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Coruscant

“It is the Council’s opinion that padawan Ahsoka Tano has committed sedition against the Republic and thus, she will be expelled from the Jedi Order.”

Mace Windu’s words cut through Ahsoka like ice. How she remained standing on the narrow platform, she didn’t know. She felt so dizzy that the vertigo almost overtook her. Vaguely, she could hear Anakin speaking angrily, but the words sounded distorted and distant. Then Mace Windu was speaking again, but the words came in and out of focus, so that Ahsoka only caught snippets of it.
 “…forfeit all rank and privileges of the Grand Army of the Republic…Republic Courts to await your trial…whatever punishment they set… you are barred from the Jedi Order.” Mace’s final sentence reached her with devastating clarity. Barred from the Jedi Order. The phrase played over and over again in her mind, like some cruel echo. Behind her, one of the Council guards stepped forward and tore off her padawan beads.
Barred from the Jedi Order. It was those five little words that played yet again through her head a few days later as the Jedi Council apologized to her.

“You have our most humble apologies, little 'Soka. The Council was wrong to accuse you,” said Plo Koon. Ahsoka could not make eye contact with him. The lack of faith that all of the Council members had showed her stung, but none worse than Plo Koon and Obi-Wan.

“You have shown such great strength and resilience in your struggle to prove your innocence,” said Saesee Tiin. She knew him only a little, but vividly remembered the way he had glared down at her in the Chamber of Judgement.

“This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight,” said Ki-Adi Mundi. Two weeks ago such words would have made her swell with pride, but now she felt nothing but empty.

“This was actually your great trial. Now we see that. We understand that the Force works in mysterious ways, and because of this trial, you have become a greater Jedi than you would have otherwise,” said Mace.

“Back into the Order, you may come,” said Yoda.

Then Anakin looked at her with such hopefulness and said, “They're asking you back, Ahsoka. I'm asking you back.” He extended a hand, holding out her padawan beads to her.

Ahsoka reached her hand out, hesitating for a moment, before she closed Anakin’s hand over the beads.

“I’m sorry, Master, but I’m not coming back.” She turned and walked away.

He followed her, tried to convince her to stay, that leaving was a mistake, but Ahsoka was sure of her decision. There was something defeated and broken about the way that she stood, her shoulders slumped and her eyes cast downward.

“More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the order,” he said.

She couldn’t meet his eyes.

“I know,” she said. She walked away down the stone steps of the temple, and left him standing there. She didn’t look back.

Somewhere in Hyperspace, Approaching the Outer Rim

Do you see what I’ve become, Ahsoka?

Ahsoka bolted upright, panting hard and with beads of sweat running down her face. She felt as if her chest had been compressed and she had to take deep gulping breaths of air to get oxygen. It took her a moment to calm herself from the nightmare and the voice she had heard in it. It had been chilling, horrifying, and also familiar, but Ahsoka could not remember why. Trying to recall the images of the dream was an even more futile task, as they faded away like wisps of smoke in the wind.

Once her breathing had slowed, Ahsoka was able to take in more of her surroundings again. The Mirialan and the Twi’lek women with whom she was sharing a cabin on the transport ship were both still sound asleep. Ahsoka closed her eyes, listening to them and reaching out to them with the Force, trying to take some of their tranquility into her own feelings. She leaned her back against the wall, looking out into the dark room and closed her eyes. This was not the first nightmare she had had, but it was the first since she had left the Order. As a padawan, whenever she felt scared or uneasy, she would hold her lightsabers. Just the solid weight and grip of them would provide some comfort to her, as would knowing that she could fight off whatever was coming.

Her lightsabers were back on Coruscant, probably put into storage in the underground levels of the Jedi Temple with all the other extra lightsabers. Or perhaps Anakin had kept them. That thought made her even more sad.

Though she was no longer under the panic of the nightmare, Ahsoka could tell that she was not going to sleep any time soon. She could meditate, she supposed, although she had had some trouble with that lately. Every time she tried, it was like she hit some block that she could not overcome. Without sleep or meditating, that just left sitting in the dark for four more hours, alone with her thoughts as she waited for the transport ship to reach its destination.

Sundari, Mandalore

There was little fanfare or fuss when the transport ship docked at the port on Sundari. Only two guards were on duty, one of whom was checking the papers of the visitors and another who was eating a sandwich and watching them with only mild interest. As a padawan, Ahsoka had not had to carry any papers or identification. The lightsabers were usually enough to get her into anywhere. She again regretted leaving them behind, wishing she had stopped by her room before leaving Coruscant. There had been no time, though. She couldn’t stand to be on that planet for one moment longer and so she had left quickly, taking what little credit she had and booking a one-way ticket to Mandalore, where hopefully she still had friends.

Leaving her lightsabers was not her only regret. She did not say goodbye or thank you Padmé, and especially after Padmé had defended her in the trial. Ahsoka would have to make up for that someday. There were others she wished she could have said goodbye to, as well: R2D2, the brave little droid. Tera Sinube, the old jedi who helped her recover her stolen lightsaber. Rex, Jesse, Kix, Fives, so many of the 501
st
. And Riyo Chuchi, who had been her friend for so long.

Then again, she had thought Barriss was her friend, and look how that had turned out. Ahsoka didn’t know how Riyo had voted during the trial, if the senator had agreed with the guilty verdict. Ahsoka didn’t think that Riyo could have believed all the lies, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe she would never know. Maybe it was better not to know.

She had come so close to being found guilty. The details of the trial still lingered in her mind, unwanted but persistent.

“Ahsoka Tano, by an overwhelming count of –“ Palpatine had begun to say, sitting above her, looming over her in his podium, but then Anakin had cut him off.

It was too much to think about.

“Move along.”

Ahsoka snapped back into the present, realizing that she had gotten lost in her thoughts and was holding up the line. She nodded politely to the guard, who handed her back her papers and waved her into Sundari. She didn’t have enough money for a hovercraft ride, but she remembered her way to the palace well enough, and it was not too far to walk. The city was bright and glittering under its dome, just as it had been the last time she had visited. She walked through what appeared to be a restaurant district, and the smells of cooking meat began to make her stomach rumble with hunger. She ignored it and pressed on toward the palace.

The royal guard stopped her at the front doors, holding their spears across each other to block her way. She introduced herself as a Jedi padawan and one of the guards went to inform the Duchess, though he eyed her lack of a lightsaber belt before he went. Still, a few minutes later he came back out and led Ahsoka into the building to the throne room, where Satine was sitting.

“Padawan Tano,” said Satine with a smile. She stood and moved gracefully down the steps of the dais to greet Ahsoka.

“Duchess Satine. It is good to see you again,” said Ahsoka.

“And you. Although, I must say I am a little surprised to see you. I was not informed that a Jedi was coming to visit us.”

“I-I am not a Jedi,” Ahsoka stuttered out.

“A padawan, I mean. You will be a full Jedi soon enough.” Satine gestured for them to go out onto the balcony and began to walk toward the door.

“No, I won’t. I, um, left the order.”

Satine froze, turning back to look at Ahsoka.

“It’s kind of a long story,” said Ahsoka.

“Let’s go outside,” said Satine. She nodded to her guards to tell them to wait in the throne room. The balcony had a small table and some chairs set up around it, all surrounded by potted plants. It would have made a perfect spot to sit and drink tea, thought Ahsoka glumly, wondering if Obi-Wan would have liked it.

Satine was a polite listener to Ahsoka’s story, not giving away much in the way of emotion, but frowning ever more deeply. Ahsoka told her everything – almost everything – about the Temple bombing, the botched investigation, her time on the run, her trial, and finally her decision to leave the Order after her name was cleared.

“You have faced a great deal since the last time we spoke, especially for one so young,” said Satine, choosing her words carefully.

“I’m sorry if I’ve put you in an awkward situation. I just...” Ahsoka paused before continuing, “I don’t know where else to go.”

Satine stood rather abruptly, and Ahsoka felt nervous for a moment, but then Satine came over to where she was sitting and hugged her. Ahsoka leaned into the hug, more grateful for it than she could tell.

“Mandalore will always shelter refugees, especially those who have been displaced by war. If I’m honest, I think you deserve a better life than that of a soldier, to fight and die for a corrupt Republic. Though, I’m a little biased. For what it’s worth, I think you made the right decision,” said Satine.

“Thank you,” said Ahsoka. She hadn’t mentioned every reason she had for leaving, however, but she thought that she had dumped enough of her problems on Satine for the time being.

“You can stay in the palace until you find your feet. You should probably be enrolled in school, maybe we can get you a spot in the Academy with Korkie. He and his friends will be so glad to see you again,” said Satine, though she seemed to be talking more to herself than to Ahsoka.

For her part, Ahsoka was not sure how long she would be staying, and she was certainly not keen on attending the Royal Academy of Government, but she was grateful just to have a bed to sleep in for awhile, until she figured out what to do next.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The days passed rather uneventfully on Mandalore. Ahsoka should have been enjoying the relaxation, but she could not help but to feel uneasy and restless. She supposed that, after spending almost three years on the front lines of a war, it made sense that she was uncomfortable with peace. She knew that several of the clone troopers suffered from the same feelings, and that for them, peace was nothing more than the calm before a greater storm.

It was nice to see Korkie again, though, and the other cadets she had met during her last trip to Mandalore. Whenever they had free time at the academy, they all tried to take Ahsoka out and show her Sundari. She enjoyed it as much as she could - going out to eat with Korkie and Soniee, listening to music with Lagos, and jogging around the city with Amis. When she had met them for the first time, there had been a slight distance between them, what with her being a Jedi and their teacher. Now, it seemed like they should be able to be closer – after all, they were all the same age – but she felt even more separate from them than before. Korkie seemed to pick up on this, though he never mentioned it out loud, and the others remained oblivious. She wondered at times if Korkie was slightly Force-sensitive, or perhaps he was just very perceptive. He actually reminded her of Master Obi-Wan at times, the way he could read people, and the thought of Korkie as a mini-Obi-Wan made her chuckle a bit.

Korkie also seemed to be the only person aware of how poorly Ahsoka was sleeping. Her nightmares had not abated since she had reached Mandalore. In fact, she thought that they were only increasing in frequency, to the point that it was rare for her to go a night without having one. As a Togruta, though, she did not show the same physical signs of exhaustion as a human. She didn’t get dark circles under her eyes, yawn, or mumble her words. Instead, her lekku paled a little and she felt antsy and twitchy. Satine mentioned something to her about battle fatigue, but otherwise didn’t pick up on Ahsoka’s insomnia. Satine was constantly trying to give Ahsoka warm tea and snacks, though, which Ahsoka assumed was her way of trying to help and ease her mind.

It wasn’t until one night when Ahsoka fell asleep in one of the parlor rooms of Satine’s house that the Duchess realized the extent of Ahsoka’s fitful sleep. Korkie and Soniee had come over for dinner, but after telling Satine about some of their upcoming assignments, she had shooed them back to the Academy to finish their homework. Satine and Ahsoka were having an after-dinner tea in the parlor, when Ahsoka found herself nodding off.

"Ahsoka. Ahsoka.”

The voice was deep and mechanical, like a droid almost, but too chilling for that. Ahsoka couldn’t see who was speaking. It was like trying to make out the details of someone through choppy water, a dark shape that wavered in front of her. It moved and then she could see one detail with clarity, a golden eye, burning with anger and sadness and something else that she couldn’t understand. Then another sound overwhelmed her, almost like a breathing machine. But why would a breathing machine make her freeze with fear?

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

“Ahsoka!”

Ahsoka gasped and jerked awake to see Satine standing over her with a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder and a worried expression on her face. Ahsoka sat up slowly on the couch and Satine sat next to her, putting an arm around her.

“I’m sorry. I must have had a bad dream,” said Ahsoka.

“I think that is one of the finest understatements I have ever heard.”

Ahsoka noticed that some of the paintings had fallen off the walls and the tea set that had been sitting on the center table was now laying in shattered pieces on the floor.

“The whole room was shaking and you were screaming,” said Satine, squeezing Ahsoka a little tighter to comfort her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I couldn’t see very much, but it scared me.”

“Korkie told me you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Ahsoka looked down at her lap. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Satine and Korkie talking about her sleep habits like that, and she definitely didn’t want to worry them.

“I’ve just been having some nightmares. I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m probably just a little conflicted about leaving the Order,” said Ahsoka, trying to sound casual.

“I wouldn’t write it off so easily. You may not be a Jedi any more, Ahsoka, but you are strongly connected to the Force. Even a dullard with the Force like me can see that. What would the Jedi tell you to do if they knew about your nightmares?”

“Master Anakin would probably tell me that I needed to get my mind off of it and give me a mission. Master Obi-Wan would make me some tea. Master Yoda would tell me to meditate.”

“Well, we’ve tried the tea and I don’t have any missions for you at the moment. But the meditation I think we can do. Come with me.”

Satine rose from the couch and led Ahsoka through the palace to the far east wing. There, after walking through the maze of brightly lit hallways, they reached a small door.

“Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon would use this room whenever we were at the palace, both when they were protecting me and in the years following. Qui-Gon said something about it having the proper alignment for Force convergence, or something like that. The servant droids clean it, but I asked them not to move anything,” said Satine, opening the door.

It was a simple and rather small room, sparsely decorated. The walls were blank and painted a light gray. On the floor were two red pillows and a few white candles. The only windows were on the slanted ceiling, so that the sky could be seen, but none of the surrounding buildings or people of Sundari. Ahsoka walked over to one of the pillows and sat down on it with her legs crossed and her hands together in her lap.

“Will it do?” Satine asked.

Ahsoka nodded and closed her eyes. She heard the door close quietly as Satine left her alone.

Like Anakin, Ahsoka had never been the best at meditation. She had always had trouble quieting her mind enough to reach the state of inner peace. The only thing that helped her was a chant she had learned from Master Plo during her first years at the Temple.

“I am with the Force. The Force is with me. I am with the Force. The Force is with me.”

She spoke the words in Togruti, a language she was not fluent in, having left Shili when she was only three, but she knew the words to this mantra and found the sound of her first language comforting. The trills and long notes flowed out melodically around her, filling the room.

“I am with the Force. The Force is with me.”

The candles began to drift upward, floating gently and unlit around Ahsoka’s head.

“I am with the Force. The Force is with me.”

Ahsoka’s breathing began to align with the mantra.

“I am with the Force,” breathing in.

“The Force is with me,” breathing out.

Ahsoka could no longer feel the room around her or hear any of the muffled sounds of the city outside.

“I am with the Force. The Force is with me.”

A great stillness descended upon Ahsoka. She felt outside of time, outside of her own body. She opened her eyes.

In front of her sat a woman with pale skin and flowing green hair. She glowed with an ethereal blue light, while her pose mirrored Ahsoka’s, with the legs crossed and the hands together in her lap.

“Hello, Ahsoka,” she said.

“Daughter,” said Ahsoka, in wonder.

“You do not look well. Your mind is a tempest.”

“I don’t know what to do,” said Ahsoka.

“You resist the warnings I have sent you.”

“Warnings, you mean the nightmares? Why did you send them to me?”

“You are my only connection to the corporeal galaxy now. When the time comes to act, you must not hesitate. You must be decisive.”

The figure of the Daughter dissolved in blue light and Ahsoka was about to shout for her to stay, when she realized that the figure was not disappearing, but merely changing. The woman shifted into a white winged creature with a green mane and a sharp beak, still glowing with the same blue light.

“Are you still the Daughter?” Ahsoka asked the creature.

“We all are.” It spoke with the same voice, although its beak did not move. “You seem lost in more ways than one. A great imbalance threatens the galaxy. The Duchess means well, but peace is not easy to achieve or to keep. And so I will give you this advice: only justice will bring peace.”

“Who do I have to bring to justice?” Ahsoka asked, but the creature had already dissolved. This time it reformed in the shape of a new woman. She still looking human, but much older than the original Daughter. Her dark skin was wrinkled and her eyes were as milky white as her long hair.

“The imbalance. You must bring the imbalance to justice. As we were, you must be a servant of the Force,” answered the elderly Daughter.

“I thought Master Anakin was supposed to bring balance to the Force. He’s the chosen one.”

“Anakin Skywalker is himself out of balance. Your connection to the Light, to the Dark, and to the physical world, makes you the servant to the Force.”

“To the Dark?” Ahsoka exclaimed.

“We, the Daughter, live in you, but we are not the only ones.” The air rippled behind the Daughter and there was a flicker of red light. Ahsoka caught a glimpse of a pale face with ember eyes. Her stomach clenched and the Daughter flickered and faded for a moment, before Ahsoka once again controlled her breathing, steadying both herself and the Daughter’s image.

“The balance between the Light and Dark. The attachment to the world around you. They all make you the one we need,” said the Daughter.

“But the Jedi forbid such attachments. They say the only way to achieve peace of mind and control of the Force is to separate yourself from the physical world.”

“You are not a Jedi. The servant of the Force can never truly detach from the world. How can you hope to serve a world that you do not love? Your duty calls upon you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs in order to achieve balance in the galaxy. Besides, the Jedi are not right about everything.” The Daughter paused, giving her a wry smile. “You must do whatever it takes to protect the galaxy.” With that, the Daughter faded once again, this time shrinking down until only a little green convor bird sat in front of Ahsoka.

It hooted at her and Ahsoka trilled a greeting back in Togruti, not understanding the bird at all. It hopped forward a few steps and then flew up to Ahsoka’s shoulder. With a plunging sensation, she felt as if the floor of the meditation room dropped out from under her, causing her to fall through darkness until she landed in a dimly lit tent. A few people in Mandalorian armor stood around her and Ahsoka tensed, recognizing the Death Watch. It took her a moment to realize that they could not see her. It was only a vision. The convor hooted encouragingly on her shoulder.

The Death Watch were not the only ones in the tent, however. A Dathomirian Zabrak man with a bright red and black patterned face stood among them. Ahsoka had only seen the Zabrak in pictures before, but she would never forget those burning yellow eyes. He was Maul, who had killed Master Qui-Gon before being himself defeated by Obi-Wan so long ago. He had been assumed dead for many years until suddenly resurfacing on Raydonia and killing Master Gallia.

“Duchess Satine and her corrupt leadership are crushing our souls. Destroying our identity! That is our struggle,” said Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Death Watch.

“If they are weak, why do you wait?” asked Maul, his voice as smooth as poison.

“The Duchess has powerful allies, including your Jedi friend, Kenobi.”

Maul’s face twitched into a silent snarl at the mention of Obi-Wan’s name. “It is the will of the Force. We can help you reclaim Mandalore,” he said.

The scene shifted again with a powerful lurch that nearly knocked Ahsoka off her feet. They were still in one of the Death Watch’s tents, but this time it was crowded with members of the Death Watch, with Maul and his brother, and with representatives of the most notorious crime families in the galaxy, all standing around a hologram map of Sundari.
“If we try to take Mandalore by force, our people will turn against us,” said Pre Vizsla. “I will use my army of crime lords to attack different targets across Sundari and sow chaos to undermine the Duchess' rule. Our gangsters will make her look too weak to maintain control. Then you and your Death Watch will capture and arrest us, bringing order where Satine's weak government could not,” said Maul. “We'll be saviors.” Pre Vizsla looked in awe of Maul’s plan.
As they spoke, Ahsoka began to see their plot come to life. She saw Pre Vizsla standing on a balcony, overlooking a cheering crowd. She saw the crime gangs attacking Sundari and the Death Watch stopping them, gaining popularity with the people. She saw Satine thrown in prison, Pre Vizsla killed by Maul, and Almec appointed to be the puppet ruler of Mandalore for Maul.

The vision shifted again and Ahsoka found herself in Satine’s throne room.

“And now the perfect tool for my vengeance is in front of us. I never planned on killing you, but I will make you share my pain,” the voice of Maul hissed out. Obi-Wan was on his knees, flanked by Death Watch soldiers, while Satine hovered in the air, flailing and scratching at the invisible hands that squeezed her throat. Maul turned his golden eyes on Obi-Wan and added with a soft, growling voice, “Kenobi.”

Maul lit the darksaber, the black blade that Pre Vizsla had once carried. With a wave of his hand, Satine flew forward and Maul stabbed her through the back with the darksaber. Obi-Wan ran to her as she fell to the floor, her wound smoking and her face twisted in pain.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan said as he lifted her into his arms.

Maul walked back to the throne and sat grandly upon it, grinning down on them. Ahsoka moved closer to Satine and Obi-Wan.

“Remember, my dear Obi-Wan,” said Satine softly, “I’ve loved you always. I always will.” She stroked his face gently as she said the words, then collapsed.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, unable to watch Obi-Wan’s grief, and she felt the convor bird fly off of her shoulder. Then she heard a clatter as the candles fell to the ground around her, pulling her out of her meditation. She could once again feel the pillow underneath her and hear the faint sound of cruisers and voices from Sundari, coming in through the windows. She opened her eyes onto the empty meditation room, seeing that the sun had finished setting and the sky was an inky black above her. She stood, feeling oddly empty of emotion, the sort of sensation she got after crying, a numbness that followed an overwhelming barrage of feeling. The visions that the convor bird had shown her stayed clear in her head, unlike the fading nightmares. She could remember every detail of the plots, the future that she would ensure never came.

Ahsoka walked out of the room and reached out with the Force to find Satine, who had returned to the parlor room. When Ahsoka entered, Satine was reading something on a data pad, with her feet tucked up underneath her on the couch. She looked up when Ahsoka came in and smiled hopefully at her.

“Did it help?” she asked.

Ahsoka walked over and kissed Satine on the forehead. When she pulled away, Satine was still smiling, but looked utterly perplexed.

“It helped,” said Ahsoka.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chaos was erupting over Sundari. Mandalore had always had a complicated relationship with the crime families, but now the Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Hutts were all moving in, launching a series of attacks across the city. Originally, it had seemed that Death Watch was behind it all, but after a group of warriors in Death Watch began to stop the attacks and arrest the criminals, the rumors changed. Uneasy ideas began to spread through the city, softly at first, but they were gaining momentum.

Death Watch stopped those thugs.

Death Watch succeeded where the Duchess failed.

Death Watch can protect us.

Satine was growing more and more unsettled, throwing herself into her work and not emerging from her office for what seemed like days at a time. It could not be denied, however, that the Mandalorian police were badly outmatched and failing to stop the attacks.

It was time to act, then, before Death Watch gained too much popularity. Ahsoka walked out of the meditation room, where she had spent each evening for the past few weeks, ever since her meeting with the Daughter. It was well after sunset and Satine was spending a rare night asleep in her room, rather than on the couch in her office. There were two royal guards posted outside of her room, standing stiffly in their elaborate blue uniforms.

“You will give me your force staff,” said Ahsoka, waving her hand in front of one’s face.

“I-I will give you my staff,” he said, handing it over.

“Thanks,” said Ahsoka, weighing the staff in her hand to get a feel for the balance of the weapon.

Outside of the palace, the night was clear and still. The warm air hung stagnant around her without the slightest breath of wind. Ahsoka moved quickly to the docks, borrowing a cruiser from the palace and parking it out of sight behind a storage crate. She then climbed onto a storage unit and leapt from one unit to the other until she found the right vantage point overlooking an alleyway. She sat and waited.

It was just past one o’clock in the morning when they arrived. Two of the guards of the dock were making their routine security rounds when a small group from the crime syndicates, a Falleen man and two Pykes, descended upon them. The Falleen raised a blaster to shoot one of the guards, but before his finger even touched the trigger, Ahsoka leapt from her perch and landed in between the guards and the gang members. The Falleen seemed taken aback for only a moment. He recovered quickly and fired his blaster, which Ahsoka deflected easily. The force staff was no lightsaber, but it wasn’t bad. The Falleen fired again and this time Ahsoka hit the blaster bolt so that it ricocheted and hit one of the Pykes squarely in the stomach, causing him to crumple to the ground.

Ahsoka moved quickly then, leaping toward the Falleen and cracking him over the head with the staff. She sent out a stunning blast from the staff at the moment of impact and he went down heavily. She then whirled on the second Pyke, sweeping the staff under her feet and knocking her down. Ahsoka then stunned the Pyke woman with a downward hit to her face. The first Pyke was still alive, but groaning on the ground and clutching at his stomach wound. The dock guards were staring open-mouthed at Ahsoka.

Above their heads came a whooshing sound as two members of the Death Watch swooped down and hovered above them. They were both wearing helmets, which made it impossible to see their expressions, but Ahsoka was sure they were gaping at her as well.

“Don’t worry, Duchess Satine has the security of Mandalore covered,” Ahsoka said, grinning up at the Death Watch. They looked at each other for a moment and then flew away, surely to report to their leaders.

With a final nod to the guards, Ahsoka leapt back up to the rooftop and ran to the cruiser. This fight had not been difficult at all, but she expected that the next one would not be nearly so simple.

***

“How could you let this happen?” Pre Vizsla raged. A Falleen man with a nasty welt on his head was standing in front of him and taking the brunt of his rage, though a Pyke woman and two Mandalorians were also looking ashamedly at the ground. Behind them all, Maul and Savage were quietly watching the scene.

“It wasn’t our fault. This Togruta, she fought like…like I can’t even describe. She was faster than a greysor and strong, too, for such a shrimpy looking thing. She was like a Jedi, except she didn’t have a lightsaber,” said the Falleen man.

"A Jedi,” hissed out Maul.

“Satine does have connections to the Jedi, Lord Maul. Perhaps they have sent one to assist her,” said Vizsla, more calmly than when he spoke to the Falleen.

“But not Kenobi.”

“Not yet. This Togruta, though. What did she look like?” asked Vizsla.

“Small, orange face, blue horn things,” said one of the Death Watch.

"Bonteri’s brat of a girlfriend,” said Bo-Katan, Vizsla’s right-hand soldier. Most of the Death Watch remembered the Togruta Jedi who had come to Concord Dawn and killed four of their number with one blow.

“We must dispose of this Jedi. Brother, you will kill her at the next attack,” said Maul, addressing his much larger but subordinate sibling.

Ahsoka opened her eyes, pulling herself out of her meditation. She had seen enough of the conversation in order to prepare herself. Savage was huge and strong and could be a hurricane of force when he attacked, but he lacked finesse. With her lightsabers, she could easily beat him, but she didn’t have them. The Force staff was great for blaster bolts, but it would not hold up against a lightsaber.

Then again, the Daughter never carried a lightsaber, but fought using only the Force. It would have to do.

Ahsoka found the Duchess in her office, with her face propped up on one hand and her eyes half shut behind a pair of blue-framed glasses. Two datapads lay in front of her and she seemed to be trying to read both of them simultaneously. She glanced up only briefly when Ahsoka walked in.

“I have an interesting report from the docks here,” Satine said, gesturing to one of the datapads.

“Oh?” said Ahsoka.

