Theseus is pretty sure they weren't there a second ago.

Anakin raises his other hand – expression darker than Theseus ever remembers seeing – and Ventress' hands promptly fly to her neck as she's lifted in a Force choke. It should probably bother him more than it does, but he's too furious to care. If she's the one who did all this and set up Ahsoka, he'd be more than happy to kill her himself.

Anakin yanks Ventress over to him with the Force, wrapping a hand around her neck. "Tell me what happened," he growls.

Theseus aims his lightsaber at the Nightsister, in case she tries something, even if it's quite unnecessary. He has the overpowering urge to hurt someone right now, and he stubbornly refuses to give in.

"When I heard your little brat was on the run, I thought she might bring a large bounty," Ventress begins.

"Bounty?" the boys repeat in unison. Ahsoka had a bounty on her? Theseus isn't really surprised, but it makes him even more angry.

"I was going to catch your pet and turn her over to the authorities, collect whatever bounty was due."

Anakin lets go of her, and she stumbles a few steps away, coughing as she tries to catch her breath. "What stopped you?" he demands.

"At first, I admit I was just interested in the money and a little bit of revenge, but then I realized that your fallen Padawan and I had a lot in common." Excuse –

Anakin's expression darkens further. "How dare you compare yourself to Ahsoka?!"

The Nightsister whirls around, glaring at them. "It's true," she snaps, "My master abandoned me, and that's exactly what you did to her. You and your precious Jedi Order."

Anakin flinches back as if struck but doesn't argue.

"Anakin didn't abandon her," Theseus snaps, glaring back at Ventress, "Why do you think we're here?"

"What happened then?" Anakin queries, getting back to business, and Theseus notices something about him that seems far calmer now. He's withdrawn into himself again, and it's jarring to see. "When you took Ahsoka to the warehouse?"

"I dropped her off there like she wanted me to. That was my part of the bargain," she answers, "But after I left the warehouse, after I left your little padawan alone, I was walking away and I thought she came up behind me to talk more, but I was wrong. Someone came out of nowhere and hit me from behind. Not just anyone can sneak up on me. It had to be another Jedi."

If that's really true... No, that doesn't make sense. If Ventress didn't attack Ahsoka, then who did? "I don't believe you," Anakin objects.

"Believe it," she shoots back, "Whoever you're looking for has my lightsabers. That's how you'll know you've found the criminal."

"How are we supposed to find two lightsabers that could literally be anywhere in the galaxy and with no leads at all?" Theseus asks rhetorically. This doesn't give them a lead. It only explains why Ventress doesn't have her lightsabers, and it's an explanation that actually does make sense.

"This leads us to a dead end," Anakin sighs, leaning against the railing. The hopelessness is back in his voice, even if it's only obvious to Theseus because he's known him so long, "You're the only one Ahsoka talked to."

Ventress seems to consider that for a moment. "That's not true," she objects, "Your padawan contacted the Temple. She spoke to someone named Barriss. That's why we knew to go to the warehouse in the first place."

"Barriss?" Theseus breaths incredulously, horror instantly washing over him. He remembers distinctly the way he felt the Dark Side around her yesterday, when she and Ahsoka came to see him in the healer's wing.

It would make sense for Ahsoka to contact one of her best friends from the Temple who'd actually be able to help her. They may not have any actual proof against Barriss, but somehow, in that moment, he knows. It was Barriss who did it. He's certain. It just... rings too right in the Force for it to be anything else.

"It was this Barriss that told us to go there," Ventress repeats.

Theseus exchanges a look with Anakin. They won't be finding anything else out here. "If you're lying, you're dead," Anakin threatens, before jumping off the walkway back to the ground below.

"Such promises," Theseus hears Ventress muttering as he jumps after.

"We need to go talk to Barriss," Anakin declares as they head back through the underworld to they're waiting speeder.

"I... I think it might be her who did it," Theseus begins after a moment, "When I saw her in the healer's wing yesterday, I sensed the Dark Side around her."

Anakin stills. "We'll have to face the possibility," he says at last. "She may have Fallen."

He nods. "And she'll be on guard as soon as she realizes why we're there." His anger is boiling again as he thinks about it. How could she do something like this? Ahsoka trusted her! She was one of her best friends. Regardless of why she's turned on the Jedi, how could she do something like this to Ahsoka? Whatever happens, he's not letting her get away with what she's done.

He's not really surprised that Barriss is in her apartment when they show up, and immediately lets them inside. "How can I help you?" she inquires as they slip into the room.

Theseus can feel it again, the faintest traces of the Dark Side around her, even if it's well shielded. It's definitely her. Any questions he might have still had are gone now.

Anakin casually crosses the room, picking up her lightsaber from where it was lying on the floor as he does. "We were told you spoke with Ahsoka before she was arrested. What did you say to her?"

"We've been friends for a long time. I was only trying to help her," Barriss replies, and only the months of training after Mortis keep Theseus from snarling at her. "I hope I'm not in any trouble."

"It's no trouble," Anakin assures easily. It's remarkable how well he's keeping himself under control. "I just need to know what you told her and if you told anyone else."

"No," she answers immediately, "I thought I had a clue for her, but I really couldn't tell her anything." That right there is a lie. She told them to go to the warehouse. She's obviously trying to cover up something. "Who told you I spoke to her?" Fishing for information now herself? Or is she trying to distract them? Well, it's not going to work.

"It was Ventress," Theseus replies.

"Ventress?" Barriss echoes, "Isn't she the one Ahsoka says is really behind all this?"

"That's what Ahsoka says, but I think she's wrong," Anakin answers evenly. "Ventress thinks someone else is involved."

"And you believe her? Who else could it be if not her? Surely not Ahsoka?" The Mirialan takes a few steps back towards the wall on the other side of the room. What is she up to?

"It was not Ahsoka," Theseus practically snaps.

"I think both Ahsoka and Ventress are telling the truth, but there's only one way to find out." Anakin suddenly ignites Barriss' lightsaber, swinging it at her. Blood red blades instantly spring to life in her hands, and she spins them up to block it. Theseus recognizes the hilts instantly from the times he's fought Ventress throughout the war.

"Those belong to Ventress. You should've gotten rid of them!" Anakin growls.

"I think they suit me," Barriss shoots back.

"I actually agree, traitor," snarls Theseus, purple blade hissing to life in his hands as he lunges forwards. His anger is burning furiously now, and he lets it fuel him as the Mirialan parries his and Anakin's blows.

Anakin kicks her across the room, throwing her into the door. Theseus jumps at her, bringing his blade down for her head before she has the chance to stand up. She hastily blocks him, shoving his blades aside before she leaps to her feet. Anakin lunges for her again, and she whirls to block him with one of her lightsabers, trying to fend off Theseus with the other.

The fight would be easier if the room they were in wasn't so small, but it's already obvious who has the upper hand here. "Ahsoka trusted you and you betrayed her," Anakin growls.

"I've learned that trust is overrated. The only thing the Jedi Council believes in is violence!" she spits, and Theseus throws her into the wall. She drops her lightsabers as she lands on the floor, looking up to find blue and purple lightsabers leveled at her throat.

***

Barriss' words at the Senate are still ringing through Theseus' head when he's standing in front of the Council along with Ahsoka and Anakin. That the Jedi are responsible for the war, that they've lost their way, that they're an army fighting for the Dark Side, and that the Republic is falling.

Despite what she did, and how furious he'll always be with her for it, he can't deny the truth in her statements. Almost everything she said was true, at least to a point. The Jedi should be doing things differently, to help end the war instead of continuing to fight it like this, even if Theseus isn't entirely sure what. All the politics have never made much sense to him.

There's no question that the Jedi have lost their way. If they hadn't, the Council would have thought twice before throwing Ahsoka into the street. He doesn't care why they did it, or that the Senate demanded it. It doesn't change how much it shows how corrupt the Order has become, for them to do something like this. This betrayal hurts far worse even than the Hardeen incident. That was for a mission, at least, so maybe, maybe it could be justified. (No, it can't be.)

But this... this – He knows the Jedi are on the wrong path and he wanted to help them. Now he's beginning to think that Revan was right after all. Maybe it is too late to do anything about it. What that means, he has no idea. But whether he's furious with the Council or not, it still scares him.

In that way, they are fighting like an army for the Dark Side, even if it's nothing like Barriss is making it sound. Or is it? Is the Sith in the Senate that's presumably playing the war from both sides – if Dooku's words are to be trusted – have so much control over the Jedi? Does Barriss know who it is?

As for the Republic, is it falling? The war certainly has taken a turn for the worse, and it's not doing either side of the galaxy any good.

The door to the Council room abruptly slides open and Ahsoka walks out. She doesn't look his way, just walks off, gaze fixed on a point at the end of the hall.

The first thing that hits him is confusion, until he realizes that she still doesn't have her braid. Oh no. It's happening too fast for Theseus to process the implications of it. Wait – is she – what – This can't be happening.

"Ahsoka?" he utters finally, but she doesn't reply, silently disappearing around the corner.

He glances back at the Council doors, then takes off after her. He doesn't understand. What's going on? Or maybe it's just that he doesn't want to understand. He doesn't want to let the implications of this sink in, because how could Ahsoka be about ready to leave? Ready to walk away from the Order, from her life? Shock and horror pulse through him, strongerthan anything he's ever felt before.

He can understand it, and that's what makes him even more scared that what he's assuming is right. The Council ripped away everything she worked for. It makes sense why she wouldn't want to come back, after what they did. But if she's leaving the Order, that means she's leaving him, Anakin, everything... everyone she ever knew. No, he can't be about to lose her now, his best friend in his entire life. He wants to believe that his mind is jumping to the worst possible conclusion, but...

"Ahsoka!" By the time he catches up to her, she's already well on the way out of the Temple.

Finally, she stops, turning to look back at him. "What... happened?" he asks finally. There's so many things he wants to know, so many questions he has, he doesn't know how to put any to words.

"I can't stay here anymore, Theseus," the Togruta says quietly, looking up to meet his eyes. He can see the pain from the betrayal still burning within them. "Not after what they did."

Any slim hope he was still clinging to that this might not be the end completely shatters. She's going to leave. He... can't even accept the implications of it. The one person who's always been there, other than his mother, is Ahsoka. He's known her as long as he can remember. He doesn't even know what a life without her around would be like. "Ahsoka..." he breathes, suddenly unable to find any words to even try and express himself.

"I can't," she repeats, "I... I need to figure this out by myself."

"But leaving?" he protests, desperation slipping into his voice, "You've lived here your whole life! You don't know anything else."

"I'll figure it out," she replies, "This... it isn't the place for me anymore. Not now."

He doesn't even know what to say to that. After everything she's been through because of the Order, of course, she wouldn't want to come back, but he doesn't want to lose her like this. If she leaves, will he ever see her again? He takes being separated from her all the time because he knows he will eventually see her again, but now... he doesn't have that reassurance anymore.

That doesn't matter as much as how she'll be gone, on her own, surviving out there in the galaxy. He has faith in her, he knows she can take care of herself, but... this is the end. "I thought we'd stay together forever."

"So did I." Somehow, that manages to hurt even more. "I'll miss you," Ahsoka admits, "But I can't stay here."

"I... understand." He holds out his hand to her, and she takes it. His mind is spinning, unable to comprehend that this is the last time, because she's going to leave. This is goodbye, their final goodbye. Force knows when – or if – they'll see each other again. "When the war is over," Theseus promises, slowly. "I'll come and find you."

"Thank you." Ahsoka squeezes his hand one last time, and he imprints the feel of it into his mind forever, before she pulls away and steps back.

"Ahsoka?" another voice suddenly calls, and they look up to see Anakin hurrying towards them. He looks and feels even more devastated than Theseus is right now, and it hurts. The Force is swirling around him, until he's practically the epicenter of a storm of pain and grief.

"Why are you doing this?" Anakin asks desperately as he finally catches up to them. There's something almost broken about how he says it.

"The Council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself?" Ahsoka protests.

"What about me?" Anakin asks pleadingly. "I believed in you. I stood by you!" He looks closer to shattering than Theseus has ever seen him before. It's somehow even worse than it was when they thought Obi-Wan died.

"I know you believe in me, Anakin," she answers quietly, unable to meet his gaze, "And I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you. I can't stay here any longer, not now."

"The Jedi Order is your life. You can't just throw it away like this. Ahsoka, you are making a mistake."

"Maybe," she utters, turning to look away from them, "But I have to figure this out on my own. Without the Council... and without you."

Somehow, the words only manage to cut deeper than it's already hurting, maybe a reminder all over again that this is really the end. His best friend in his whole life is about to leave, and he doesn't know when, or if, he's ever going to see her again. He can't even imagine what that's going to be like. Waking up every morning knowing that he'll never see her again, that –

A defeated sigh escapes Anakin, and he turns to look back at the Temple behind them for a moment. "I understand," he says quietly, "More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the Order."

Does he? While Theseus had noticed how much Anakin questions the Order, he never actually thought that Anakin would want to leave.

"I know," Ahsoka murmurs, looking over her shoulder one last time before she turns and starts walking away for the Temple steps. She doesn't look back.

Theseus watches her go, disappearing into the setting sun, unable to believe this is really happening. He doesn't know what to do, how to feel about any of this. Ahsoka is gone. She just left him, left them, forever.

It feels like something irreparably died in this moment, something they'll never get back. He misses her terribly, even if she disappeared from sight only seconds ago. How could this have happened? Only days ago, everything was fine, and now...

Caleb is dying, Ahsoka is gone. What's next?

Part of him wants to cry, but he doesn't think he even could. And part of him just wants to... scream and do something very violent. This would never have happened if the Council had trusted Ahsoka a little more, the exact moment that she needed them the most. She's gone because of them. And... if not for what they were becoming, Barriss probably wouldn't have taken the actions she did, which means Caleb would still be fine. Maybe it's not fair for him to blame them for all that, but he can't entirely help it. He can feel the Dark Side calling to him, more strongly than ever, and he doesn't refuse it.

Many long moments drag by before he finally looks up at his padawan brother. Anakin still stands equally motionless, the crippling pain and loss he's feeling somehow managing to totally eclipse Theseus'. Yes, Theseus and Ahsoka were best friends, but Anakin raised Ahsoka. Even if they were close in age, she was almost like his daughter. She was his child. Theseus doesn't even want to imagine how he must be feeling right now. The three of them... it often felt like they were the only ones left together after the Hardeen incident, and now it's just the two of them.

The sun is slowly sinking below the horizon, letting night envelop the planet in a way that seems strangely symbolic. It's as though it's setting on the last period of light that's left in their lives, before everything plunges into darkness.

Somehow... Theseus thinks it might be true.

Chapter Text

The sound of rain hitting the window finally wakes Theseus. No, he's not ready to get up, not ready to face the day yet. He wants to pretend yesterday was nothing but a horrible nightmare, but in the end, none of that will change anything. Whether he gets up now or ten minutes from now, it will change nothing.

A sigh escaping him, Theseus slowly sits up on the couch in the living room of Anakin's apartment. The day might be just beginning, but he's already so worn out that he doesn't want to move or do anything.

Not that he's going to realistically have the luxury of that. He's been in the healer's wing for days, and Obi-Wan and the 212th definitely need his help. He finally drags himself off the couch, heading in to the 'fresher. By the time he's out, Anakin is sitting listlessly on the couch, staring almost blankly at the wall.

Theseus heads back to the couch, taking a seat next to him. The silence, other than the rain outside, feels practically deafening, but he isn't sure what to say. He's not going to ask him if he's alright. Neither of them are, and there's no point pretending otherwise.

"Want to eat anything?" Theseus suggests finally.

Anakin shakes his head.

"Me neither."

Silence falls over them again, and Theseus can only try to take comfort in Anakin's presence. At least he's one person he hasn't lost. Yet. He's lost so much in the past month.

"I wanted to thank you," Anakin says, finally. "For everything you did for me, and for... her."

"It's what friends do," Theseus replies. He's well aware of how they both need to get moving, but they're equally exhausted from the past couple days. And besides, he really thinks they could use a break. Ahsoka's always been here, for nearly as long as Theseus was Obi-Wan's padawan, and... he has no idea how to start without her.

He doesn't know how long they've been sitting there before Obi-Wan enters. Even if he hadn't been nearly as involved as the others, he seems unusually subdued. "I'm sorry," he says at last.

"I know." Anakin stands, avoiding his gaze.

"You told us to let the Senate decide her fate," Theseus says, bitterly. It's not Obi-Wan's fault and he knows it. It's unfair to hold him accountable for it, but... He's angry and hurt, and he's lashing out, even if he ought not to.

"I thought they would look into it more."

"Like the Council did?" Anakin snaps.

Surprisingly, Obi-Wan doesn't argue. "The Senate requested she be handed over," he replies, "Refusing would have been seen as opposition, and we assumed that she would receive an impartial trial regardless."

"I heard," Anakin replies, flatly. "It – I should go. I don't suppose Rex heard what happened yet."