“Yes, it says here that a young Togruta woman fought off a small group of black marketeers. Given that Mandalore doesn’t quite have the species diversity of some planets, it wasn’t too hard to figure out who this Togruta is.” Satine was staring seriously at Ahsoka.

“I suppose I do stand out a bit,” said Ahsoka. She tried a small smile, which Satine did not return.

“Ahsoka, I know things seem bad, but I don’t want you to go and get yourself hurt being a vigilante. Mandalore will deal with these attacks. You’re still so young. You should be focusing on your education.”

“Have you heard of Lord Maul?” Ahsoka asked, interrupting Satine from scolding her further. It worked well, as Satine went silent.

“Excuse me?” Satine asked after a long pause.

“Maul, the Dathomirian Zabrak. Do you know of him?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of him. He killed Master Qui-Gon.”

“He’s here on Mandalore. He’s organizing the attacks.”

“That’s impossible,” she said, her words trailing off in the end, as if unsure.

“I’m sure it’s him. He’s in league with Death Watch and he has a brother, too. Do you still think the Mandalorian police can handle it?”

Satine pursed her lips, but said nothing. She looked exhausted. Satine had always been so composed and collected, but now she was beginning to look ragged.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let Maul hurt y-, I mean, hurt Mandalore,” said Ahsoka.

“Ahsoka, you’re a strong young woman, but you were only a padawan when you left, and Maul has killed Masters before.”

“I’m not alone. Don’t worry.”

Ahsoka left the room with an extremely worried-looking Satine watching her go.

Coruscant

Obi-Wan Kenobi was asleep when his holoprojector beeped. After a long day of talking in endless circles with the Jedi Council, dealing with demanding senators, and trying to manage Anakin’s ongoing pent-up frustration following the loss of his padawan, it took Obi-Wan far longer to rise from sleep than usual. For some reason, his time on Coruscant wore him out more than any battle ever had. He almost longed to get back in the field.

The holoprojector beeped insistently again, and Obi-Wan pulled himself from the bed and put on his brown Jedi robe as he went to sit in the living room. He answered the call and a blue hologram of Satine Kryze popped up in front of him. He felt such surprise - and perhaps a few other emotions - to see her that he didn’t notice at first that she looked about as frazzled as he felt.

“Obi-Wan, it’s good to see you,” she said.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, seeing the bags under her eyes and her slightly disheveled outfit.

“I’m sorry if I called in the middle of the night there, but I need your help. I think Mandalore is in great danger and Ahsoka Tano, as well.”

“Ahsoka? Why would she-? She’s there, isn’t she?” he said.

“She’s been living with me for about two months now.”

Obi-Wan didn’t have the energy to be surprised by that news.

“Alright, what’s this danger?” he asked.

“There have been some random attacks around Mandalore by the crime families, Pykes and Black Suns mostly. I thought it was simply the black market trying to gain more control, but Ahsoka says differently. She has been acting a bit strange, if I’m honest. When she first arrived, she seemed lost and quite sad, and I worry that she is throwing herself into a mission to save Mandalore single-handedly in order to give herself a new purpose.”

“It’s true that Ahsoka can be reckless. She takes after Anakin in that regard,” said Obi-Wan, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

“There’s more,” said Satine. She seemed to struggle to find the right words for a moment. “Ahsoka says that Maul is here.”

Obi-Wan was speechless, a rare thing indeed.

“That’s not possible,” he said finally. He knew, of course, that it was very possible, but the thought of Maul so close to Satine was horrible to say the least.

“I said the same thing. But Ahsoka seems sure. She won’t tell me how she knows, only that there is no doubt. She says he is the one organizing the attacks, part of some larger plot to take over Mandalore.”

“Maul was last seen on Florrum, when he and his brother killed Adi Gallia. He was trying to recruit the pirates to work for him, but pirates don’t really like being told what to do. We shot down his ship, but he must have escaped and survived.”

They both fell into silence for a moment.

“Let me talk to the Council in the morning. I will see if I can investigate this matter,” said Obi-Wan. He was quite sure, however, that regardless of the Council’s decision he would travel to Mandalore. Satine nodded and gave him a small but grateful smile before disconnecting.

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes, wondering what trouble Ahsoka had gotten herself into since leaving the Order. He debated for a moment whether or not he should tell Anakin where she was, but decided against it. Anakin might just take off to Mandalore himself to try to bring her back, and with Council’s already precarious faith in Anakin, a rogue trip and an obvious display of attachment would not be good.

***

The war’s strain on the Council was obvious at the meeting. Only five of the Masters were present in the flesh, Mace Windu, Yoda, Oppo Rancisis, Saesee Tiin, and of course Obi-Wan. Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto were there via hologram, but the remaining four seats sat completely empty. So many of their number were out in the field, stretched thin across the galaxy as they tried to end this terrible conflict.

“News have you, Master Kenobi,” said Yoda, crossing his hands and feet together in front of him.

“I have had a concerning report from Duchess Satine of Mandalore and former Padawan Tano,” said Obi-Wan. “Satine says that Mandalore is under attack from the crime families and the Death Watch.”

“As unfortunate as that is, Mandalore has declared neutrality. The Death Watch is no longer aligned with the Separatists and the crime syndicates are outside of both the Republic and the Separatists,” said Mace Windu.

“Ahsoka Tano also claims that the leader of these attacks is Darth Maul,” Obi-Wan continued.

Shaak Ti and Kit Fisto shared a look of surprise, and Saesee Tiin leaned forward in his seat.

“Concerning news, this is. Do you believe Ahsoka Tano?” Yoda asked.

“I’m not sure. I sense nothing of Maul’s presence through the Force, but he could be powerful enough to hide himself. I think it is very likely that Maul survived the events in Florrum, and the Mandalorian system is not far from there. I think it at least merits an investigation.”

“I agree. We should not take chances when it comes to the Sith,” said Shaak Ti.

“I am not so sure. Tano is no longer a Jedi, which means she could be under the influence of other forces,” said Saesee Tiin.

It was difficult to tell behind the goggles, but Obi-Wan was sure that Plo Koon was glaring at Tiin.

“Either way, we must find the truth,” said Yoda.