Somehow, Theseus hadn't even thought about it yet. The clones don't know she left, even if they've heard everything else, and breaking the news to them will be the hardest part.

Anakin slips past them, heading out, leaving the two of them standing in silence. It feels almost uncomfortable, even if it ought not to be.

"We have things to attend to, padawan," Obi-Wan speaks finally, though the tone is more gentle than normal.

Theseus nods, silently following his master out the door.

***

Every time he turns around it's like he's expecting to see Ahsoka suddenly walk up, to tell him that she's coming back, or maybe that he imagined the previous evening entirely and she never left at all. Almost nothing he's ever felt has hurt worse than this, then the fact that his little sister, his daughter even, is gone, that he's never going to see her again. That she chose to walk away. Anakin knows nothing will ever be the same again, not now. He doesn't even know how to keep moving. It feels like time should stop, with how much everything has fallen apart, but of course, it won't.

He has to keep moving, like he always does. The galaxy is depending on him, the boys need him. He can't sit here and let himself fall apart even if there's nothing he wants more right now.

But in a way, sitting here in the apartment is only making it hurt even worse – since apparently that's still possible. Everything still feels like Ahsoka. Staying in here is nothing more than a blatant reminder of how empty the apartment is, of how he's always going to return to an empty apartment now, of how the one person who was always at his side from practically the beginning of the war is gone forever. She was his to take care of, to protect, and he failed. And now, she's gone.

He needs to talk to the boys about what happened. Somehow Anakin manages to drag himself to the hanger, taking a ship up to the waiting cruiser and going to find Rex.

"General," he greets immediately.

"Rex..." Anakin replies, suddenly realizing he's at a loss of how to go about telling them what happened. Ahsoka was important to all of them too, very much like a sister – or as much as she could be when she technically outranked them, and they were at such different statuses.

"What happened... with the Commander?" Rex asks after a moment, which reminds Anakin that they don't even know yet that she was found innocent. The last they heard, she'd been arrested and put on trial, but nothing beyond that.

Talking about it only drives the lightsaber deeper into the already gaping hole in his heart. It's like Ahsoka took a piece with him, and he doesn't know how he'll ever be whole again. He won't be. He can't be. It's simply not possible. "She was thrown out of the Order and... declined the offer to rejoin after she was found innocent," Anakin replies, struggling to keep his voice level as he talks.

The captain's muted shock and horror swirl in the Force around him. "She's not coming back?" Rex asks slowly, clearly struggling to accept what he's hearing.

"No." Why does it feel like every moment, every second, the pain is only getting worse?

Rex hardly even seems sure how to respond to that. He's in shock, which is unsurprising. Not that there's really anything to say even, anyway. Ahsoka is gone, and nothing anyone does can change that.

***

"Is everything alright, Commander?" Cody looks like he's feeling seriously awkward and uncomfortable the moment the question leaves his mouth.

Theseus is hardly surprised that he noticed. Even if he still doesn't want to do anything, he finally headed up to the main 212th cruiser. Life won't stop, no matter how much he wants it to.

"Not really," he sighs, "I'm assuming you heard about what was going on with Ahsoka?" Saying the name out loud sends a fresh wave of pain and longing washing through him.

"We heard that she'd been accused of bombing the Temple," Cody replies.

"She was thrown out of the Order and put on trial by the Senate. Anakin and I found who did it in the meantime, so she was acquitted, but after that, she didn't want to come back." He doesn't hide the bitterness in his tone. It's all because of the Councils' stupidity. They should have listened to the Force.

"I... didn't realize that the Jedi were able to leave."

"What? – Oh. Yeah, we can, even if it's rarely done." Why did it only hit him this very moment that no matter how much any of the clones want to leave – and he could hardly blame any of them for that – they can't? They'd be arrested if they even tried to leave, even though fighting the war was never their choice in the first place. To be fair, it wasn't really most of the individual Jedi's choices to join the war either, but technically, they at least have the option of leaving.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened," says Cody, sounding slightly uncomfortable again. They generally never have conversations this personal, so he knows it's got to be awkward for the clone, even if they are friends.

"We'll be fine," Theseus says, instead, because they have to be. There's no other choice but to keep moving, there never is. "What's the update on the war?"

***

"How is he?"

Athea looks up as Theseus enters Caleb's room, moving to take a seat next to her. It's hard to have to tell him this only the evening after Ahsoka left. Athea can understand why she did what she did, after being thrown out like that. In Ahsoka's place, Athea supposes she would have done likewise. Now that it's over, she can't deny feeling a nagging guilt for not doing more to defend Ahsoka. It's too late for regrets, and... in a way, that's what makes it so bad.

Still, all the questions she herself has always had about the Order are resurfacing again. They're wrong about a lot of things – about having families – and she doesn't know where it ends. She can see now, why Theseus continues to touch the Dark Side, even when all the other Jedi around him are against it. She's not sure she'd actually be ready to go that far, but still.

"It's getting worse," Athea finally answers her son's question. She has to face it now, that her first padawan could be about to die. She failed him.

Theseus looks down, a pained look flickering across his face. Moments like right now she remembers how young he still is. "I'm sorry about what happened with Ahsoka," Athea says softly, moving closer to rest a hand on his shoulder.

He stiffens a little at the mention. "I can't believe she's really gone," he mumbles.

It hurts so much, seeing him like this. Theseus on the verge of falling apart, and Caleb so close to dying, and there's nothing she can do about it. She's supposed to be a Jedi Master. She should be able to do more, to help them, to help the galaxy. "It may not be forever," she offers.

He shakes his head sharply. "She already said she can never come back to the Order, and I don't want to hope..." he trails off, voice slightly shaky now, "Just to be disappointed."

There isn't a risk of anyone coming in unnoticed, so she doesn't hesitate to move closer, pulling Theseus into a hug. It's the only comfort she can really offer him right now.

He leans into her embrace, and for a long moment, neither of them speak. "I never did tell you what happened on Mandalore," he says finally, staring at Caleb's still form.

Right. In the midst of everything, being thrown from one mission to the next and then with the whole bombing thing, she hadn't even had the time to think about it. "What did happen?" she inquires. "Obi-Wan reported that Maul is apparently in control under cover, but..." She's pretty sure that's not what Theseus is planning to tell her. It's likely something more personal, something about... their family.

"It's... Dad..." he begins slowly.

She twitches slightly at the word. It's so jarring to hear him calling Vizsla that, even if it's the truth. Things between her and Pre hadn't ended well, to say the least, and it's something she prefers to not think about at all. (Or how she knows she'll never ever get to know her daughter, who's been raised to hate her.)

"He's gone," Theseus finishes, "I figured you might want to know."

Gone, as in – Oh. Oh. She knows what he's saying. Pre Vizsla is dead.

She... frankly doesn't even know how to react to that news. Personally, it doesn't bother her very much, all things considered. He was a terrible person; she can't believe she didn't see it from the start, and she let him go a long time ago, but she knows how much it's obviously hurting Theseus. (Not to mention her daughter, but she'd rather not go there.)

"I'm sorry," she says quietly.

"I know he was horrible, but he was my father, and..."

"You still care for him."

"Yeah... I guess." He sighs quietly. "He loved me. I know he did, and I never told him it back. I never even said goodbye. Now Ahsoka's gone, and Caleb... who's next?"

She wishes there was something she could tell him, some way she could reassure him that he doesn't need to worry, and everything will work out fine. There's nothing she can say. "It's getting late," Athea observes instead, "I need to prepare for the next mission." The one she'd really rather not go on while Caleb is dying, but...

"You're leaving?" Theseus frowns.

"Yes, unfortunately," she agrees, "Some ancient Sith artifacts were located on a planet in the Outer Rim, and the Council wants me to go retrieve the objects before they fall into... unwanted hands."

"Oh." For some reason, he seems worried.

"What?" she queries.

"I don't know," he sighs, "I... something doesn't feel right, about it? Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Or maybe he's not. There are things he's been able to notice more now that he's been touching the Dark Side, she has to admit. It makes her question things that she'd rather not be thinking about. "I'll be careful," she promises, "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know I'm gone."

***

The Dark Side is hanging more heavily in the air here than Athea has ever felt before. She can understand now why they wanted a Council member to come here. It's not good for any Jedi to be exposed to something like this. Especially not when they're unstable, but she chooses to ignore that thought as she approaches the ancient building.

Is this a trap? Theseus' concerns ring through her mind again. Even if it is, she can't turn back. This is her mission, and it's a simple one.

The feel of the Dark Side, the coldness of it, wraps all around her as she enters, keeping a hand on her lightsaber as she moves through the building, heading for where the artifacts should still be.

Finally, she reaches the door at the end of the hall, pushing it open and stepping into the dark room. The door hisses closed behind her, plunging everything into pitch blackness, except for the glowing red holocrons on the far side of the room. The artifacts she came here for.

The strength of the Dark Side here is suffocating, and somehow, it's also managing to bring all her dark emotions, all her doubts and questions about the Jedi, spiraling to the surface. About how they could do the things they do if they're really right.

Open me. The holocron seems to ask. With promises of power, strength, knowledge, and guidance... everything she so badly needs right now.

It's forbidden, Athea knows that, but as she stares transfixed at the glowing red objects in front of her, the only thing that might be able to provide answers in a situation like this, she suddenly can't find it in herself to care anymore.

***

In his mostly unconscious state, time is of little meaning. Distant noises, people talking, lights on and off, it all vaguely blends together in the back of Caleb's mind when he occasionally slips a little closer to consciousness.

It's the sudden cold, all-encompassing darkness that wraps around him which nearly jars him entirely back to consciousness. What's happening?! He's never felt anything like this before. The Force – is that the Dark Side?! – only seems to be growing in intensity around him.

He doesn't know how long this is dragging on, but it seems like eternity. The darkness doesn't actually feel dangerous either, which confuses him even more. It's also only serving to scare him more, or it would be, if he was conscious enough to form coherent thoughts right now.

For a moment, he's almost certain that he senses Athea before he suddenly jolts awake. "Master?" Caleb asks, looking around the room. More time must have passed then he thought because there's a healer next to him now who looks almost frantic, and behind her stands a very worried Theseus.

"She's not here," Theseus answers, still looking around the room with a frown on his face.

"I don't know how this is possible," the healer frowns, then looks down at him, "Do you know what happened? Was anyone in here with you?"

"What?" Caleb coughs, confused.

"You were in serious condition," Theseus explains, "And someone must have been in here, healing you with the Force."

"The Dark Side," the healer objects with a frown.

What?! So that's – "How's that possible?" he protests.

"I don't know," the healer responds, shaking her head, "But we need to get you checked up and see what your condition is now."

The healer shoos Theseus out of the room and begins to work on checking on Caleb's condition. Apparently, he'd been close to... dying? It doesn't really feel real to hear, and he's not really sure how he feels about the news. Now he's almost entirely better, except that he'll still have to go through a lot of physical therapy. And there are some things – including being able to walk properly – that the healer says he might never fully regain. Only time will tell.

***

This doesn't make any sense, and it isn't looking very good. Obi-Wan isn't entirely sure what to make of it all, but the implications aren't something he really wants to consider. Still, if Luminara's former padawan Fell, then... "We can't find Master Shan anywhere," Obi-Wan informs his padawan.

"What do you mean 'can't find her'?" Theseus demands, voice rising a little.

"She disappeared," he replies. "She won't answer anyone's calls, and we tried tracing her ship and Jedi communicator, but neither gave us any leads whatsoever on her whereabouts. The Council dispatched several Jedi to check out the location of the Sith artifacts, but no one is there, and the artifacts are missing as well."

"But who would take those artifacts other than a Sith?"

Someone who actually had already Fallen, or who suddenly had too much interest in them? Obi-Wan doesn't want to believe something like that could be true about Athea, but the timing doesn't make any sense otherwise. "Someone who was interested in them, perhaps," Obi-Wan suggests finally.

Theseus practically glares at him, obviously understanding the unspoken implications. "Master Shan would never do that."

"It is unlikely," Obi-Wan agrees, "But no one sensed any danger from her. It is a possibility that we may have to face."

"Yeah, the same way we had to face the possibility that Ahsoka might've Fallen," he snaps, turning on his heel and stalking over to the apartment window to glare out at the passing traffic.

It's another blatant reminder of how hard he's taking what happened with Ahsoka, even if it was her decision to leave in the end, not the Council's. Especially given how Caleb was mysteriously healed and the Dark Side could be felt so strongly in the room, Obi-Wan has to wonder about Athea, but he knows Theseus is never going to listen. It might be better if he doesn't anyway. He's already been thrown off balance again, and pushed closer to the Dark Side himself, and trying to accept that something like this could've happened to his mother – whether he should be so attached to her or not – isn't going to be easy.

"There's no guarantee of anything, and the Council isn't going to jump to any conclusions," Obi-Wan promises finally, "Perhaps there is a lot more going on than anyone knows, or her disappearance and that of the artifacts isn't entirely connected. Right now, what we need to do is focus on finding her."

Chapter Text

Something is wrong. Theseus isn't sure what it is, but he's been sensing Anakin's turbulent emotions for a while now. At first, he thought it might just be him thinking about Ahsoka again, but now he's beginning to get the feeling that something else is also going on.

All Theseus does know is that Obi-Wan went to talk to Anakin about something, and now if anything, he seems to be feeling worse than before... not as if that's uncommon. He needs to go see what's wrong. It could just as well be about Ahsoka, again. They try not to speak of her, because it hurts too much – just as the loss of his parents hurts too much. When will he stop losing? It's a fear he's always had, since Vraz died, but now... Now it feels more real.

Day by day, as the war goes by, Theseus knows the dangers his friends, his family are in. Any day, they could die, they could leave. He could never see them again, never know if they're alright, so he clings to what bits he has left, engraving whatever memories and moments he can grasp, forever into his mind, so at least he can remember. Even if they're gone, if he's still here, he can do what he can; he can remember them.

What more is left, except that?

And he wonders, really wonders, if he will be the one to fall, someday, and what would happen then? Would Obi-Wan shrug it off like a good Jedi, or would he mourn? Would the boys move on without looking back? What would Anakin do?

He never worried about these things, not so much, when Ahsoka was here. It feels like she took a part of him with her, and it hurts every time to step into the Council chambers and not see his mother.

The Council, who he is losing faith in more and more by the day. He's become quite thoroughly disillusioned with the Order, with their ability to maintain peace and order as they claim to.

Theseus knocks on Anakin's door, waiting for the mumbled response on the other side to enter. The Knight is tinkering with some sort of machine, likely a very unnecessary endeavor at this time. "What're you doing?" Theseus asks, approaching him.

Anakin waves a hand in the air, gesturing for him to come closer. "I thought you were drowning in classes?" he asks.

"Yeah, but I needed a bit of... break time. How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Anakin replies automatically.

"Don't even try to lie," Theseus objects, "I can sense it, you know."

On second thought, maybe that wasn't a good idea. Anakin tenses instantly. "Then why ask?"

"It's an icebreaker," he offers, "And I was wondering if something happened. I know Obi-Wan talked to you not long ago." Honestly, Theseus is surprised Anakin is at the Temple. Since Ahsoka left, he normally is hanging out with the clones or at the Senate, no questions asked.

Anakin sighs, setting down his tools. "It's nothing, really."

"You don't get worked up for no reason, Anakin."

"Senator Amidala is... working with an old friend of hers, who also happens to be a traitor to the Republic," he answers finally.

"You're worried for her?"

"Last time, he nearly killed her," Anakin says flatly, glaring at the floor. The Senator might be Anakin's friend, but... he senses something more than the normal concern. It's strange, because if he didn't know better, he'd say Anakin feels responsible for her. It reminds him of how he felt about Ahsoka, but that doesn't make logical sense.

"You don't need to feel responsible for her," Theseus tries slowly. "She's your friend, not..."

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't," Anakin mutters, "But I do. I can't help it."

Theseus opts to remain silent for a few minutes, turning it over in his mind. He doesn't know much about the Senator; he never really knew her. He wishes there was something he could do to help, but he doesn't know what. He doesn't even fully understand what the problem is. "I'm sure she can take care of herself," he offers.

"They had a relationship, once," he replies, voice oddly emotionless as he stands and paces across the room. "I think she may be... vulnerable to her emotions."

That complicates things. "Maybe... you could try talking to her about it?" he suggests after mulling over that for a moment.

Apparently, that was not the right approach to the situation, because Anakin instantly goes completely tense, hurt bleeding into the Force. "I did," he snaps, though it's clear his anger is not directed at Theseus. "She won't listen to me."

Oof.

He understands why Anakin is upset, but the whole responsibility thing is what confuses him. There's something more, something he's not saying. The desire to protect a close friend is one thing, but this is something else. It's... much like how Theseus felt towards Ahsoka, he realizes with a start, as he remembers her sneaking off to the Citadel. He was scared to death that she'd get herself killed, even if he knew she's capable of protecting herself, and that Anakin would take care of her as he always does.