“I will leave immediately, then,” said Obi-Wan, before anyone else could object.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sundari, Mandalore
They came at night.Savage lead the team of crime families, while Maul stayed behind with the Death Watch. This was an operation that required more finesse than brute strength and numbers - good practice for Savage. Maul had not intended for their plan to accelerate this quickly, but the young Jedi was proving to be a dangerous threat to their plans. She was not Kenobi, the Jedi that Maul truly wanted, but he still enjoyed the thought of her death. The new plan was simple enough and the Togruta was not hard to find. They would kill her while she slept in the Duchess’s palace, kidnap the Duchess, and then Death Watch would mount a daring rescue. Thus, Death Watch would play the valiant heroes of Mandalore and Satine would be revealed as incompetent.“I need the Duchess alive, Brother. Everyone else in that Palace can die,” said Maul before they left.Savage nodded, his yellow eyes glowing menacingly, like twin suns.The palace was quiet as they crept up to it. There were four guards posted outside, who Savage dispatched quickly and silently with his lightsaber. They never even stood a chance. Savage wondered if he would even need the team of bounty hunters and crime family members. If all of the royal guard put up this much of a fight, then he could easily do it on his own. He had no worries about the little Jedi either. After all, he had dispatched the Tholothian one with little trouble.They met no guards in the entrance hall of the palace. Savage searched out with the Force, but he was not refined with it at all, and was unable to distinguish the living Force of the people outside in the city and those in the palace.“Split up,” he growled, and the crime family members spread out, some travelling upstairs and others heading toward the throne room and offices. Savage stayed still, listening and growing frustrated with his inability to sense the Jedi. He moved through the glass hallways of the palace, ready for a fight. He almost wished he could come across one of the guards, but he saw no one.In the distance, he thought he heard a thump and a grunt, but the palace stayed still and quiet. He shook his head, thinking he was imagining things. Or maybe one of his men had found and disposed of a guard.Then Savage felt it, a ripple in the Force almost like a beacon. It was the little Jedi. She was in the throne room. He grinned and lit his lightsaber staff on both ends as he charged toward the Force signature of the Jedi. In his eagerness, he almost shattered the door on his way into the large room. It was empty, except for a small figure sitting on the steps in front of the throne. She watched him with large blue eyes, but otherwise did not react.“Jedi,” he said, pointing his lightsaber at her.She was not even armed that he could see. She must not be a real Jedi, or at least not a good one. It annoyed him that she wasn’t acting afraid of him, but Maul had told him all about the Jedi’s emotionless façade.Savage advanced on her, crossing the room quickly and raising his lightsaber to bring it down on her. She closed her eyes and he grinned at her cowardice, as if she could hide from her death. He swung hard, planning to decapitate her, but then his lightsaber lurched to a stop. When he looked down, he saw the Jedi holding the handle, preventing the blade from touching her. Though she could be described as lean and wiry, her arm was nowhere near as muscular as Savage’s. She should not be able to do this. With a furious grunt, Savage pushed down harder on the lightsaber handle, using both his hands now, but it did not budge. Then with a hissing sound both blades retracted back into the handle.“I am not a Jedi,” she said, opening her eyes. The blue of her eyes was now glowing so bright that her pupils could not be seen.Savage tried to grab her throat with one hand, but he felt himself blasted backwards through the air and into a huge painting on the far wall. He fell with a heavy thud, but quickly got to his feet. He was no longer holding his lightsaber. There was something sticky and warm running down the side of his face and he reached up to find one of his horns cracked and a deep cut in his temple.The Jedi was still standing calmly on the dais of the throne, holding his lightsaber staff. She undid the locking mechanism and separated the weapon into two single-bladed lightsabers, holding one in a forward grip and the other pointed backwards. She crouched, ready for him.Savage charged at her, planning to grab her wrists before she could swing and drive his horns so deep into her chest that her ribcage would shatter.The Jedi moved so fast that Savage’s head was on the ground before he even registered her attack.***As soon as they arrived at the palace, Obi-Wan could feel that something was wrong. He charged in more carelessly than was usual for him, but the 212th Battalion were familiar with the fact that their General acted a little differently when it came to the Mandalorian Duchess.“Let’s go, men,” said Commander Cody, before following Obi-Wan inside. The clone troopers had their blasters ready, each man tensed for battle, but none of them were quite ready for the scene in front of the them as they entered the throne room.Ahsoka Tano was standing there, holding a pair of red lightsabers, while at her feet lay the beheaded body of a Zabrak. Obi-Wan and the 212th all froze for a moment at the sight of those red lightsabers, not wanting to believe it. Could Saesee Tiin have been right? Had Ahsoka, who they had all trusted and served with, joined the Sith?“Put down your weapon,” said Obi-Wan, grabbing his own lightsaber, but not yet lighting it.In response, Ahsoka shut off the lightsabers and held their handles in the flat of her palms. They were lifted by the Force in front of her and then were pulled into pieces, so that an array of metal parts were floating in the air. She plucked the kyber crystals out of the air and held them in between her two hands, hidden from view. She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a moment, before releasing the crystals and reforming the lightsabers around them. She lit them again and this time the blades were white.“They were his. Now they’re mine,” was all she said.Obi-Wan didn’t know what to make of all this. The last time he had seen Ahsoka, she had been a talented young padawan, but still clumsy with the Force at times, and inexperienced. Now she was turning Sith lightsabers white?“Where is Satine?” Obi-Wan asked.“She’s upsta-,” Ahsoka froze, her eyes widening. Obi-Wan could sense it, too. The Duchess was definitely not in the palace. They ran together, leaving the clone troopers behind, as they raced to Satine’s rooms. On the way, they passed over several prone figures, some alive and some dead, Pykes, Falleen, and a few human guards. The bedroom was empty when they reached it, with the cool night air blowing in from the open window.“No, no, no, no,” said Ahsoka, turning around in the empty room.Obi-Wan went over the window, looking out on the city.“How could I miss this?” said Ahsoka from behind him. She sat down with a huff and brought her hands together, trying to meditate. She began to make soft trilling sounds, speaking in Togruti. Obi-Wan was quiet, trying to patient, but inside his emotions were in turmoil. He felt a real sickening sort of fear inside of him. There was little he could do now, without knowing where Satine was, so he sat down across from Ahsoka and waited.***“I am with the Force. The Force is with me,” Ahsoka said. She was getting better at contacting the Daughter, but this time she was having trouble finding focus. Obi-Wan’s fear for Satine was so strong that she could feel it emanating from him. It didn’t help. Obi-Wan seemed to calm himself and came to sit across from her.“I am with the Force. The Force is with me.”Faintly she heard the soft hoot of the convor bird.“Daughter?”The hooting continued in the distance and Ahsoka followed it until she could see the convor. They were in darkness, a sort of void where the only clear forms were her and the convor. Her footsteps made no sound on whatever the ground was. Then with a flash of light, she was outside the palace, watching Lord Maul scale the side of the building. He climbed up spider-like, opening the window with the Force, and crawled inside. Inside the room, she could see Maul throw an unconscious Satine over his shoulder. He paused for a moment, looking over toward the door out of the room. A grimace of pain twisted over Maul’s face as he felt his brother die, and he grabbed Satine’s limp arm and squeezed so hard that Ahsoka could hear the bone snap. Ahsoka flinched, but Satine was - perhaps mercifully - still unconscious.Maul climbed out of the window again, and Ahsoka and the convor followed him to a warehouse near the docks of Sundari. He unceremoniously dumped Satine on the concrete floor and chained her to one of the abandoned machines.Ahsoka snapped out the vision with a violent jerk. Obi-Wan was up on his feet and helping her to her own in less than a second.“I know where to find her,” Ahsoka said.***   Minutes later, as they stood outside the old warehouse, Obi-Wan asked if Ahsoka had a plan.“Rescue Satine, kill Maul, stop Death Watch,” she said.“That sounds like one of Anakin’s plan,” said Obi-Wan, with a sigh.“We can take care of Death Watch. We’ll leave the Sith for you two,” said Cody. Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder. He worried, though. Death Watch were skilled warriors, far more so than even the commando droids that the clone troopers were used to facing. Still, he would have to trust them. It would take him and Ahsoka together to defeat Maul.“I can sense him in there. He knows we’re here,” said Obi-Wan.“Let’s go,” said Ahsoka, standing and marching right up to the warehouse doors. She really was too much like Anakin. Obi-Wan nodded to the troopers and they followed her in.They were not met with a rain of blaster bolts from the Death Watch, as Obi-Wan had been expecting, but rather the Death Watch warriors stood still in two rows, as if forming a gauntlet. At the end of the rows sat Maul in a throne made of ripped up pieces of old machine parts. Satine was kneeling at his feet with a bruise over one eye and cradling her left arm. Obi-Wan felt a storm of anger threatening to rise up, but he pushed it back down. Fighting angry was not the Jedi way and not the best way to help Satine right now.“Kenobi,” said Maul in a slow drawl. He stood from the throne and placed a hand on Satine’s head, who flinched away from his touch.“They say only the strongest may rule Mandalore, and this love of yours has proven herself weak,” said Maul.Ahsoka made a scoffing sound, but Obi-Wan suspected he was the only one who had heard it.“Weak? Just like your brother,” she said and Obi-Wan could have kicked her.“How did a runt like you kill my brother?” Maul asked.“Try me,” said Ahsoka, pulling out her new lightsabers, but not lighting them yet.“You will be no match for me. Kenobi, I will kill this little girl and your Duchess, and then I will crush your men beneath my boot, and make you watch.”“That was not the plan,” interrupted one of the Death Watch. She removed her helmet to reveal red hair and a pale face. She was Bo-Katan, the second-in-command to Vizsla. “Death Watch was going to rescue the Duchess from the crime families to win over public opinion,” she continued.“Well, it turns out the monstrous crime families killed her before she could be rescued. Don’t worry, you will bring them to justice and still come out as the heroes of Mandalore,” said Maul.The woman did not look satisfied with his answer at all. She looked to Pre Vizsla for a moment and then back at Satine.“Now who will be first?” said Maul, lighting his red lightsaber and holding it over Satine.Obi-Wan silently apologized to Satine and with the Force, he pushed her backwards away from Maul. She crashed into the far wall, but at least she was out of Maul’s reach for now. The Death Watch and the clone troopers began to fire on each other, filling the room with a chaos of blue and red blaster bolts. Ahsoka lit her lightsabers and charged toward Maul, cutting down two Death Watch warriors on her way. Obi-Wan ran around the outside of the Death Watch, so they could come at Maul from two sides.Ahsoka reached Maul first and began swinging her lightsabers at him. They were much bigger than her old pair and she was awkward with them. Maul blocked her blows without much trouble and kicked her squarely in the stomach, knocking her down. Obi-Wan was on him before he could strike at Ahsoka. Obi-Wan’s attack was much more careful, feeling Maul out for any weaknesses or openings. Ahsoka jumped to her feet and and jabbed at Maul’s shoulder. He swung around so fast that he slashed one of the lightsabers out of Ahsoka’s hands and then cut the handle in two when it hit the ground.It seemed to be the wake up call that Ahsoka needed to slow down and be more careful. She and Obi-Wan moved around Maul, pressing him from both sides. He was fast and strong but his rage made him careless. They just needed one opening. Obi-Wan tried to slash at Maul’s metal feet, but Maul blocked the blow and cut Obi-Wan across the shoulder. Obi-Wan backed away, feeling the sting and smelling burnt flesh. It wasn’t his dominant shoulder, but the pain was definitely distracting.Ahsoka backed away, as well, going down onto one knee and turning off her remaining lightsaber, eyes closed. Maul advanced on her and Obi-Wan wanted to shout at her to get up. She opened her eyes suddenly, which glowed with an ethereal blue light. Before Maul could react, she lunged forward, lightsaber expanding as she moved, and cut through his lightsaber handle, taking half of his hand with it. His scream never made it past his lips as she buried her lightsaber in his chest. Maul looked stunned. Blood began to dribble out of his open mouth and when Ahsoka pulled out the lightsaber, he fell onto his knees and then flat onto the floor.The Death Watch and the clones stopped shooting when Maul fell. Seeing themselves outnumbered, the Death Watch took off into the air and flew out of the warehouse. Only Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan remained, and the former had his blaster aimed at Satine.“Not so fast, Jed-,” he started to say, but then a red blaster bolt pierced through him and he, too, fell to the floor.Bo-Katan lowered her smoking blaster and went over to Satine. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka ran over to them. Satine was in pretty bad shape. Up close, they could see how swollen her broken arm was. The rest of her looked pretty bruised and battered, as well, but she was still conscious, if a little dazed. Bo-Katan looked concerned, and bent over Satine.“Why did you do that?” Obi-Wan asked, not complaining, but curious.“As much as I disagree with my sister, I couldn’t let her die,” she said.“Her sister?” said Ahsoka. The Daughter hadn’t shown her that part.“Don’t expect my help again,” she hissed out, before flying out after the rest of Death Watch.Obi-Wan scooped Satine up in his arms.“We need to get her back to the ship,” he said to Cody and Ahsoka. The clone troopers gathered up their wounded and together they ran back to the cruisers. 
The Vigilance Flagship
Satine awoke with the feeling that her left arm was being swallowed. She opened her eyes and could make out the stark white walls of a medical bay, though she could tell it was not in any part of Sundari Hospital. Now that she looked, she could see her left arm was submerged in bacta and there were more bacta bandages on her face and over her ribs. She didn’t feel any pain, just the oddly unsettling feeling of the bacta squeezing her skin.It took Satine a few moments to realize that she was not alone in the room. A medical droid was entering something in a computer on the far side of the room, but right next to her, slumped in a chair in what looked like an uncomfortable position, was Obi-Wan. His face was propped up on one hand, but he was fast asleep. He looked so peaceful, a rarity these days, that she almost didn’t want to wake him, but she had to know what happened.“Obi,” she said, surprised to hear her voice coming out as a hoarse whisper.He was awake instantly, on his feet and leaning over her bed as he called the medical droid over. He took her right hand gently in his own.“Are you alright?” he asked. Satine nodded.“The bone is healing quickly now that it has been set. Her head wounds are all superficial and will cause no permanent problems,” said the medical droid.“What happened?” she asked, unable to speak above a whisper.“Everything is alright now. Maul is dead, in all certainty this time, and the Death Watch has fled back to Concordia.” He squeezed her hand as he said this.“Where are we?”“Onboard the Vigilance . We were worried about another attack from Death Watch at first, so we didn’t take you to Sundari Hospital. But we are still in Mandalore’s orbit.”“Thank you,” she said.“Thank Ahsoka. She was the one who killed him.” Obi-Wan let go of her hand and ran his fingers through his hair, a guilty expression coming across his face.“Satine, I’m so sorry this happened,” he said.She wanted to tell him that he had nothing to be sorry for and that he had rescued her, but her throat hurt, so she just reached for his hand again, hoping he would understand. He took it in both hands and kissed it. There was an unspoken question that hung between them, but neither wanted to address it right now, not in the middle of this moment. What happens next? thought Satine. Her eyes were beginning to droop, however, and she soon drifted back into unconsciousness.***When she awoke, Obi-Wan was no longer there but Ahsoka sat in his place on the chair. It had only been a few short months since Ahsoka had first come to Mandalore, but for some reason Satine thought she looked older than she had when she had arrived.“Obi-Wan is telling the Council about Maul’s death,” said Ahsoka.Satine nodded. She felt a little more lucid than she had earlier, but there was also a stronger ache in her temple and throat. They must be taking her off the painkillers.“I came to say goodbye and to thank you for taking me in. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I can’t tell you how much you helped me,” said Ahsoka.“Where?” Satine asked.“I’m going to Kamino,” she said. Satine frowned, confused, so Ahsoka continued, “I’m not sure exactly why yet, but there is something I have to do there. I also have to ask you for two things.”“Anything,” said Satine.“Can I borrow a ship? I’ll bring it back, if I can. Just something small and fast.”Satine nodded. It was an easy request.“And then there’s this,” said Ahsoka, pulling out the darksaber. Satine hated that weapon, and would be glad to see it off of Mandalore. It would be in better hands with Ahsoka than the Death Watch.“It’s just I fight better with two and Pre Vizsla isn’t going to be using it anymore,” said Ahsoka, as if she thought Satine would refuse her.“Take it,” said Satine.Ahsoka put the darksaber back on her belt loop with her white lightsaber on the other side. She definitely looked older. She was only sixteen, but she stood square-shouldered and determined. Someone so young should not have to bear the things she did. The Jedi had taken her to war as a child soldier, raised her to negotiate with her weapon, and then cast her aside like a dog. Any balance that she had managed to find came from within herself and not from them. In spite of her love for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, Satine felt a stab of anger toward the Jedi and their faulted dogma. And now Ahsoka was running off on her own to do Force knows what on Kamino.“Come back to Mandalore, when you have finished your mission,” Satine said, the longest sentence she was able to utter.Ahsoka only smiled and left the room. 
Sundari, Mandalore
Ahsoka slipped away quietly on the ship that Satine gave her. There was no fanfare or goodbyes. Only Satine and Obi-Wan knew she was leaving and even they were not quite sure why. Korkie and his friends would be upset that she had not said goodbye, but Ahsoka seemed like she needed to go as soon as she could. Satine and Obi-Wan watched her ship leave, flying up into the atmosphere, while the harsh red glow of sunset covered the landing platform. Obi-Wan reached out and took Satine’s hand, lacing their fingers together. The bones of her left arm had fully mended, leaving only a dull soreness that would fade in time.“Can I still say the word?” she asked him, speakly quickly before she lost her courage.“What?” he said, turning to face her.“You told me that if I had said the word, you would have left the Jedi Order. Was that all in the past, or can I still say the word?” She couldn’t quite meet his eye as she asked it. There was a time when she would never have asked such a thing. The Jedi Order was his faith, his purpose, his entire life, and as much as she sometimes resented the Order, she respected his role in it. Now, she had nearly been killed by a monster and her priorities had changed.“Say the word,” said Obi-Wan.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tipoca City, Kamino
Although Captain Rex and ARC Trooper Fives would not admit it aloud, they had come to despise the neverending rain on Kamino. It may have been the closest thing to a homeworld that they had, but there was little comforting about it. The entire planet had long ago been made inhospitable for most life, excepting perhaps the aquatic aiwhas. The domed cities of the Kaminoans, sterile and cut off from nature, were just another reminder that the clones themselves were unnatural and lacking in true homes.Fives thought about this as they pushed their brother Tup on a stretcher down one of the many white hallways of Tipoca City. Tup was unconscious now, but Fives still thought about him saying, “Good soldiers follow orders,” repeating it over and over like some crazed mantra.“You will have to say goodbye to your friend now,” said Nala Se, the Kaminoan doctor. Like all Kaminoans, her voice was calm and completely devoid of emotion, like a droid that had not been given personality programming.“Yes, doctor,” said Fives, disappointed but resigned, as Nala Se left with Tup. He then straightened up as Master Shaak Ti came around the corner.“Captain Rex,” she said with a slight bow. “Fives, am I correct?” she asked, turning to him.“Yes, General,” said Fives. He had glimpsed her briefly at the Battle of Kamino two years before, but hadn’t spoken to her since the Domino Squad was sent out into active duty. He remembered how proud he had been to return to Kamino as an ARC Trooper, and he had to admit, there had been a part of him that wanted to show this off to Shaak Ti. It was only because of her that he and the rest of the Domino Squad had graduated from cadets, after all, and he had wanted to show her that she had been right to believe in them. Now, however, he was the only surviving member of the Domino Squad, his brother had snapped and murdered a Jedi general, and all he wanted was a break from the war.Master Shaak Ti somewhat resembled the Kaminoans in her unwavering calm, but whereas the Kaminoans were cold and clinical about their lack of emotion, there was something warm, almost protective about Shaak Ti.“Don’t be afraid. Your friend is in quite capable hands,” said Shaak Ti, telling them about all of Nala Se’s qualifications. Her reassurances were undercut, however, when she told them that Fives could have been exposed to the same virus that cause Tup’s breakdown. Rex was being sent back to the front, but Fives found himself ushered into an examination room. It was bleak and plain, with gray walls, but Fives was grateful that there was at least an observation window into the adjacent room where Tup was sent.Fives couldn’t hear what was being said in the other room, but he could see a medical droid injecting Tup with something, while Shaak Ti and Nala Se watched. Seconds later, Tup began to seize and thrash violently on the table, pulling at the straps that held him down.“What are they doing to Tup?” asked Fives, jumping up and pushing his own medical droid to the side. The droid tried to calm him, but Fives continued to shout, catching Shaak Ti’s attention.“General, what’s going on?” Fives asked desperately, knowing that even if she couldn’t hear him, she would understand.Shaak Ti raised a hand and the window turned black, hiding the room with Tup completely from his view.***“I need an answer now,” said Shaak Ti, momentarily letting her frustration get the better of her. The Jedi forbid all attachment, but she couldn’t help but to feel somewhat protective of the clones after guiding them through their training. She took a deep breath and then continued. “This isn’t just a physical manifestation of psychosis. You must have missed something.”One of the medical droids piped up then, saying, “Might I suggest a second brain scan, an atomic-level brain scan?”“This is unnecessary. The scans we did are sufficient. He is too weak for an atomic-level brain scan,” said Nala Se.The little droid insisted that the scan would be worth the risk.“The only way to discover what has happened to this clone is to terminate him and do a full-scale autopsy on the molecular level,” said Nala Se.Shaak Ti did not want to waste the clone’s life if it could be helped. He seemed very broken certainly, but broken things could sometimes be fixed.“I am in charge of this examination and I will decide what is best for my patient,” said Nala Se.“Actually, since the Republic and the Jedi commissioned these clones, it is our responsibility to oversee their care,” said Shaak Ti, her tone growing icier.“Every clone and their DNA is the property of the Kaminoan government. Now as a client of ours, I will respect your wishes, but as to the fate of this clone, I will speak to our Prime Minister, Lama Su.”“And I will inform the Jedi Council of this and see how they wish to proceed.” Shaak Ti had to push down the anger she felt for the Kaminoan doctor. Anger was no help to her right now. She swept out of the room, passing the one that held Fives as she went and sensing the nervousness and irritation coming from him, even through the metal walls. For a moment, she thought about entering and consulting him, but then thought better of it and returned to her private chambers. There, she made a holocall to the Jedi Council, filling them in on Tup’s situation and the Kaminoan plan to terminate him.“Bring Clone Trooper Tup back to the Jedi Temple,” said Mace Windu.“Examine him with the Force, we shall, and unravel this mystery, we will,” said Master Yoda.“I’ll bring him back immediately,” said Shaak Ti, ending the call.***Fives thought he could give Obi-Wan Kenobi a run for his money in the role of the Republic’s greatest negotiator. Somehow he had convinced a little medical droid called AZI-3 to break from his protocol and perform the atomic-level brain scan on Tup without permission. Together, they had snuck into Tup’s room and put him into the scanning tube, hoping they could finish the procedure before the Kaminoan doctors returned.“Everything appears to be normal,” said AZI-3 as the results of the scan came in. Then, “Wait a second.”“What? What is it?” asked Fives.“It appears this clone has developed a tumor,” said AZI-3, though he admitted that he had never seen such a thing before in a clone. “We would need to perform a biopsy to know more.”Fives was about to suggest that they go ahead and do it, but he accidentally knocked a tray of surgical instruments off of the counter, causing them to clatter to the floor. The sound attracted the attention of Nala Se in the hallway outside, and Fives just had time to duck out of sight when Nala Se entered the examination room. As it was, she was not pleased to find that AZI-3 had gone ahead with the atomic-level brain scan.“You are like this clone. Defective. You will be put on report for deactivation,” she told AZI-3. She began working on one of the computers, her back to the room, so Fives started creeping toward the door.“But the tumor seems to be blocking neuro-impulses from communicating with the brain,” insisted AZI-3.“There is no tumor. Your scan is incorrect. This clone clearly has a virus that remains undetected, but I will find the cause once he's terminated. Now leave.” Nala Se had certainly become defensive and surprisingly angry when the AZI-3 suggested the tumor. The Kaminoans were hiding something and that was certain, Fives thought, as he slipped out of the room, soon followed by AZI-3.“We’ll go to the General, to Shaak Ti. She helped me once as a cadet. I know she values the life of a clone,” said Fives to AZI-3, once they were back in his own exam room.“But we will be disobeying direct orders,” said AZI-3.“Yep, for the second time today. Can you hack into the medical center’s mainframe?”“I do possess that ability,” said AZI-3. Fives grinned at the droid.***“It will be a painless death,” said Nala Se.“You may proceed,” said Lama Su, nodding to the medical droid, who held a syringe full of the euthanizing agent. Just as the droid leaned over Tup, however, it suddenly lurched violently across the room and smashed into a wall. The door to the examination room opened with a quiet hiss and there stood Master Shaak Ti, her hand raised and a deep frown on her face.“What are you doing?” she asked. “We did not agree to this.”“With all due respect, Master Jedi, he is Kaminoan property, and we must do what we think is best,” said Nala Se.“Correction. Technically, he is ‘property’ of the Republic. He will be brought to the Jedi Council for a full examination,” said Shaak Ti.“He is dangerous,” began Nala Se, but Lama Su held up a hand to stop her.“The Jedi must do what they think is right. We will leave you,” said Lama Su. He bowed to Shaak Ti and ushered Nala Se out of the room with him. The medical droid that Shaak Ti had sent across the room was still crumpled on the floor, a few stray sparks flying out of it now and then.Shaak Ti left Tup’s room to go next door to the one where Fives and AZI-3 were sitting.“I received your message,” said Shaak Ti. “They were going to terminate him against the Council’s wishes. I stopped them.”“Thank you for believing in me, General,” said Fives.“It is not a matter of belief, Fives. It was simply the right thing to do. Now, droid, tell me more about this tumor.”Once AZI-3 had informed Shaak Ti of all he knew of the tumor, they agreed that the best course of action was to remove it from Tup. AZI-3 did the procedure delicately, but Tup was so weak. He mumbled something about being free and about an endless dream, and then with a final shutter, he died. Fives stood there as if in shock, his mouth slightly open.“I thought we could save him,” he said.Shaak Ti bowed her head and placed a hand over her heart in respect for the dead clone. She then reached out and took the tumor from AZI-3.“I am sorry for your friend. But we must find out as much as we can about this tumor,” said Shaak Ti.“We can compare the tissue of the tumor to the DNA of the original donor, Jango Fett,” said AZI-3. Shaak Ti nodded and AZI-3 reached out, saying, “The tumor, please.”She stared hard at it for a moment before handing it back to AZI-3, who flew over to one of the many complicated machines in the examination room and inserted the tumor sample. The machine whirred and beeped for a few seconds.“The sample does not seem to match anything in the Jango Fett genotype. Furthermore, it is not even completely organic. An implant,” said AZI-3 as he interpreted the results of the test.“An implant?” said both Fives and Shaak Ti, though his tone was far angrier and hers more surprised.“Do I have one?” asked Fives after a moment.“I could perform a scan,” said AZI-3.“Do it,” said Fives. Shaak Ti gently lifted Tup’s body and set him on one of the counters, so that Fives could take his place on the operating table. AZI-3 pushed him into the scanning machine and activated it.“You are positive for a tumor,” AZI-3 said.“Remove it,” said Fives.“I’m not sure that is the right decision,” said Shaak Ti. “After what happened to Tup-““Remove it,” said Fives, more forcefully.AZI-3 looked at Shaak Ti for permission, and Shaak Ti nodded, her lips pursed with concern.It didn’t take long to remove, but Shaak Ti’s hand was clenched tightly the entire time. When the tumor was finally out, she looked down at her palm to see crescent-shaped imprints from where her nails had bit into her skin. Fives seemed to be breathing regularly and he certainly wasn’t muttering anything about dreams.“How do you feel?” she asked while helping him sit up.“I don’t feel any different,” he said slowly.“General,” said AZI-3, handing her Fives’ tumor. Even without equipment, it was easy to see that there was a difference between the two tumors. While Tup’s had been shrivelled and full of holes, Fives’ was plump and bright pink in color, healthier looking by far.“This one seems to have degraded, perhaps causing a malfunction,” said AZI-3, holding up Tup’s tumor.“I think we should go to Coruscant in all haste. There is something very wrong here,” said Shaak Ti. “Can you walk?” she asked Fives.He was a little woozy on his feet, and he had to lean on Shaak Ti for a moment until his dizziness faded away. Shaak Ti then led the way to the door and opened it to find six Kaminoan clone guards standing with Lama Su behind them. The usually bustling hallway seemed to be otherwise deserted.“What’s going on?” Shaak Ti asked.“I’m afraid your rebellious actions have come to an end,” drawled Lama Su, sounding about as interested as if he were discussing the rain outside. Fives could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his whole body tense.“Execute Order 66,” said Lama Su.In perfect sync, the six clones raised their blasters to fire into the examination room. Shaak Ti raised her hand and sent two of them flying back into the far wall. Then her lightsaber was out and blocking the blaster bolts from the other four. Fives had heard before that Master Shaak Ti was considered to be one of the most skilled Jedi with a lightsaber and he had seen her spar with the clones for training. He realized now, however, how much she had been holding back with the cadets. She moved so quickly it was hard to tell what exactly had happened, but with a flash of blue light, the four standing clones fell in pieces to the floor, as did Prime Minister Lama Su. Shaak Ti didn’t hesitate, then, but grabbed Fives by the wrist and bolted down the hallway with AZI-3 quick behind them.They saw only a few clones on their way to the hangar and the ones they did encounter seemed more confused than violent. Sirens began to go off, ordering that no aircraft be allowed to leave the city. One clone trooper held up a hand to stop them from entering the hangar, but Shaak Ti pushed him roughly to the side. They raced to the closest Kaminoan flight pod, where another clone tried to stop them. Fives hit him squarely over the head, saying, “Sorry, brother,” as the unconscious man dropped to the floor. He then followed Shaak Ti and AZI-3 onto the craft.“Can you fly this?” she asked him.“Yep,” he said, sitting in the control seat.Over the hangar loudspeakers they could hear a Kaminoan voice saying, “Execute Order 66.”Their flight pod lifted off the ground and moved out over the water. For a brief moment, Fives felt a hint of relief that they had escaped. Then the left side of the pod exploded open and all three of them were sucked out of the craft to fall into the raging sea below.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“The incompetence of Lama Su has been unacceptable,” growled a voice through the holocall.Nala Se and Taun We, Lama Su’s assistant, stood facing the holoprojection of the hooded Lord Tyranus.“The actions of our Prime Minister were indeed rash, but the clones proved admirably how effective Order 66 is against rogue Jedi,” said Taun We.“So I take it Master Shaak Ti is dead.”“Along with both of the defective clone troopers and all evidence of the control chips.”“Well, at least that has gone right. What is the official story?”“That both troopers CT-5385 and ARC-5555 were infected by a Separatist virus, which drove them to turn on their Jedi generals. Fives escaped from the medical facility, where he detonated a bomb in the main hangar of Tipoca City. Sadly, Master Shaak Ti and Prime Minister Lama Su died in the explosion, along with ARC-5555.”“Good, good. What about the clones who were activated.”“All have been terminated.”“Then our business is done for now,” said Tyranus.Nala Se and Taun We both bowed deeply as the holocall ended.***“As you can see, I am buoyant and have several survival modes,” said AZI-3 cheerfully, as Shaak Ti and Fives clung to him like a life raft. The waves buffeted them up and down as the rain pelted down on them.“We have to get to a ship,” said Shaak Ti, yelling over the sound of the rain.“I wish you were as good with animals as Master Kenobi,” muttered Fives, thinking that an aiwha would come in very handy at the moment. The entire right side of his face was covered in a rather spectacular bruise and his arm throbbed from hitting the water, but he was otherwise unharmed. Shaak Ti seemed a little better off, though her robes were weighing her down more heavily than Fives’ uniform.“How far are we from Tipoca City?” Fives asked AZI-3.“We can’t go back there,” said Shaak Ti. “They just shot us out of the sky.”“What other option do we have? There are no other cities even remotely close,” said Fives.“So, we can die by drowning or get killed by the Kaminoans,” said Shaak Ti, her calm demeanor faltering in the face of her frustration and worry.“Fantastic.”They were interrupted from debating the further merits of either deaths, as they were able to see the lights of an approaching ship through the thick fog.“I suppose it no longer matters. They have found us,” said Shaak Ti, resigned. She didn’t have the energy to dive down into the cold waters to hide.The ship that emerged from the fog, however, was not a Kaminoan vessel of any kind, but a somewhat triangular shaped ship painted dark blue and white. Shaak Ti recognized it as a Aka’jor class shuttle, from Mandalore of all places. The clone template, Jango Fett, may have been Mandalorian, but the Mandalorians had shown little interest in either Kamino or the clones, other than to object that they had been created in the first place. The ramp of the ship was lowered and a rope ladder fell down to them.Shaak Ti grabbed the bottom rung and began to pull herself up. She only realized how cold she was when she left the ocean and the powerful wind began to blow through her cloak. She looked back to make sure Fives was following her up the ladder with AZI-3 hovering next to him. They made it onto the ramp, which closed behind them, cutting off any chance of leaving. The sound of the storm was immediately dampened and they found themselves uncomfortable in the silence. No one was there to greet them or explain and Shaak Ti could only sense one living presence in the entire ship, in the cockpit. She gestured for Fives and AZI-3 to follow her.The cockpit door hissed open and they could see a pair of blue and white montrals sticking over the top of the chair. “Padawan Tano?” said Shaak Ti, forgetting momentarily that Ahsoka had left the order.Ahsoka stood and walked toward them with a serious expression on her face. She was a bit taller since Shaak Ti had last seen her and her lekku had grown longer.“It is good to see you again, Master Ti,” she said somewhat stiffly, with a formal bow. She smiled at Fives, who, forgetting all decorum, hugged Ahsoka.“You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you, Commander,” he said.“But how did you know we were out there?” asked Shaak Ti.“We have a lot to talk about,” said Ahsoka. “But first I think we’d better get off this planet.” 
Somewhere in Hyperspace
Ahsoka’s height and lekku were not the only things to have changed, Shaak Ti noted once they had left Kamino’s atmosphere and made the jump into hyperspace. There was something about her demeanor, her posture, her very Force signature that had changed since she was a padawan, which now that Shaak Ti thought about it, had only been a few months ago. What could have possibly happened to make Ahsoka change so much in so short a time?Then there was the matter of her lightsabers, which were definitely not the ones that Ahsoka had had as a padawan. Shaak Ti could vividly remember watching young Ahsoka with a green lightsaber in one hand and a yellow one held backwards in the other, sparring in the training yard while Anakin criticized her grip.“You’ll lose a hand holding it like that,” he had said.“Just because you did, Master, doesn’t mean I will,” had been her retort. Shaak Ti had almost laughed at that. After the years of dealing with Anakin as a padawan and young knight, it was refreshing to see him getting the same treatment. She was sure that Obi-Wan Kenobi was equally amused by it all.Now, however, Ahsoka, wore two new lightsabers strapped to her belt. New to Ahsoka, that was, as Shaak Ti suspected there was a history to each of them. One of them had a round, silver handle, pretty standard for a Jedi lightsaber, although there appeared to be something Dathomirian inscribed on it. Shaak Ti didn’t think that Ahsoka had ever been to Dathomir. It was the second lightsaber, however, that was the most interesting. This one’s handle was black, square, and blunt, and looked very old fashioned, more like a relic than a real tool.“How did you know where to find us?” Shaak Ti asked again.“A little birdie told me,” said Ahsoka with a smirk.Shaak Ti looked to Fives to see if he understood, but he clearly had no idea what Ahsoka was talking about either.“So tell me about Order 66,” said Ahsoka casually.“How could you possibly know about that?” asked Shaak Ti. Fives almost chuckled. The Jedi were accustomed to being well informed, so any lack of knowledge was frustrating to them. Fives, on the other hand, was used to the generals only telling him partial truths and expecting him to go along with it. Perhaps he should be more annoyed by it. It was hard to be any sort of mad at Ahsoka, though, especially after she had rescued them.“We don’t know much, to be honest. Tup didn’t make it. He and I both had these chips in our heads, which I think can be used to control us. We must have been onto something, because the Kaminoan Prime Minister himself came to kill us. He said, ‘Execute Order 66,’ and the brothers started firing on us. I know they wouldn’t have done that of their own free will. Anyway, they underestimated Master Shaak Ti, so we escaped, sort of. We got shot down and then you found us.” Fives had gotten efficient in his debriefs, relaying the information quickly and without thinking back too much on the emotions of the events.“Do you have the chips?” asked Ahsoka.“They were lost in the sea,” said Fives.“Well, I suppose we’ll have to get more, then. All clones probably have them, right?”“Probably, we just tested Tup and me,” said Fives.“Stop!”Fives and Ahsoka froze, looking over at Shaak Ti. Neither had heard her shout before, nor did they much care for it.“Just stop. Ahsoka, what is going on? You just show up here with an impossible rescue and you already know about Order 66. How do you know these things? Where have you been?” asked Shaak Ti in a tone that could only be described as frantic. Fives hesitantly went over and put a hand on her shoulder. Shaak Ti took a deep breath, which seemed to calm herself.“Alright, alright, one question at a time,” said Ahsoka, holding up her hands.“How did you know where we were?” asked Shaak Ti.“I saw it in a vision. I’ve been having them a lot lately.”“And how did you know about Order 66?”“Same answer. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I have an idea.”“What have you been doing? The last I heard you were on Mandalore saying that Darth Maul was trying to conquer it.”“Well, he isn’t trying to anymore, conquer it, I mean. Maul’s dead. For real,” said Ahsoka.“Kenobi said he was still investigating Darth Maul’s presence. He mentioned nothing about the Sith dying.”“Ha, I think maybe Master Obi-Wan wanted to stay on Mandalore for awhile,” Ahsoka said, looking slightly sheepish.Shaak Ti had heard the rumors of Obi-Wan growing an attachment for the Duchess of Mandalore when he was a padawan. It wasn’t as uncommon as the Jedi liked to pretend it was. It was hard to deny such feelings, especially when one was young. Soon enough, however, they had to learn how to push down these feelings, ignore them and focus on their duty. Obi-Wan had done the honorable thing in the end and left the Duchess, but now he could be falling back into it. Shaak Ti supposed that in the grand scheme of things it mattered little. They had bigger things to worry about than Obi-Wan Kenobi’s love life, with the threat of Order 66 and the chipped clones looming over them. Shaak Ti noticed that Fives’ hand was still on her shoulder and she stepped away from him, so that it slid off, trying not to be harsh about it. She just needed to concentrate.“So we need to find more clones, so that we can get to the bottom of this matter,” said Shaak Ti.“The 212th are still on Mandalore,” said Ahsoka. “Unless you want to go back to Kamino.”Shaak Ti and Fives both shook their heads.“I’ll go tell AZI-3 to set our course for the Mandalorian system,” said Fives.***Fives sat up in the cockpit with AZI-3, while Ahsoka and Shaak Ti took the small room with two bunks to try and get some sleep. AZI-3 was chattering on about something, but Fives was too tired and had too much on his mind to really listen. There was something hypnotic about watching the streaks of starlight through the window of the shuttle. Maybe after the war was over Fives could become a pilot and see that view everyday. He liked the thought of that, but then he frowned. He didn’t really think about the end of the war very much, or at least, he didn’t used to. As a young cadet his only dream had been to become an ARC Trooper.What was he going to do after the war? What was the plan for the clones?Fives had the sick feeling that they would not be allowed to go off and find freedom even after the war. He supposed they would be kept on as guards and soldiers, still serving the Republic. Perhaps, serving wasn’t the right word. They weren’t servants, after all. There was another word for people who were forced to work and not allowed to leave their profession, a word that the Republic didn’t like to use.He was more confused than he had ever been, that was for sure.The tumors in their brains must have done more than hold Jedi-murdering triggers, because he did not feel the same. In fact, he was feeling more than ever more. With nothing to compare it to, he had thought that his emotions were on par with other humans, but now he realized how muted they had been. After his tumor was removed it wasn’t like an emotional dam breaking and flooding him, but rather it was a gradual rising tide of the strength of his feelings. And he was now feeling such a strange mix of anger, betrayal, joy, hope, worry, and yearning. He didn’t understand how the naturally-born people could feel so much at once and still function. It was exhausting.The sound of screaming pulled him from his deep thoughts and he charged back to the bunk room of the small shuttle. He whirled around the corner and through the open door to find Shaak Ti standing next to Ahsoka’s bed, one hand on Ahsoka’s back. For her part, Ahsoka was sitting up in bed, panting hard and covered in beads of sweat. Fives walked over to stand by Shaak Ti.“Did you have another vision?” asked Shaak Ti.“No, it was a just a nightmare,” said Ahsoka, unconvincingly.Shaak Ti stood and looked up at Fives. She seemed so tall, because of her montrals, but not including them she was actually quite a bit shorter than Fives. He had never seen her out of her loose fitting Jedi robes before either. To sleep, she was only wearing an undertunic and a pair of tights, much more revealing of her actual shape. Fives snapped his attention away from her, choosing instead to stare at a spot on the wall behind Ahsoka. He was angry at Shaak Ti and grateful to her and now there was this new feeling. It was too confusing.“Glad you’re alright, Commander. I’ll leave you to get back to sleep,” he said, gently bumping Ahsoka on the shoulder with his fist and awkwardly leaving the room. Before he could get back to the cockpit, he heard Shaak Ti following him into the hallway.“Fives,” she said, catching up to him.“Yes, General,” he said formally, looking determinedly at her montrals to prevent himself from glancing lower.Shaak Ti hesitated, finding the right words, and then said, “These new developments are strange and worrying, but I wanted to thank you.”“For what?”“If you had not stood by your brother, Tup, and prevented the Kaminoans from terminating him, we might not have ever found the tumors. I don’t know what will come of all this, but I sense we are heading for some changes. So, thank you.”“You’re welcome, General.”Shaak Ti turned to return to the room, but Fives called her back, saying, “General, may I ask you something?”She nodded.“What will happen to the clones after the war is over?” he asked. Captain Rex had asked him a similar question once on Umbara, but neither of them had been bold enough to ask a Jedi.“Were you worried about being terminated? That will not happen. When the war ends, there will still be a great deal of reconstruction and conflict to deal with, so the clones will stay as peacekeepers.”“So, we’ll never be free?” he looked her in the eye as he said it, and she faltered.“We all have a duty to do, Fives,” she said, slowly.“But you could leave your duty if you wanted to,” Fives took a step forward, and Shaak Ti a step back and into the wall. “What would happen if I didn’t want to be a soldier anymore? I would be executed.” Fives’ voice was growing louder, to the point where Ahsoka could probably hear him, too.“But you do want to be a soldier. I remember training you. All you and the Domino Squad wanted was to join the ARC Troopers.”“The Dominos are dead. Maybe I want something more for my life than just dying for the Republic.”Shaak Ti reached out a hand and placed it Fives chest, around where his heart was. Fives wasn’t sure if she was going to push him away from her or do some sort of Jedi trick to calm him down. He backed out of her reach.“Do you see me as a person or a clone?” he asked.“Are you not both?” asked Shaak Ti.Fives didn’t answer, but marched back to the cockpit, frustrated. AZI-3 was not good at reading human emotions and seemed oblivious to Fives’ mood. He immediately began saying something about the structure of the ship, until Fives shushed him. Fives wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sundari, Mandalore

The arrival on Mandalore could only be described as tense. Fives and Shaak Ti were not speaking to each other, but stayed sullenly quiet. Ahsoka was pretending she had not overheard their fight and AZI-3 was blissfully unaware that anything had happened.

“I’ve never been on a planet other than Kamino before. If I had more emotional programming, I think I might enjoy it,” said the droid as he touched down the ship on the dock.

The Mandalorian police who watched the docks knew Ahsoka by then, both as the Duchess’ houseguest and as the hero who chased the crime syndicates away from Mandalore. They nodded politely to her as she exited the ship with the others.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine were both waiting outside the palace when the rented cruiser pulled up. The dock guards must have called and tipped them off that Ahsoka had returned.

“Well, that was quick,” said Obi-Wan with a chuckle. Ahsoka had to do a double take when she saw him. She had never seen him without a beard before and she couldn’t help but to stare at his clean-shaven face. Usually, she would have had some clever response to Obi-Wan, but she couldn’t remember it. Luckily, Satine pulled Ahsoka into a hug, so that it no longer mattered what she said.

“I thought you were going to be gone for ages. I’m so glad you came back,” Satine said.

Fives walked over to greet Obi-Wan and said, “You look good without the beard, sir.”

“Yes, I’m still getting used to it,” Obi-Wan said, rubbing his bare cheek.

“I think you look wonderful,” said Satine, flashing a brilliant smile at him. She certainly seemed happier than when Ahsoka left her.

“Satine, I don’t think you’ve met ARC Trooper Fives and Master Shaak Ti before,” said Obi-Wan.

“I have not. Welcome to Mandalore, Master Jedi, Fives,” said Satine. Shaak Ti looked slightly disapprovingly at her, but she bowed all the same.

“And I am AZ-345211896246498721347,” said the droid.

“We usually just call him AZI-3,” said Fives.

“Now, I would love to hear what you have been up to, Ahsoka, and how you all have come to join us,” said Obi-Wan.

“Let’s go inside,” said Ahsoka. “And we’ll need the 212th.”

***

Obi-Wan no longer had his beard to stroke when he was deep in thought, so he made due tapping his fingers against his chin. The news of the chips in the brains of at least some of the clones was concerning at best and horrifying at worst. The men of the 212th were in stunned into silence at the news. Most were looking at him to see how he would react.

“We need to study more of these chips and we have an entire battalion here to be subjects,” said AZI-3. The 212th looked less than thrilled at this news.

“How do we know if they have the chips?” asked Obi-Wan.

“We need to perform a brain scan to locate them and then a biopsy to remove the tumors. It is a fairly simple procedure. I have a 50% survival rate so far.”

Fives grimaced at that and told the 212
th
what had happened to Tup.

“The hospital has the scanning equipment you would need,” said Satine. “We can, at least, see if the tumors are present.”

“If there is something in my head, I want to know about it,” said Cody, and the rest of the 212
th
agreed.

***

One of the perks of being the Duchess of a planet was being able to reserve one of the brain scanning rooms of the hospital with no forward notice. Satine had her personal guard inform the hospital, had them make it sound as if she was the one who was ill. That way the doctors and nurses would be encouraged to keep the information secret, but even if it did leak, it wouldn’t be the true story of the clones. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and AZI-3 accompanied her, along with Cody, Fives, and four other clones. They decided to keep it small so that they didn’t attract too much attention. For that reason, too, Shaak Ti stayed behind at the palace. She was just too recognizable, especially since the galactic news was now saying that she had been killed in a bombing on Kamino.

The doctors looked worriedly at Satine as she passed them in the hospital hallways, probably thinking that there was something seriously wrong with their Duchess. It was a relief when they reached the scanning room and were able to lock the door, shutting themselves off from the prying and curious eyes of the staff. When they got inside, Obi-Wan activated a holopad, so that Shaak Ti and the rest of the 212
th
could see what was happening.

“Who would like to be first?” asked AZI-3 as he set up the equipment.

“I’ll go,” said Cody. He lay down on the table and AZI-3 pushed him into the scanner.

“Positive,” said AZI-3 when the scan was complete. “Who’s next?”