Something of his realization must have shown on his face, because Anakin demands, "What?"

"That's – I know what that feels like," he states. "I... felt like that."

This time, it's finally Anakin's turn to look the slightest bit mind blown. "I know – I – what do you mean?"

It's so strange to have someone to talk to about this, and even stranger to realize that he had someone he could talk to all along and never knew. "That wanting to be with someone, knowing it can never happen, wanting... her, wanting to be with her and to know she's alright..."

Anakin's eyes widen slightly. "It's not – we're just friends."

"Are you?" Theseus asks, because the stubborn denial is what sets him off. It's a lie, he's quite certain.

He looks away.

"It's fine," he assures. "Really. You'd hardly be the first Jedi to do that, you know. I won't tattle, I promise."

"Thank you," Anakin says, finally, "And... I know. I knew you and Ahsoka – " he stumbles over her name, flinching as if it's physically painful to mention it, and it is for them both, "But I didn't want to bring it up. I didn't want you to think it was more real."

It would have been nice, Theseus thinks, to have known someone was willing to support him regardless, but he understands the reasoning. More than likely, it would have made them rush into it, before either were ready, and it would have made meeting Lux and Bo far more awkward. "Thanks," the padawan says. "If you want to talk about this, later... I'll be glad to hear."

***

Anakin does come to talk to him later. The next morning, right before Theseus heads for the cruiser to help Cody and the boys prepare for their next battle; they'll be leaving fairly soon. "I know you're busy," Anakin blurts out in a rush, and Theseus instantly notices the pain and darkness swirling in his Force signature. Something must have gone very wrong; he can feel it. Even in all the time Theseus has known him, never has Anakin felt so incredibly alone.

"It's fine, really," he assures. "You're my friend." My brother. "I can spare a few minutes if you need me to. Did something happen?"

"Yeah," Anakin mumbles and looks away. "After we talked, I thought... maybe I should talk to her again, to see if she's alright and try to fix this, but... when I came..." He shakes his head. "I guess I got a little out of hand."

Uh... "What does that mean?"

"Um. I... beat up Clovis for trying to kiss Padme."

"You –" Theseus groans. He shouldn't be as surprised as he is. Of course, Anakin would be upset; anyone would be. He's fairly certain there's more to the story, though, more which he doesn't ask for.

"I didn't mean to," Anakin continues, and he means it. Theseus knows he does. "I didn't mean to," he repeats, "But I did, and – and Padme doesn't want to be around me anymore. She told me to leave, and..."

Oh. Oh. That definitely explains how he's feeling now, the sudden loneliness that's devouring him. He wishes there was something he could say, but how could words, any words, relieve this? "Ahsoka wasn't the only one I... felt like that towards," he starts slowly. "Back when I was with Death Watch. But when I left, I had to leave her, too."

"How did you do it?" Anakin asks, a bit brokenly. "How can you just walk away without ever looking back?"

"I didn't. I look back at it every day. I want to go back, sometimes, but my life is here. This is... where I belong."

"It's about purpose, then, isn't it?"

"A little bit, yes, and that she's different from me. She's, well, a terrorist."

Anakin blinks, then laughs. "Seriously?"

"She's nicer than it sounds," he grumbles, "But like I was saying, there were other things, including that she's older than me –"

"Padme's older than me."

"Whatever." He waves a hand. "I'm not you, and she's not Padme."

"Of course not. No one else could be." Anakin trails off and ducks his head, but not before his expression becomes pained.

"I chose to be a Jedi," Theseus continues, "And it's what I wanted, because I wanted to help people. Maybe I was wrong, but it's what I thought. I didn't want to become one of them, I wanted out."

"I can't imagine it," Anakin murmurs.

"Believe me, if your father came from nowhere and offered you to join him and your hopefully non-existent twin sister, on the condition you agreed to murder people for fun, you'd make the same choice."

"I already have a father." Anakin rolls his eyes.

"Wait, really?"

"Yes," he replies flatly, "And I have a couple crazy siblings. There's not much else I could want."

Okay, he's totally lying, but Theseus is nice enough not to call him out on it. "I know this is where I belong, but sometimes, I just want my family. A family." He's never talked about these feelings to anyone, but it doesn't flood him with guilt like it once would have. "I went back to Mandalore, I found out that – that Maul had... My father is gone, and I wonder what would've happened if I'd stayed."

Anakin lays a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"I know what I really want now, though. I want to learn to live. Sometimes, I think I want to leave." It's strangely freeing to say it aloud, the emotions he's been holding in for so long.

Anakin stills. "Me too," he admits. "I wanted to – to live the rest of my life with Padme, maybe... maybe adopt Ahsoka if she wanted to leave, too. I planned to wait until she was Knighted, and now, all I was waiting for is the war. Doesn't matter now, though." Theseus doesn't miss the bitterness in his voice.

"She's a fool if she doesn't change her mind," he replies flatly. "I know how loyal you are, and it's not something people normally give out."

"She said she doesn't feel safe," he admits. "That – that's what matters."

Okay, something about this doesn't quite make sense, because how would that make her afraid? It's not like she hasn't fought in battles before. "I guess I don't really know what happened."

"And... I need to make sure she's alright, anyway, but I can't be there, be with her, when I need to be." His expression twists with raw, open agony that pulls at his heart. "All because I lost control of myself." There's an underlying note of... something there, and Theseus wonders but doesn't ask what it is that's so dark. Maybe he should try to unravel the mystery that is Anakin Skywalker – he wants to – but now isn't the time.

"You did your best," he offers.

"What good is that?"

He sounds a bit like Theseus, back in the day, he notes dryly. "It's all that matters," he assures, or tries to. His comm beeping interrupts their conversation. "I need to go, but we can talk more later."

"Thank you," Anakin calls after, as he takes off down the hall.

"You too," Theseus responds. "You, too."

***

Theseus gets back from his mission – it was surprisingly short and simple, though the war is worsening in other places – the same time Anakin does. Apparently, while he was gone a bunch of politics happened with the Banking Clans, things that he doesn't care to try and fully understand, but the Separatists and Republic ended up fighting right on the Banking Clan's homeworld, and eventually, the control of it ended right under the Supreme Chancellor. Theseus doesn't know enough about all of that to know if that's a good thing, but it should give the Republic a significant advantage over the Separatists.

Still, that's not really the part that's concerning him the most. Senator Amidala had been there when the fight broke out, and Palpatine had sent Anakin in there to rescue her. Which means he had to deal with being around her again right after everything that happened. It's not as if Palpatine would know or have any reason to be bothered by it as the leader of the Republic, but Theseus is still mildly annoyed that it had to happen.

He's not sure how Anakin feels about it, though. The Knight seems to actually be feeling a little better, or at least the amount of darkness swirling around him when Theseus sees him again appears to have lessened. He takes that as a good sign.

"You seem a bit happier."

"I talked to Padme, and... Well, I sort of talked to her. We never actually talked about it, but... I should be glad, I think," Anakin explains, "But I'm not. I can't trust her anymore."

"I... can understand why." After the state Theseus saw Anakin in when they last talked it isn't something that's going to fade that quickly. Not when Anakin reached the point that he actually came to him, and Anakin never seems to go to people even when he needs help. Now that he thinks of it, that's actually very disturbing, and reminds him far too much of himself before he Fell. He doesn't know or understand enough about Anakin and Padme's relationship to even begin giving him advice on what they should do to repair their relationship, but he can at least try to be supportive, however he can.

"I should tell her you know," Anakin adds as an afterthought, "We agreed not to tell anyone, and she'd want to know."

"To be fair, you didn't tell me, exactly. I guessed," Theseus points out with a smirk, "But yeah, you probably should." He wishes he could give advice about how to handle this situation, but all he can think of is the obvious of talking to her about it, which... is not entirely practical, being their relationship will be quite strained and the small amount of time they have with each other. "Does she regret it?" he asks, instead.

Anakin stills. "I don't know. I never asked."

Which means she clearly never showed any signs of that either. Great. That makes things even more complicated, because he doesn't know the Senator well enough to know if she's gotten over whatever the problem was, or what. He can only hope this will get better from here, for everyone, because he doesn't know how much more darkness and loss they can handle.

If only it was true.

***

It's been a month, and Anakin keeps putting off telling Padme what happened. He's out on a mission now, and... things are really picking up, and he's heard talk about them staying on the fronts straight. He is not looking forward to it, but he finds that in some horrible way, he wants the distance. It floods him with guilt, to even think about it, because she's his wife, and they're supposed to be living together. Even so, ever since Clovis, nothing has been the same. Some dark part of him wonders if it ever will.

"I need to tell you something," Anakin admits, finally, facing a hologram of his Angel.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Theseus... I was talking to him a month ago." She can figure out what he means by that, he's certain. "And... he figured it out. He asked, and I confirmed it."

A myriad of emotions flicker across her face, too fast for him to read. "He won't say anything about it?" she asks, though she clearly already expects the answer.

"No," Anakin promises. "I know he won't. He was... in a similar position."

"Oh." She looks away, seeming to take a few moments to process it. "He's your friend, Anakin. If you trust him..."

"I do," he tells her, and it reminds him again that at this point, Theseus is really one of the only people left who he actually does still trust. He can't trust Obi-Wan anymore, he isn't really sure what to say for Padme at this point, and Ahsoka is... No, he can't let himself dwell on her. He can't really lean on Rex for this kind of support either, and while he would have once thought so about Theseus as well, that's apparently not true.

He couldn't be more grateful, to have his little brother at his side like this. Somehow, it seems that with Ahsoka's departure, the bond between them grew even stronger, maybe because she was the largest player in both their lives, and no one but each other can understand her loss. Except, he supposes, Padme misses her, too. It's not something they ever talk about, because it's simply too painful. Besides, what good is there? The Jedi ripped away his child, and nothing anyone does or says will ever be able to bring her back.

Chapter Text

"She was the first Jedi to visit Utapau in many years. This is precisely the way we found her," the Utapauan Inspector tells them.

Theseus glances between her and the dead Jedi lying in front of them. This is by far one of the stranger missions he's had. Jedi Master Tu-Anh mysteriously died here, and no one has any idea how it happened. Or even what she was doing here in the first place. He's here with Anakin and his master to investigate the incident.

"No obvious external wounds," Obi-Wan observes with a frown. That's the most puzzling part. There doesn't even appear to be a reason that she died.

Anakin holds a hand over her head, a look of concentration on his face as he reaches out with the Force. "I'm picking up unusual neurological activity," the Knight reports.

"Can you be more specific?" Obi-Wan asks.

"It's as if her mind was left unsettled."

"Since I'm pretty sure she was murdered, it would be odd if that wasn't the case, right?" Theseus asks.

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "But there are still no signs of any external damage." He runs a hand over her arm, as he checks her over for any more signs of injury. "She never reported her whereabouts to the Jedi Council. I'm afraid she was something of a maverick, like my own master Qui-Gon Jinn. She would disappear for long periods conducting rogue investigations, her activities often unknown to even the Council."

Somehow that reminds Theseus again of Athea, of how she's disappeared without a trace. No one can find her anywhere, and he can't shake the feeling that it's intentional, whatever happened. She doesn't want to be found, but he can't understand why. What's happening with her? Is she alright? He doesn't know when they're even going to find out. Or if. He ignores that thought.

"If there was something here worth a Jedi's attention, I should like to know what it was," the inspector murmurs.

"You and I both, Inspector. You and I both," Obi-Wan agrees, reaching down to close Tu-Anh's eyes before they turn to leave. Time to get started on the actual investigation.

***

It doesn't take them long to find another lead. "That's quite a shot even with a precision laser dart," Anakin observes, as the three stand by a large window overlooking the spot where the Jedi was killed. There's the tiniest hole in the glass which could easily have been from a laser, and everything else lines up indicating that that's what could have killed Tu-Anh.

"Which means whoever was in this room had to have the sophistication to use it," Obi-Wan declares.

"Someone who wasn't sophisticated enough to use it probably wouldn't have been shooting at Jedi in the first place," Theseus points out.

"It could have been a droid," Anakin suggests.

Theseus looks up sharply at the sound of beating wings right behind them. The Toydarian who let them in managed to fly up right behind them. Seriously, have they never heard of privacy before? "Do you mind?" Anakin almost snaps.

It retreats to the other side of the room again, but Theseus keeps an eye on it, anyway. "I sense our fellow Jedi stumbled onto a rather formidable gathering," Obi-Wan continues after a moment of contemplation.

"A plot of some kind," Anakin agrees.

Theseus scans the room again, eyes falling on a strange purple substance on the floor. "What's that?"

The other two immediately cross the room over to it. "Whatever it is, it's recent," Obi-Wan observes.

"Perhaps residue of some kind?" Anakin suggests, reaching down and promptly sticking his hand right into it.

"You might not want to do that –" Theseus warns.

"Don't touch it!" Obi-Wan exclaims.

"Uh, too late!" Anakin announces cheerfully, "I touched it."

"So we can see," Theseus grumbles, "Now we can hope that it isn't poisonous or something. I don't want to be dragging you back to the ship."

"I would have sensed it, if it was," he insists.

They take a sample of the substance for a test later on, before Obi-Wan turns to the Toydarian. "Who was in this room when the Jedi was killed?"

"I told you I know nothing about any meeting," the Toydarian objects.

Meeting? That literally had nothing to do with the question. Theseus narrows his eyes suspiciously. He definitely knows something that he isn't saying.

"Who said anything about a meeting?"

Anakin's expression abruptly darkens with anger, and he stalks across the room, grabbing the Toydarian by the neck and shoving him up against the wall, igniting his lightsaber with his other hand, holding it inches away from his neck. What the...? Okay, maybe a bit of violence is necessary, but this is something too extreme, too personal.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan protests, above the Knight snarling something at the Toydarian that Theseus doesn't catch.

"I know Toydarians," he growls. "Nothing goes on under their watch without them noticing. Now start talking." What happened? It's clearly something very personal, relating to someone of the same species.

"I tell you the truth!" the Toydarian insists frantically, "I swear!"

Anakin finally releases him, and he flies a short distance away from them before he starts to ramble. "Okay, all I know is two or three days ago, a droid gives me 20 drogas to leave the building open and tells me not to ask any questions."

"What kind of droid?" Theseus asks, eyes narrowing. He suspected as much already.

"A droid!" it repeats, as though that explains everything, "A big scary one with a low voice and red eyes." It only occurs to him now that not everyone even knows what Separatist droids are called. Great.

"Red eyes?" Obi-Wan repeats, "Could be a MagnaGuard."

"There are hundreds of droids with red eyes," Anakin objects.

"Yeah, but how many of them would actually want to kill a Jedi?" Theseus asks.

"Yes, and how many droids would actually be able to?" Obi-Wan agrees.

***

They've only just managed to find out that the slime is from the skin of an Almani, somewhere from the plains of Utapau, when they're called to meet with the Governor. "The death of a Jedi has upset the people here on Utapau," he tells them.

"It's disturbed us as well, I assure you," Obi-Wan replies.

"I am sensitive to your desire to find answers, but my responsibilities are to my constituents. The presence of two Jedi poking around, strong-arming citizens –"

"We didn't strong-arm anyone!" Anakin snaps back, leaning forwards.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan retorts, reproachfully.

Anakin settles back in his seat, something dark and angry in his expression. "Maybe I should strong-arm you," he mutters. This is... it's wrong. It never happened before Ahsoka left, but Theseus is suddenly hit by the sharp realization that this isn't about him. This isn't about Hardeen. This isn't about Ahsoka. It's about... everything.

Everything that makes Anakin, Anakin and everything that makes Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan is having a full-blown clash, the way all that's dark about one is light in the other. Once, Theseus thought they could forever balance each other out. He was wrong.

The way Anakin glares at his former master sends a shiver down his spine, with years of buried pain and resentment and rage. Obi-Wan glares back with every bit of the icy fire he always does, and Theseus is instantly struck by the knowledge that this is going to blow up. One day, it will, and he can only hope he won't be caught in the crossfire.

"The latest development in this case has made it more imperative that we stay," Obi-Wan adds, returning his attention to the governor.

"Oh really?" the governor asks, "And what development is that?"

"The possible involvement of the Separatists."

"There is no Separatist involvement on Utapau." The denial comes much too quickly for Theseus' liking, and it makes him wonder.

"Maybe not now, but there might be soon," he speaks up, watching him intently.

"We have evidence that General Grievous is involved in whatever is going on here," Anakin adds.

"And what would he be doing here?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Obi-Wan replies, "Utapau has long been a target of the Separatists. Grievous and Dooku haven't been able to do much as of yet, but if they could enlist the Almani to revolt from within, this could cause dangerous civil unrest."

"Thank you," the Governor responds, standing and moving to stare out the window in front of him, "But I can manage the internal affairs here on my own."

"You don't want our help?"

"No, I want you to leave. I thought I made that clear. And take the deceased Jedi with you. That will be all."