Boil took Cody’s place on the table and AZI-3 ran the scan again.

“Positive.”

Crys was next, then Trapper and Wooley. All were positive.

“Do you suppose we all have them?” asked Cody.

“It is looking that way,” said Obi-Wan.

The blue hologram of Shaak Ti spoke up then, “I oversaw the clones development starting after gestation was completed. I had little to do with their embryonic stage, but left that to the Kaminoans. That must have been when the chips were inserted.”

“To know more, I will need a tissue sample,” said AZI-3.

“Alright, men. I want you to know that this isn’t mandatory. But if there are any volunteers to have this tumor removed, let us know now,” said Obi-Wan. All of the 212
th
clones raised their hands.

“Allow me to go first, sir,” said Cody, stepping forward. One of the many reasons he made such a good commander was that he never asked his men to do something he, himself, was not willing to do.

“Besides, it will balance out my scars,” Cody added, gesturing the deep scar beside his left eye. He lay back down on the table and AZI-3 bent over him, with his metal arms extended and holding various sinister-looking tools. The rest of them in the room were collectively holding their breaths. Only Fives and Shaak Ti had been present at Tup’s death, but the others knew what a possibility it was. Fives hoped that Tup had only died because his brain had been damaged by the defective tumor. That would mean that all his brothers with healthy tumors would be fine, just like he had been.

“And, done,” said AZI-3, holding out the collected tumor with a flourish.

“How do you feel, sir?” asked Wooley, going over to Cody.

“I feel fine. My head feels a bit numb where he operated, but just like any other anaesthetic I’ve had.”

Wooley and Boil helped Cody sit up and then stand from the table. He was a little wobbly at first, but he recovered his balance quickly. Obi-Wan clapped Cody warmly on the back, only just realizing how nervous he had been through the procedure.

“Let’s have a look at this tumor, then,” said Obi-Wan.

“We already know that the DNA does not match that of Jango Fett. Instead, it appeared to be a synthetic sequence. You know, humans are not so different from us droids. This shows just how programmable you are,” said AZI-3. He inserted the tumor sample into a DNA sequencer, the screen of which began to show a coded series of letters that looked random enough to them, but which AZI-3 seemed to understand.

“This will take some time,” said the droid.

The sun set as they waited and the sky grew dark behind the curtained windows. Ahsoka and Shaak Ti both sat down to meditate as they waited, and Obi-Wan put his arm around Satine, ostensibly to comfort her, but in reality because he needed comfort, too. The clones were patient, but even they were growing antsy, desperate to know exactly what these chips in their heads meant.

“My translation of the sequence has completed,” said AZI-3 after about four hours. At once, everyone had their full attention on the little droid.

“The chips have the ability to inhibit the frontal lobe of the brain, the part responsible for decision-making and self-control. They therefore have the ability to turn the clones into what I would call ‘living droids,’ unable to control their own actions. There are over 100 order protocols programmed into the chips. They range from establishing a chain of command should anything happen to the Supreme Chancellor to how to conduct a manhunt for a wanted individual,” said AZI-3.

“And Order 66?” asked Shaak Ti.

“Order 66 states ‘In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders, GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Chancellor until a new command structure is established.”

They were silent after that. The Supreme Chancellor had the power to turn their very armies against them, which could only mean…

“He’s been under our noses the entire time,” said Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka head swam. Her vision began to grow blurry and she saw stars, throwing her off balance.

“Are you alright, Commander?” one of the clones asked. She couldn’t tell which one. She nodded, but then collapsed onto the floor.

The world went black on Ahsoka, and she found herself once again in the void space, unable to see anything except her own body. This time, she didn’t hear the soft and comforting hooting of the convor, but just silence and nothing but her own breathing to break it.

“You are alone again,” said a voice and Ahsoka felt a sharp pain lancing through her right forearm. She knew that voice. Through the darkness, she could make out a pair of glowing red eyes, and then from the shadows emerged a small purple creature with large ears, a long snout, and sharp teeth. She could still feel the pain of those teeth biting into her.

“I am not yours,” she growled to the Son.

"
No, but I am forever a part of you now,” he said. “Come, let me show you that which my sister has hidden.” He waved a clawed hand, gesturing for her to follow him. She thought about sitting down where she was and refusing, but he would probably just pull her along anyway. She followed, keeping a wide berth from him.

The void melted into the familiar sight of the Jedi temple. It was nighttime on Coruscant, but instead of the usual sounds of cruisers and ships, she heard marching footsteps, hundreds of them. Up the steps of the temple they came, what looked like a whole battalion of clones, and all being led by a hooded figure. Ahsoka could not make out the figure’s face at all, and could only see a black hole under the hood. Nor could she see the colors of the clones’ armor. They all seemed to be wrapped in a hazy white smoke. There were a few padawans and younglings milling about, some listening to a story by the temple librarian, Jocasta Nu. They all froze when they heard the footsteps.

The hooded figure lit a lightsaber, a blue one, and cut down the padawan in front of him. The other padawans and Master Nu reacted quickly, admirably so, drawing their lightsabers, but they had no chance. The hooded figure was definitely a Master and one of great skill. He cut through the padawans easily. Master Nu was a formidable Jedi, but she was growing old. The figure grabbed her by the throat and ran her through with his lightsaber. Then he turned on the younglings. They didn’t even have lightsabers yet and Ahsoka could not watch their slaughter, covering her eyes.

“But from the ashes, there will be peace,” declared Son beside her. He was no longer the purple creature, but stood to his full height, pale-faced and horrible.

The scene shifted, showing her not peace at all but oppression, people forced into subjugation by the marching troops of the ‘living droid’ clones.

“And you will have power that you have never known!” said the Son.

They were now on a massive ship. In the command chair sat Chancellor Palpatine, or at least a more horrid version of him with sickly sallow skin and sunken eyes. Behind him stood a man all in black and wearing a black mask.

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

His breathing was the sound from her nightmares. She could not dwell on the masked man, because next to him, on Palpatine’s other side, was her own self. She was older, taller, and had long montrals and lekku. She looked right at Ahsoka, her eyes glowing yellow, and she grinned.

“No!” Ahsoka screamed. She lit her lightsaber and slashed at the vision, cutting it into smoke. The Son had vanished, but the sound of his echoing laughter filled the void.

“No!” she yelled again. The sound of a hooting convor silenced the Son and soon the bird followed its voice and flew up to her, landing on her shoulder.

“Have courage, Ahsoka. You are not the Dark or the Light. You are balance,” said the voice of the Daughter from somewhere deep in the void. “Now wake up.”

Ahsoka’s eyes snapped open and she found Satine and Obi-Wan kneeling beside her, with the clones looking very concerned behind them.

“Palpatine is the Sith,” she said weakly.

“Yes, we had come to that conclusion, as well.”

No one really knew what to say after that. The implications of it were too sinister for words. With the exception of Satine, they had all spent the past three years fighting and killing for Palpatine’s Republic, for a democracy which might not even exist. They all needed the strongest drink that Mandalore had to offer, that was for certain.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Soniee’s aunt was a doctor at Sundari Hospital, and as such, it did not take long for the rumors of Satine’s illness to reach Korkie. Soon enough, he and Soniee came charging to the scanning room, where two of the clone troopers blocked their way in, telling them to come back at a different time, and that the Duchess could not have visitors at the moment.

“I need to see if my aunt is alright,” came the muffled voice of Korkie through the doorway.

“Let him in,” said Satine with a sigh. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had returned to the palace, but she had had to stay behind to keep up the guise of her illness. The clones were coming in shifts of about six at a time to have their tumors removed and then returning to the palace when they finished, hiding their surgery scars under their helmets. It was not the most subtle of deceptions, but they could only hope the doctors were too busy to notice the constantly changing clones.

“Auntie,” said Korkie, running to her side. “You, um, you look fine.” Soniee followed him into the room, looking around at all the clone troopers with bandages on their temples.

“I am fine,” said Satine.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, the Republic is a sham, their Chancellor is the Sith Lord, and all the clones have a chip in their head that can make them kill Jedi.”

“What?” Korkie was looking at her as if he really did believe she had a brain injury.

“Go to the palace. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka will explain everything,” she said.

“Ahsoka’s back?” asked Soniee, sounding happy, but bewildered.

“Yes, and I’m sure she could use your support. I know I can trust you two to keep this under wraps,” and with that Satine shooed them out of the room.

***

Ahsoka could see that Obi-Wan was mildly annoyed at Satine for bringing Korkie and Soniee into it all, but Ahsoka was too happy to see them again to be cross about it. Besides, Korkie and Soniee had become her closest friends. Then again, her former closest friend had framed her for treason and her other former closest friend may have voted her guilty of treason, so perhaps she did need to more suspicious. But she couldn’t help her joy at seeing them and not having to lie to them.

“Well, I suppose you’re part of the team, now,” said Obi-Wan, still looking cross. Shaak Ti also had a look of displeasure on her face, but she quickly returned to her usual passive expression.

“Should we have a team name, then?” asked Korkie. He stroked his chin in way that reminded Ahsoka of someone. Actually, without the beard hiding his face, she realized that Obi-Wan and Korkie did look a bit alike. Strange. She wondered if Obi-Wan had any Mandalorian heritage, despite being born so far away on Stewjon.

“A team name?” asked Shaak Ti.

“Yeah, like some of the clone squads have, like Plo Koon’s wolfpack.”

“Convor,” said Ahsoka. “We’re Team Convor.”

“Aren’t convorees those plump little birds? They don’t exactly strike fear in the heart, but alright, alright.” Upon seeing Ahsoka’s expression, Fives halted his objection to the name.

“So what is the plan of Team Convor?” asked Shaak Ti.

They all looked to Ahsoka, who did her best not to gulp.

“We can start by removing the chips from as many clones as we can, but really we need to destroy Palpatine before he can activate Order 66. Then, we have to prove he was the Sith so we don’t get killed by the Jedi. The Republic will be in chaos, so we’ll need to get in touch with the senators to help stabilize the government, Padmé, Bail Organa, Riy- and you know, some others. And make peace with the Separatists.”

“Is that all?” asked Cody, dryly.

“I never said it would be easy.”

“What about the clones?” asked Fives.

“I have spoken with Satine about that,” Shaak Ti told him. It was the first words they’d spoken directly to each other all day. “Seeing as Jango Fett was once a Mandalorian, the Duchess would like to offer you all a home here. Not as soldiers, of course, but completely free to choose your own paths. The ‘lost sons of Mandalore,’ I think is what she called you. I don’t know what the Republic will decide when all this is done, but you will at least have a home on the planets in the Mandalorian system.”

Ahsoka watched Fives’ reaction carefully, as his determined frown slipped into a soft and surprised expression. The other clones looked thoughtful and hopeful, but there was definitely more there on Fives’ face.

“Do you think you’ll stay on Mandalore after the war, sir?” asked Cody rather boldly to Obi-Wan.

“Yes, Cody, I imagine I will,” said Obi-Wan.

“We are getting ahead of ourselves, I think,” said Shaak Ti, bringing their focus back to the matter at hand.

“Right, so phase one: chip removal,” said Ahsoka.

It was going to be a long night, indeed.

***

Satine flopped into bed around two in the morning. It had taken several hours to remove all the tumors from the 212
th
, even with AZI-3 gaining speed and efficiency the more he did the operations. All the clones survived it, giving them a huge sense of relief. Tup’s death really must have been due to the defect in his tumor, which meant they could remove the tumors from all healthy clones without much worry.

“Feeling better, my love?” asked Obi-Wan, rolling over in the bed.

“Pardon?” she asked.

“Well, you have been in the hospital all day with a terrible illness.”

She laughed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, before positioning herself to lie on his chest. It had been a long day, and there would probably be longer days to come. She wanted to take advantage of this quiet moment, listening to Obi-Wan’s heartbeat, before their attack on the Sith began.

***

Fives raised his hand and then lowered it. He raised it again and this time forced himself to knock. After a few seconds, the door hissed open to reveal Shaak Ti, again in her undertunic and tights and looking utterly exhausted.

“Fives, is everything alright?” she asked.

“I, um, owe you an apology. For last night. I accused you of a lot of things in my frustration. And my point is, thank you, for what you said today.”

Shaak Ti stood to the side, letting him into the room. It was simple, but far more decorated than a Jedi’s room typically would be, with a vase of white calla lilies on a stand and a few paintings in the strange Mandalorian style of abstraction on the wall. Shaak Ti sat down on one of the padded seats near the foot of the bed and waited for Fives to sit, too.

“You were right,” she said softly. “Although I always saw you as living beings and not objects, I have also not considered what you deserve as sapient beings. You were slaves. And I did nothing to stop it, because like the other Jedi, I thought you were necessary to win this war. Now, it seems this war is a sham. Master Nu, in her history lessons, would always tell us of how the mighty Sith Empires were built on the backs of slaves. We should have known.” She was quiet for a moment before continuing, “I can only offer you my deepest apologies and ask you to forgive my ignorance. From now on, I promise that I will fight for you and your brothers to have the full rights afforded to all other sapient peoples.” The whole time she talked, she faced straight forward, not looking at him.

Fives reached out and touched her hand, only for a second.

“I forgive you.”

Shaak Ti smiled, but still didn’t look at him.

“We all looked up to you so much during our training. I remember the day you arrived to oversee the clone army, when I was equivalent 20. I think all the younger ones saw you as some sort of surrogate parent, in a way, and all of us adult clones had crushes on you.” Fives stopped talking, feeling his face grow hot with embarrassment. Why was he telling her this?

“I mean, I just mean, well, you were the only non-clone we knew, at first, other than the Kaminoans. And they were, you know. There were Bric and El-Les, too, but Bric was a dick. Although, I suppose El-Les did have lovely eyes.” In the name of the Force, why could he not stop talking? Shaak Ti was looking at him with amusement. Her room was on the eastern side of the palace, so the moonlight illuminated the room well enough that they didn’t need any artificial light. She looked good in the moonlight. Her eyes shone pale purple and her lips-

“I’ll let you get to sleep,” said Fives, standing quickly and bowing to Shaak Ti as he practically fled the room. He ran into Boil as he returned to his own room.

“Why are you so red?” Boil asked him bluntly.

“Nothing,” he muttered, but Boil smirked at him as he retreated to the room he shared with Wooley.

The Moon of Oba Diah

Plo Koon lit the strange lightsaber he had found within the T-6 shuttle, illuminating the small metal chamber with blue light. He did not recognized it by sight. He wished briefly that he had Quinlan Vos’ power of detecting the memory of objects, because all he could say for certain was that it was a Jedi lightsaber. Whether it was Sifo-Dyas’ was another issue entirely. He would have to contact the Council when they returned to their ship.

“Sir, we’re getting a message from the ship,” said Commander Wolffe, holding out a beeping holopad to Plo Koon.

Plo Koon activated the holopad and the hologram of Sergeant Sinker popped up and filled the room with a similar blue light to that of the lightsaber. The image was not as clear as Plo Koon would have liked. The constant sandstorms of Oba Diah interfered with a strong connection, and so Sinker’s image was blurry and flickering.

“Sir, we have received a call from General Kenobi. He says it is very urgent. Would you like me to transmit it over to you or ask him to wait for you to return to the ship?”

“Send it through. If it is urgent, we had better hear it right away.”

“Right away,” said Sinker. A moment later his image was replaced by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Plo Koon sometimes had trouble recognizing the changes that humans made to their appearance, but even he noticed Obi-Wan’s clean-shaven face. It almost made him look like a padawan again. He was still dressed in the same simple Jedi robes that he always wore, but Plo Koon sensed that there was more that had changed in Obi-Wan than his hairstyle.

“Master Kenobi, is there a problem on Mandalore?” asked Plo Koon. Ever since Obi-Wan had left to investigate the potential presence of Darth Maul, the Council had received only vague and brief updates from him. His reports stated that there was much conflict on Mandalore, rumors of Maul’s presence, but not concrete proof. Perhaps that had changed.

“I’m afraid there is a problem all across the galaxy,” said Obi-Wan.

“Quite so, but what is the particular reason you are calling today? Have you located Darth Maul?”

“Oh, yes, ages ago. Maul is dead. But I actually need to speak to you about the clones.” Obi-Wan was so cavalier in telling of Maul’s death and so quick to dismiss the subject, causing Plo Koon and Wolffe to look at each, unsure if they were hearing correctly.

“The clones, sir?” asked Wolffe.

“You have heard about Master Ti’s death on Kamino?”

“Yes,” said Plo Koon, bowing his head. “Such a tragic event. But she is one with the Force now.”

“Not yet,” said a familiar voice, and then Shaak Ti appeared in the hologram next to Obi-Wan.

Plo Koon fell into silence, shocked, as Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti proceed to tell Wolffe and him about the conspiracy of the clones. It was too unbelievable, and yet it made sense in a horrible sort of way. The story of Sifo-Dyas was just too strange and inconsistent. Jocasta Nu’s records stated he died on Felucia, and yet here was his ship and his lightsaber on the moon of Oba Diah. The Kaminoans had claimed that Sifo-Dyas had commissioned the clone army, but Jango Fett had said that a man named Tyranus was responsible. It seemed that the more obvious solution had been right in front of them, quite literally on several occasions. Palpatine was the Sith and the Clone War was just a means for him to achieve more power. Beside Plo Koon, Wolffe was completely rigid as Shaak Ti told them of Order 66, and Plo Koon realized that Wolffe was nervous of his reaction.

“How do we remove these chips?” asked Plo Koon.

“It is a fairly simple procedure. Ours was performed by an AZ unit medical droid, but I’m sure other medical droids would be competent at it as well. We’ll send you the procedure to give to your droids. I would encourage you to be prompt,” said Obi-Wan.

“And, of course, Master Plo. This information needs to stay quiet,” added Shaak Ti. With a bow, she exited the hologram.

“We will be on Mandalore if you need to join us,” said Obi-Wan, closing the call.

Commander Wolffe looked at Plo Koon again, silently asking him what to do. It no longer mattered who commissioned the clones. Until he could get the chips out of their heads, they were the Sith’s army.

“Let’s get back to the ship,” said Plo Koon, dropping Sifo-Dyas’ lightsaber on his way out.

Mandalore

They started with the easy ones first. Plo Koon had always been sympathetic to the plight of the clones, seeing them as more than just replaceable parts of a war machine. Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, and Kit Fisto had also been shown to care for their men, and so were informed of the control chips and shown how to remove them. Then, it started to get trickier. Tiplee had not fully trusted the clones since her sister’s death. As for certain members of the Jedi Council, they were so stuck in their strict dogma and loyalty to the Republic that they could react very poorly to the news, or do something incredibly foolish like bringing the matter to the Senate.