"Does anyone else think this seems a little suspicious?" Theseus asks, as the three of them slip out the door.

"Maybe he knows something we don't," Anakin suggests.

"Something or someone," Obi-Wan agrees.

"We are planning to keep investigating this anyway, right?" Theseus queries.

"Yes, but we must remember that we are still guests on his planet."

***

Danger is nagging at the edge of Theseus' senses as he follows the other two into the dark cave. The sound of splashing water from the stream running between the walls of the cave is drowning out most other noise.

An outcast Almani was recently spotted right around here with some Magna Guards, so whatever trail Tu-Anh was following, they should be able to pick it up from here. Hopefully. "Smells perfectly safe," Anakin mutters under his breath as they walk.

"Well, that wouldn't bother the droids," Obi-Wan points out.

"Well, it sure is bothering me!"

"We should request them to be more considerate," Theseus suggests dryly. "I'm sure they'd be happy to agree."

"I wonder if Dooku's would be happy to agree," Anakin mutters, which about zaps the humor out of everything.

"Just as we thought," Obi-Wan interrupts, coming to an abrupt stop, "MagnaGuards."

Sure enough, right up ahead Theseus can make out two MagnaGuards up on a platform, a distance above the water. Exactly what they were looking for. "What's our next move?" Anakin wonders.

"We ask them if they can pick less hostile hideouts."

"We'll have to capture one of them," Obi-Wan replies, ignoring Theseus, "So we can download their information, so don't go chopping off all their heads at once."

"It looks like we – have someone else's head to cut off?!" he finishes with a yelp, spinning around at leaping to his feet as the sight of the creature towering over them. Where did that appear from?! All three of them instantly whip out their lightsabers, and the thing roars, slamming its front legs down on the ground in front of them.

"Get our rides up here!" Anakin yells. Theseus whistles to summon their rides, and then lunges at the creature.

The MagnaGuards spot them instantly, of course, jumping onto speeders and zooming away. Great. Just what they needed.

Anakin's blade slashes through one of the creature's legs, and it snarls, spinning and throwing him into the cave wall. Theseus flips through the air, landing below its gaping mouth and stabbing his blade up through its head. He dives out of the way as it collapses to the ground with a final snarl. Anakin is climbing to his feet again by the time their rides fly into view, and they immediately go in chase of the MagnaGuards.

They catch up with the droids by the time they've reached a higher level in the city. "Now," Obi-Wan calls, and Anakin promptly jumps off and bodily tackles the nearest droid.

Theseus attacks the other one, above the commotion of clashing lightsabers and electrostaffs just managing to make out Obi-Wan yelling at them not to destroy the droids.

"Tell them that!" Theseus hollers back, ducking the end of the electrostaff that nearly hits him in the face, and then swinging it for it again, right as Obi-Wan runs to join him.

"There's two!" Anakin yells back, "Make it yours!"

The fight doesn't last long, not with both him and Obi-Wan fighting it on either side. He's just managed to knock it to the ground when he hears Anakin let out a very loud, unapologetic "Oops!" as he smashes his droid into another part of the walkway they've turned into a fighting platform, and it explodes.

They've only begun downloading the information from the second droid before it promptly implements a circuit overload, but at least they got what they needed.

***

"It looks as though there's a village up ahead," Anakin observes, as they fly through the sky over the plains of Utapau, looking for the Almani who were making deals with the MagnaGuards in the first place.

"Let's hope it's the right one," Obi-Wan replies.

"I think we're about to find out," Theseus quips, right as the first of the Almani notices them. They instantly call a warning to the others in the small camp, and all of them run out into the open, brandishing spears.

"This seems to be the place," Obi-Wan agrees dryly.

"Yeah, and if they're trying to hide, they're doing a really bad job. The Separatists should've chosen more intelligent allies."

"At least they have primitive weapons," Anakin offers optimistically. "We can take them easily." He directs his creature down for the camp, and right on cue one of the Almani withdraws a blaster. Oh great.

Theseus doesn't have more than a few seconds to yell in warning – not that it would have made a difference anyway – before the creature fires, the blasts striking the wings of each of their rides.

"You were saying?" puffs Theseus, leaping off his falling creature and landing on the ground with the Force.

Anakin catches a spear thrown by one of the Almani, igniting his lightsaber. One of the others starts shooting at Obi-Wan with their blasters, and Theseus pulls out his own lightsaber, charging it.

The creatures instantly scatter, dropping the blaster in their haste to flee away into the surrounding grass. Anakin crosses the clearing, picking up the fallen blaster. "Precision laser darts," he observes.

"It's what we were expecting," Theseus states.

"Yes, I was about to tell you that if these are the Armani that killed Master Tu-Anh, they might have precision laser darts, but as usual, you went rushing in," Obi-Wan grumbles.

"Well, at least we know we're on the right track," Anakin offers.

It doesn't take long to figure out where they need to go, since one of the tracks is a lot deeper than the others, and probably the most important, according to Obi-Wan. It's their best shot anyway, Theseus supposes, especially if they're going to find these arms dealers on time.

"That's gonna be a lot of walking," Anakin grumbles.

"Since you rushed in and got our mounts killed, yes, it is going to be a lot of walking," Obi-Wan concurs grumpily.

"Think of it as... good exercise!" Theseus offers cheerfully. He is really not looking forward to how far they'll have to go by foot, but they don't have a better option. And they've had to do worse things before. At least it's only walking they have to deal with right now.

He has no idea how long they've been following the tracks, but it's got to have been several hours by now. The sun was high in the sky before, and now it's after sunset. Dusk is rapidly spreading across the surface, and soon it will be hard to see.

"They slowed to a walk here," Obi-Wan observes suddenly, stopping and crouching down to inspect the tracks, "Their base must be close by."

"Well, it's about time," Theseus huffs, "So nice of them to be considerate enough to stop running after exhausting us."

"I'll contact Ahsoka. Maybe she can –" Anakin blurts out, then cuts himself off mid-sentence. Theseus stills. They haven't mentioned her name in a long time, and... and for a brief moment, Anakin had gotten lost in the past. It's the clearest statement of how he's dealing that Theseus has ever gotten.

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan begins slowly, standing up.

"Forget about it," he replies stiffly, and pointedly keeps walking, "She's gone." The words manage to strike a cord deep inside again, bringing all the unwanted emotions over Ahsoka leaving back to the surface. He doesn't have time to get lost in emotions right now, but suddenly he can't help but remember.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Obi-Wan asks after a moment.

"What's there to talk about?" It won't change what happened. Nothing can. Nothing will change that his best friend in his entire life is gone, and he may well never see her again. Theseus can tell even more clearly now that Anakin is doing worse than he thought, but he doesn't know what he can even do about it.

"Nothing, I suppose," Obi-Wan replies, before thankfully changing the topic, "Perhaps we should set up camp. Sound like a plan?"

"We probably should. It's late," Theseus agrees.

Though now that the topic has come it, he can't shake Ahsoka to the back of his mind again, and from the stiff and only half-present way Anakin is moving, he's pretty sure the Knight is no better off. The three sit around the small campfire, Theseus silently watching the flames, though his mind is a million light years away.

"Dwelling on Ahsoka's decision won't bring her back," Obi-Wan finally speaks up, breaking the solemn silence that had settled over them.

"I miss her, okay?!" Anakin snaps. "Is that what you wanted me to say?" He looks up, finally. "I still can't understand how she could have left the Order!"

"It was a surprise decision to all of us."

Not to me, Theseus wants to say, because really... it wasn't. He was confused and hurt, but it's easy to understand why she did it. How couldn't she? He would have, too, and sometimes, he still thinks he wants to. Anakin had said he did, too, but Theseus wonders if he'd even be capable.

"It was wrong!" He throws another stick into the fire, maybe with a bit more force than necessary. "She's a Jedi! She belongs with us!" Anakin jumps up and walks a few paces away, turning his back on them. Theseus finds himself wondering, idly, what his expression is. "She's one of us," he adds, quieter, an undertone of despair ringing in his voice.

"She made the decision, Anakin," Obi-Wan reminds.

"Well, what choice did we give her?!" Anakin snaps back, before Theseus has a chance to retaliate with the same. "The moment there were any suspicions about her loyalty, the Council turned their back on her!"

"I will grant you mistakes were made," Obi-Wan answers after a moment, seeming completely unruffled.

Theseus bristles instantly. "That's it?" he retaliates. "The Council failed her. All you have to say about it is 'mistakes were made'?"

"She chose to leave," he replies, "Part of the Jedi's way is not let your emotions cloud your better judgment and that's precisely what Ahsoka did, even in her most critical moment."

What, he's blaming Ahsoka's decision on her? Yes, it was her choice, but it's something anyone would have done in her place. "The Council betrayed her," Theseus snaps, "Why would she want to come back to the Order after that?" He can understand why she did it, even if it hurts, even her leaving still left a gaping hole in him that he knows will never be filled.

"The Council isn't always right," he concedes. "Mistakes were made, but we took the choice we thought best, at the time."

Theseus really, really wants to slam his head on the rocks or something right about now, because of all the responses he was hoping for, that was not one of them. It doesn't really matter, though. Obi-Wan doesn't apologize, he knows that. It wouldn't change what happened, even if he did sincerely regret it, and... Theseus suspects he does, somewhere. It irks him, anyway, because it feels like the perfect attempt to absolve the Council of their responsibility in what they did.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Obi-Wan suggests, changing the topic.

"Fine," Theseus mumbles, moving from his perch on a rock to sit on the ground.

"I'm not tired," Anakin says stubbornly, straightening. "You can rest, Master. I'll keep first watch." There's still traces of bitterness in his voice, and Theseus is certain it's because his mind is far too preoccupied to begin thinking about sleeping. It isn't the best news right now, when after this they don't know when they'll sleep again, but there isn't anything he can do about it.

"Then I will accept your kind offer," Obi-Wan decides, moving to lay down.

There's a heartbeat of silence, with nothing but the crackling fire, before the Jedi Master speaks again. "You can't take responsibility for Ahsoka's decision, Anakin."

"How would you feel if I turned into a major disappointment?" Anakin demands.

"It's not the same." ... how isn't it?

"It's precisely the same. You took me under your wing and practically raised me. I'm your padawan, just like Ahsoka was mine." His voice drops before he continues. "How well would you sleep, knowing I failed you?"

"Not very well, I imagine," Obi-Wan replies, "Luckily, that isn't true, and never will be."

Theseus stays silent, in part because the conversation is too emotional for his liking, in part because there isn't anything he could say. He has no idea what it would be like to lose a padawan. When he nearly lost Caleb, it had eaten up all sense of focus, and it didn't help that he had been so preoccupied with Ahsoka's loss.

Sleep takes a while to come, and when it finally settles in, he's still thinking of Ahsoka.

He jolts awake abruptly as something grabs his arm. He looks right up into the face of one of the Amani, bright morning sunlight streaming across the grassy plains beyond them. Great. How did this happen? He's about to fight back, except he sees the number of blasters pointed at them. It would be useless.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan calls urgently, and Theseus twists around to see that he's literally still sleeping. Wait, then who was on watch?! Why didn't whoever it was wake them up? For that matter, why was he never woken up to stay on watch at some point?

"Don't bother me," Anakin says grumpily, waving a hand in apparent annoyance, apparently oblivious to the danger surrounding them. One of the Amani rudely shoves him with a blaster, and Anakin jumps, looking up, releasing a startled exclamation.

"Don't tell me you decided to stay on watch all night by yourself," Theseus groans, as he's dragged to his feet and put in binders alongside Obi-Wan.

"Actually... I thought this would be an effective way to draw them in!" Anakin insists, and from the tone it sounds like he pulled that off the top of his head or is frantically remembering whatever plan he came up with before he dozed off. Theseus isn't sure which, but they don't have time to argue about it right now.

"Oh, so this is your idea of a plan?" Obi-Wan asks, clearly very unimpressed, "You intentionally fell asleep and let us get captured?"

"At least we didn't have to do any more walking," Theseus offers with feigned cheerfulness.

"It's working, isn't it?" agrees Anakin.

"Yeah, but on second thought, I think we'll be doing a lot more walking," he adds under his breath, as moments later, the three are being led away surrounded by the creatures on all sides.

The walk goes without incident... until Anakin gets mad one of the Almani is 'playing with his lightsaber' and ignites it through his head. Theseus would have laughed, but it really wasn't funny. On the bright side, at the end of the fiasco, they did manage to figure out where they're headed. It's not much, but it's something.

"I changed my mind," Anakin grumbles. "I thought being captured would be a good idea, but maybe we can act now." Theseus has his doubts, which he doesn't voice. He won't call Anakin out on his maybe-lie in front of their master.

"Patience," Obi-Wan insists, "I admit that this was a good plan, you just need to wait a little longer."

"I'd rather act in these situations, you know that."

"Hey, we might be able to get more information if we wait a little bit longer," Theseus points out. Anakin huffs but doesn't argue.

Their leader, the so-called "Big Man" who's actually very tiny, was completely fooled and outright told them that apparently, they're selling Grievous a crystal. Frankly, Theseus doesn't want to know what they're planning to do with it. He knows they can theoretically be turned into weapons, and he doubts it would be such a big deal unless this was a rather large crystal.

Theseus has no idea how long they've been walking, but it's got to have been hours again. Are they ever going to get to where they're going? Now he's beginning to feel decidedly cranky, mostly because of being stuck in binders for this long.

"Are we almost there yet?" Anakin grumbles.

"You're tired?" Obi-Wan asks, teasingly.

"Tired of walking? No. Tired of being a prisoner? Yes!"

"If it helps, I am too," Theseus offers.

"Oh, look, another mound!" Anakin exclaims in response, "The thrills never stop!"

Obi-Wan sighs in response.

"No, I mean, really! Look at all this grass? Have you ever been so excited?"

"No! I can't remember the last time I've had something enjoyable to do. We should make a hobby out of it!"

"That's enough, padawans," Obi-Wan sighs.

"You're right," Anakin agrees lightly, "I prefer the mounds to the grass. They really stand out."

"Speaking of mounds," Theseus says, eyes narrowing, on the structure steadily growing larger as they approach, "I don't think that is a mound. It looks like a spaceship."

Chapter Text

"We have incoming!" Theseus calls, looking over his shoulder at the sudden sound of motors. Five speeders, with those same creatures from earlier, zoom into view, in chase of their transport. After fighting off the arms dealers – and the few remaining ones had fled – they'd gone to find the enormous kyber crystal themselves. Theseus didn't know such huge crystals even existed, and on that note, the thing is already green, which means someone must have made it that way. Not that that's really a concern right now.

They'd gotten the help of one particularly friendly animal to assist the speeder in pulling the crystal's enormous cart, but they're covering distance across the prairie far too slowly for Theseus' liking. It's not even a surprise that the arms dealers are catching up with them.

Theseus jumps up, leaping onto the top of the crystal as the droids open fire. Blaster shots strike the ground around them, one of them hitting part of the harness to the animal pulling the crystal's cart. The entire thing lurches violently, and he loses balance, rolling across the surface, scrambling to catch his grip. Which might have worked if the animal wasn't totally spooked now, and galloping wildly, shaking the whole cart vigorously.

Anakin flips off the speeder in the front, cutting it free. The animal takes off across the grass, dragging the cart along behind it. Obi-Wan is already on top of the crystal deflecting blaster shots by the time Theseus gets back to his feet, and jumps back to his perch to join him.

Two speeders already down; three more to go. One of them comes flying straight at them, and Theseus deflects a few shots back at it before he flips through the air, catching ahold of something on the other part of the speeder and slashing his lightsaber through it. He drops to the ground, rolling out of the way as it explodes, debris flying everywhere.

He's scrambling back to his feet in time to see Anakin – riding one of the speeders now – colliding with the last remaining one, and both of them go spiraling out of control for the ground. The animal – cut free somewhere in the explosion – takes off across the plains, leaving them far behind. Anakin catches the cart with the Force, slowing it down before it tips over.

"That wasn't so tough," Theseus quips, "Except that our ride is gone."

"That was just the first wave," Obi-Wan reminds grumpily, "And now we have nothing to pull the crystal with."

"Actually, we have something even better," Anakin says cheerfully, turning the nearest enemy speeder upright. "This one should work."

Theseus instantly moves to help Anakin connect the speeder to the cart, while Obi-Wan decides he needs to take care of the all dead bodies everywhere. Which... he can appreciate to a point, but they are in an urgent situation at the moment. He'd much rather their bodies not join the pile on the ground, thank you very much. He keeps any comments to himself, though. It's not as though there's really room for Obi-Wan to help here, anyway.

They finally race away across the endless grass again, only four more speeders to promptly come into view. "They shouldn't treat their guests like this. It isn't good business," Theseus mutters, climbing unsteadily to his feet again and jumping back to his perch on top of the crystal alongside Obi-Wan as the speeders open fire.