Team Convor spent many long hours debating which Jedi to tell, which they should avoid, and ultimately what to do about the Jedi Council. And then there was the matter of Anakin, which had to be done delicately, to say the least.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant
Anakin could feel himself growing more pent up the longer he spent on Coruscant. As nice as it was to spend some real time with Padmé, he was itching to get out in the field and get back to fighting the Separatists. He felt useless here, with nothing to do while Padmé attended Senate meetings, except for meditating and training young ones at the temple. He didn’t understand why the Council had grounded him on Coruscant after the events of Ringo Vinda and Kamino. It wasn’t his fault that Tup and Fives had caught a Separatist virus and killed Jedi. He didn’t infect them with it, so why was he being punished for it? Overall, the morale of the 501st was at an all time low, perhaps even worse than it had been on Umbara. Tiplar’s death had been one thing, but hearing that Fives had blown up a hanger full of their brothers and Master Shaak Ti had hit them all hard. And Coruscant, with all its bars and other more sinister diversions, could be a dangerous place for those who were bored and grieving.Anakin was lazing around Padmé’s apartment, waiting for her to return home from some budget meeting, when he received a message on his comlink. It was from Obi-Wan. Anakin sat up on the couch he had been reclining on. Obi-Wan had been gone on Mandalore for ages and Anakin had hardly heard a word from him. Anakin had asked the Council several times to send him to Mandalore, as well, to help Obi-Wan track down Maul, but they had not relented. Are you alone? said the message. Yes, what’s going on? Anakin replied.The comlink beeped again, this time with a holocall request. He opened it and the hologram popped up in front of him, showing him not Obi-Wan at all, but Ahsoka. Anakin gaped at her for a long moment. She had grown, even in the short time since she had left the order.“Ahsoka,” he said, because he could think of nothing else to say.“Hello, my old master,” she said, with a bow of her head.“What, I mean, where- what happened to you?”“So much. I suppose I should start at the beginning.” She took a deep breath and began. Anakin was not exactly a quiet listener to her story. He was worried about her nightmares, miffed that she and Obi-Wan were together on Mandalore without him, and a mix of horrified and proud that she had killed Darth Maul once and for all. When she got to the part about the clones, however, he went silent, and when she told him about the true identity of the Sith, his expression grew dark.“You’re lying,” he muttered.“Why would I be lying?” Ahsoka asked. She had expected that. Chancellor Palpatine had always been somewhat of a mentor to Anakin. Now, Anakin regarded Ahsoka carefully, searching for that guilty expression that she wore whenever she was lying. It wasn’t there. “Then you’re mistaken.” “Master- Anakin, something happened to me on Mortis. You were there. The Son infected me with a part of himself and the Daughter saved me with a part of herself. I wouldn’t trust these visions if they came from the Son alone, but the Daughter has confirmed them. Palpatine is the Sith. He has fooled all of us.”“But me more than anyone,” said Anakin, his voice coming out in an angry growling tone.“I don’t think so.”“He’ll pay for this.”“Be patient.”“Why should I? Are you going to tell me that revenge is not the Jedi way. Then I will stop him to save the galaxy. Besides you aren’t even a Jedi anymore.” Anakin stood as he spoke, pacing the room.“I’m not sure you can defeat him alone,” said Ahsoka.“I don’t see the point in waiting.” Anakin crossed the living room and threw open the apartment door.“I know what you mean,” said Ahsoka. It was not the hologram image, although that one said the same words, but this was the living, breathing Ahsoka standing before him just outside of Padmé’s apartment. Anakin pulled her into a hug. She had certainly grown taller and he had to be careful hugging her to make sure her montrals didn’t hit him in the face. Eventually, Anakin stepped aside to let her into the apartment.“But there are things we need to do first, before we can face him,” Ahsoka continued, when she was inside and sitting down. “We need to remove the tumors from the 501st. And then, we are going to take Kamino. There may be a secret way to prevent or reverse Order 66 that we can find. Even if there isn’t, we need to take the clones from the Kaminoans and remove their chips.”He watched her for a moment, and she tried to read his expression.“Alright, I’m in, Snips. Except I have orders to stay here on Coruscant. It might seem suspicious if I disappear along with my entire legion.”“I’ve got it covered, Skyguy. As we speak, Masters Plo, Fisto, Allie, and Obi-Wan are suggesting to the Council that you replace Shaak Ti as the trainer of the clone cadets on Kamino. It is a very prestigious position.”“And one I would hate, if we weren’t going there to steal information and kick Kaminoan ass.” 
Tipoca City, Kamino
“What an honor to have you, Master Jedi. Senator Burtoni sent us word of your arrival,” said Taun We, smoothly as always. She was serving as interim Prime Minister following Lama Su’s death, until Kamino was able to hold an election for a new Prime Minister. Several other Kaminoans were lined up in the hallway to welcome him, as were many of the clones.“The honor is mine, Prime Minister,” said Anakin with a polite bow. It was impossible to read the Kaminoans. He couldn’t tell if Taun We and the others were actually glad to have him as the new Jedi overseer of clone development or not. Nor was he sure which reaction he would prefer. After all, Shaak Ti had nearly been killed for knowing too much and opposing the Kaminoans and their plots. They would probably prefer a Jedi who was easily manipulated and overall a complete dunce. He supposed that was the role he should play.“I will show you to your new quarters and then I am sure you would like to see our facilities,” said Taun We.“That sounds good to me,” said Anakin.Taun We led him through the sterile halls of Tipoca City, each one looking exactly like the others. He had a pretty good head for directions luckily, or else he would be completely lost in this maze of identical white hallways. Anakin had been to Kamino only once before, but he had been focused on the attempted invasion of the Separatists, and had not fully noticed the cold blankness of the place. It was almost as bad a place to grow up as Tatooine.“I was a little surprised that they assigned you to us, Master Skywalker. After all, your accomplishments in the field are rather legendary. The clones speak of you often. Many of them wish to be assigned to the 501st,” said Taun We as they walked.“Well, some of the Jedi Council view my actions as reckless. They must believe that I can do more for the war effort here.”“Do you have much experience training new troops?”“I have enough,” said Anakin, a little sharply.The rooms that Taun We showed him were similarly plain and drab. There was a red meditation pillow on the floor next to the bed that he supposed used to belong to Shaak Ti. Even knowing that she was really alive, he thought it was a rather grim thing for the Kaminoans to give him her old room and her belongings. Anakin set his small rucksack on the bed and looked at Taun We, indicating that he was ready to see the clone production and training areas.Taun We started with the beginning of the clone life cycle, in a giant room filled with embryos, each in a small glass chamber, like a bell jar. The chambers where arranged around circular disks that could be moved around to get a closer look at certain embryos. They all seemed to be in different stages of development, with some smaller than Anakin’s hand, hardly even resembling a human shape, and others that looked ready to be born, or whatever you called it when a clone baby left his glass chamber. Team Convor was not certain exactly when the control chips were inserted, but they knew it happened sometime during this stage of development.“Due to the accelerated aging, the gestation takes only four months. Then the embryos are decanted and sent to the nursery.” Taun We led Anakin into a new, but just as large room. This one contained high shelves with clear drawers, every one with a baby lying face up inside. The babies each had a tube in their mouths, as well as two thick wires attached to their temples.“Jango Fett is not the first human template that we have used. With the early explorations into human cloning, we ran into an obstacle during the infancy stage. We found that, although they were given all the nutrients their bodies should need, the clone infants would often die. It seems your species requires contact and emotional security at this stage to survive,” said Taun We giving Anakin a look that seemed to be pity. She continued, “Now we simply stimulate those portions of the brain with electrical impulses. We find it to be much more efficient.”Anakin thought back to the vague memories that he had of his mother holding him as a very young child. The idea of trading her for a series of wire shocks made him furious.“Once they reach two years, what would be a four-year-old regular human child, they begin their training,” Taun We led him past large rooms and auditoriums of identical children studying computer simulations and sparring with each other. A few of them looked up curiously at him, before turning back to their work.“And here we have the adult cadets.”This room was filled with stacked bunk beds which could extend out of the wall and then go back in once the clones were inside. Many of the clones were down in the training areas, but a few were sitting on their bunks, looking through holo-pads. They rose to attention and saluted when Anakin walked past them.“Shall I show you the training areas?” asked Taun We.“Thank you, Prime Minister, but I’m sure you are very busy. Perhaps one of the cadets could show me and let you return to your duties.”Taun We nodded and gestured for one of the cadets to approach.“2164 will show you,” she said, and left them alone in the barracks.“If you’ll follow me, sir,” said the clone.“2164. So what do the other clones call you?” asked Anakin.“Night, sir,” he said.“Lead the way, Night.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant
Padmé made her way through the hallways of the Senate building, flanked by Rex and Jesse, who had been acting as her personal guards following Anakin’s departure for Kamino. They were leaving the recent Senate meeting, where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had announced his plans to secure the banking planet of Scipio. Padmé had felt a chill run through her veins as she watched Palpatine speak and be met with cheers from the Senate. She was angry with herself for not seeing it sooner and for the role she had played in helping Palpatine to more power. He had just seemed like any other politician to her, somewhat corrupt, but not truly evil. He was a Sith, though, and she had been the one to help him become the Chancellor in the first place.Padmé couldn’t think about that now, couldn’t think about the past. The future was far too dangerous and uncertain and it demanded all of her attention. Palpatine had gained tremendous political influence, and now he was seeking out economic power. Senator Nee Alavar had been dispatched on a diplomatic mission to Scipio, but had been captured by the Separatists. Palpatine and many members of the Senate had called for an invasion of Scipio, which would place the banks there directly into their control. It was devious and, all the more concerning, it was effective. The Senate had voted almost overwhelmingly for the invasion.Not everyone was on Palpatine’s side, however. Padmé had to remind herself that she still had allies. With Anakin gone to Kamino, Obi-Wan on Mandalore, and Ahsoka forced to stay hidden, Padmé had taken on the role of recruiting Senators for "Operation Convor," as they called it. It was dangerous work, even with the 501st there to guard her. They were brave and capable soldiers, but they would be no match for Palpatine and his forces. So Padmé had to be careful.She started with the Senators who she trusted and who she knew had doubts about the Supreme Chancellor. Bail Organa had been the first she had told, and if he was surprised about the true identity of the Sith, he did not show it. Mon Mothma had also been quick to join them. Then the word had begun to spread, not the entire story, but just a growing concern for Palpatine’s influence. Only a select group knew who Palpatine really was.Padmé, Rex, and Jesse had reached the entry hall for the Galactic Senate when one of the Chancellor’s aides stopped them.“Excuse me, Senator,” said the aide, “But the Supreme Chancellor asked to see you before you left.”Jesse looked to Rex, shifting his weight a little, but Rex stayed still and calm.“Is it urgent? It has been a long day,” said Padmé.“The Supreme Chancellor did not say, but I must insist you see him.”Padmé looked to Rex and Jesse and nodded, and followed the aide back upstairs to the office of the Chancellor. “Ah, Senator Amidala, glad we caught you,” said Palpatine, when she arrived. His smile was no different than usual, though it seemed far more sinister than it had ever been before.“Your guards may wait outside. I would like to speak privately, if we may,” he said.Padmé nodded to them again. She could tell they did not want to leave her, but at the look she gave them, they left the room. The door hissed closed behind them, leaving her alone in the room with Palpatine.“How can I be of service, Supreme Chancellor?” she asked, with a formal bow.“Come, come, there is no need for such decorum. We have known each other for too long. I wanted to ask you about Rush Clovis, actually.”“Clovis?” asked Padmé surprised.“You were quite close once, were you not?”“A long time ago,” said Padmé carefully. She knew that Clovis was involved with the banking clan on Scipio, but she had not talked to him since Cato Neimoidia.“He continues to raise the rates on loans to the Republic and now seems to be in support of this Separatist attack and the unfortunate capture of our Senator Alavar. Now that we have the Senate’s support, we will invade Scipio very soon and claim the banks. But I wonder if you have any insights in Clovis that could help us minimize the violence of the conflict.”Padmé could not tell what information Palpatine was really searching for, so she told him the truth.“Clovis is a very intelligent man, but self-serving and cowardly. He will surrender quickly if he thinks his life is truly in danger,” she said.Palpatine grinned again, walking around his desk and placing a hand on Padmé’s shoulder.“Thank you, Senator. That will surely be helpful to us.”“Anything for the Republic,” she said, standing and bowing, before she turned to leave the office.“I can see why you chose to break off your...attachment to him. He seems far inferior to young Skywalker,” said Palpatine. Padmé froze in front of the door to his office and took a deep breath to steady herself.“Anakin?” she asked, her voice sounding more meek than she intended.“Such a shame he had to leave Coruscant so soon. And to be sent all the way out to Kamino. Surely the Jedi realize that he has far greater value than the training of common soldiers.”Padmé turned back to face him, forcing her expression to stay calm.“I’m sure the Jedi Council did what they felt was the right decision. Anakin will be a fine teacher,” she said.“Yes, I have no doubt. The ways of the Jedi can seem a little outdated to us, though, I suppose. Who knows? Perhaps someday they will change. But, I have kept you for too long. I’m sure you have many important matters to attend to.” Palpatine held his hand out toward the door, and Padmé gave one last bow before exiting the room. She didn’t speak to Rex and Jesse as they quickly made their way out of the Senate building, too afraid of being overheard. It wasn’t until she they got back to her apartment, where Ahsoka and several of the other clone troopers were waiting, that she filled them in on her meeting with Palpatine.“So he knows about you and Anakin,” said Ahsoka, looking pensive, but not nearly as afraid as Padmé felt.“Yes, it seems so- wait, how do you know about me and Anakin?” asked Padmé.Ahsoka and Rex shared a look, and then Ahsoka said, “You aren’t always as subtle as you think you are.”“We’ve known for ages,” said Rex.***The dissention against Palpatine was growing steadily through the Senate, as Padmé, Bail, and Mon Mothma slowly and carefully contacted their allies. Many had already had their concerns, but had been too nervous to voice them until now. They had reached Pa Dua of Rodia, Orn Free Taa of Ryloth, Bana Breemu, and many others, though they still remained outnumbered by Palpatine’s supporters.Ahsoka was forced to stay in hiding, mostly in Padmé’s apartment, and only venturing out at night and in disguise. She was beginning to grow restless. She knew that Operation Convor required patience, but she found herself itching for something to do, some mission beyond waiting for the Senators to do their work.Luckily, a vision from the convor bird soon gave her just such a mission.Her meditation started as it often did, with her chanting her mantra until the convor bird showed up. For the past few weeks, they had simply sat together in silence, but this time the convor bird took her to the Jedi Temple. She had not returned since she had left the Order, and seeing it again, even if only in a vision, left her with a mix of guilt and relief. She started in the Council Chamber, where Master Yoda was meditating alone. He opened his eyes and frowned, almost as if he sensed something, but he could not see her and soon went back to his meditation. Ahsoka left, with the convor on her shoulder and made her way down from the tower. She passed Mace Windu speaking to a holograph image of Depa Billaba, Saesee Tiin sparing with some guards in the practice rooms, and various droids and younglings that wandered through the hallways. She made her way down to the library where Jocasta Nu was carefully organizing the records. The convor hooted softly and Ahsoka felt something like a cold mist creeping up from the floor. There was something below the temple, something she had never felt before.She opened her eyes, ripping herself out of the vision and back into Padmé’s room. She didn’t know why the feeling frightened her so much, but she knew that she had to face it. She wished the convor bird could accompany her in real life, but she would have to do this alone.Ahsoka waited until night and then pulled a heavy cloak over herself. She didn’t tell Padmé or the clones where she was going, but they didn’t ask. They were used to her going out by herself at night. Ahsoka hadn’t been to the lower levels of Coruscant since she had been on the run the year before, but she found herself once again descending on the elevator to the 1300 levels. The air was thicker there and smelled far worse than the upper levels. Poverty existed in every person she passed, from the homeless begging for credits on the street corners to the hustlers and black marketeers who sold everything you could think of and many things you couldn’t. Some of them called out to her as she walked through the smoky streets, but she kept her head down and her hood up. She had a vague sense where she was going, toward the rubble and ruins that existed beneath the Jedi Temple in the depths of the lowest levels. She needed to go farther down. Ahsoka knew that the very deepest levels had become completely uninhabitable with toxic air, but people still lived as far down as 389, though they became fewer and farther between the deeper she went. She took another elevator, this one older and creaking, and this time she stopped at level 717.A pair of tooka-cats were fighting over a pile of garbage, hissing and scratching at each other until Ahsoka waved them away. The metal beams supporting the upper levels were still standing strong, but the rest of the buildings had mostly crumbled into mounds of broken glass, metal, and stone. Ahsoka walked carefully through it, catching the occasional glimpse of someone watching her from their ramshackle homes, but no one was out on the street, except for her.She made her way through the rubble, getting closer to the place directly below the Jedi temple. There had been something at least resembling a road that she had been walking on, but as she went farther, she found herself having to scramble over the broken ruins, more like a mountain climb than a stroll down a street. The air had been stuffy and warm when she had first arrived on level 717, but it was growing colder the further she walked.She reached out with the Force, and sensed when she was right beneath the library of the Jedi temple, thousands of levels above her. There was nothing there except piles of broken stone and a great deal of dust. Ahsoka could feel the cold pulling at her, but she didn’t know where to go. She wondered if she should try to ask the convor bird for more help. She took a step forward and the ground collapsed beneath her.Ahsoka tumbled downward and landed in a painful heap on some smooth stone. She had to quickly push the falling rocks and debris away from her with the Force to keep them from crashing down upon her. There was dust floating all around her, so thick she couldn’t see where she was. She coughed a bit and then forced herself to her feet, and waited for the dust to settle.When at last it was clear enough to see, she was able to make out the vast cavern around her. She was standing on a black floor that seemed to be made of something like obsidian. It was covered in dust and dirt now, but it was shiny underneath when she cleared off an area with her boot. She could see the edge of the floor slope downward, as if she were standing at on a hilltop. There was a small hole high above her, in the ceiling of the cavern where she had fallen through. In front of here, on the highest point of the hill was a massive black pyramid, made out of the same material as the floor. A dull light emanated from the pyramid, staining to whole cavern with a red glow. It was freezing cold and Ahsoka’s breath came out in puffs of steam. She felt like her feet were made of lead, but she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and approach the pyramid. As she got close, a tall figure stood up and blocked her way into the door of the pyramid. She looked up into the pale face of the Son.“You’re not real,” she told him.He smiled at her, his eyes burning red. He looked as if he was made of smoke, incorporeal, but radiating energy.“I am wherever you are, remember? And real or not, you need me to enter the temple. There must be two, no more, no less,” he said.“This is a Sith temple,” said Ahsoka, looking up at its peak.“It is,” said the Son. “Your Jedi temple was built over the ruins of an ancient Sith monastery. Father would have loved that.”He walked over to stand next to her and together they held their hands out in front of them. The heavy stone door slid slowly upward and Ahsoka ducked through the doorway. There was another doorway after that and another, each heavier than the one before. At last, though, they reach what appeared to be the central room in the temple. It was tall and narrow and empty except for a towering obelisk. Ahsoka approached and looked closely at the markings carved into the black stone of the obelisk. It was written in the old language, so old its name and most of its meaning had been lost. Ahsoka could recognize a few of the glyphs, a few scattered words, but that was it.“The library above and the library below,” said the Son.Ahsoka placed the palm of her hand against the stone and it glowed red beneath her touch. “It full of holocrons, hundreds of them,” she said.“The secrets of the Sith. You could become so powerful with the information hidden here.”“I don’t need to become that powerful, just enough that I can kill the Sith.”“And take his place?”“No,” said Ahsoka. She shut her eyes and concentrated on the feel of the stone beneath her fingers. A warmth flooded into her and she felt the familiar weight of the convor bird on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. There was a hissing sound and a small chamber, like a little drawer, opened out of the obelisk. Inside was a holocron, shaped like a miniature pyramid and glowing brightly. Ahsoka took it out carefully, surprised by how fragile it felt in her hand.“What an interesting choice,” said the Son, chuckling a little.The convor bird hooted angrily at the Son, who flinched away from it. He recovered quickly, though, straightening up and adopting a look of bored indifference.“I should go,” said Ahsoka. She attached the holocron carefully to her belt next to her lightsaber.She turned back to the Son, only to find that he had gone. Well, she supposed that he had never been there in the first place, other than in her head. The convor was still there, though, chirping softly in the echoing cavern. It had never appeared to her outside of the visions before, but she supposed the Force worked a little differently around the Sith monastery. Ahsoka was glad for the company as she turned to the door. She reached out to lift it open, when a wave of cold hit her, turning her blood nearly to ice in her veins.She felt the urge to flee, to run back to the obelisk and hide, but instead she stepped forward and touched the door with her hands. On the other side, she could feel his presence, empty, angry, and very cold. It was the Sith Lord. It was Palpatine.She felt a tug at the door as the Sith tried to open it. The stone raised a few inches. She closed her eyes and pushed the door back down, holding it in place. She could feel the anger of the Sith as he tried again to open the door. Still holding the door shut with one hand, Ahsoka turned back to the obelisk and drew her lightsaber. It was tall and looming, but not very wide at the base. She slashed at the bottom of the obelisk, making a few precise cuts and then pushed with the Force. It rocked for a moment and then crashed to the ground, landing against the doorway and causing the entire monastery to shake. Ahsoka could feel the other holocrons shatter inside.“I need another way out,” she told the convor. It chirped and then flew off to the other side of the room. Nothing looked like a doorway, but Ahsoka trusted the bird and pushed with the Force until a hidden door slid to the side. She ran down a dark hallway, only able to see the light green feathers of the convor in front of her. She went through another doorway and another, and another hallway. She felt lost in the maze of the temple, until at last the stone gave way and she found herself back in the cavern. The convor bird disappeared as soon as she stepped out of the temple.Ahsoka ran down the sloped floor of the cavern, which became steeper as she went. She slipped and fell and slid downward into the blackness. She no longer had even the red glow from the monastery to light her way, so she had to feel out with the Force and with her hands, until she found what appeared to be a tunnel. She climbed through it, crouched at first, then on her hands and knees, and eventually on her belly as the tunnel grew narrower. She was worried it would soon become too tight to fit through, but then she saw a greenish light ahead of her. She shimmied forward and pushed herself out, falling in a heap on some broken glass. She got up, examining the cuts on her hands and knees. A figure wearing a gas mask with glowing green eyes was picking through the rubble around her.“Hey! What level is this?” she called to the figure.They turned their lantern-like eyes on her and said something in a clicking and clattering language that she didn’t understand.“What?” she said.This time, the figure held up their fingers.“704,” said Ahsoka. “Thanks. How do I get up?”The figure pointed and Ahsoka thanked them again and ran in that direction, ran until she found a ladder to the upper levels. She didn’t stop until she had run all the way back to the upper levels, until she could find an elevator to take her back up to the 5000s, to Padmé’s apartment, where at last she stopped, panting hard and sweating.Padmé was already asleep, but Rex and Jesse and some of the other clones were still awake, playing sabacc at the table, while C-3PO watched with interest.“Are you alright, Master Tano?” asked Threepio when he saw her.“What happened?” asked Rex, jumping to his feet.“Sith,” Ahsoka managed to get out, still breathing hard. “I’m fine,” she added.“You fought the Sith?” Rex asked, looking pale.Ahsoka shook her head.“I just stole this from him. He almost caught me,” she said, showing them the holocron.“What’s in it?” Jesse asked.“I don’t know yet.”She didn’t even really know how to open it. It was said that only a Sith had the power to do so, and she couldn’t exactly ask for Palpatine’s help. She set it down on the table and watched it glow, wondering whether it had been the Son or the Daughter who had selected this particular holocron for her.***If Palpatine was angry over losing the holocron, his mood was soon improved by the Republic’s victory at Scipio. The Separatists had been defeated, the Muun and Rush Clovis were replaced by Republic bankers, and Senator Alavar was recovered safely. And, of course, Scipio’s banks, the majority of wealth in the galaxy, were now under Palpatine’s control.“I don’t think we can wait any longer. We need to move on Kamino,” said Ahsoka. She was speaking in Padmé’s living room, addressing the small group of clones and allied senators.“What is your plan?” asked Senator Organa.“Anakin has been there for a few weeks and Shaak Ti for years before that. We have intel on the layout of Tipoca City, the security protocols, and the patterns of the clone troopers there. A small group of us will infiltrate, cut off communication, and take control of the city. The rest is confidential until the mission is over, I’m afraid,” said Ahsoka.“And if they do manage to enact Order 66? Every clone in the city will be turned against you,” said Mon Mothma.“Then let’s hope we get in there before they can.”Mothma did not look convinced, but she didn’t object either.“Rex and a few select troopers will be leaving with me. The rest of the 501st will stay here under Jesse’s command,” said Ahsoka. The clones who were staying on Coruscant all nodded. She had already briefed them on what to do if the mission on Kamino went badly. They were to get Padmé and as many as the other allied senators off of Coruscant as quickly as possible and retreat to Mandalore.The meeting ended and the clones escorted Mothma, Organa, and Pa Dua back to their own quarters. Riyo Chuchi, who had been sitting quietly through the meeting, stayed back.“You will be careful,” said Padmé, taking Ahsoka’s hands. It was more of an order than a request, but Ahsoka could see the worry in Padmé’s eyes.“I will. And I’ll make sure Anakin is, too,” she said, squeezing Padmé’s hands.“Thank you.”The living room emptied out, until only Ahsoka, Riyo, and Kix, remained, although Kix soon left after Ahsoka gave him look and nodded to the door. “This is going to be very dangerous, isn’t it?” asked Riyo.“Kamino is well fortified, but I’ve seen worse. Besides, you’re the one who has to stay here with the Sith Lord,” said Ahsoka, trying to joke, but not really succeeding.“I can’t believe how blind we have all been. I’ve been a senator for a few years now, and I never even suspected.”“The Jedi Council didn’t even suspect. You couldn’t have known,” said Ahsoka.“Still…”Ahsoka watched the frown on Riyo’s face as she thought about it. Riyo was a few years older than her, and had once been the same height as her, but Ahsoka had grown quite a bit since the trial, and now stood a little above the young senator. She reached out and took Riyo’s hand.“None of us could have known. But we do now.”“And we will stop him,” said Riyo.Ahsoka nodded. There was a question nagging at her, one that she wasn’t sure she should ask, but also one that she didn’t think she could avoid asking either.“Riyo, wh-when I was put on trial for treason, did you, um, think that I had done it?”Riyo looked up, her yellow eyes unreadable.“The court found you guilty by a vote of forty seven to three. The three that believed in your innocence were Bail Organa, Mon Mothma...and me.” Riyo smiled a little and Ahsoka looked down, rubbing her lek a little and wishing she had never doubted her friend.“Be careful, please,” said Riyo. She lifted up onto her toes and kissed Ahsoka softly on the cheek, before leaving the apartment to where Jesse was waiting to take her home.Ahsoka reached up and touched the spot on her cheek, glad that Togruta did not blush in the same way humans did. The tips of her lekku had turned slightly pink, though.“Better get some sleep, Commander. We leave before dawn tomorrow,” said Rex, breaking Ahsoka out of her thoughts. She hadn’t even heard him come him. She nodded to him and began to set up her palate on the floor to sleep. The only thing she could think about was that she had better survive the attack on Kamino, because if that was the only kiss she ever had with Riyo Chuchi, then she was going to be very disappointed indeed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tipoca City, Kamino
Anakin could have nearly jumped for joy when he received Rex’s message. They had been keeping their communication to a minimum to avoid arousing any suspicions of the Kaminoans. Cut off from both the war and Operation Convor, and with only the training of the troops to occupy him, Anakin was ready for a fight. He had gathered some valuable intel, but he had to admit, that he was a much better warrior than a spy.There was a knock at the door of Anakin’s room. Anakin waved his hand to open the door, revealing one of the Kaminoan clone trooper guards.“General Skywalker, a Jedi master has arrived to see you,” he said.“Who is it?”“Master Luminara Unduli and the 41st Elite Corps are waiting with the Prime Minister.”“What? Why are they here? I couldn’t get more of a head’s up about this?” Anakin said, falling easily into his role as the annoyed and irritated young Jedi.“Sorry, Sir. She arrived somewhat unexpectedly,” said the guard.“Alright, lead the way,” said Anakin.They found Taun We and Luminara in one of the greeting rooms. There were several members of the 41st Corps there, wearing white and green armor, including Commander Gree and clone captain with a gray pauldron, all standing at attention around the room. Behind them sat R2-D2, sporting a new green and white paint job, but nonetheless recognizable.“Welcome, Master Jedi,” said Taun We, when Anakin entered.“Thank you, Prime Minister. Master Unduli, your visit is...unexpected,” said Anakin, being sure to grit his teeth a little. It was pretty easy to act irritated with Luminara, actually. Anakin had still not fully forgiven her for her failure with Barriss. He had to restrain his anger to prevent himself from growing too confrontational with her.“The Council is sending us to Utapau, not too far from here. They asked me to report on your progress,” said Luminara. She played the role of stern overseer very well.  “You understand, after the tragedy with Master Shaak Ti, we just want to be sure the virus has not spread and that everything is running smoothly here,” she continued, turning to Taun We.“We understand, of course. Perhaps General Skywalker could personally show you our fine clone troopers. I think you will be very pleased with their progress.”“I agree,” said Luminara.Anakin frowned and sighed, but agreed.“I will leave you to your Jedi business, then,” said Taun We, bowing and then gracefully leaving the room.Luminara frowned a little at Taun We’s back as she left and then turned to Anakin.“How are you, Skywalker?” she asked.“I’m just glad we’re going forward with this. I’ve been going out of my mind being stuck here.” Anakin forced himself to be civil as he spoke.The clone captain removed his helmet, revealing himself to be Rex.“Good to see you, General,” he said.“You, too, Captain. Are the others in position?” Anakin asked.Rex spoke into his commlink for a moment and then nodded, “We have the go-ahead.”“Alright,” said Anakin, pulling out a holograph map and activating it to show the 41st. He pointed out the communication center, the power units, and the speaker systems to them.“We’ll have to disable all of them pretty simultaneously in order to shut down all internal communication. Luminara and I will head to the barracks and hopefully get the cadets on our side. Artoo, you’ll need to go to the main communication center to turn off the primary speakers. Rex and two others will go with you. The rest of you need to take out the back up speakers and auxiliary power units. Stay in pairs and if any guards try to stop you from getting to your location, tell them that you have the Jedi Council’s and the Prime Minister’s permission to inspect. Once you’re in position, wait for my signal,” said Anakin.The troopers all nodded and R2-D2 whistled his agreement.***The shallow domes of the Tipoca City buildings were covered in transmission and communication towers. Kamino was a remote planet, but it managed to stay connected to the rest of the galaxy. Skywalker and Unduli were taking care of the internal communication systems, but the external ones needed to be taken out, as well. It would not be good at all if the Kaminoans managed to send out a distress signal to Palpatine or Count Dooku.The wolfpack was dropped down in the quietest shuttle that they had. They landed on the rooftops, grateful that the Kaminoans were not too fond of skylights, so they didn’t have to worry about being seen. The clone troopers had an advantage here, invading the very place where they grew up. They knew the landscape well, even the tops of the buildings.Plo Koon climbed up to the top of the central transmission tower, while Wolffe and the other troopers spread out across the rooftop, until every communication system was covered.Now, they just had to wait for the signal.***Two venator-class star destroyers waited in the orbit around Kamino, just out of range and masked to fool the Kaminoan sensors. They were the Vigilance , under the command of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Raptor , under Aayla Secura, both huge vessels, and hopefully big enough to hold the tens of thousands of clones that were below on Kamino, though Obi-Wan suspected they may have to make two trips. He was getting ahead of himself, though. They had to knock out Tipoca City’s communication, defeat the Kaminoans, and start removing the tumors before they even thought about evacuating the clone troopers.Luminara Unduli and Plo Koon were already moving into position in and on top of the city, which meant they needed to be ready to be invade. They met in the control room of the Vigilance to go over the plan of attack one last time. Ahsoka led the meeting, and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel some pride as he watched her. There had been a time when Ahsoka was just a nervous padawan, when speaking in front of Masters like Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura would have terrified her, but now she had the composure of a master herself. Aayla Secura and the 327th would lead the initial attack, drawing the fire of the Kaminoans. Shaak Ti, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan would follow, leading the 212th and remaining members of Luminara’s and Plo Koon’s troopers. They would secure the southern and eastern landing pads and then move through the city until they had it secure.The troops moved into their shuttles, first Secura and her men, and then the others, punching through the atmosphere of Kamino and hurtling down toward Tipoca City.***From the rooftops of the city, the wolfpack heard their comms crackle to life as Ahsoka Tano’s voice said, “I hear Kamino is lovely in the springtime.”Plo Koon smiled and drew his lightsaber, and then stabbed it into the metal of the central transmission tower and cutting all away around. He pushed it over with the Force, sending it tumbling down into the sea. The wolfpack blasted all the other broadcast systems until nothing remained but broken shards of metal.“Quickly, move to the landing pad,” said Plo Koon, and the wolfpack began to run to meet up with Shaak Ti.***“I hear Kamino is lovely in the springtime,” said Ahsoka’s voice through the comm.“Alright, Artoo, you heard the commander,” said Rex.The droid beeped and wheeled up to the communication hub and extended his utility arms to begin hacking the system.“Captain, we’re under attack. We need you and your men to report to the command center immediately,” said one of the Kaminoan guards, running into the room. He paused when he saw R2-D2.“What are you doing?” he asked, drawing his blaster.Rex was faster, though, and shot the guard with a stun blast, causing him to collapse to the ground.“Hop-light, Cluster, watch the door,” he said to Luminara’s troopers. They may be his brothers, but they were no 501st troopers, that was for sure.***The central communication was shut down before any message about Order 66 could be transmitted. The Kaminoans did manage to get out one transmission that they were under attack, which led to a chaos of cadets and troopers running around the city and preparing to fight. Anakin and Luminara had managed to inform only a small number of the troopers about the liberation, so the majority were completely ignorant about who exactly was attacking them.The 41st Corps troopers had all reported success in knocking out the secondary speaker systems, except for the ones in the eastern wings of the city.“Sergeant Trigger, report back,” said Luminara into her comm, but she was met with only silence.“We’d better go. We’re not far,” said Anakin. He turned to the clone cadet, Night, that he had met on his first day in Tipoca City.“I need you to inform as many cadets as you can. The Kaminoans have betrayed us. The Jedi have come to liberate the clones, not to invade,” he said. Night nodded and ran toward the barracks.Anakin and Luminara made their way through the scrambling cadets and guards toward the eastern wings. Before they could reach the secondary communication system, however, they heard the voice of Taun We through the still functioning speakers.“Execute Order 66,” she said.“Well, that’s not great,” said Anakin.The troopers and cadets froze around them. Luckily, most of them were still on their way to the armory and did not have their blasters yet. They ran at Anakin and Luminara with only their bare fists, trying to pummel the Jedi, who sent them flying backwards with the Force. A few did manage to shoot, but Anakin blocked with his lightsaber while Luminara slashed at their blasters.“Is there any cure for the activated clones?” asked Luminara as they fought back to back.“I don’t think so. Tup didn’t make it,” said Anakin.“Then, I am sorry,” said Luminara, though not to Anakin. She cut two nearby troopers down with her lightsaber, and then lunged at some others.Anakin didn’t want to kill clone troopers that weren’t even in control of their own actions, but he didn’t see much choice otherwise. They were outnumbered. He raised his lightsaber and brought it down on a young cadet.***Shaak Ti and her troopers touched down on the southern landing pad without losing any of the shuttles, though they were met with blaster fire soon after.“Take cover,” she shouted, and they all dove behind the shuttles and shipping crates.“Are they activated, or do they just think we’re invading?” Fives asked from where he was ducked down behind a crate next to Shaak Ti.“Let’s find out,” she said. She stood up, revealing herself and using her lightsaber to block the blaster bolts.“Hold your fire,” called out one of the clone guards. He ran over to her, looking stunned and then even more stunned as he saw that clones were the ones invading.“Master Shaak Ti, you’re alive,” he said, sounding dumbfounded.“I am,” she nodded with a smile. Then louder, she said, “The Kaminoans have been lying to you, to all of us. The Jedi have come to stop them. Will you join us?”Shaak Ti’s troopers all stood up carefully from where they had taken cover, but no more blaster bolts were sent their way. They walked over to meet with the Kaminoan clone guards and cadets.“We’re with you, General,” said one of the guards.“Good, then go in, and secure the Kaminoans. Try not to kill them. We don’t know which of them are behind this plot. We must find Taun We and Nala Se, at all costs.”“After me, then, boys,” said the guard, who seemed to be in charge.Fives gave Shaak Ti a little half smile as they followed the guards into the city.***Things were not going so smoothly on the eastern landing pad. “Anakin says they’ve all been activated on this side of the city,” said Ahsoka. She had to shout to Obi-Wan to be heard above all the blaster fire and the occasional yells of “Good soldiers follow orders,” from the activated Kaminoan clones.“Damn it. This is going to get bloody,” said Obi-Wan. They had already lost one shuttle when they tried to land and they were taking heavy fire.Ahsoka closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that by some miracle she would learn a way to de-activate the clones. No such revelation came to her.“I think we have to punch through,” she said.“I think you’re right,” said Obi-Wan. He turned to where Cody was crouched down and yelled, “Cody, grenades and then cover us.”Cody nodded and signalled to his men. They pulled their grenades and hurled them at the guards in front of the eastern door. The explosions hit and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka leapt up and charged toward the opening, deflecting blaster bolts as they went. They could hear the 212th battalion following them as they cut their way through the guards and into the city. Inside the building was even more chaotic than the landing platform. Clone guards and cadets ran for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with a cold rage. Some were not even armed, but they still ran like missiles for the Jedi. There were a few Kaminoans who had gotten stuck in the midst of the fighting, as well. They were not much for battles, and looked uncharacteristically frazzled by the violence raging around them. One was hit by a stray blaster bolt and crumpled to the floor. Ahsoka ran to one of the others and pushed him down and out of the firefight.Everything around her was smoke and fire and screaming. She had been in battles before, many of them, and had seen many clone troopers die, but cutting through them herself, as if they were nothing but droid soldiers, that was something she had never had to experience and never wanted to experience again.***Anakin and Luminara had managed to flee from the eastern wings and run into the northern part of the city. There was no fighting there, only the mad scramble to get to the fighting.“The eastern landing platform has been taken. We’re needed there,” shouted one clone guard.“No!” said Anakin, his voice booming out through the hallway.“Stay away from the eastern wings,” he added.“We need to find Taun We. We have disabled the communication systems, but she may still be able to activate the ones around her,” said Luminara. The Kaminoan Prime Minister lived in the central structure of the city, so Luminara and Anakin ran to seek her out there. They took the western pathway to avoid the majority of the activated clones, though they still encountered a few. They tried to use non lethal force when they could, as they didn’t want the unactivated clones to think the Jedi were killing them, but it was hard to maintain control of order and logic in the middle of a battle.They didn’t find Taun We, but they did find another Kaminoan, the doctor Nala Se, running toward a group of clones.“Activate Order-” she began to say, but Anakin struck her head off with his lightsaber before she could finish the command. The nearby clones looked like they didn’t know whether to shoot him, join him, or run from him, but Anakin didn’t have time for that. He needed to find the Prime Minister.***After their initial easy victory on the southern landing platform, things got more hectic for Shaak Ti and her troops. Taun We had a battalion of clone cadets that she had personally activated and sent down to meet the invaders. Shaak Ti’s troops had all been briefed on the possibility of fighting activated clones and they were prepared, but the clone guards who had joined them were left confused as to why their brothers were suddenly shooting at them.“They’re infected!” shouted Fives to the clone guards. It was easier to go with the virus story than to sit down and fully explain the chips in their heads. The clone guards recovered quickly and began to fire back on the activated clones.“I have an idea, but I will need you to cover me,” said Shaak Ti.“What’s the plan, General?” asked Fives.“I need to get to Taun We while she is still alive. I think I can reach her if you take out that cluster in the middle.”Fives nodded and shouted some orders to a few members of the 104th Battalion. They launched one of their remaining grenades, which sent rubble and clones flying. The hallway was filled with dust, but Shaak Ti didn’t need to see well to find Taun We. She leapt forward, followed closely by Fives and some of the wolfpack. The activated clones were beginning to recover, but Shaak Ti jumped, farther than a human would have been able to and cleared a group of clones. Once past them, she darted into the room where Taun We had taken refuge.There were a group of about ten clones there to protect the prime minister, but Shaak Ti cut through half of them and the wolfpack shot down the other half. She held her lightsaber up, so that the tip hovered just under Taun We’s chin.“Undo Order 66,” said Shaak Ti.Taun We raised her hands in surrender and leaned back away from the glowing blade.“I cannot,” she said.“Then you are useless to me.” Shaak Ti raised her lightsaber as if to strike.“Wait, wait! There is something I can do,” she said.Shaak Ti smiled and lowered her lightsaber. Taun We went to the doorway and cautiously looked out into the hallway where there was still an intense firefight raging between clones.“Activate Order 14,” she said. Every clone trooper with a chip still in his head and within earshot of Taun We fell to floor. “Did you kill them?” asked Fives, brandishing his blaster at Taun We.“They are not dead, merely put into a comatose state.”“Come, there are more activated clones to find,” said Shaak Ti, pushing Taun We through the halls.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ahsoka walked through Tipoca City, having to step over the bodies of clones and a few Kaminoans as she went. The walls were marred with blaster bolt scars and blood and the floors covered with broken glass and metal. It smelled horrible, like smoke and other things that she didn’t want to think about. She went into the command center that they had set up, where the Jedi and the clone captains were waiting for her. After the battle, the Kaminoans had all been moved into the northern wing of the city and all the chipped clones evacuated out of that area. They didn’t know if all Kaminoans had the ability to activate the clones, or just the ones in positions of power, so it was best to keep the two groups separate for now. The wolfpack was keeping an eye on the Kaminoans.

R2-D2 whirred happily when Ahsoka entered the command room and she went to stand next to him and placed her hand on his metal dome. Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti were debriefing the others on the post-battle plans and Ahsoka was happy to just let them talk. She didn’t want to be the one in charge anymore.

“The activated clones should be our first priority. We need to see if it is possible for them to survive their chip removal or if the procedure will be fatal for them as it was for Tup,” said Shaak Ti.

“And if none of them can survive the procedure?” asked Rex.

“Then termination may be our only option,” said Obi-Wan gravely. Rex and the other clones looked down at the floor for a moment.

“I have improved my technique since operating on CT-5385. I estimate at least a 30% survival rate for the activated soldiers,” said AZI-3, who had been brought in after the battle had ended.

“We should get started, then,” said Obi-Wan.

He and Shaak Ti left to gather the medical droids, and Plo Koon and Aayla Secura went to see to the Kaminoans. Luminara was already in the medical bay, having received a nasty wound on her shoulder. Soon it was only Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, and R2-D2 left in the command room.

“You did well today, Snips,” said Anakin.

Ahsoka looked at the floor.

“A lot of clones died,” she said.

Rex put his hand on her shoulder.

“The thought of becoming a slave in my own body, forced to do things I would never imagine doing, is far worse than death will ever be. Because of what happened here, thousands of clones will lose their chips and get to be free men.”

Ahsoka nodded and tried to feel better, but she didn’t.

“I’m still proud of you,” said Anakin, looking a little sheepish.

R2-D2 beeped and nudged her. He was right. It wasn’t the time to dwell in sadness. They needed to get the chips out of the clones and plan for the next phase of Operation Convor.

***

It turned out that AZI-3 was a pretty accurate estimator of the clone survival rate. About a third of the activated clones survived the procedure and the rest went the way of Tup. At least in their comatose state, they didn’t seem to feel any pain. Once the activated clones had all gone through the operation, they moved on to the unactivated ones. There were tens of thousand of adult clones in Tipoca, not even counting those who had not reached maturity yet, and only a few dozen medical droids to cover them all. They had delegated several of the droids to care for those who had been injured in the battle and the others were assigned to chip-removing duty. Even working nonstop, it would take days to get to all the clones.

Shaak Ti escorted Prime Minister Taun We up to the

Vigilance

to send out a message to Count Dooku. They didn’t want him growing suspicious of the lack of communication.

“Remember, save your own life,” said Shaak Ti, tapping her lightsaber handle as a warning. Taun We nodded and turned out her hologram communicator.

The robed figure of Dooku appeared before her.

“Lord Tyranus,” she said with a slight bow.

“Prime Minister, it has been awhile since your last communication.”

“The storms have damaged some of our communication structures, but we are fixing them with all haste.”

“Good. And how is your new Jedi?” he asked.

“Master Skywalker has proven to be an effective teacher,” said Taun We.

Shaak Ti had to admit that the emotionless façade of the Kaminoans did make it easier for them to lie. She was a little impressed by Taun We’s calm.

“He suspects nothing after Shaak Ti’s death?” asked Dooku.

“Nothing. He is even more foolish than she was,” said Taun We, with almost a hint of a smile. Shaak Ti needed to stay out of sight, so all she could do was glare at Taun We from behind the hologram.

“Yes, and yet my master sees some value in him. He wants Skywalker to return to Coruscant. You will inform the Jedi Council that Skywalker is ill-suited in the role he has been given and request a different Jedi to take over the training of the clones.”

“As you say, Lord Tyranus,” said Taun We. She bowed again and shut off the communication.

“Well done,” said Shaak Ti, somewhat stiffly, still thinking about Taun We’s comment about her foolishness.

“I do not wish to share Lama Su’s fate, Master Jedi,” said Taun We.

***

Ahsoka didn’t think she would be able sleep after the battle, but the exhaustion of the day caught up with her and she found herself lying down on one of the long beds of the Kaminoans. She soon drifted into a deep and oddly peaceful slumber, one filled with pleasant dreams.

She dreamed of the tall grasses of Shili, which painted the landscape a kaleidoscope of blues, reds, and purples. The Togruta stood around her, applauding her as their returning hero.

She dreamed of a bright festival, full of fireworks and laughter. There was a giant poster hanging on the wall of a building next to her, but she didn’t look at it. Instead she looked at Riyo Chuchi, dressed in a long evening gown and smiling up at Ahsoka.

She dreamed of fighting an enemy, of easily conquering them without fear or hesitation. She felt powerful. She pulled out the handle of her white lightsaber and turned it on, but the blade that extended was glowing red again.

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

There it was again. The awful sound of a breathing machine that made her clench and tremble with such terrible fear.

But why?

What could possibly be so frightening about a breathing machine?

Ahsoka turned in her dream, finding herself inside the hull of a vast starship. She wandered through it, following the sound of the breathing. She reached a room filled by a round structure made of black metal, like a giant egg. There was a hissing sound and the top of the structure detached and lifted up, revealing a man sitting inside. He wore a black cloak and a black mask with shiny, reflective eyes.

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

Ahsoka stepped up so that she stood in front of him.

“Take off your mask,” she said.

Kkkhh-pprrrr.

He lifted his gloved hands and pulled the helmet and mask off his head.

Ahsoka woke and jumped to her feet on the bed, drawing both her lightsaber and darksaber and holding them protectively in front of her. Slowly her breathing returned to normal, but she didn’t lower her weapons right away. She took a moment to study the lightsaber, glowing with bright white light. She was not a Sith and Anakin was not a Sith. It was only the Son, trying to trick her through her dreams, or at least that is what she told herself.

She sat back down on the bed, trying to calm her breathing. She wished the Daughter would appear and give her some words of comfort, but Ahsoka was far too unsettled to meditate. She reached into her pack and pulled out the Sith holocron. She hadn’t told anyone else about it, other than a few of the 501st, not even Anakin. Or perhaps especially Anakin.

It glowed red in her palm and she traced the patterns of its metal frame with her finger. As she held it, she thought she saw the apex shift a little. She reached up and twisted at it, but it didn’t move again. She quickly put it back into her bag and shoved the bag under the bed.

Coruscant

Padmé looked out of the window of her apartment, watching the busy movement of lights and flashes from the city below her. Jesse and some of the other clones were standing guard outside, but without Ahsoka or Anakin, her apartment felt dull and empty. Coruscant seemed the same as ever: the same mix of politicians, thieves, and soldiers, the same Senate and Jedi Council. But she knew that nothing was the same and it might never be so again.

The attack on Coruscant was coming soon, but they were not ready yet. They would have to be swift and decisive when they acted to catch Palpatine off guard, if there were such a thing as catching a Sith master off guard.

There were still so many clones who still had their implanted chips, still so many Jedi who were unaware of the problem.

“My lady, Senator Chuchi is here to see you,” said Threepio. Padmé nodded and told him to let her in.

Riyo came in and joined Padmé at the window.

“I spoke with Garm Bel Iblis, the Corellian senator, today. He’s concerned about the banking takeover and I think he will be sympathetic to our cause. He’s close friends with Ivor Drake and Shea Sadashassa, and I think they will follow his lead,” said Riyo. She had thrown herself into the job of recruiting senators against Palpatine wholeheartedly, which made Padmé a little nervous. She didn’t want Palpatine to catch on too quickly that Riyo was stirring up dissent against him. Still, the Pantoran senator was clever and Padmé knew she was being careful.

“Our numbers are growing rapidly now,” said Padmé

“Bail thinks we can have 2,000 by the end of the month.”

Padmé thought about this. It was a great number, but still not even close to a majority. The Galactic Senate was vast.

“Are you worried about Anakin?” asked Riyo, after Padmé was silent for a few moments.

“How does everybody know about that?” asked Padmé. Riyo laughed a little and shrugged.

“I always worry about him,” Padmé said.

“They had success in Kamino.”

“But will they have success on Coruscant? I don’t think there is a way for this to end peacefully.”

Padmé turned back to the window, crossing her arms across her chest for comfort. Riyo leaned over and put an arm around Padmé, trying to be reassuring when she had no real reassurances to give.

Tipoca City, Kamino

Ahsoka Tano sat on the long bed with the Sith holocron on the sheets in front of her. She didn’t touch it, only stared at it, annoyed with it and curious about it at the same time. She should probably tell Obi-Wan or Plo Koon about it, but she didn’t.

She closed her eyes and began her mantra, chanting until the air stilled around her. She opened them and saw two figures sitting on the bed in front of her, one on either side of the holocron. There was the Daughter in her bright green robes and the Son with his burning red eyes.

“Why did you lead me to this?” she asked them, gesturing to the holocron.

“I wanted you to have it,” said the Son.

“I wanted the Sith not to have it,” said the Daughter.

Ahsoka picked it up and held it in between them, moving it around in her fingers to look at every face of it.

“I can show you how to open it. All you need is your anger,” said Son.

Ahsoka looked to the Daughter, who said nothing.

“How do I get rid of it?” she asked the Daughter, who smiled a little.

“Don’t be foolish. This could be the key to your victory. The secrets in the holocron could give you absolute power,” said the Son, his words coming out in an angry hiss. Ahsoka wasn’t listening to him, though. She was watching the Daughter, who leaned forward until her forehead was pressed up against Ahsoka’s. Ahsoka saw a map of the stars in her head, leading her far from Kamino to a planet in the Lothal sector of the Outer Rim. When her vision cleared, the Son and the Daughter were both gone.

Ahsoka found the Jedi and several of the clones in one of the many dining rooms in the city. They were about halfway through the de-chipping of the clones and busy strategizing their strike against Palpatine.

“Masters,” said Ahsoka with a bow. They looked a little surprised at her formality.

“There is something I need to find in the Lothal sector. I will have to leave you for a few days,” she said.

“Leave us?” said Anakin, startled.

“Ahsoka, the Lothal sector is ages from here. It will take you days to get there and back. The attack on Coruscant is happening soon and we will need you,” said Obi-Wan.

“I’ll be back in time, I promise,” she said.

“Be careful, Little ‘Soka,” said Plo Koon.

The other Jedi looked like they didn’t quite know what to make of all this, but they didn’t try to stop her either. She started to leave, but Anakin followed her out of the room.

“Wait, wait, Ahsoka. You can’t just take off right now,” he said, catching her arm. His eyes looked a little desperate and it took Ahsoka a moment to realize how afraid he was.

“It’s very important. I’ll take the fastest ship we have and be back in a few days.” She gently pulled her arm out of his hand and started to walk away again.

“I’ll come with you,” he said, catching up to her.

Ahsoka was about to object, but she thought about it for a long moment.

“Alright,” she said.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Somewhere in the Lothal Sector
The planet came rushing into view as they pulled out of hyperspace. It was on the small side and bright red in color. There were a few bodies of water, but it seemed to be primarily a desert planet. Anakin was going to love that.“Atollon,” said Anakin, as R2-D2 pulled up the information on the planet. “It is inhabited, but no known sapient life. So spill, Snips. Why are we here?”Ahsoka reached down into her bag and pulled out the holocron, then held it out for Anakin. He took it and examined it for a moment.“This isn’t a Jedi holocron. It’s- Ahsoka, where did you get this?” His eyes opened wide as he realized he was holding a Sith holocron.“I found it in the Sith monastery beneath the Jedi temple.”“What Jedi temple?”“Our Jedi temple. On Coruscant.”Anakin’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head. It was quite comical, actually. Ahsoka would have to remember to tease him about it later.“There’s a Sith monastery underneath the Jedi temple?” he said, shaking his head. He paused and then added, “Do you think Obi-Wan knows?”“I doubt it.”They steered the starship through the planet’s atmosphere, bringing them toward a spot on the planet’s northern hemisphere.“Have you opened it?” he asked, looking closely at the holocron. Ahsoka took it back out of his hands.“No, I’m getting rid of it. This will be a safe place for it.”Anakin frowned a little, but he didn’t argue. The starship touched down gently on the red sand of the planet’s surface. Anakin instructed Artoo to guard the ship and Ahsoka led the way onto the surface, holding the holocron tightly in her hand as she went.Atollon was just about as bare up close as it had been from a distance. There were some little creatures with domed shells that scuttled around their feet and some tall spiky plants, but otherwise it looked like endless sand.“Perfect,” Anakin muttered, kicking his feet a little.“This way,” said Ahsoka, leading him out into the desert.They walked across the unchanging landscape, under the hot light of the planet’s red star. Eventually the sand dipped downward into a little valley where a cluster of the spiked plants grew.“It’s here,” said Ahsoka, coming to a stop and spinning slowly in a circle, searching for whatever she was looking for.“There’s nothing here. Unless you wanted one of those plants, but there were plenty of those right next to where we landed,” he said.Ahsoka rolled her eyes and was about to retort, when the plant that Anakin had been pointing at moved upward. With a rumbling sound, a whole section of the ground began to raise up in front of them, pulling plants and sand along with it. Ahsoka and Anakin backed away a few steps as what had first appeared to be a moving hill opened its eyes and looked at them. It was not a hill at all, but a massive creature. It had long arms and a long snout, and was covered in brown hair. Its eyes shone bright gray out of its dark face.“Hello,” it said in a deep voice. “Who has woken me?”Both Anakin and Ahsoka were staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the creature, but Ahsoka found her voice first.“My name is Ahsoka Tano. And this is the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker,” she said.“Yes, it was you. I was having a deep slumber, but your imbalance called to me,” he said, bending low to look at Anakin.“My imbalance?” said Anakin, sounding offended.“Your presence is like a violent storm in this quiet world. And you are like a smaller gale, but one that is no less dangerous,” said the creature, addressing first Anakin and then Ahsoka.A fat brown convor bird flew up and landed on the creature’s shoulder. It wasn’t the same green as the one that visited Ahsoka, but she was still happy to see it.“You’re a force wielder,” said Anakin.“And you are a Jedi, a soldier for the ashla, the light side. And you carry with you an object of the bogan, the dark side.” He turned to Ahsoka. “And you are like me, the ones in the middle. I am the Bendu.”“You know about this?” asked Ahsoka, pulling out the holocron and holding it up for the Bendu to see. The Bendu pulled up the holocron with the Force and kept it floating over his clawed hand.“The Sith holocron. Why do you fear this object?”“It’s dangerous,” said Ahsoka.The Bendu opened the holocron and examined it more carefully.“How so?” he asked.“I think it is...changing me,” Ahsoka admitted, looking down at her feet.“An object cannot change you, either of you, cannot make you good or evil. The temptation of power, forbidden knowledge, even the desire to do good can lead some down that path, but only you can change yourself. Do you wish for the power in this object?” There was a crackle of lightning in the Bendu’s palm.“No,” she said.“And you, Jedi Knight?”“I don’t know. If I become more powerful, then I can better protect those I love,” said Anakin, watching the holocron with a strange look in his eye.“Yes, yes, there is much to fear. I tell you what,” said the Bendu. He flicked his fingers and the holocron flew forward and down into a little cave in the sand. “Retrieve the object for me and I will teach you one of its secrets.”Ahsoka looked at Anakin, unsure if she wanted to know any of the secrets of the Sith holocron.“Fine,” said Anakin and he began marching up to the cave.“Leave the weapons. I will keep them safe. And remember, go in peace,” said the Bendu.Ahsoka took off both her sabers and set them carefully in the sand, as did Anakin, more reluctantly. Then she followed him into the cave. 
Tipoca City, Kamino
Obi-Wan’s holoprojector beeped just as he was drifting off to sleep in the middle of the night. He smiled a little. Satine was horrible at checking the day and night schedules of other planets and was developing a bit of a habit of always calling him when he was trying to sleep. He switched on the holoprojector and the blue image of her appeared in front of him.“How are you, my love?” she asked him.“A little tired, but otherwise none the worse,” he said. She seemed to realize that he was in his sleeping clothes and looked a little bashful.“And how is Mandalore?” he asked.“Peaceful and quiet since Maul’s death. And Kamino?”“Quite the opposite, though things have settled down now.”He told her about their progress in removing the chips from the clones. They had completed the surgery on all the clone children between equivalent age five and eighteen, but were afraid the procedure was too dangerous for any clones younger than that. And the embryos still developing in their pods could not be transported until they had been decanted. They would have to stay in Tipoca City with the Kaminoan doctors and a unit of clone troopers to look after them.“We were thinking about evacuating the children to Mandalore within a day or two, if possible. There are thousands of them.”“We’ve been preparing for them,” she assured him. He had been worried that such an influx of children would strain the planet, but Mandalore was prosperous and relatively stable for now.“We’ve set up facilities on Mandalore and Kalevala for them. They might be a bit spartan, but I imagine the clones are used to that. And they’ll only be temporary, until we can find more permanent homes for them,” she said.Obi-Wan stroked his chin. He had grown back a bit of stubble since leaving Mandalore.“Padmé sent us word from Coruscant that several of the senators have offered their planets and moons as homes for the clone children, as well. Alderaan, Pantora, and Chandrila for a start, and I’m sure there will be others.”“Good,” said Satine. She looked him over for a moment and then asked, “Should I let you get back to sleep?”“No, no, talk to me for awhile longer,” he said. He wanted to hear her voice. In all honesty, he wanted to be there on Mandalore with her, but for now it was enough just to watch her hologram image in front of him.***The cloning chamber had sustained some damage from the invasion of Tipoca City and one column of embryos had been lost. The new Kaminoan doctor, Toka Luteh, assured Shaak Ti and the other Jedi that the other embryos should be able to complete their successful development in spite of the damage. Shaak Ti didn’t exactly trust this new doctor, but she also knew very little about the cloning process itself, a bit of an embarrassing thing to admit after spending so much time on Kamino. Toka Luteh, at least, did not have the power to activate Order 66. They had tested her and a few other Kaminoan doctors to see if they could activate a volunteer from the clone guard. None of the doctors had been able to, and so they were allowed to continue overseeing the clone development process. The rest of the Kaminoans remained restricted to the northern sector of the city, unable to send out communications, but otherwise able to go about their business.Toka Luteh had also informed them of the stage of development when the chips were implanted in the first place. It was done in the late stage embryos, once they had formed enough brain tissue to support the implant. They had halted the insertion process, of course, so no new embryos would receive the chip. For the ones who already had it, however, they would have to wait until they reached equivalent age five to get the surgery to remove it.Shaak Ti watched the chamber of embryos, twitching a little in their pods as Toka Luteh moved among them, observing them. There was a little pull on Shaak Ti's robe. She looked down to see a clone of about equivalent age six, with a scar on his temple from where his chip had been removed. He wore the red and gray uniform of the young clone cadets, with his number, 87-2491, stitched on front. There was also a small white patch under the number, flagging him as potentially unfit for combat.“Yes?” she asked him.He tugged on her robe again.“What is your name?” she asked him. He pointed to his clone number.“You must have a nickname, though. What do your brothers call you?” she asked, leaning down to be closer to the young clone’s height.He only shrugged.“That’s Hush,” called the voice of another young clone, this one about equivalent ten. “He doesn’t say much. Or anything.”“Did something go wrong with his vocal cords in development?” she asked.“Nope, there’s something wrong with his brain.”Shaak Ti stood up to her full height and regarded the older clone child.“Aren’t you supposed to report to Commander Cody with the others?” she asked.“Yes, Master Ti,” said the clone child, looking a little embarrassed. He bowed awkwardly and hurried away.“Come then, Hush. You must join the others. You all are leaving for Mandalore tomorrow.” She held out her hand and Hush took it. She couldn’t help but to remember what Fives had told her on Mandalore, that the young clones saw her as a sort of surrogate parent. As a Jedi, she had never really considered the possibility of children, but if Fives was right then she had around eight thousand, with many more on the way. The thought was daunting to say the least.They reached the barracks of the clone children, where Commander Cody and the other members of the 212th were overseeing the evacuation.“Sorry, General, a few of them slipped out and have been wandering the city,” said Cody when she brought Hush to him.“That’s alright. They do seem a bit more…independent now that their chips are out.”“We’ve started moving them onto the Vigilance , but we just need to make sure all are accounted for. I’ll take this one.”Hush seemed reluctant to let go of Shaak Ti’s hand, but eventually did so. She crossed her fists in front of her and then pulled them aside.“Safe,” she said. Then she held up her right hand with her index and middle fingers curved and moved the hand in front of her. “Journey,” she said. She did the motions again.“Safe journey,” she said.Hush stared up at her for a moment, and then crossed his hands in front on him and mimicked her movements. Shaak Ti smiled at him and then walked down to the southern landing platform to watch the other children board the starship.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Atollon

The cave was damp and had a musty sort of smell to it that was almost overpowering. Anakin and Ahsoka didn’t have their lightsabers to illuminate their way and had only one small flashlight between them. They followed the small patch of light through the pungent darkness until they came to a fork in the tunnel.