One of the speeders zooms up alongside theirs, and Anakin slams the side of the speeder into it, nearly throwing Obi-Wan and Theseus off again. The blaster shots they failed to deflect strike the crystal instead, and the Force suddenly surges in warning. Theseus reacts it instantly, leaping off the crystal onto the side of the cart as the entire thing seems to glow, and energy blasts out from it in every direction. It's too blindingly bright to see properly, but he's pretty sure it just disintegrated several of their pursuers.

What?!

And then the energy pulse dissipates into nothingness, leaving the crystal sitting there innocently. "What just happened?" Anakin is the first to find his voice.

"I have no idea," Theseus breathes.

"The crystal refracted the blaster shots back at them," Obi-Wan realizes.

"It can do that?!"

"Apparently," Anakin answers, eyes wide.

They keep speeding across the plain, leaving their pursuers behind. But only for a little while, because soon they catch sight of the one carrying the leader zooming off in a different direction entirely. "Where's he going now?" Anakin wonders rhetorically.

Theseus instantly pulls out a pair of macrobinoculars, scanning the horizon. "It looks like he's heading for the city... and hey, look! There's a port right ahead. Let's get going."

"At least something's going our way," Anakin offers.

"Or so we can hope," Obi-Wan states dryly.

"Well guess what else is coming our way?" Theseus chirps a second later, with very feigned cheerfulness as he looks a different direction to see far too familiar objects coming into view. "MagnaGuards."

"Is Grievous with them?"

"No."

"Do you want to fight them here or in the sinkhole?" Anakin asks, glancing over his shoulder.

Obi-Wan stands, igniting his lightsaber. "We have to keep moving. I say in the sinkhole."

"So we can get thrown around more? Sure, sounds fun," Theseus deadpans.

"You're very adventurous today, huh?" Anakin comments.

"Not by choice, I assure you," Obi-Wan quips, jumping onto the crystal for what must be the millionth time, and with a sigh, Theseus follows.

***

"Grievous is here!" Obi-Wan calls in warning as they race through the sinkhole, trying to shake the last remaining MagnaGuard. The other is already destroyed, from when it was trying to fight both Theseus and Obi-Wan at once. The padawan's eyes narrow as he catches sight of the rapidly approaching speeder. They need to do something to shake Grievous, because this would be a terrible position to fight him in.

"I'll think of something," Anakin assures, and suddenly jerks the speeder upwards, smashing the other MagnaGuard off into a structure above them. He drops the speeder downwards, suddenly, sharp enough to nearly throw Theseus off-balance. They sail gracefully right above a group of giant lizards, startling them by the noise. Theseus watches smugly as they wave their tails, knocking Grievous's speeder out of the air.

Finally, they race out of the sinkhole, only for their cart to suddenly go spiraling out of control as some of the controls on it start sparking. It tips sideways, throwing the crystal right off it. Theseus lands unceremoniously on his face – he is going to have so many bruises from this mission – and pauses to catch his breath, before starting to push himself back up again.

The Governor, inspector, and several guards are rounding the corner onto the main platform of the port as he stands. The Jedi immediately hurry to greet them. "Governor," Obi-Wan greets, "General Grievous is on our trail. We can't let this crystal fall into Separatist hands."

"I'm afraid it already has," the Governor replies simply, and all the guards abruptly aim their weapons right at them. Droids pour out from behind ships and other places they must have been concealing themselves, circling to surround the Jedi, right as a Separatists ship flies into view, heading for landing.

They were being tricked this whole time?! Yes, the Governor was being suspicious, but he didn't expect they were going to go to an extent like this. "Oh, great!" Anakin exclaims, "Looks like we delivered the crystal directly to Grievous!"

"At least we saved those poor droids the hard work," Theseus offers, "I don't think their backs could handle it."

"Stay calm," Obi-Wan advises.

"I don't think that helps," he mutters.

The inspector pulls out a comm, and when a tiny hologram of the cyborg general appears, updates him on the situation. He, of course, tells her to have the crystal taken onto his ship. Wait, she's been lying to them this entire time, too?! Or is that something that changed recently? It doesn't really matter, but he's still annoyed.

"Governor, I suggest you tell the droids to let us go," Obi-Wan warns, as the battle droids start moving the crystal away.

"Then I will have to disappoint you," he replies, "Kill them!"

They instantly whip out their lightsabers, standing in a circle as the guards and droids start shooting. Theseus deflects a few shots before lunging at the droids, while Anakin and Obi-Wan go for the superiors and hold them at lightsaber point.

He focuses solely on the droids, hastily slicing them to pieces. When he turns around, the ship with the crystal is already taking off. Without wasting a moment, they run to the remaining ship.

***

"Did we hear you correctly?" the hologram of Master Windu demands. "A kyber crystal?!"

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirms, "It is massive, nothing like anything I've ever seen before. We're chasing a Separatist ship that's carrying the crystal now."

"But what kind of support do the Separatists have on Utapau?"

"It seems that there is a whole Separatist fleet orbiting the planet. We're trying to intercept the ship before it can dock on one of the cruisers."

"We can send support, but help cannot arrive on time," Windu replies. Just as Theseus was expecting. They're here on their own, but it doesn't really concern him. They knew that from the start.

"Not to worry, Master Windu, Anakin and I've already stretched into difficult situations before. I'm sure we'll prevail," Obi-Wan replies flippantly.

"So cavalier you can't be, Obi-Wan," Yoda says disapprovingly. Seriously?! Theseus suppresses the urge to laugh at the thought of Yoda scolding Obi-Wan. "At all costs, escape with this crystal. Get it, Grievous cannot."

"Understood, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan nods, disconnecting the call. "Cavalier?" he repeats, irritated, looking at Anakin, "You're cavalier all the time and no one says anything about it."

"I'm just better at it," Anakin replies, smirking.

"You are a Council member, Master," Theseus chirps, "I think they might have higher standards then Knights."

Obi-Wan gives him a very annoyed, I-am-500%-done-with-my-life look. "Focus," he scolds.

Look who's talking? "I am focusing!"

***

Theseus leaps out of his escape pod the moment it finishes skidding across the hangar of the large Separatist ship they intentionally crash-landed in. Obi-Wan is already out of his, lightsaber ignited, as Theseus runs to join him. But where is Anakin? When they were trying to chase down the Separatists, the ship was badly damaged instead, so they used the escape pod trick to get on board the main cruiser.

The battle droids scattered throughout the hanger notice them instantly and start shooting. "At least we found the crystal!" Theseus calls, spotting the large green object a distance away. Although how they're going to get out of here with it is an entirely different story. There's got to be hundreds of droids in here, and as soon as Grievous figures out what's going on, there'll be a lot more on the way.

"Anakin, where are you?" Obi-Wan calls into his comm in his response.

"Uh... in the hangar," comes the immediately reply, "Where are you?"

"You're in the wrong hangar! The crystal is over here!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

Theseus charges the droids in front of him, slashing through them one after another. They've destroyed the ones in their immediate vicinity when two vulture droids flanking another ship fly into view.

Grievous.

He knows it. A prickle of unease runs down his spine, as he takes in their odds. Taking down the cyborg will be hard enough, but with this many droids on top of it? Well...

Grievous shoves the cockpit open, and jumps to the ground, stalking towards them. Half a dozen destroyers roll up all around them, shifting into firing position. "We should take those first," Theseus whispers, and Obi-Wan nods discreetly.

They both move as one, Force-shoving the droids back. They roll wildly backwards – unable to slow themselves – crushing through a bunch of other battle droids in the process before smashing into various ships, rendering themselves completely nonfunctional.

"General Grievous," Obi-Wan greets lightly, "We're here to request your surrender."

The cyborg snarls, igniting a blue and green blade and stalking towards them. Obi-Wan lifts several nearby crates with the Force, hurling them at him. He slashes through them, charging forwards. Obi-Wan darts forwards, blade crossing with Grievous'.

Theseus runs at him next, but a second too late. The cyborg suddenly extends a third arm, hand clamping around Obi-Wan's neck and lifts him into the air, throwing him across the hanger. Theseus swings for Grievous' head, but the General is already spinning, bringing his two blades down to block him. Theseus steps back, readying himself. This will not be a fun fight, he knows. Grievous is deadly.

Grievous slashes at him again, forcing Theseus back a step from the force of the blow. The cyborg cackles, pulling back and swinging for him yet again. They exchange a few blows as Theseus continues to retreat. It's the only way he's going to get anywhere in this fight, he suspects.

He swings for Grievous himself, and the cyborg blocks it with two of his lightsabers, his fourth arm splitting off as he ignites his other two lightsabers, abruptly pulling back and spinning away to block Obi-Wan's blow as the Jedi Master rejoins the fight.

They're moving in a blur of blue, green, and purple, but only for a moment, before Theseus blocks just a little too high, his slip-up giving Grievous the opportunity to kick him backwards. Unfortunately, the cyborg is very strong, and it throws him clear across the room.

Ouch. Theseus pushes himself up with a groan. Never get kicked by a metal leg again.

Obi-Wan cuts downwards suddenly, slicing off one of Grievous' hands. The cyborg roars, kicking him backwards much the same way he just did Theseus, then stalking over to him and crossing his lightsabers at his neck.

"I take it you won't be surrendering after all?" Obi-Wan asks lightly.

***

Theseus is tempted to grumble aloud to himself and the walls. Really, they should have suspected this would happen. He rarely gets captured, and he hates every moment of it, even if he knows Anakin is currently well on his way coming to rescue.

The door suddenly hisses open, but instead of Anakin in the doorway, it's a group of battle droids. What? What could they want with him now? Are they... planning to interrogate him? He's never been captured before long enough for that to happen, and if he's being honest, he's suddenly scared. He's seen the condition Anakin is often in afterwards.

The binders on his wrists and ankles deactivate, and he falls very unceremoniously to his knees on the floor. "Come with us," squawks the droid in front, as if he had some other choice in the matter.

"Where are we going?" Theseus demands, not really expecting an answer, as the droids lock binders over his wrists and shove him towards the door.

"You are being taken to the execution room," the droid replies monotonously.

The – what? Icy fear clenches at him, but he quickly tries to squash it. Anakin will be along shortly, or he and Obi-Wan will figure out something together. There's no way he's about to die here, like this. Of course, Grievous would decide something like this. Maybe he's just feeling extra petty over his lost hand.

Theseus steps out into the hall, to see Obi-Wan standing there in the same condition. "Good to know they have an entire room just dedicated for execution," he comments lightly, in an effort to distract himself.

"I was just telling them the same thing," Obi-Wan agrees cheerfully.

"Quiet!" snaps one of the battle droids, "Keep moving."

"Wait!" Obi-Wan objects, "According to the Yavin Code, all prisoners must be blindfolded before execution."

Theseus groans. This again. Admittedly it is an effective distraction strategy, but he does get a little tired of hearing about it almost every single time Obi-Wan gets captured.

"Uhh... Yavin Code?" repeats the battle droid stupidly.

"I don't think that's in their programming," he whispers loudly.

"Yes, the Yavin Code, just as it was determined in the Yavin Convention," Obi-Wan repeats.

Right on cue, the door at the end of the hall flies open and Anakin sprints in, slashing through the battle droids before they even have the chance to scream, then moving to cut their binders free. "Let me guess, citing the Yavin Code again?" he asks.

"Yes, I was, nobody seems to remember it," Obi-Wan quips.

"Well, maybe that's because it's already over a thousand years old."

"Well, the idea continues to be valid to this day."

"Or it's supposed to be," Theseus objects, "I don't think anyone's been following it much these days."

"The reminders don't hurt," insists his master.

"Look, I have something for both of you," Anakin interrupts gleefully, tossing their lightsabers back to them, "Try not to lose them again. You know, these weapons are your lives."

"It's good so see you, too," Theseus grumbles.

"I see you remember some things I tell you," Obi-Wan retorts.

Anakin ignores the remark. "Come on, I found out where they're taking the crystal."

The trio take off running down the hall without another word. They make it to the room in question without any complications, which with them, is mildly surprising. "How did you find out about this?" Obi-Wan asks in a low voice as they crouch behind a wall, watching the droids push the crystal down a long hall of blast doors and ray shields.

"I saw it in the central computer system," Anakin answers.

"When did you have time to do that?"

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're not captured," he smirks.

"I guess crashing in the wrong hangar has its advantages sometimes," Theseus quips, "Or we'd all have been seeing Grievous' execution chamber together."

"I was actually looking forward to that," Obi-Wan replies.

"I think you might be the only one, Master," the padawan deadpans.

"Let's go!" Obi-Wan exclaims abruptly, standing up. All the droids are facing the opposite direction now. They jump up, sprinting down the hallway into the main room and ducking behind two large pillars before they can be spotted. Except apparently their disappearance has already been noticed, because the droids are contacted only seconds later to receive a warning about it.

Leaving the crystal in the center of the room, all the droids file out, and the blast doors and ray shields along the hall all seal closed. "Now how are we gonna get the crystal out of here?" Theseus asks, "Since we're... rather trapped in here."

"Not for long," Anakin decides, igniting his lightsaber and plunging it through the first blast door. Theseus immediately joins him.

"You know, this is going to take forever. We haven't even cut a circle yet," he huffs.

"Patience," Obi-Wan advises behind them.

"How is that supposed to help us cut through the door?"

"Patience?!" Anakin exclaims, deactivating his lightsaber and spinning around, "We're trapped in a maximum security safe on Grievous' ship, outnumbered more than 500 to 1, and all you have to say is patience?"

"It doesn't help when you summarize our situation like that," the Jedi Master insists.

"You do that too, sometimes!"

"No, you choose to complain, while I choose to come up with a plan."

"Like you were earlier when we were riding?" Theseus snips back. "I didn't hear any brilliant plan-sprouting. That was all Anakin."

"Right now, we need to wait for the droids to open the door," says Obi-Wan, pointedly ignoring the remark.

"You can't be serious," Anakin groans.

Right on cue, all the doors promptly start sliding open. Theseus has only half a second to think that maybe they should try to hide somewhere before the group of battle droids standing at the far end promptly spots them. "Problem solved, and now it's your turn to come up with the plan," Obi-Wan decides.

"They want the crystal," Anakin smirks, smugly, "Let's give it to them."

Oh. Oh. "Brilliant idea," Theseus compliments.

And they do. It turns out to be a very convenient placing, because now that it's floating, they can throw it at the droids easily. It's much, much faster than the usual fighting, too. They crush the first several dozen droids and make it to the end of the hall, before another group rounds the corner to face them and promptly start shooting. They duck down behind the crystal, using it for a shield. The blasts strike the surface, and Theseus can see and feel the sudden surge of energy before a blast of green energy explodes outwards, leveling all the droids in their path.

"The crystal isn't just reflecting the energy," Obi-Wan observes, "It's intensifying the load."

"Makes things easier on us," Theseus says.

"What happens if it's hit by something bigger than a blaster?" Anakin wonders.

Right on cue, a spider droid marches into view. "I'm afraid we're about to find out," Obi-Wan realizes.

The droid fires, hitting the crystal. It starts to glow again, the energy pulsing stronger. Anakin starts pushing himself up, and Theseus follows instantly. The three of them dive around the corner, safely out of the vicinity when it explodes. There's a smoking hole blown straight through the wall behind where the spider droid was. Convenient.

"Alright, let's get going!" Theseus says cheerfully, stepping back into the hall once the smoke begins to clear. "This should be easy!"

It... is not in fact, easy, at least not after reaching the hangar. The droids are swarming everywhere in there on all sides, and several tanks are in position. How are they ever going to get out of here now?

A group of destroyer droids roll up, positioning themselves and opening fire. Amidst the shooting, the droids take out the devices attached to the crystal. Theseus winces as it crashes to the ground behind him. They have no way of getting it out now, which was, undoubtedly, precisely the point.

They all duck behind the crystal when the droids start closing in. "We can't keep hiding here," Theseus groans.

"No, but we can't let Grievous have the crystal either!" Anakin yells back over the commotion.

"We're not going to!" Obi-Wan calls, "We'll destroy the crystal and the ship along with it."

"I don't know what you're planning," Anakin declares, "But I'll get the ship for us to get out of here."

They jump up in unison, charging across the hangar together, slashing through all the droids in their path. Obi-Wan takes off for the waiting tanks – suddenly Theseus knows what he's about to do – and Theseus runs for the ship with Anakin.

Grievous runs into the hangar just as Obi-Wan finishes setting the last of the tanks to keep firing on the crystal, and then jumps onto the ramp of their ship. They fly for the hangar exit, right as a brilliant beam of green energy rips right through a large fuel tank. Everything explodes, and a cloud of smoke and flames fills the air behind them as they race for the opening.

Seconds later, another ship appears on their scanners. Grievous. He's trying to escape. Great. Clearly, he won't be going down this time.

Both ships have barely cleared the opening, streaking away into space beyond when the entire battle station explodes. It isn't the sort of ripping towards, with the outermost shell of the ship being left floating, either. The entire thing just blows, practically transforming into space dust. Nothing remains when the worst of the explosion begins to clear, not even the crystal.

"Well, hey, at least if we didn't get it, Grievous didn't either," Theseus remarks. But he still can't shake the sudden foreboding feeling that this might not be the last time he sees something of this magnitude. If the Separatists wanted this crystal that badly, they'll likely try to get ahold of a second one. Whatever they want it for, they aren't about to give up. Something tells him that one day they might end up finding out, hopefully not in the worst way possible.

Chapter Text

He's seen a lot of things, throughout his life, between growing up on Tatooine, spending the next decade as a Jedi, and the last two and a half years fighting a war. Even so, Anakin feels unprepared to deal with this.

Caleb was injured during the bombing, and while Master Shan might have done what she could to heal him – Anakin still is struggling to accept that people can be healed with the Dark Side, and it reminds him of when he resurrected Ahsoka on Mortis, and how there is so much to the Force he has yet to learn – he still has lingering injuries. He can't walk entirely normally anymore, which means much of what he used to know about fighting has to be relearned entirely. The boy is clearly having a hard time, even if he's trying to hide it.

"Are you ready to try this again?" Anakin asks.

"Sure!" Caleb declares cheerfully, "Master Depa hasn't had a lot of time to teach me much yet, so..." Since Athea is still gone without a trace, Caleb has been temporarily – though Anakin gets the feeling it's probably going to be permanent – given to another master.

"That's why we're more than happy to help," Theseus speaks up, where he stands off to the side, watching them.

Caleb ignites his lightsaber, and Anakin lets him make the first move, attacking him. He can fight with his hands just fine, but once it involves moving around, he starts to react a lot more clumsily. Anakin does his best to go easy on the boy, giving him occasional pieces of advice. This isn't something he's ever dealt with before, after all.

Still, it's something Caleb is going to have to learn to face quickly enough, if Depa is planning on taking him out to the battlefield. If he doesn't learn to fight properly soon, he isn't going to last long. Quite frankly, Anakin doesn't want to think about it.

Anakin finally – and actually accidentally – succeeds in sending the lightsaber flying from his hands, skittering across the floor in the Room of One Thousand Fountains. Caleb releases an audible groan of frustration at losing the duel, reaching out a hand to call the hilt back to him.

"You did well," Anakin assures him, "Again?"

They're about to start the duel again, when Anakin senses a sudden tremor in the Force, which is rapidly magnifying by the second. Something is very, very wrong. He knows what it is, or at least he can guess, from the nudges he's feeling from the Force right now. It's the exact same feeling that he gets on the battlefield, when there's an attack coming or in progress very close by, and that can only mean one thing.

Theseus suddenly tenses as well, a clear sign that he's feeling the same thing. "Something's going on," Anakin says.

"What do you mean?" Caleb asks, eyes going wide with worry.

"You think –" Theseus cuts off, expression looking even more panicked now.

"Yes, by the main entrance, I think," Anakin replies, "Caleb, you need to go tell the Council that there's an attack. Theseus, come with me."

Without waiting for a response, he turns and takes off. He can hear the older boy behind him, and hopefully Caleb will follow orders. He gave Caleb the job to go tell the Council in the first place to make sure he didn't try coming to the battle scene in this condition. They don't need him near whatever is happening when he can hardly fight properly in a mere sparring match at this point.

Alarms are going off throughout the Temple as they keep running. By the time they're nearing the entrance, Anakin can make out the sound of blaster shots, and a commotion that in general sounds much like a battle.

What is happening?! Yes, there have been protests against the war before that started to get violent, but no citizen has ever actually attacked the Jedi Temple before.

He and Theseus finally race around the last corner into the final wide hall that leads to the large entrance area. Several Temple guards are struggling to fight off a group of what must be at least a couple dozen attackers. Anakin assesses the situation in a few seconds, already flipped into general mode as he takes in the scene.

All of the attackers appear to be either masked or in armor, and they some of them have some type of symbol on their clothes. One of the anti-Jedi factions that seem to be becoming more common these days, perhaps? Through the midst of everything, he can see a couple Jedi on the ground already, either injured or dead. Same for a number of their attackers.

In the midst of the chaos, another masked, hooded figure strides into view, igniting a blood red lightsaber as she does – or at least Anakin thinks it's a "she".

Really? Another Fallen Jedi?!

She feels familiar, for whatever reason, and suddenly Anakin has the very disturbing feeling that he knows why.

***

Theseus' gaze darts over the scene, as the attackers try to push past the Temple guards, to force their way into the main part of the Temple. But what really catches his attention is the figure who just stepped to the front.

His bond with his mother is flared with activity again, as though she's right in front of him.

Because she is, and she's holding a red lightsaber, and leading a group of people to attack the Temple. She Fell.

He knows it in that moment. Nothing else could explain this. He can feel it now, too, how their bond feels dark.

Horror and denial rush through him first as he stares at her. How – why?! Why would she do this?! How could she do this?! It doesn't make any sense!

The Force screams in warning, and Theseus reacts purely on instinct, igniting his lightsaber to block a few stray blaster bolts fired at him and Anakin. The attack sets Anakin into motion as well, and he ignites his lightsaber, darting forwards at the crimson-bladed figure. She side-steps him, and before he can spin to attack her again, several armored figures land on the ground around him.

They look like Mandalorians, Theseus realizes somewhere in the back of his mind. He supposes he shouldn't be surprised that there'd be some in an anti-Jedi faction such as this. But right now, all he can think about is that he's staring down his now Fallen mother.

"Mother?" he utters, shakily, not believing his own voice.

The other Jedi are too far away to hear him calling her that, and even if they were, he's in too much shock to care.

She reaches up, and the vizor covering her face snaps back. He's not ready to see this.

Yellow eyes stare back at him, but other than that, she looks the same. She's definitely Athea. There's no way he can deny it anymore.

His confusion at the betrayal is slowly starting to morph into anger. He doesn't know how to feel about any of this. Yes, he might have Fallen once himself, but he wouldn't have attacked the Temple and started killing people for no reason. Okay, he did attack Anakin and Obi-Wan in a blind fit of rage, but Anakin had been able to calm him down afterwards and had talked him back to himself. What happened to her? Why is she doing this? His mind is whirling, struggling to process. He needs to get a grip. There's a fight to win. He can't just stand here.

"Theseus," Athea states, and she actually sounds glad to see him.

Something inside him seems to snap at the sound of her voice, and he finally finds his own. "How?" he demands, hardly sure what he's trying to say, "How can you do this? Why are you doing this?!" It reminds him of Anakin's final questions to Ahsoka, a part of his mind notes half-hysterically.

"It's the only way," Athea replies firmly. "The Jedi have become corrupt. There is no turning back from it."

"So you think that justifies this?" he cries, almost hysterical, because what? It's so much like what Barriss did only over a month ago, trying to make a point and in the end, it cost them Ahsoka. This time it's costing him his mother. How could she do this? She was always so compassionate and caring, even if she'd seem cold on the outside.

"It's the only way they'll ever understand," she retorts, "Maybe some of them will finally start to think and see past the lies of the Jedi. You know the Jedi are wrong, Theseus. You accepted this long before me, back on Mortis."

Yes, when he Fell, he'd never have thought to do something like this. It's far beyond all reason and logic. It's completely senseless. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was talking to an imposter of his mother, not her. "Just stop this madness, Mother," Theseus pleads, "Whatever you want, there's other ways to get it." He doesn't know how to talk to her, or what to say.

An unreadable look flickers through her eyes and she takes a step closer to him. "Theseus, you can join me. I know you want to know more about the Dark Side. We can find answers together."

Under different circumstances, maybe he'd think of listening to her, but right now, his attention is far more hyper focused on the battle still raging all around them. A purposeless battle happening only because she decided to bring these people here.

"We can restore peace to the galaxy, like you've always wanted." She pauses a moment before continuing. "If you come with me, we don't have to hide anymore. We can be family."

She knows everything he wants, and she's using all of it against him. That's the hardest part, he knows. No one knows him better than his mother, simply because she is his mother, and she's turning it all against him. Even so, for as much as he loves her, he sees the difference between right and wrong.

Maybe she truly wants him to come with her, but... he can't do that. Not after what he's seeing. He doesn't know what she's actually planning to do, even if he did come with her. And besides, he can't just walk away. Not like Ahsoka did.

For a moment, his gaze jumps past his mother to Anakin, where he's still trying to fight off a couple Mandalorians. No, he could never do that to him. Especially when he doesn't know if what Athea claims to want is even genuine in the first place, because everything Theseus sees around him certainly is implying otherwise. She could have come and asked him, if that's what she wanted. She didn't need to wait until he could already have been killed or injured.

"It's a little late for that," Theseus retorts finally. Voicing the rejection out loud hurts more than he even thought it could. He does want what she's offering, but... It doesn't matter. This is the right choice, and he knows it. Even if it means he's basically turning his back on the only family member he's had his entire life. Maybe he'd react differently if he could actually understand why she's doing this, but right now, he supposes part of him can still hardly believe that the person he's talking to is her. It doesn't feel like it.

"Come back, Mother," he requests, even as he knows she won't listen. From what he remembers about the Dark Side, it's all-consuming. It's not something a person can simply release through willpower. It had blinded his judgment, made him want to hurt the people he cared for most. "You don't need to do this. Don't lose yourself in the Dark Side."

"Lose myself?" she laughs, but the sound is almost deranged, "I found myself, Theseus."

It's an echo of what Ahsoka had said on Mortis, "I feel more like myself than I ever have in my life," and he knows how untrue it is. Somehow, everywhere he looks it seems to lead back to Ahsoka, as if she's a part of him that's missing, and... really, she is.

For a moment, he wonders. She's not wrong, entirely. The Jedi had thrown out Ahsoka as if she meant nothing, and he knows if they succeed in arresting his mother, they'll be no more lenient with her.

"You don't have to do this. We can figure this out together. Just come back." He doesn't know how any of it would work out even if she did agree, because he knows what will happen. The Jedi would... He doesn't want to think about it. His mind is whirling too fast to catch up with all the implications of everything that's happening. It's too much, too quickly.

His world is falling apart all over again, and he doesn't know how to stop it.

"You know it's far too late for that," Athea replies, "I can explain everything, if you come with me."

"I can't," he repeats, and he hates how for some reason it feels like those words are sealing his fate, that after this he might not see her again for a very long time, if ever.

Her expression darkens. "This is your mistake," she warns, raising her lightsaber.

"You don't want to do this," Theseus argues, desperately. "I don't want to fight you."

"You made the choice, not me," she retaliates, and he doesn't have a second of warning before she lunges at him.

Theseus hastily swings his still-ignited blade up to block her, moving more on instinct than anything, as his mind whirls with what's happening. Attacking the Temple, maybe, but his mother attacking him? For a moment he briefly wonders if this is how Anakin and Obi-Wan felt on Mortis when he and Ahsoka attacked them. It probably was, and he suddenly is overwhelmed by guilt. He tries not to let it unbalance him though, as he draws on the Force, reaching into it. He feels her darkness and this, Theseus knows, is precisely what Master Windu has trained him for.

He's fought Sith before in the past, and he can do it again now. Theseus draws on the Force, trying to channel her darkness back at her as he moves, fending off her attacks.

Their blades clash repeatedly, over and over, and he backs away, fully willing to give ground if it means finding a weak point somewhere. Several more Jedi, including Temple guards, are finally running into view to join the rest of the battle with others, even as a couple more of them go down, either dead or injured.

Back and forth they move, purple clashing against red and red against purple, repeatedly. Everything else is tuned out, except the sound of their blades striking one another and the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the thrill he feels when he fights and the pain of fighting the one person of his own flesh and blood he once thought he would never, ever have to.

His blade flicks up maybe a bit too high, because she kicks him backwards into the wall behind him; by now, the fight has worked its way back to the entrance, still filled with smoke.

Theseus slams against it with a grunt and falls, barely catching himself on one knee, and when he looks up the blood-color blade is hurtling towards him again. He flicks up his hand, reacting on instinct, about to throw her back, but another blue blade catches hers, twisting it upwards and shoving it aside.

Obi-Wan.

Athea pulls back with a growl and dives at him. Her blows are sloppy, wild and uncontrolled, but downright deadly. Theseus drags himself upright, snatching up his curved hilt. Windu is here, too, he realizes. They're enough to overpower her, but they won't have the same restraint as Theseus himself does. They won't hesitate to hurt her, to kill her, in combat.

He might be hurt. He might be angry. He might be willing to fight, but she's still his mother, and he doesn't want to hurt her, or for anyone else to.

Without wasting another moment, he jumps forwards into the fight, shoving his way between the two opponents. "Stop," he orders, surprising himself with the commanding note in his voice. "Let me handle this."

Obi-Wan frowns. "She's too powerful for you."

"This is my duty, Master. Let me do it."

He steps back reluctantly, and Theseus moves forwards. Athea watches him, golden eyes narrowed. "We can destroy the other Sith," she says.

"You're delusional," Theseus warns. "The Dark Side is distorting your mind. It promises power, but all it does is destroy and ruin."

When her expression darkens and the Force ripples around her, he knows it's the end of it. She won't listen, and it feels like something is being stabbed through his heart. He knows it, this, right here, is the end.

It's nearly enough to make him give in, because it hurts so much and he's so tired of losing. This is the last he has of his family.

They circle around each other, away from the others, sizing each other up. They know each other well, but they haven't fought with one another frequently. Even so, they know everything about each other, can guess the tricks and maneuvers the other might make which would normally throw an opponent off-balance.

Theseus ignites his lightsaber again, readying his stance. She jumps at him again in a blur of black and red. Perhaps the darkness whipping around her would throw anyone else off-balance, but he's prepared for it. He's felt it, lived in it once. He merely shoves the end of her blade away from himself, everything he's learned from all three forms he knows spinning through the back of his mind. Soresu is defensive, Vaapad is aggressive and very useful against Dark Siders, and Makashi is best in duels, because of its nature.

They blur together for him, despite their vast differences in nature. He might have the best style, and Theseus has little doubt he will someday become one of the greatest duelists in the Order of his time, and quite possibly for generations, but at the end of the day, he's still a child. He's only seventeen, and she's a Jedi Master, and therefore, far more skillful and experienced.

With his lightsaber alone, this isn't a fight he's going to win. Theseus finally gathers the Force around him, then throws it at her. She catches the move a split second before she could be thrown back, and instantly raises her hand, throwing up a Force-shield in front of her.

He doesn't let it up, and neither does she, though after a few moments of the Force whirling around them, it explodes outwards, flinging them in opposite directions. He slams into one of the towering pillars near the walls, then slides to the floor. Struggling to catch his breath and ignoring the aches running through him, Theseus starts pushing himself back up again.

Obi-Wan and Windu are restraining Athea, who seems to have been minorly stunned. He glances past them at the rest of the battle, to see that it seems to be dying down, finally. Now that their leader is down, the remaining survivors are fleeing.

At least the battle is over for now. But the consequences which still haven't fully even started catching up to Theseus are only beginning now, and he knows it. He isn't ready.

***

Caleb isn't sure how to feel about any of this. The Temple was just attacked again. He's still shaken up enough from last time, from the realization that apparently he and the rest of the Jedi can actually be attacked here at their home. And, of course, his injuries... But he doesn't want to let himself dwell on that right now.

But now another armed attack on the Temple?! Rumors are flying all over the place, but he hasn't actually heard anything about the real story of what happened. Theseus currently isn't answering his calls, and he's considering going to find him on his own when Anakin arrives.

"What's happening?" Caleb wonders.

"An anti-Jedi faction of some kind attacked the Temple," he explains. His expression is especially grim and it almost makes him think there's something more than he's hearing.

"I heard... there was a Sith there?" he questions. There's admittedly a much too curious part of him that wonders what meeting one would be like.

"Caleb," Anakin says seriously, "I'm sure you heard about what the Council was suspecting happened to Master Shan."

The unexpected words catch him totally off guard. "Yeah, Theseus told me," he frowns. They thought she Fell, a claim that he was just as upset over as Theseus was. But, wait a minute –

His breath catches in his throat for a moment as everything suddenly starts clicking into place. No, he has to be misunderstanding something.

"She was there," Anakin says quietly, moving closer and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Leading it."

"What... why?" Caleb asks faintly. This doesn't make any sense. It – his master wouldn't do that! She wouldn't.

"I don't know what happened," Anakin replies, "But the Council believes she may have been corrupted by the Sith holocrons she was supposed to be retrieving."

But... He doesn't know what to say, or how to react. For a moment, he remembers back when he was in the healer's wing, when he'd felt that very dark presence start healing him. He briefly sensed Athea then, but he'd thought he was imagining things. Maybe he actually wasn't.

"What happens now?" Caleb asks.

Anakin sighs. "She was arrested. The Council will be talking to her... She'll probably go on trial."

He gulps. Of course, that's what will happen. She attacked the Council. She killed people. But hearing it still doesn't make it feel any more real. All he can feel is the horror and denial coursing through him, because how could she do something like this?! The Council should know how to handle it, he supposes, but...