“I think it’s this way,” said Ahsoka, taking the left passageway. Anakin followed her without complaint, but she could sense his annoyance at having to be in the cave in the first place. They walked a little farther and then Anakin stopped.

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

Ahsoka stopped, too, listening hard. The cave seemed silent at first, except for the sound of their breathing, but then she heard it, a skittering sort of sound. She couldn’t be sure, but she had the awful suspicion that it was the sound of legs crawling through the tunnels. The sound grew louder, approaching them from the direction they were headed.

“We should go,” said Anakin, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“We’re so close,” said Ahsoka and kept walking. They kept moving forward, toward the sound, and didn’t notice the side tunnel that connected to the one they were walking down.

“It stinks in here,” said Anakin.

There was a clicking sound and a faint hiss from behind them. They turned to find the tunnel blocked by an enormous white creature with six spindly legs and more eyes than Ahsoka could easily count. Anakin raised his hand and threw the spider-like creature backwards with the Force. It hit the wall of the tunnel and shrieked.

“Ahsoka, we gotta go,” he said.

“No, wait!” She grabbed his left arm to keep him from leaving. “The Bendu said we have to go in peace. We can’t fight them.”

“Why do you trust this Bendu? We don’t know anything about him. This could all just be a trap to kill us.”

“I just do, alright? You may not trust him, but you can at least trust me. Please, Anakin. We can do this.”

Anakin looked like he wanted to argue, but then he let out a sigh.

“I do trust you,” he said.

The spider rose to its feet and came toward them again.

“Stay calm,” said Ahsoka.

The spider didn’t attack, only stared at them with its many beady eyes. Ahsoka continued the way down the tunnel, with the spider following behind them. She could feel a hint of nervousness starting to reach her, so she began her meditation chant. Anakin couldn’t understand Togruti, but it seemed to calm him a little, as well.

The tunnel dipped downward and then opened up into a larger chamber, where three more of the spiders were waiting. On the back of the tallest spider sat the holocron. Anakin pulled it to them with the Force and caught it. He tensed for a moment, as if expecting an attack, but the spiders didn’t advance.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Anakin.

The Bendu was waiting for them when they finally emerged from the cave system. He looked, if anything, a little bored by it all, though he perked up when he saw them.

“Ah, well, done. You didn’t get eaten, I see,” he said.

“Yeah, thanks for the warning,” grumbled Anakin. Ahsoka nudged him in the ribs.

“The krykna spiders can sense fear and anger, and tend to respond to it in kind. But those who are peaceful and brave can easily pass through their ranks unharmed.”

“Is that the lesson you promised us for retrieving this?” asked Anakin, waving the holocron.

The Bendu pulled the holocron to himself and opened it with ease.

“No, no. There are many secrets in this object and I will share one with you now. What would you like to learn? How to summon the Force lightning, perhaps.”

“What is that?” asked Ahsoka.

“The Force lightning? It is one of the many powers that the Sith can achieve. It allows them to send out energy from their very fingertips to harm or kill their opponents.”

“How do they do it?” she asked.

“It takes the purest of hatred and anger to summon the lightning, undiluted by any feelings of mercy or compassion.”

“I don’t feel much anger, only sadness and disappointment,” Ahsoka admitted.

“Well, there aren’t many Sith powers driven by that. But I may have one for you. If you cannot summon the lightning yourself, you can learn to redirect it.”

“Teach us,” said Anakin, and then at Ahsoka’s look, he added, “Please.”

“Lightning is powerful, and if you yourself are not at peace, then it will explode within you as you try to redirect it. You must be peaceful as you pull it through your own body. Start by catching it in your fingertips and then making it travel down your arm and into your stomach. You must be careful that it never passes through your heart, however. If it does, the effects could be fatal. Then, pull it up from you stomach into your other arm and out through the hand.” As the Bendu spoke, he moved his own arms in the motion, tracing the pathway the lightning needed to take.

Anakin was frowning as he watched and when the Bendu finished he removed his glove and held up his mechanical right hand.

“How will I do it with this?” he asked.

“That arm is a part of you. It will work the same, as long as you don’t try to hold the lightning inside of it.”

Ahsoka mirrored the motion that the Bendu was showing her, trying to imagine the Force lightning moving through her. Anakin hesitated and then did so, as well. They repeated it several times, with the Bendu making a few minor corrections, until they were sure they had it memorized.

“Thank you, Master Bendu,” said Ahsoka, bowing to him.

“Master?” he said with a chuckle. “Now go on, and leave me to my sleep.”

They retrieved their lightsabers from him and then turned to leave the valley.

“Oh, and what should I do with this?” asked the Bendu, moving the holocron.

“Keep it. As a gift,” said Ahsoka, over her shoulder.

They could hear the Bendu chuckling to himself as they left.

Beskara, Mandalore

Satine had wanted a huge celebration to welcome the clone children home to Mandalore, but unfortunately they still needed to be discreet. News of the invasion of Kamino had not yet reached Coruscant, but they knew it would soon. They had to act as quickly and quietly as they could. The

Vigilance

sent out shuttles of clone children to the locations on Mandalore and Kalevala where their quarters had been set up. The Mandalorian officials and the caretakers knew they were coming, but they had tried to keep the information quiet from the rest of the citizens. It would leak eventually, and then make its way to the Republic, but hopefully not for a few more days.

Satine waited for the shuttles to arrive at the facility on the outskirts of the city of Beskara. She wished she could greet them at every location, but she couldn’t be in so many places at once. The first shuttle touched down in the landing field and its ramp hissed open. Obi-Wan was the first to walk off of it, followed by a few dozen children, each one identical to the others, though varying somewhat in age. He pulled her into a hug when he saw her, which elicited a few murmurs and giggles from the children.

“I’m glad you made it here safe,” she said. She had had a pit of worry growing in her stomach ever since he left for Kamino.

“We’ve been lucky so far,” he said.

“Obi, this is Obek Niscova and Dr. Lyzza. They and their staff will be in charge of the boys’ care,” she said, introducing the two Mandalorians that stood behind her.

“We’ll make sure they are well fed and looked after,” said the doctor.

Satine led the way into the plain gray building. The lodgings inside were simple, but comfortable, with rooms of six bunk beds, a large dining room, and even some recreation rooms with sabacc cards and dejarik boards. It was the young clones’ first time away from Kamino and the younger ones looked a little nervous at their new location.

“Listen up, cadets,” said Boil, and they all snapped to attention.

“We have a mission for you all while you are here on Mandalore. We need you to lay low and stay out of sight until Coruscant and the Galactic Senate are secure. Can I count on you?” asked Boil.

“Yes, sir!” they all shouted.

Even the littlest ones, equivalent to five year olds, were so military already, like tiny soldiers. They would have to learn how to be proper children.

One of the older boys, who looked about fourteen ran up to Obi-Wan.

“General, can’t we join you? We’re old enough to fight,” he said.

Before Obi-Wan could respond, Satine said, “You will fight, here on Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan looked shocked at her words.

“You can fight off ignorance by working hard at your education,” she added and Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head a little.

“Yes, Duchess,” said the young clone, looking confused.

“There are a few more shuttles arriving,” said Obi-Wan, leading Satine back outside.

***

Obi-Wan could not stay more than a few hours on Mandalore. He had to return to Kamino to get the adult clone troopers and cadets, and take them to Coruscant to begin the assault against the Supreme Chancellor. It wasn’t nearly enough time, especially since the Coruscant mission was sure to be dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than anything he had ever done. Then again, Obi-Wan had managed to wound a Sith apprentice when he was only a padawan, and Satine knew how capable he was. They had some time together while Commander Cody took another group of clone children to Kalevala, but after that he would have to depart. They couldn’t leave Beskara, so they simply went for a walk on their own through the sunny streets.

“Obi, can I ask you something?” Satine felt herself growing nervous, and fiddled with one of her bracelets trying to distract herself.

“Of course.”

“There’s something I need to tell you, something I probably should have told you a long time ago.”

“That Korkie is our son,” he finished for her.

Satine’s eyes went wide and she whirled to face him.

“You knew?”

Obi-Wan shrugged a little. “Well, his Force signature is similar to mine. Not to mention, he was born nine months after we…”

“Violated your Jedi oath.”

“Yes, well, I suppose, yes,” he said, blushing a little.

Satine took his hand and continued walking.

“Are you angry that I didn’t tell you sooner?” she asked.

“No. I should have been more honest with you, as well. I realize I must have put you in a difficult situation.”

“We were just so young when it happened. And I was afraid if I told you, you would leave the Jedi for me and then later come to regret it. And my older sister was already married. She had stability, so she offered to raise Korkie as her own.”

Obi-Wan squeezed her hand, and couldn’t to help but to wonder how different his life would be if he had left the Jedi order sooner.

“He doesn’t know, does he?” he asked.

“No, but I’m going to tell him.”

They made their way into a quiet park off of the walking path.

“Keep each other safe. Until I get back,” said Obi-Wan, stopping and wrapping his arms around Satine.

“We will.”

“Oh, and I have to ask. Why in all of the galaxy did you name him Korkie?”

Satine slapped his arm lightly, but she laughed and buried her face in chest. He held her tightly. It was true that it would be difficult to leave her and his son to go on so dangerous a mission, but as he hugged her, he also felt a determination to make the galaxy as safe as he could for her. He had fought for the Republic for so long, but now he had something very different and infinitely more wonderful to fight for.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant

Master Yoda could feel the darkness, ever present and pushing at the edge of his mind. It was so close, but something was blocking him from seeing the true form of it. He shook his head, causing his large ears to flap about, and tried to refocus his thoughts. There were many concerns that needed to be addressed at the upcoming High Council meeting. Master Kenobi’s communications were vague and infrequent, both Master Shaak Ti and Master Adi Gallia’s Council seats needed to be replaced following their deaths, and Master Billaba had left her post in the outer rim and was still unaccounted for.

Yoda made his way up to the council chambers, leaning heavily on his cane as he walked. He could sense a strange shift in the Force as he approached the doors. He opened them and entered the room. He was usually the first one to arrive for the meetings, so he was not surprised to find that the chambers were nearly empty. What did surprise him was that they were not entirely empty, and the reason they were not entirely empty was that young Ahsoka Tano was standing on the far side of the room, looking out the high windows.

“Master Yoda, I’ve been waiting for your arrival,” she said.

Yoda could sense something very different about her, and he twisted his hands a little on his cane.

“Ahsoka. A long time, it has been. We were not expecting you here.”

She turned to face him and he noticed the two new lightsabers that she wore on her belt.

“We have a lot to talk about. Will you sit with me?” she asked.

She went and sat in Ki-Adi-Mundi’s chair and waited until Yoda joined her in his own council seat. She held out her hand, palm up and he placed his own on top of it. He could feel new power inside of her, but could not tell if it was good or bad.

With his hand in her own, she closed her eyes and he followed suit.

Suddenly there was music playing in his head, a sort of military song, a victory song, though not one he had ever heard before. And then he could see the band that was playing the song, marching through the streets of Coruscant in a parade. There were soldiers behind musicians, wearing white armor similar to that of the clone troopers, though  not quite the same. The crowd was cheering, some with more sincerity than others. There was a man giving a speech, as well, and it took Yoda a moment to recognize him as Wilhuff Tarkin. His voice boomed out from an amplified speaker system.

“...and this Empire Day, we celebrate our supremacy over the galaxy and the might of our Emperor!”

Yoda opened his eyes and looked over at Ahsoka.

“What vision have you shown me, Padawan?” he asked, forgetting for a moment that Ahsoka was no longer a member of the Jedi order.

“A grim possibility, Master. Now, may I show you how it comes to be?”

Yoda nodded and closed his eyes again.

There was no music this time, only the sound of marching feet, coming from an army of clones, following a hooded figure into the Jedi Temple. Jocasta Nu was cut down by a lightsaber. Younglings died with nothing to protect them. The scenes of terror flashed quickly through his mind, flashing from the temple to planets all across the galaxy. On one, Obi-Wan Kenobi fell from a high cliffside after his own men fired a missile at him. Aayla Secura did not even have time to draw her lightsaber when her soldiers shot her in the back. Ki-Adi-Mundi had time to turn around, but there were too many clones shooting at him for him to block all the blaster bolts. Plo Koon’s ship exploded. Stass Allie’s speeder crashed.

“Who did this?” he asked Ahsoka, without opening his eyes.

The vision changed and he saw a hooded figure.

“Execute Order 66,” it said. Yoda moved around until he could the figure’s face.

“Palpatine,” he said, opening his eyes and bringing himself back to the Council chamber. He released Ahsoka’s hand and let his own drop to his side.

“Blind, I have been,” he said.

“We all were, for a very long time,” said Ahsoka.

The doors hissed open and Mace Windu entered the chamber, but stopped when he saw Ahsoka. She stood from Ki-Adi-Mundi’s seat and went to stand beside the window again.

“Sit, Master Windu. I will explain when the rest of the council is here,” said Yoda. He felt old, as old as he was.

Mace still looked confused, but he didn’t question Yoda’s words.

One by one, the Jedi High Council made their way into the chambers. Some looked confused by Ahsoka’s presence, but Plo Koon nodded to her and Kit Fisto gave her a wink when they entered. Anakin followed Obi-Wan into the room and went to stand by Ahsoka. Luminara Unduli, Jocasta Nu, Yaddle, and Aayla Secura came in, as well, though they were not members of the High Council. When all the council seats had been filled, except for Shaak Ti’s, Yoda leaned forward to speak.

“There is one more, Master Yoda,” said Ahsoka.

The doors hissed opened and Master Shaak Ti entered, looking very much alive.

“Hid your energy, you have,” Yoda said, crossing his hands in front of him.

“My apologies, Master, but I felt it was necessary. I have much to tell you.”

Yoda nodded and Shaak Ti began to tell them about the true nature of the clones.
***
“So, you’ve found me,” said Palpatine.

He stood in his office, looking across the city to the Jedi temple. On the outside, it looked no different than before, but he could feel the realization of the Jedi stirring within its walls. He went back to his desk and pulled out his hologram projector. The images of Count Dooku and General Grievous sprung up in front of him.

“My lord,” said Dooku.

“Begin the Separatist assault on Coruscant,” he told them.

“Immediately,” said Grievous.

“It will be done,” said Dooku.

It mattered little what the Jedi knew. Once their own armies turned on them, they would no longer be a problem for him. He made another holocall.

“Activate Order 66.”
***
From the

Vigilance

, Cody could see the fleet of Separatist ships arriving in the orbit of Coruscant. He ran to the holopad to call General Kenobi.

“Sir, we have company,” he said.

***

Even on the surface on the planet, they could see the explosions and colorful blasts in the upper atmosphere, like some horrible fireworks display. The unchipped clones were engaging the Separatists and so far were successful in preventing any Separatist ships from landing on the planet. There were sirens ringing out all over the city and people were screaming and fleeing in the streets.

Ahsoka stood on the steps of the Jedi Temple with the 501st behind her, looking up at the battle over their heads. She could feel the fear of the people of Coruscant all around her.

Anakin came out of the temple to join them.

“Captain Rex, take half your men to protect the city. There are still senators that need to be evacuated. And keep the citizens away from the firefights. Appo, take the other half and get the younglings out of the temple,” he said.

“Yes, General,” said Rex, with a salute.

“Jesse got Padmé out already,” said Ahsoka.

“I know,” Anakin said, but he still looked tense and nervous.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

She watched him for a long moment.

“I’m afraid,” she said.

“Me, too.”

“But we must remember the spiders,” she said. She turned and began to run toward the Senate building.

***

Yoda was a clever military commander, but it was not the role he found himself the best suited for. He prefered to be the spiritual leader of the Jedi, rather than a General, but somehow he found himself orchesting the biggest battle of the war. He stood in the temple tower as chaos filled the skies above him and the streets below, listening to the reports of his Jedi and their loyal clone soldiers. For him, the war came in flashes of conversations.

First there was Aayla and Kit.

“We have set off the bombs at the Revan and Satele airfields and are moving to take out Duralan now. Only two activated clones have managed to get off the ground so far,” said Aayla, through Yoda’s comm.

“Look out!” came Kit Fisto’s voice in the distance. There was the sound of blaster fire and a shriek of pain.

“Master Secura. Aayla!” Yoda called.

“She’s alright. She’s been hit, but not bad,” said Kit a few moments later.

“I can walk,” said Aayla.

“We’ll keep going,” said Kit, turning off the comm.

Yoda checked on the shuttle pilots next. Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Luminara Unduli, and Plo Koon had all gone up to attack the Separatist ships.

“Plo and I have almost reached Dooku’s main vessel. Kenobi and Unduli are taking on Grievous. I think they’ve already boarded,” said Mace.

“The wolfpack will draw their fire, and then we can make our run,” said Plo Koon.

Then Yoda called Master Shaak Ti, though it was a clone trooper who answered.

“Sorry, Master Yoda, she’s got her hands full right now. We’re taking heavy fire,” he said.

“Send you air support, I will,” said Yoda.

“Thanks. You know, for having such long legs, these Kaminoans are slow.”

“I object to everything about this,” said the voice of Taun We.

“Just stay down,” said the clone.

“Let’s go, Fives,” yelled Shaak Ti.

“Gotta go, Master Yoda.”

Then Jocasta Nu reported in that she, Yaddle, and several clones had gotten the younglings all to safety.

From Ahsoka and Anakin, though, there was radio silence. Yoda looked out toward the Senate building, trying to sense them, but feeling only a cold emptiness.

***

There was a legion of activated clone troops standing guard outside the Senate building. They looked almost like statues, memorializing a victory they had not yet achieved.

“Gold leader, we could use some air support,” Anakin called through the comm.

“On our way, General.”

Aayla and Kit must have succeeded in destroying the air bases, because so far the skies were dominated by their loyal clones. The gold team shuttles swooped down, dropping bombs and strafing the activated clones with blaster fire.

“Let’s go, Snips,” said Anakin.

They ran around to the side of the building and scaled the wall up to the second level platform. There, they cut their way through the metal doors and entered the hallway. There were two Senate guards inside, wearing their new red uniforms, but Anakin sliced them down with his lightsaber before they could sound the alarm.

“In here,” he said, pulling the grate off of one of the air ducts. Ahsoka climbed in first and he followed.

“How do you know about this way in?” she asked him.

“Let’s just say I learned how to sneak around the Senate after Padmé and I got married.”

It was cramped in the ducts and Ahsoka kept banging her montrals against the sides. Anakin was having an even harder time, though, as he barely fit through a few sections. They climbed straight up until they reached the top floor and then crawled over toward the Supreme Chancellor’s office. The air grew colder as they approached. Palpatine, or Sidious as they should call him now, was no longer hiding his presence from them.

They reached the hallway that lead to his office, finding ten more members of the elite Senate guard standing in wait. There was a small grate in the duct, big enough to see through, but not to drop down from. They retreated to an empty hallway around the corner and cut their way through, jumping down to the floor.

It was a relief to stand up straight again, but not much of a relief, as the Senate guards must have heard them. Two rounded the corner, but Ahsoka drew her lightsabers and with one strike killed them. She and Anakin ran forward and made quick work of the others. They may be the elite guard, but they were still no match for the Jedi.

The door of the office was unlocked and opened easily, and they rushed in.

Ahsoka came to a sudden halt, feeling as if she had had the air knocked out of her. She was looking at an empty room. The Chancellor was gone.

“No,” said Anakin, and then repeated it even louder.

Ahsoka felt her lightsabers fall out of her hands and clatter on the floor. She couldn’t feel the Sith Lord at all, could feel nothing but the decoy Force presence he had set up for them. This was supposed to be their one chance and they had failed. She had failed.

***

The tallest broadcast tower on Coruscant also happened to be in the Senate District of the city, where the heaviest of the fighting was taking place. Shaak Ti, Fives, and a large battalion of unchipped clones were all pinned down, hiding behind the rubble of a fallen building. It didn’t help that they had to keep an astromech droid and the disagreeable Kaminoan Prime Minister alive and well during the battle. Taun We had never been the most expressive of creatures, but now she was showing her first emotion and it was angry as hell.

“How dare you bring me to this horrible place,” she said, less monotonously than usual.

“Quiet,” said Fives.

There was a loud mechanical sound and they looked out to see two walkers of the six-legged AT-TE variety moving toward them.

“Is that theirs or ours?” asked one of the clones.

It was becoming difficult to tell which clones were activated and which were not in the chaos of the battle. Generally, if they shot at her, Shaak Ti assumed they were activated.

The AT-TE fired a missile at the fallen building, blowing up three of her clone troopers.

“It’s theirs. Fall back,” called Shaak Ti, grabbing Taun We and pulling the Kaminoan along with them.

Shaak Ti pressed her commlink to call Yoda.

“Master Yoda, we need air support immediately,” she said. Her usual calm tone broke a little as they fled the bombardment of the AT-TEs.

“They are on the way, Master Ti,” came his reply.

“Clankers incoming!” shouted Fives.

Shaak Ti looked back to see a unit of battle droids and several destroyers heading for them.

“Gold leader, coming in hot,” said a clone’s voice through the comm. A group of starfighters began to swoop down toward them. The AT-TEs tried to fire up at the ships, but the pilots dodged and sent down missiles that blew the machines into pieces. The starfighters pulled up, turned, and made another pass, this time firing on the droid unit and activated clones to clear a path to the tower.

“That’s our opening,” said Fives.

“Forward,” said Shaak Ti.

Her clone troopers ran forward first, keeping the path open, while Shaak Ti protected Taun We from any blaster fire. They reached the building and ran inside. Several clones quickly began to barricade the door so their activated brothers could not enter. It was empty and relatively quiet inside. The staff must have all already evacuated.

“Let’s go,” said Shaak Ti, pulling Taun We’s arm and nearly dragging her up the staircase. They needed to go all the way to the top to get the best signal.

Halfway up the tower they heard a near deafening boom and ran to the windows to look out. A massive ship was consumed in flames in the upper atmospherre and beginning to break into pieces that fell toward the planet’s surface. In the state it was in, they couldn’t tell if it was a Republic or a Separatist cruiser. The destruction of its crash would be about the same either way.

Taun We faltered a bit when she saw it, but Shaak Ti nudged her. They needed to keep moving.

They reached the signal room at the top of the tower and the astromech rolled forward to tune the equipment. They needed the message to reach all across Coruscant and its atmosphere. When the droid was finished setting up, one of the clones placed the microphone in front of Taun We. The droid spun its arm in a mech socket and all of their hologram projectors and commlinks turned on. Shaak Ti hoped the same was happening all over the city.

“Do it now,” she told Taun We.

“This is Prime Minister Taun We of Kamino. All clones are to execute Order 14. Repeat, all clones execute Order 14.”

She sat back and glared at Shaak Ti.

Fives ran to the window and looked down.

“It worked, General. At least around this building. All the activated clones are down,” he said.