He almost wants to see her, though he knows they would never agree to let a padawan talk to her. Not if she's really this dangerous.

He has no idea how to feel about any of this. And speaking of that – "How's Theseus?" Caleb queries. He knows the boy was close with Master Shan, though he isn't sure what their relationship is.

"He will be fine," Anakin replies, which isn't very encouraging.

Caleb can only try to trust in the Force that this will work out.

***

The first thing that occurs to him when he awakens the next day, he must have spent wayyyy too long yesterday sparring.

Then Theseus' memory of the previous day sinks in, and he falls back with a long groan. He doesn't want to get up and move or do anything. All he wants is for time to turn back, so he can be in a universe where his father is still alive, and his twin sister doesn't hate him, and his mother wasn't a Sith, and his best friend hadn't left him and everyone, and one of his other best friends wasn't born and bred a soldier who could die at any given moment, and the girl he loves wasn't a terrorist, and his older brother – the closest he's had to one – wasn't so unstable and in so much pain, and his master was...

He doesn't know. Maybe Obi-Wan is the only person he has no complaints about right now. They've come so far from where they were.

The reality of what happened is crushing him. His mother Fell, and she attacked the Temple. She completely lost herself in the Dark Side, and the Jedi will likely have to imprison her for life.

What a pleasant morning.

Theseus doesn't manage to drag himself out of bed until his master comes to get him.

"The galaxy won't stop moving, padawan," Obi-Wan chides gently.

"I don't care," Theseus snaps. "My mother just turned to the Dark Side and attacked the Temple, our safe place, the one place that is supposed to be safest! I think I deserve a break!"

"I know you're upset," he replies, "But we are at war. We must keep moving."

It's not fair, he knows, to lash out. Obi-Wan isn't responsible for any of it, but he can't help it. "You don't know what it's like!" he retaliates angrily. "You haven't had to deal with someone you care for trying to kill you, turning on everything you've ever known."

Obi-Wan's expression goes eerily blank. "I wish you were right," he replies, coolly.

On second thought, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say, because... Obi-Wan does know what that's like, in a way. "You didn't have to deal with knowing I'd be locked in a prison somewhere for the rest of my life," he says glumly.

"It wasn't entirely out of the question, either."

Theseus looks away. "I'm sorry," he offers, knowing full-well how lame it sounds. It doesn't change any of what happened, and it's pointless to say. "I'm just tired. What's the point of all this, anyway? There's so much death."

"The point is to win," he answers.

"But win against what?" Theseus asks. "How do we know that by fighting, by leading the war, we haven't already lost? How do we know this isn't all a front for something bigger?"

"We will find and destroy Sidious," Obi-Wan promises.

"You don't know that. No one can." Or maybe he's tired now, too much so to keep moving. It won't last, probably, but it feels like it'll never end.

For once, his master doesn't dispute his point. It's not something that can be argued with, after all. At the end of the day, no one knows if the Jedi will win this war. It doesn't feel like they're winning, for as many people who have died and for how the public's opinion is turning against them.

In the end, all any of them can do is to keep moving, and Theseus hates it sometimes. It feels like there's no time to mourn, no time to recollect himself. There will be no going back, either; no time to live out his teen years in a peaceful time. He can't imagine such a world anymore. His memories as Yoda's padawan from before are few, and they were something that feels like it was from another lifetime, not his own.

Chapter Text

Theseus hates how this is reminding him of the exact same feeling he had right before Ahsoka's trial. He knows ahead of time, more or less, what the outcome will be. The Jedi don't execute people, thankfully, but he knows without a doubt that his mother will be imprisoned for life. She's a Jedi Master, and likely too far lost in the Dark Side for hopes of change, unlike himself. He had wanted to find balance; she doesn't.

He has classes to attend, a war to be monitoring, and likely strategies to work on with Cody, but it feels wrong to do any of them right now. He hates going to classes especially now that Ahsoka is gone, because she should be with him. Certain moments he can pretend she's on the field with Anakin, but he can't when the said Knight's presence is lingering in the back of his mind.

The tension in the air is eating away at him, and he doesn't know what to do, and no matter what he does, he can't get his mind to focus on anything else. He knows the most likely option. They're going to imprison her, and… he'll probably never see her again.

Once someone Falls to that point, no one is allowed to see them other than Council members. They'd certainly never allow a padawan in there.

Theseus stands up with a sigh, dumping the datapad that he's been staring blankly at for the past probably half hour onto the table in front of him and paces over to the window to stare out. He can feel Anakin's gaze on him as he stares out at the passing traffic. The Knight decided to come over and join him in Obi-Wan's apartment. Generally, when they spend time together now, this is where they are. Anakin's apartment… it still feels too much like Ahsoka, and Theseus knows it's hard for both of them to be there.

From the way Anakin keeps glancing at him, Theseus knows there's something he wants to ask. "What?" he prompts finally.

"I – how are you?" he asks. "I won't ask if you're alright, because that's a stupid question."

"Upset?" It's an understatement, compared to what he's feeling right now. He's upset that his mother did this and that people were bold enough to attack the Temple on their own and that he's never going to see her again, probably. "My mother is a deranged Sith. I don't know what more to say."

"I suppose there's not much that can be said," Anakin agrees quietly.

There is, though. It's too soon for him to process everything. "She's not entirely wrong though," Theseus says finally. "We're clearly doing something wrong if so many people are willing to turn on us. We still have no idea where Sidious is. We don't even know where to start looking. How can we defeat him, or Dooku, if we can't find them?"

"We have hope," Anakin replies. "We can keep moving. If we stop fighting, then what?"

He makes it sound as though it's so simple, but it's not. "The only two people I always had are gone," Theseus replies, bluntly.

"Ahsoka won't be gone forever," Anakin replies quietly.

The padawan's head snaps up. "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"A feeling," he admits "And I can't believe my padawan would never look back."

Something in him deflates a little; he'd honestly been hoping for a guarantee, a promise, not speculation. "I couldn't blame her," he says. "We're Jedi, and I know why she'd never want to come back."

"I still can't understand it," Anakin continues. "How she could have walked away from everything, everyone she knew."

"Sometimes, people put their own well being over caring for others," Theseus replies. "It's… necessary."

"It's not the Jedi way. I thought I taught her that."

Theseus gives him a rueful look. "Anakin, it's important sometimes. That's what I was struggling with back after Mortis, remember? I needed time to myself that I didn't want to take."

"I don't know." Something about him looks almost defeated, not unlike it has since Ahsoka left. "I don't understand that… reasoning."

"Maybe it's time for you to learn it, then." Sometimes, Theseus really wishes he understood better how Anakin's mind works. He's so… unpredictable, often. He's normally calm and collected and patient, but then there's times where he's constantly fidgeting and can't hold still. There are moments where – most of the time – that he's by far the most compassionate person Theseus has ever known, even to their enemies, then he'll flip off into something dark and violent and deadly, when he's zoned out like he barely knows what he's doing.

And yet, despite his compassion, he's often the only one willing to do whatever they need to. He's closed off at the Temple, Theseus has noticed, but he'll be open around the padawans, when Obi-Wan's not there. It's strange, because Theseus thought – used to think – that Anakin was closer with Obi-Wan than anyone. He doesn't know anymore.

Around him and Ahsoka and the clones, Theseus has noticed a vast difference. He's light, cheerful, and while he'll never actively talk about himself, he will if asked… sometimes. It depends how personal the question is. He's affectionate, too, and that was something he and Ahsoka both shared.

He cares for people, not the detached way most Jedi do. It's something more personal, individualized.

The best part, Theseus thinks, is his loyalty. Once you have Anakin Skywalker on your side, you have nothing to fear.

It's a few hours later that the Council meeting is adjourned, and Obi-Wan calls to tell them the news.

It's as he suspected. Athea will be imprisoned for life, unless she proves she can change, the likelihood of which is very low.

He had suspected it from the start, but it hurts when he hears it, anyway.

She's gone. She's really, truly gone. He'll never see her again.

Anakin holds him when he finally breaks down and cries.

***

Somehow, it feels as though everything is falling apart around him. Anakin has no idea what to do, or if there is anything he can do. The only Jedi Master he's trusted now, somewhat, betrayed them all. His mother is gone because he failed her, and so is Ahsoka – even if she's still alive – and Obi-Wan already proved he doesn't really care for him. All he has left are Theseus and Padme… and Rex and the Chancellor. While he tries so hard not to think about it, he can't help wondering what would happen if he lost one of them, or if they left him.

As time goes on, Anakin is finding himself increasingly closed off, unable to trust anyone else with his heart like he did Ahsoka. He doesn't think he could bear a second rejection.

Most of all, he wishes there was something he could do for Theseus, but there isn't. Nothing except try to offer a silent support, which only goes so far. If Ahsoka was here, it would help everyone, but she's not. It's so lonely to wake up on the battlefield all the time, without her at his side.

Anakin isn't surprised when he realizes that Obi-Wan himself isn't in much better condition. He looks exhausted, more worn out than Anakin remembers him being in a long time. They're in Obi-Wan's Star Destroyer when Anakin finally manages to corner him by seating himself across from him with a dry – and slightly rude – remark about how he looks as though he hasn't slept in days.

"As if you're any better," he retaliates.

Anakin huffs, because yes, Obi-Wan has a very decent point there. Wars are not conducive to sleep or rest for anybody. "I can't believe Master Shan Fell."

"It was surprising to all of us on the Council," Obi-Wan replies. "We never did get an answer on why it happened."

Anakin sighs, his mind wandering back to the things he really doesn't like dwelling on. "So many Jedi seem to be Falling," he comments quietly, "And they all are saying similar things." About how the Jedi are corrupt and falling. It's all an echo of what Barriss said when she was confessing her guilt to the Senate. He's thought over those words more than he cares to admit, after the fact.

"I have noticed, and it is troubling," admits his former master, "But surely, we would sense it if something of this magnitude was coming."

"But we do, don't we?" Anakin asks, frowning. "Can't you feel it? There are whispers of something… Darkness. I've never felt anything like it before. Something is changing." He doesn't know what it means, but it's frightening.

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "But the future is always in motion."

"We must stop it, if we can."

"We will."

Anakin can only hope so. In their life, nothing is a guarantee, though he can't imagine anything like what Barriss and Krell and Master Shan spoke of. It feels like their life is a ticking time-bomb, about to go off, but there's no going back, only forwards, towards it. Towards whatever is to come. There are so many things he wants to say and do first, but he doubts he'll be able to. Or maybe it's only the end of the war. He can hope.

"Sometimes it feels like we'll wake up to a different world," he mutters.

"Perhaps we will," Obi-Wan points out, "Things change every day. With every battle."

"This is different." It's pointless to speculate and stress over these things, Anakin knows, because it won't change what is to come.

He hopes that maybe instead of being more complicated and descending into even more chaos, maybe things are actually going to get better. Maybe they'll be able to sort things out sooner than he's expecting. Truthfully, though, he's pretty sure that's nothing more than wishful thinking.

Anakin stands with a sigh. When he senses the future, all he can feel is something bad, and it scares him. Obi-Wan moves to stand next to him after a moment.

"We'll be fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan says, the words somehow an echo of what he said on Mortis.

"We'll be fine, as long as we stay together."

Anakin moves closer almost impulsively, slipping his arms around his former master. He wants to believe it, that everything is going to be fine, even a dark part of his mind is certain that it's already fallen too far for anything to be that simple.

***

He should be sleeping, but Theseus can't rest right now. He can't get his mind off everything that just happened with his mother. He's admittedly angry at her over what she did, but he's mostly confused and hurt, and he really wants answers. If only he could talk to her…

It probably wouldn't help or matter anyway, but it's been long enough that maybe she might be thinking more clearly? Maybe. He has no idea. He wants answers.

But it doesn't matter. He won't be allowed to see her, not until she's balanced again. And if that never happens, then he'll never be able to see her again. There's no point asking; he already knows what Obi-Wan and the Council would say if he did.

Whatever happened to her, though, he wants to know. He knows the Dark Side is dangerous, and a part of him is almost scared because he doesn't want to lose himself in it the way his mother is, or like the way he first was on Mortis. He doesn't actually think that would happen, but he wishes there was someone who could guide him.

Slipping into a meditative state, Theseus reaches out with the Force again, the same way he did back on Onderon. He can feel the familiar presence almost immediately.

"Yes?" the figure seems to hover in front of him, while at the same time it's as though he's not really there.

"I have questions," Theseus says, "It's just… there's so many Jedi Falling now, and –" He's hardly sure what he's trying to say. He just needs answers.

"They sense what is to come," Revan replies, which really makes Theseus feel better. Not.

"Which is… what?"

"You can sense it, can you not? The approaching darkness?"

"Yes," Theseus admits, "I can." Sometimes when he's meditating, he can't shake this foreboding feeling, that something terrible is going to happen. He doesn't know what to make of it, but it honestly scares him. It doesn't help that sometimes it feels like he's the only one who seems to notice it. Or maybe others do, but they haven't talked about it. He doesn't know.

"They are merely beginning to see through the lies and deception of the Jedi and look deeper into the Force."

"But why do they all think murdering people is the only option?!" Theseus exclaims. There was his mother, and Barriss, and Krell before that, and they all took the same route.

"They have lost themselves in the Dark Side, and the power was more than they are immediately able to handle. They did not find balance the way you did."

"Why the difference?" he asks glumly.

"It is easy to get overwhelmed, at first, as you yourself experienced," Revan explains, "But with an anchor to the Light Side, you can draw on both."

"Should I have joined my mother?" Theseus asks finally, the one question that's been haunting him this entire time. He – he could never condone the things she was doing, but she isn't wrong that the Jedi are falling. (The thought still terrifies him, and he doesn't know what to do about it.)

"She would have tried to recklessly go after the Sith on her own. Perhaps to take their place. Right now, she has no interest in finding balance, but in the right circumstances, she may not remain completely lost to the Dark Side forever."

He has no idea if that's a 'yes' or a 'no', but it's not like Revan is going to tell him the path he should take. He's made it clear enough already that the steps he chooses to make are always his own. "Is… is the Order going to fall?" he blurts finally.

The masked figure regards him in silence, for a moment. "The future can always change, but they have neared a point beyond which change is almost impossible," he answers ominously.

Theseus swallows hard. He knew that, he supposes. After they threw out Ahsoka… it's too late for them, he's certain. His anger and bitterness towards the Council over that will never go away, but he's still capable of seeing past that when he thinks about the Order. Maybe being disbanded or something is what the Order needs, but he doubts it will be that simple. There's so many he knows here, and he doesn't want them to get hurt. Even if he can't help the Order itself, maybe there's still something he can do.

"What can I do?" Theseus wonders finally.

"Remain balanced. Learn more about the Force. And help Skywalker."

For some reason, the words send a chill through him. Revan said the same once, over a year ago, on Mortis. "How do I do that?"

"For now, you know everything you must. I cannot reveal more," he answers cryptically, before he disappears again, leaving Theseus alone.

Something far worse than what he's imagining lies in the future, Theseus is certain, and he knows he's not ready to face it. Actually, he can't imagine what it might be.

Stay balanced. He's pretty sure that means don't get lost in fear over the future either.

What does he need to help Anakin with? For a moment, he pauses to think about his padawan-brother, about how he's doing these days. It's admittedly hard to tell. Most of the time, Anakin acts as though everything is fine, but there's times where Theseus can tell that he obviously isn't. Like when he'd come to him over the Clovis incident, and when they'd more recently talked to Obi-Wan about Ahsoka.

Anakin isn't doing as well as it seems – at least Theseus doesn't think so – but he isn't sure what to do about it. He doesn't want to be annoying and fret over nothing. The most he can do is try to be supportive.

But he thinks there might be something more that Revan was telling him. Maybe. Like… if he tried talking to him about his own views on the Force? Everyone disapproves of it, so it isn't something he talks about to anyone. Should he talk to Anakin about using the Dark Side the same way he does?

He doesn't know, and doing it feels… weird. He's only half sure what he's doing himself, and he wouldn't want to drag his padawan-brother down a path like that, especially not after seeing that hardly anyone seems capable of controlling the Dark Side. Unless the problem is simply that they have no idea what they're doing, so they're experimenting on their own. Theseus isn't exactly a whole lot better in that regard.

It reminds him again of what Revan was saying about finding someone who can actually teach him the Dark Side. He needs to, but he doesn't even know where to start. There's not a whole lot he could learn from his mother when she clearly has no idea what she's doing herself. No, it has to be someone with more experience.

And such a person currently doesn't exist, unless he hasn't thought of the most obvious options yet.

He'll find a way some day, and he can only hope that, by then, it won't be too late.

***

"I'm tired of just sitting around here," Caleb huffs.

Theseus throws a glance over his shoulder at the waiting shuttle. Obi-Wan is ready to leave. He needs to get going.

"You're improving a lot," Theseus points out, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's a lot less visible already."

He frowns. "Doesn't feel that way."

It's hard, seeing his little brother like this. On the one hand Caleb wants to get out there and start fighting again, even if he really isn't fully in the condition to do so, but on the other hand, he's also having a hard time dealing with his lingering injuries.

"I know," Theseys says quietly, knowing it's a completely inadequate response, but he doesn't know what else to say, "But don't worry. I'm sure Master Depa is going to agree to take you back to the fronts eventually."

"Prepare for my surprise visit on the battlefield," the boy chirps, brightening.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Theseus shoots back.

"Theseus?" Obi-Wan calls from the ramp of the ship.

"Looks like you better go," Caleb says.

"Yeah," Theseus agrees, "And you should too. Maybe the Force be with you."

"And you," the boy calls, before he turns, and sprints over to the waiting shuttle.

He doesn't know why he's getting such strange feelings right now. For whatever reason, he's suddenly hit with a strange foreboding like he isn't going to come back. And it's frankly ridiculous, because he should be back within a few weeks, or maybe a little longer, if the battles start to drag out.

It doesn't help that he has a similar feeling about Caleb which also doesn't make sense. He immediately forces to the back of his mind any disturbing thoughts on why that would be. Caleb will be fine. He'll be fine.

There's no reason they wouldn't see each other again.

Still, Theseus finds himself glued to the viewport as the shuttle flies away from the Temple, heading for the cruiser.

It's just another typical mission, but for some reason, it doesn't exactly feel like it. A strange sense of longing washes through him as he watches the receding Temple out the window, mentally ingraining the place into his mind.

"Are you alright, padawan?" Obi-Wan queries, appearing behind him.

"I… yes," he mumbles, gaze darting from his master back to the viewport yet again.

"You seem distracted," he notes.

"I just got a feeling I'm not gonna see any of this again." It sounds so stupid to say aloud.

"You're not going to die." It might've been meant as an assurance, a promise, but there's a note of something like desperation in Obi-Wan's voice. It's strange, because that's not something he ever remembers seeing in his master.

"It's probably nothing," Theseus tries to brush it off, but he can't stop himself from staring down at the rapidly shrinking Jedi Temple, unable to shake the feeling that this is the last time he'll be able to look at this place and call it "home".

Chapter Text

"Any sign of that tactical droid?" Theseus calls above the sound of explosions, ducking a blaster shot and spinning his lightsaber furiously to deflect a few more shots as the droids keep shooting.

Five months. It's been five months since he was last on Coruscant. Sometimes, Theseus can hardly believe it's been so long. Going back feels like a dream.

In some ways, though, he almost thinks he's happier away from the Temple out here in the battles, then he was back on Coruscant. He doesn't know what that says about his mental state, but he can't help it. Being on Coruscant does nothing but remind him of all the things that he's lost.

When he's out here fighting, he feels free. He doesn't have to constantly think about what happened with Ahsoka or his mother, or anything.

To a point, he's noticed the same seems to be true about Anakin. Even if it's likely not fully true, the Knight seems to be a lot lighter as opposed to how he was almost half a year ago. Things are far from perfect, but there's times, like right now, that things actually feel... manageable.

He wishes they could have more time for things beyond fighting, but at least they're together. At least he's here with Anakin, and Obi-Wan, and Cody, and that's the most he can ask for. They're the only ones left of his family anymore. He hasn't seen Caleb in person yet, although they have spoken occasionally via hologram. He's out on the battlefield again, but far on the other side of the galaxy with Depa.

"Not yet, sir!" Cody calls back.

Great. That's all they're waiting for to win this battle. Until they find it, they aren't going to be getting anywhere.

Throwing himself back into the constant action, Theseus advances on the droids, slashing through a few that are too close, but most of them are shooting at long range right now.

The Force suddenly screams in warning, and Theseus' head snaps up to see a blinding flash of light flying through the air, a cannon blast about to hit the ground around them, and it's headed straight for Cody. No.

He instantly whirls around, running towards where it's going to hit. If he can't get there in time –

There's a flash of blue, and Obi-Wan jumps into view, deflecting it aside with his lightsaber barely in the nick of time. "Take cover!" Obi-Wan calls, as more explosions tear through the ground around them. They rapidly retreat, the three of them ducking behind an overturned and half-destroyed gunship.

"Hopefully Anakin is doing better than we are," Theseus calls over the commotion. He probably is. He pretty much always is.

"Anakin, where are you?" Obi-Wan calls impatiently into his comm.

"Right behind you!" a familiar voice answers cheerfully.

Theseus looks up sharply to see Anakin standing a short distance away. He casually ducks a shot that flies right past his head.

"It's about time you showed up!" Theseus exclaims.

"What are you doing down there?" Anakin asks blithely, jerking sideways to avoid another blaster shot that could've taken off his head.

"Taking cover! Now get down!" yells Obi-Wan.

"You can't be serious, Master," Anakin shoots back, "There can't be more than a thousand droids down there, tops."

Theseus knows the other well enough to know when he's planning something, even if it's likely something completely outrageous. Now is one of those times, of course. "What are you up to? Where's Captain Rex?" Obi-Wan demands as Anakin walks forwards, ignoring that he's literally a screaming target right now.

"We already finished our battle, so we decided to come help you with yours," he replies, climbing on top of the destroyed gunship.

"I hate to break it to you," Theseus replies, "But standing there waiting to get shot isn't a very good plan."

"If you want, I can hide here with you, and we can let the people in the city suffer longer –"

"Now, Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaims indignantly, "You know I –"

"Or," Anakin interjects, still smirking, "We can do things my way, and help them now."

"As long as that plan doesn't involve standing there waiting to get shot, be my guest," Theseus grumbles.

"Alright," sighs Obi-Wan, "I know better than to try and stop you."

"Care to share what you're up to?"

"You stay here," Anakin orders, standing and turning around again. He starts slowly walking towards the droids, completely unconcerned as all of them begin taking aim. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" he calls suddenly.

Obi-Wan glances at the commanders with a "what-is-he-up-to-now" expression on his face. Theseus cautiously peers over the edge of the gunship, watching.

"I have come to surrender! You forces fought valiantly, and I must admit that we are overmatched by your superior fire power. I congratulate you, for I have fought many battles on many planets, and always been victorious against the droid army. Though you have always..."

Seriously? This is his plan?! Theseus watches with mild amusement as the droids stop shooting, and within a few moments, the missing tactical droid strides into view on the platform up ahead of them. The droids appear to exchange a few words, before they all instantly aim on Anakin.

"Now, Artoo!" Anakin yells, abruptly yanking the tactical droid towards him with the Force and beheading it.

All at once, clones of the 501st, equipped with jetpacks, start flying into view, throwing explosives down into the droid's ranks.

"Bravo, Anakin, you've done it again," Obi-Wan says, finally standing up.

"You could've told us. At least we would've been prepared," Theseus grumbles.

"Oh, you were. Your state of helplessness really sold them to the surrender talk," Anakin quips.

"Always glad to help, my friend," Obi-Wan says, though his tone implies he's completely exasperated.

Theseus looks past them, to the clones. "What are you all waiting for?"

"Yes, you may join the fun as well," Obi-Wan agrees with a sigh. Cody instantly gives the order, and the 212th clones charge forwards to join the fight. As far as Theseus is concerned, he's perfectly happy to watch the battle from afar. He's already exhausted from today.

Before they can think to join in – if there is anything to join anymore – Anakin gets an urgent comm-message from Admiral Yularen, asking that they return to the cruiser. Theseus finds himself instantly wary. Any one of a million things could be happening; it is a war, after all.

"All right, Admiral," Anakin greets, as the three of them step into the room, "What's so important you brought us all the way back here?" He trails off, expression morphing into shock and disbelief at the sight of the hologram in the center of the room.

Theseus freezes in his tracks, momentarily unable to believe his eyes. He recognizes the Mandalorian in the hologram instantly. It's Bo-Katan. What's she doing calling them? He's thought about her a lot, worrying for her, now that Maul is in control of Mandalore, but there was nothing he could do for her.

But that's not what has almost all of his attention right now. Next to her stands a very familiar Togruta. She looks so much older now, but the markings on her face and her presence in the Force are unmistakably the same.

"W-what?" Theseus utters shakily.

"Hello, Master. It's been a while," Ahsoka greets evenly. She sounds the same too, and the sound of her voice for the first time in so long effectively scrambles all of his thoughts and makes him lose his voice again.

Why is she calling them? Why now? What –

"Ah...Ahsoka?" Anakin stammers, "Wha... I don't believe it! How are you? Where are you? Are – are you okay?"

"I'm all right, thank you," she replies, glancing downwards before meeting his gaze. It's a gesture that reminds Theseus a little of Anakin himself. "I wish we had more time to talk, but I have urgent information for both of you."

"What is it, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan queries, stepping forwards.

"Lady Bo-Katan and I have located the renegade Sith Lord, Maul. And if we move swiftly, we believe we can capture him." He's still so busy reeling from the fact that Bo-Katan and Ahsoka are literally calling them that it takes a moment for the implications of their news to finally catch up to him.

"Maul?!" he exclaims.

"We can come to your location to discuss it in more detail," Ahsoka replies.

For a moment, everyone is quiet. Anakin is leaning on the holotable, face pale, expression mirroring everything Theseus is feeling. "She's coming back," he whispers finally.

Theseus simply doesn't know how to react to this. He's at a complete loss of what to say or even think. He'd wished for a day Ahsoka came back, he'd imagined it, but he never really thought it would be real. And frankly, he has no idea what to say or do or how to act.

And she's only coming here because of this mission, because of what they found out about Maul. Will she stay after that, or will it only be temporary? He doesn't dare to let himself believe that maybe their long period of separation could finally be over. That happening doesn't feel real. Somehow, he managed to adjust to life without Ahsoka at his side constantly, and the fact that she might be coming back...

Despite everything, though, he can't deny his excitement. He's finally going to see her again. He's still nervous, though. So much has changed since the last time they saw each other that day on the Temple steps.

"We should... prepare," he blurts finally, because he doesn't know what else to say. Not as if there's much to "prepare" anyway.

"I'll tell Rex and the boys," Anakin declares finally, straightening. "If she's coming back, we're going to make sure she's welcomed here."

They're still at war here, even if that's the last thing Theseus wants to think about right now, but he tries to force his attention back to the battle at hand. The clones finish taking care of the droids before long and start returning to the cruiser. He runs into Cody almost immediately.

"I'm hearing rumors about Commander Tano coming back?" he comments as they walk.

"The word spread that quickly, hmm?" Theseus queries, mildly amused. It's not even surprising that it did, even among the 212th. They all respected Ahsoka too, even if it wasn't in the same way as the 501st.

"Is she?" Cody asks.

"Yeah, I mean at least she's coming here to give us some information about Maul. We might all be going to Mandalore to deal with him." The battle here is won now, so they should be able to. That is, assuming the Council agrees, because Theseus is pretty sure there's some complicated legal aspects of sending Republic forces to a neutral world, but hopefully, they'll be able to get around that.

"That is good to hear, sir," Cody states, though his surprise rings into the Force.

"And once we do get him, maybe we'll be one step closer to ending the war," Theseus replies. Maul might have information that will help them – like about who this Darth Sidious is, if he knows – assuming they can get anything out of him, of course. Regardless, at least it will be one less Sith running around causing chaos.

"She'll probably be here soon." Maybe he's getting way ahead of himself, but still. "I should... get ready."

It's not until right now that he takes the time to think about how he's about to be reunited with Bo-Katan and likely his sister as well. If he's going back to Mandalore, he should bring his armor.

Oddly enough, he's almost more excited about seeing them, or at least he's less nervous. Obviously he missed Ahsoka far more than them – more than words could ever describe – but he's admittedly almost scared to see her again, though he isn't sure why. He doesn't truly know Bo-Katan or his sister that well, all things considered, so meeting them after so long of not seeing them won't really be awkward.

Regardless, he can't wait for all of them to get here.

***

Now that the initial shock has worn off, Theseus is filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Ahsoka is going to be here any minute now, but he hasn't been with her for so long. He tries to remember what it was like when she'd come back from particularly long missions, then decides it's pointless. This is nothing like that. Then, he knew she was off helping the Republic, the Order. That's not true anymore.

Now it's almost as though they don't even know each other anymore, which is ridiculous when they've spent their entire lives together, except for the past eight months. He just needs to stop being nervous. This will be fine.

"It all makes sense now," Anakin comments as they walk into the hangar, and a shuttle flies in to land. Theseus can feel his excitement. He feels lighter now than he has in... a very long time.

"What?" Obi-Wan asks dubiously.

"If Ahsoka hadn't left the Order, then she wouldn't have been where she needed to be."

"That's a good point," Theseus finally concedes. He never would've expected to hear it from Anakin, though. It's obvious he's trying to come to terms with what happened. His trust in the Force is immense, and frankly, astounding.

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose," Obi-Wan admits grudgingly.

"It's the only way to look at it," Anakin replies firmly. He moves around Obi-Wan, facing him. "We're gonna capture Maul, finally. I thought you would be more excited about this."

"I am cautiously optimistic."

Frankly, that perfectly describes how Theseus is feeling about meeting Ahsoka again. That she's actually coming back is pretty much occupying all of his attention right now.

They move to stand together, Theseus between them in his Mandalorian armor, as the ship comes into view. Bo is here, too. He senses her presence also, and it leaves him feeling a weird combination of jittery and giddy.

The ramp descends, and Ahsoka steps into view.

For a moment, he can't breathe. She's here, in person. She stops when she reaches the bottom, and it's an awkward moment for all of them while they stand frozen, staring at each other for the first time in over half a year. Artoo breaks it up, rolling forwards and slamming into her leg, beeping wildly. She lays a hand on his dome in greeting.

Suddenly, he feels speechless again. Ahsoka approaches them, and Theseus spots Bo behind her, and Anastasia is here, too, of course. He should have guessed.

Great. Now he has three awkward meetings to have at once.

"Ahsoka, I'm so glad –" Anakin begins, but Ahsoka holds up a hand to cut him off.

"We'll have to catch up another time."

It's the abruptness that startles him, because it's not something he's ever really seen in Ahsoka before. She's always willing to indulge in emotions; it's a part of who she is. And now...

It's something else that has changed, which reminds him all over again that they aren't who they used to be when they were best friends who did everything together.

"Things are moving quickly," Bo-Katan speaks up, approaching from behind Ahsoka. Theseus eyes her for a moment, and she gives him a brief nod of acknowledgement before she continues speaking. "Every minute we waste here gives Maul an opportunity to slip away."

"We understand," Obi-Wan assures, "Please, follow me."

Theseus doesn't miss the hurt look that flickers across Anakin's face as Ahsoka brushes past them without so much as a backward glance. He can understand why she wouldn't know how to act anymore – honestly, he's only half sure himself – but her attitude still stings. He wishes there was something he could say to Anakin, but he doesn't even know what, so he silently follows the others into the next room.

"What? Do I not even get a 'hello'?" a familiar voice asks snippily, though there's a teasing note in her voice.

Theseus glances away from the others, preparing the holotable for the meeting, to see Anastasia standing next to him. She's holding her helmet under her arm now as she watches the proceedings.

"No, I didn't even notice you," he drawls.

She rolls her eyes, elbowing him – not as if he could feel it through his armor. "I'm hurt." It sounds so fake they both momentarily crack up.

"Sorry, I was just too busy worrying about our home planet," he shoots back.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

Theseus glances over for a moment to where Anakin is standing a short distance away from him, eyeing Ahsoka even though his expression is mostly closed off now. It hurts, because he was so happy only moments before. Well, he is still happy, but he's feeling more subdued in the Force.

Theseus takes a step closer to him. "I know now is a terrible time for introductions," he says in a low voice so as not to distract the others, "But this is my twin."

Anakin looks up at that, surprise flickering across his expression, morphing to something pained – no doubt noting how similar she looks to Athea. Speaking thereof, Theseus doubts Anastasia has any idea what happened to their mother.

"You told your Jedi friends about me?" Anastasia whispers, sounding scandalized, though he's pretty sure the horror in her tone is totally fake. He could be wrong though.

"He mentioned you a couple times," Anakin replies with a shrug.

"I can't decide if I'm more or less offended by that."

Theseus is still thinking of an appropriate come-back to his sister's utter insanity when Bo-Katan calls them all to the table, with a holomap pulled up. Well, it seems reunions are going to have to wait.

"Bo-Katan has been tracking Maul's movements for several months," Ahsoka speaks up. "I was able to obtain some transmission codes from the Pykes on Oba Diah which helped her pinpoint some of his previous locations."

Oba Diah? The last time Theseus heard about that place, it was when his master and Anakin had gone to investigate the death of Jedi Master Sifo Dyas, who they believed may have been murdered by the Pykes or something. Regardless, Obi-Wan had decided that the mission was too dangerous to take a padawan along. What was Ahsoka doing there alone?