Shaak Ti went to join him and looked down at the mix of comatose and dead bodies on the ground. In the distance, an interceptor ship went crashing to the ground, piloted by an unconscious clone. The battle on the ground seemed to be mostly over, though there were still ships fighting in the upper atmosphere. From so high up in the tower they had a good view of it all, the burning parts of the city, the destruction, and the sun dipping lower and lower in the warring sky.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Less than a day’s worth of destruction would take months, if not years, to repair. There were broken skyscrapers, crashed ships, and countless injured, both soldiers and civilians. Smoke and dust hung heavy in the air.The Republic had won the battle, but it felt far from a victory with all the destruction and losses of life. Still, there had been victorious moments. Count Dooku was dead, killed by Mace Windu, and General Grievous had been cut down by Obi-Wan and Luminara. One of the Separatists’ largest warships had gone down in flames. With their primary leadership dead and their fleet crippled, the remaining Separatist admirals had pulled back their troops and fled across the galaxy.One other consolation was that they had managed to cut off Palpatine’s transmissions outside of Coruscant. As such, he had only been able to activate the clones on the planet and not the millions of chipped clones that still were spread across the galaxy. They had sent out word to all the Jedi generals they had not yet contacted, informing them of the chips and the removal procedure. Soon enough, every clone would be free of the control chips.The evacuated Senators returned to Coruscant as soon as the battle had ended, in order to immediately begin dealing with the aftermath - the emergency care, the news coverage, the reconstruction. Not to mention, there were now thousands of comatose clones lying limp in the streets. The Jedi, meanwhile, found themselves all gathering back at the Temple with many of their clone troopers. The Council chamber was too small to fit them all, so they met in the library. It was usually such a quiet place, and peacefully so, but now the silence seemed suffocating. The escape of Darth Sidious hung heavy over each and every one of the surviving Jedi, as did the losses they had suffered in the battle.Saesee Tiin, Oppo Rancisis, and Pablo-Jill were all dead, their bodies laying covered under cloaks in the corner of the library until they could be properly cremated and interned. Yaddle was kneeling beside Oppo’s body, saying a final goodbye to her former padawan. Mace Windu had been the winner of his fight with Dooku, but the Count had managed to cut off Mace’s left hand. Anakin couldn’t help but to make a comment about how they matched each other now and held up his own cybernetic hand, but Mace did not look at all amused by it. Aayla Secura had lost half of her lek to a blaster bolt and Plo Koon was limping badly, but more of them had survived than expected. Even Taun We was still alive, though she was cuffed and sitting by herself in the corner.Yoda sat quietly in one of the library chairs, fussing with his cane.“I can’t feel him,” said Ahsoka, going to sit next to him.“Powerful is this Sith,” he said.“He’s a cockroach. He knows how to survive.”“In search of a new apprentice, he will be. Stop him, we must. You have grown powerful, young Ahsoka.”“Not powerful enough.” A horrible thought flickered across Ahsoka’s mind, that she should return to Atollon and pull more secrets from the Sith holocron. She rubbed her head, trying to make the thoughts go away.“Seek more power, do you?” Yoda asked her.“I don’t know what I seek,” she admitted. Yoda nodded at her.“Where do you think he will go?” she asked.“A Sith sacred site, perhaps. Or back to the Separatists. Wait and see, we shall.”Their conversation was interrupted, then, when Jocasta Nu brought the younglings back into the library. Many of them ran over to Yoda, asking him questions about what had happened, so Ahsoka stood and went over to Anakin, Rex, and Obi-Wan. They patted Ahsoka on the back, trying to comfort her and feel better about the disappointment of the battle themselves.“So, what now?” asked Rex, looking around at the crowded library.“I could use a drink,” said Obi-Wan.Anakin and Rex agreed. Ahsoka had not reached the legal drinking age for her species on Coruscant, but, given the circumstances, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would be bothered to try and stop her.  
Raxus
The Separatist Parliament was in chaos following the death of their Head of State, Count Dooku. The sound in the room was near deafening, as each Senator tried to have their voice heard. Senator Voe Atell was screaming for a swift counterattack, while Senator By Bluss urged patience. Senator Punn Rimbaud had grown so frustrated that she had stopped speaking Basic altogether and was honking angrily in her native language.Congress Leader Bec Lawise was currently sitting in Dooku’s seat in Parliament and was rubbing his large head, trying to stave off the oncoming headache.“Enough!” he finally shouted. His microphoned voice boomed out over the Senators, who immediately fell into silence. “If we let ourselves go at each other’s throats like a bunch of rabid anoobas, then the Republic has already won. They have dealt a blow to us with the death of Count Dooku and General Grievous, but we will recover, as we always have. We still have our droid armies, our admirals, and our convictions, which are far stronger than anyone in the Republic, and that is why we will win this war. Now, the first order of business is to select a permanent replacement for Count Dooku as Head of State. Then we must talk about raising funds for the war effort.”The chambers were quiet for a moment.“I nominate Bec Lawise for Head of State,” called Amita Fonti.Several other Senators shouted out their own support for Lawise and soon the room was full of the cheering.“We will have a vote. All in favor say ‘Aye,’” said Lawise and the ‘Ayes’ rang out.“All in disagreement say ‘Nay,’” he said.There were a few scattered ‘Nays.’“The ‘Ayes’ have it. I hereby appoint myself as Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.”***It had been one Bec Lawise’s longest days in the Parliament, though he had to admit, one of the best. After years of watching Count Dooku loom over them in the podium, Lawise had yearned for the day when he would be in that seat. Dooku’s death was unfortunate, of course, but sometimes extraordinary things could come out of tragic events. Besides, Dooku had had many failures during the course of his term. He had even been kidnapped by pirates on one memorable occasion. Lawise would never let something so foolish happen to him.His quarters on Raxus were quiet when he finally got home. The air in the apartment was surprisingly chilly, however. There was supposed to be a servant droid who turned up the temperature just before he got home, though Lawise had always thought of the servant droids as incompetent. He walked through the apartment to change the temperature himself when he saw a cloaked figure in his living room. “What the hell are you doing in here?” he growled, already pulling out his comm to call the authorities.The comm flew out of his hand and shattered against the wall. The figure rose to its feet and lowered its hood.“Chancellor Palpatine?” Lawise said stunned. The last thing he expected to find was the leader of the Republic in his apartment. Before Lawise could say anything more, however, he felt a clenching feeling in his throat, as if an invisible hand were choking him. He scratched at his throat, trying to gulp down air and fell to his knees. The clenching feeling subsided. He coughed and gasped, his head feeling dizzy.“I came to congratulate you on your new position as the Separatist Head of State. And to make you a deal. I am going to make you very rich and powerful, and you are going to do each and every thing I tell you.”“And if I refuse?” Lawise gasped out.“You do not want to refuse.”Lawise believed him, so he nodded.“Together, we are going to bring the Republic to its knees,” hissed Palpatine. 
Coruscant
The Republic Senate was perhaps in even greater disarray than the Separatist Parliament, unsurprising given that the Republic included vastly more representatives than the Confederacy. Very few Senators actually knew what had transpired during the Battle of Coruscant, so rumors were quick to take off and spread. Padmé heard more outlandish things in the first hour of the Senate meeting than she had in a long time. There were stories that the Jedi had murdered Palpatine to take power of the Republic for themselves and that the Separatist virus had spread to Coruscant and infected most of the clones. There was even a rumor the droids had rebelled and killed Count Dooku so that they could take over the galaxy. Every wild tale seemed to be considered, other than the truth, of course.“Order, order!” shouted Mas Amedda, taking on Palpatine’s role in his absence.“If we may, Vice Chancellor,” called Bail, over the din.“We recognize Senators Bail Organa of Alderaan and Padmé Amidala of Naboo,” said Mas Amedda.Padmé piloted their repulserpod into the center of the Senate chamber.“Senators, I know this is a confusing time, but we have uncovered information that may shed light on recent events,” said Padmé. The shouting quieted down a bit in the vast room.“Chancellor Palpatine has deceived us. He created the clone army, not to serve the Republic, but to serve himself, as his own personal army. Each clone possesses an implant that can shut off all self-control and turn them into little more than puppets of the Supreme Chancellor,” said Bail.The chamber exploded into a mix of gasps, boos, and incoherent shouting.“That is a lie,” shouted Senator Burtoni, the representative of Kamino, making herself heard above the din.“We have the proof right here,” said Padmé, holding up one of the removed chips. “And there are enough clone troopers in the GAR for every single Senator here to test for themselves whether we are lying.”There was more shouting that followed and even Mas Amedda stamping his staff on the ground could not call the uproarious Senate to order.***“Well, I think that went about as well as could be expected,” said Mon Mothma, once the Senate had been dismissed. She caught up to Padmé and Bail in the hallway and followed them back to Padmé’s office.“Do you think they will believe us, though?” asked Padmé.“I think we certainly got their attention. All we need them to do is to verify for themselves that what we are saying is true. It will not take long I think. The affected clones have been sent to the hospitals. Every doctor on Coruscant will be able to find the implants and decode them,” said Bail.“But will it be soon enough? Palpatine has such fervent supporters. There are those who I think would still support him, even knowing what he truly is,” said Padmé. They reached her office and Padmé went to pour herself a drink.“Perhaps, but I think you have shaken the faith of some of his supporters. And remember, you have many allies.”As if on cue, several of the senators who had been working to oppose Palpatine walked in. Pa Dua led the way, followed by Riyo Chuchi, Orn Free Taa, and Kin Robb, all looking in higher spirits than Padmé felt.“Senators, may I be the first to congratulate you on your rousing speech,” said Orn Free Taa, holding out his hands as if celebrating a great victory.“Palpatine’s corrupt leadership is coming to a swift end, if it has not ended already,” said Kin Robb, smiling.Padmé didn’t want to raise her hopes too high. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. There is still so much work to be done.”“Padmé is just being modest. Things are changing in the Senate,” said Bail. “A toast then. To the return of our true democracy,” said Orn Free Taa.Pa Dua began to pour out the drinks, while Riyo told them about overhearing several senators who were beginning to doubt Palpatine’s motives.“To the Republic,” said Orn Free Taa, raising his glass.The others joined him, clinking their own glasses against his. Over the sound of the toast, Padmé almost missed the soft tinkling noise as a little metal ball was thrown through her office window. She glimpsed the red flashing light on the ball, and flinched.“Bomb!” she shouted. She dropped her glass and shoved Riyo and Bail toward the door. The others startled into action as well, diving out of the way. Padmé made it into the hallway, just as the office exploded behind them. Padmé was thrown forward and slammed into the wall. Her ears were ringing and she could only hear the muted sounds of shouts and screams around her. The hallway was full of smoke and burning pieces of what had once been her office. She coughed and stood slowly to her feet, trying to make sense of the world around her. Before she could, someone in a uniform, a clone or a Senate guard, picked her up and began to carry her out of the ruined part of the building.“Wait, wait,” she said weakly. She had to know if the others were alright.The world went black around her before she could find out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Jedi could sense the turmoil of the Senate meeting from the High Council tower, though they had plenty of conflicts of their own to deal with. For one thing, the High Council seemed to be expanding rapidly, as more and more Jedi continued to attend the meetings. Stass Allie, Jocasta Nu, and Yaddle had taken the seats left empty by the deaths of Oppo Rancisis, Saesee Tiin, and Adi Gallia. Luminara and Aayla had dragged in a bench for themselves and set it next to Plo Koon’s seat. Anakin and Ahsoka were standing together by the windows. Mace Windu seemed to be gritting his teeth at the invasion of the Council chambers, but Yoda allowed them all to stay, accepting that unconventional times called for unconventional measures.

“Much to discuss, we have,” said Yoda to start the meeting.

“Has there been any sign of the Sith?” asked Luminara.

“Not yet. It seems likely that he will go into hiding for some time, to rebuild his strength and seek out a new apprentice,” said Mace Windu.

An unspoken question seemed to hang in the air around them, which everyone was thinking, but no one was quite bold enough to say aloud.

How did we not know? How did Palpatine fool us for so long?

The revelation of the Sith’s identity had shaken all of them and many seemed to be at a great loss for how to proceed from there. Ideas were thrown out during the meeting, suggesting galaxy-wide searches, traps to lure him out of hiding, and deals to be made with bounty hunters.

“We must be patient. The Battle of Coruscant caused the Order some great losses, and we need to rebuild our strength. We need to be ready when Sidious does make himself known, but I don’t think we can force him out of hiding,” said Obi-Wan. Luminara and Ki-Adi agreed with him, but Kit Fisto suggested more immediate action was needed.

Ahsoka remained quiet, listening to the Masters speak. Beside her, Anakin seemed to have his mind on other things, and he spent the majority of the meeting looking out the window in the direction of the Senate building.

“Allies, Sidious still has, in the Republic. Question them, we should,” said Yaddle.

“Mas Amedda worked closely with Palpatine. He may have some information-” began Mace. He was interrupted, however, by the sound of an explosion in the distance - two explosions, actually, in rapid succession.

“It’s the Senate!” said Ki-Adi, seeing the fireballs bloom out of the distant Senate building.

Anakin and Ahsoka were already in motion, running out of the Council chamber and down the staircase of the tower. They could hear Obi-Wan and several other Jedi running after them.

When they reached the Senate building, they found Senate guards and clone troopers already evacuating Senators, most of whom looked frightened but unharmed.

“Trooper, what happened?” Ahsoka asked, finding a clone commander with red and white armor.

“Someone set off two bombs in the Senate. We don’t have casualty numbers yet. We were just told to get everyone out,” he said.

Anakin was searching wildly through the crowd of Senators that were rushing past him, looking for Padmé. The panic all around them made it difficult to sense any one particular Force presence.

A Senate guard came out, supporting Bail Organa, who was limping heavily, and they were followed by Riyo Chuchi. There was a dark blue stain on Riyo’s forehead and it took Ahsoka a moment to realize that it was her blood.

“Are you alright?” asked Ahsoka, running up to her.

At the same time Anakin asked, “Where’s Padmé?”

“I’m fine,” said Riyo, shaking furiously. She seemed dazed and unaware that she was even injured. “I don’t know where Padmé is. We were having a drink in her office and then she shouted that there was a bomb…” Riyo trailed off.

“Anakin, there,” said Obi-Wan, steadying Anakin with a hand on his shoulder. He pointed to a clone trooper who was carrying Padmé out of the Senate building.

Anakin rushed over to her and Ahsoka felt a clench of fear as she watched Padmé’s limp body. Sirens sounded in the distance and grew louder as the medical droids and Coruscant police pulled up to the Senate. Anakin quickly snatched one of the droids and pulled it over to Padmé. Riyo pressed herself into Ahsoka, still shivering as if she were freezing in the warm night.

“It’s ok. It’ll be ok,” said Ahsoka, only partially aware what she was saying.

Eventually one of the medical droids made its way over to Riyo. It put a bacta bandage on her forehead and scanned her for other injuries, but found nothing more serious than some bruised ribs. Ahsoka kept her arm around Riyo, and made their way over to where Anakin and the unconscious Padmé were.

“How is she?” Ahsoka asked.

“The droid said she has a pretty bad concussion. They’re going to take her to the GRMF for some more tests,” he said. GRMF stood for the ‘Grand Republic Medical Facility,’ the most prestigious hospital in this part of the galaxy. Ahsoka knew they could perform truly wondrous feats of healing, but she could still feel Anakin’s worry radiating off of him in waves.

“I got some more information from Commander Fox,” said Obi-Wan, coming over to them. “He said there were two blast sites. One was Padmé’s office, though there don’t seem to be any casualties from it yet. The other went off in Mas Amedda’s office. It killed him and a few other Senators.”

More medical droids were arriving and the droids loaded Padmé into one of their ambulances. Anakin jumped in after her, so Obi-Wan and Ahsoka watched them fly away toward the GRMF. They saw several others get loaded into the ambulatory cruisers, including Orn Free Taa, who was covered in burns, and Senator Burtoni, who was missing one of her legs. The sirens blazed up and then faded as the cruisers sped toward the hospital, leaving the uninjured to stand in shock outside the Senate building.

Mace Windu, who had followed them down from the Council tower was quick to spring into action and began to issue orders to the Coruscanti police and the clone troopers to begin their investigation and to get the Senators to safety. Commander Fox began loading the uninjured Senators into cruisers and sending them home with clone trooper escorts. It took Ahsoka a moment to recognize Fox as one of the clones who had hunted and arrested her after she was framed for murder. He had a fresh scar on his temple and must have been one of the first of the activated clones to get his chip removed following the Battle of Coruscant.

“I’m going inside with Mace to get a look at the bomb sites,” said Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka only nodded. She gently lowered Riyo to the ground and then sat next to her, looking out at the street in front of them. The rubble had mostly been cleared away from the Senate District, but the damage done by the Battle of Coruscant was still apparent. There were many large potholes and broken walls around them, created by blaster fire and bombs. It would take time to rebuild, and even more time if the Senate kept getting bombed.

“I should take you home. It might not be safe here, still,” said Ahsoka, pulling herself back up to her feet. She reached down and helped Riyo up, as well.

“Maybe we should stay- they might need our help,” said Riyo, swaying on her feet. Her eyes were wide and a bit unfocused.

“It’s okay. The clones have it covered.” Ahsoka gently nudged Riyo over to an empty cruiser. She didn’t know who it belonged to, and under the circumstances, she didn’t much care. She got in and steered it away from the smoking Senate building and toward Riyo’s apartment. Ahsoka had never been there before, but she had looked up the address before the Battle of Coruscant. It wasn’t far from Padmé’s and when they arrived, Ahsoka saw that it had a similar layout, with a long living room that looked out on the city from large windows and some rooms behind closed doors off to the side. Ahsoka had to admit the view was spectacular, but the soldier in her could only think of the risks such windows could cause. It felt so exposed.

“Do you want something to drink?” Ahsoka asked, helping Riyo to sit on one of the couches.

“Missie can get it. Can you just sit with me for awhile?” Riyo asked.

Ahsoka did so. An LEP servant droid waddled into the room and Riyo requested two cups of tea from the droid. Riyo leaned her head against Ahsoka’s shoulder and Ahsoka wrapped her arms around her friend.

Riyo Chuchi was no stranger to dangerous situations. Ahsoka had heard Anakin and Obi-Wan talk about how she had negotiated peace with the Talz, and Ahsoka had been with her when they had snuck onto the Trade Federation ship and faced down Sib Canay. Nearly being blown up, however, was not a regular occurrence for the senator. She looked exhausted, as the shock finally began to wear off and was replaced by the same drained numbness that Ahsoka sometimes felt after a battle. Her eyelids drooped and she slumped down on Ahsoka.

The servant droid returned with two steaming cups of tea and set them on the coffee table. Ahsoka didn’t want to wake Riyo, so she just went ahead and drank them both.

“Missie, was it?” she asked the little droid.

“Yes, Master Jedi. My name is MSE-288, but Riyo calls me ‘Missie.’” The droid gave a small bow. Ahsoka wasn’t sure the honorific of ‘Master Jedi’ really applied to her, but she didn’t correct the droid.

“Does Riyo have a datapad I could use?” Ahsoka asked. She wanted to check if there was any more news on the bombings. Missie nodded and went to get it for her.

The news cycles on Coruscant moved quickly and there were already plenty of reports of the attack on the Senate that had been published, some more sensational than others. Ahsoka selected the ones that sounded more reasonable and read through them. Mas Amedda and two other senators had been reported dead, but they were still trying to identify some of the other bodies. There was no information on Padmé, however.

Ahsoka sent a message to Anakin’s comm,

How is she?

It took Anakin only a few moments to reply,

Concussion, but the doctors say she’ll make a full recovery

.

Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what she would do if anything happened to Padmé, and she really didn’t want to think about what Anakin would do. She checked in with Obi-Wan to make sure Mon Mothma and Bail were also okay, and then switched over to the Coruscant police database of terrorists and assassins to look for potential suspects. She began to eliminate the ones she knew were still in prison, like Aurra Sing and Cato Parasitti. She didn’t think Cad Bane or Embo were likely suspects either. If they had been hired, they would have completed the job properly, which was to say, Padmé and the other senators in her office would be dead. Regardless of who had actually carried out the bombings, however, it seemed clear who was behind it all. Palpatine would want to eliminate both the senators who most fervently opposed him and Mas Amedda, who worked so closely with him and likely knew some of his secrets. The fact that the bombings had partially failed gave Ahsoka some hope, though. It meant that Palpatine was on the run, without access to all his resources, and unable to hire the best assassins out there. If they could find him before he started clawing his way back to power, then they would have a much better chance of stopping him, of ridding the galaxy of the Sith. Unfortunately, Palpatine was a survivor as all the Sith were. They stayed alive even as their bodies rotted and crumbled around their mangled souls, held together by nothing but hatred and rage. And patience. Palpatine was agonizingly patient.

Riyo stirred next to her and looked at the datapad.

“Are you investigating already?” she asked.

“Sort of. I can’t really do anything until we have more evidence. But I’m pretty sure I know who hired them.”

“Palpatine?”

“Yes. He may continue to target you. Maybe you shouldn’t stay here tonight. You could stay at the Jedi Temple,” Ahsoka said, realizing how ridiculous the suggestion was as it left her mouth.

“I think I’ll be alright here. I wasn’t even the main target. Padmé was.” Her eyes opened wide as she said Padmé’s name.

“Padmé’s alright,” said Ahsoka quickly.

Riyo breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned. “And the others? Pa Dua, Bail, Mon, Kin Robb, and Orn Free Taa, they were all there.”

“Some are injured, I think, but not dead.”

Riyo gave a little shutter. “Do you ever get used to this? I mean, after fighting in the Clone Wars…” she trailed off.

“No, not really.” Ahsoka wrapped her arm a little tighter around Riyo and thought about some of the battles she had seen. When she had first arrived in Christophsis, none of it had seemed real to her exactly. The war was like an exciting simulation, as if there would be no true consequences. That had changed quickly enough. After Ryloth, after Felucia, after Geonosis, it all became devastatingly real to her. She had coped, and done so better than some padawans, but she had strong support with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex. She had grown stronger and harder over the years, but there was a part of her, and not an insignificant part, that missed the fourteen year girl she had once been - the one who had never set foot on a battlefield.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Trandosha

The Twilight set down on a landing platform high in the trees, above the jungles of Trandosha. All around them spread the expanse of thick vegetation, so dense that it was hard to see the treehouse homes built by the Trandoshans through the plant life. Ahsoka was the first one down the ramp and onto the otherwise empty platform. Even in the early evening, she could see the green glow of Wasskah in the distance. It was Trandosha’s jungle moon and the place where Ahsoka had once been hunted by a group of Trandoshan trophy hunters. Further away was the bright dot of light that was the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, where her friend Chewbacca lived. If only they were going to visit him instead of coming here.

Anakin patted her on the shoulder and led the way to the ladder down from the landing platform and into the jungle, followed by Ahsoka and then Obi-Wan. Back on Coruscant, they had followed a series of leads on the Senate bombings. Most had led to dead ends, but one eyewitness had seen a reptilian figure scaling the Senate building the night of the bombing. Obi-Wan had a hunch that it was a certain Trandoshan bounty hunter named Bossk, who he had met in a Republic prison - a bounty hunter who had been released not two months before the Senate bombing.

That led them through the jungles of Trandosha and up to the front door of the famed Trandoshan hunter, D’Shar, Bossk’s mother.

A tall Trandoshan woman with angry yellow eyes opened the door. She looked them over carefully and flicked her tongue out of her mouth a few times as if trying to get their scent.

“Good evening, Madam. We were wondering if we could have a word with you about your son?” Obi-Wan asked, flashing his charming smile at her. Anakin rolled his eyes.

“What about him?” she said in a gravelly voice.

“Well, we heard he had quite a unique set of skills. We wanted to hire him for a job, but unfortunately, he has been rather off the radar lately. We were hoping you could put us in touch with him,” said Obi-Wan.

“What job?”

Ahsoka couldn’t tell if D’Shar seemed interested or just annoyed, but she was thinking it was probably the latter.

“I’m afraid it’s rather a private matter. It pays well, though.”

D’Shar snorted. “Bossk doesn’t need your money,” she said, and with that, she slammed the door in their faces.

“Well, that could have gone better,” said Ahsoka.

“Maybe time for some aggressive negotiations,” said Anakin, tapping his lightsaber handle where it was concealed under his cloak.

Before Obi-Wan could reply a hard tree-nut came flying through the air and hit him on the shoulder. They looked over to see another Trandoshan standing on the balcony of one of the neighboring houses. She waved her clawed hand as if she wanted them to come over. They went to her and she ushered them inside, glancing over her shoulder at D’Shar’s house as she did so.

“I know where that brat Bossk iss,” she hissed, once they were all inside.

It was hard to tell age in Trandoshans, but Ahsoka would guess that this one was fairly old.

“Growing up, that boy alwayss sstole my killss when I had them hanging outsside. Hiss mother iss no better, thinking sshe iss a better hunter than the resst of uss. I know you don’t want to hire him. I can ssmell your real intentionss,” she continued.

“Well, we would be grateful for any information you can give us,” said Obi-Wan.

“He iss on Tatooine-” she began, but was interrupted by Anakin’s sarcastic sigh of “oh, great.”

“-working for a team called Krayt’s Claw,” she finished.

“Krayt’s Claw? I’ve never heard of them,” said Ahsoka.

“They’re new and their leader iss nothing more than a human child. Imagine one uss following the orderss of ssuch a weak creature.”

“Thank you. You have been most helpful,” said Obi-Wan.

“When you catch him, jusst tell him that Rikva ssent you to him.”

“We will,” Anakin promised.

“Guess you’re going home,” said Obi-Wan on the way out of the treehouse. Anakin just grumbled something in Huttese.

Tatooine

Ahsoka hadn’t been back on Tatooine since she and Anakin had returned Rotta the Hutt to his ungrateful crime lord of a father. Back then, she hadn’t understood Anakin’s deep hatred of his home planet. Sure it was boring, bleak, and desolate, but it wasn’t until years later that she learned the true extent of the anger and pain it had caused for Anakin. And the anger and pain he had caused it.

They arrived in the city of Mos Eisley, or as Obi-Wan called it “the wretched hive of scum and villainy.” It seemed like a good place to start looking for Bossk, and wretched or not, it was certainly interesting. Ahsoka could sense such a hum of emotions throughout the place: anger, love, jealousy, but mostly desperation. And there were endless things to look at. She watched some Jawas haggling with an Arcona merchant, a drunk Nikto slumped in the street, and a pair of Twi’lek women in shimmery but dust-coated outfits.

“Let’s try the cantina,” said Obi-Wan, pointing to an unmarked stone building.

It was dark inside and smoky, but the music was pretty good, played by a band of Biths. It contained an even more interesting selection of characters than out on the streets: Dugs, Rodians, Weequayans, and several species Ahsoka had never even encountered before. They went up and ordered drinks from the Anacondan bartender, who poured them out with his long tail and then slithered over to refill some glasses on the other side of the bar. Ahsoka took a small sip of the stuff, but it burned so bad that she choked a little and started coughing. Anakin patted her roughly on the back while Obi-Wan simply downed his entire drink.

“Now, I think we should split up and ask around, see what bounty hunters we can find,” said Obi-Wan.

“Good, I’ll start with Ventress,” said Ahsoka.

“Alright, and Anakin you can - what, Ventress?” Obi-Wan stopped himself, looking confused.

Ahsoka nodded over toward the darkest corner of the bar, where they could see Asajj Ventress sitting casually by herself and sipping her drink as she watched them. She was dressed in her black bounty hunting outfit, the same she had worn on Coruscant when she had helped Ahsoka run from the clone troopers. Her helmet was sitting on the table next to her. She leaned forward a little as they approached.

“Well, if it isn’t Kenobi and my two favorite brats,” she said in a lilting voice.

“Ventress,” said Obi-Wan with a nod.

“What, no ‘darling’ or ‘my dear’ today? Things have changed for you.” She gave him a sly look up and down and then turned her attention to Ahsoka. “And you. I hear you even killed a Sith. Quite a change since the last time I saw you. You never got me that pardon you promised me.”

Ahsoka balked at that. She had forgotten all about her deal with Ventress.

“I’m sorry. I...got distracted,” said Ahsoka, knowing how feeble the excuse sounded.

“I expected as much. Jedi always break their oaths at some time or another.” She looked from Obi-Wan to Anakin as she said it. They said nothing.

“So why are you here?” Ventress asked, breaking their silence.

“We’re looking for a bounty hunter named Bossk. He’s part of a crew called Krayt’s Claw,” said Ahsoka.

“I’m familiar with them. Run by an even more insufferable child than you. You’ll find all of them at Jabba’s Palace. The Hutts hired them on as extra security after the fall of the Shadow Collective.”

“Thank you.”

“Just get out of my favorite bar,” said Ventress, waving them away and turning back to her drink.

“Let’s go see the big slug,” said Anakin, scowling as they walked back into the bright light of Tatooine’s two suns.

***

Jabba the Hutt grabbed another live nuna from the cage and popped it whole into his wide mouth, crunching down on the little creature’s bones. He chased it down with a few puffs on his hookah. A Tholothian woman danced on the floor in front of him, rattling the chains that bound her to Jabba’s throne as she moved. Most of the bounty hunters had their eyes on her, though Jabba was pleased to see the one called Embo was still focused solely on the door. This Krayt’s Claw gang had proven to be more skilled than the average hired help, but he still had some doubts about their loyalty.

Jabba felt something hitting his tail and looked down to see Rotta the Hutt patting him insistently.

“Choy? Do u naga?” asked Jabba, asking his son what he wanted.

Rotta pointed to the crate of nunas, so Jabba pulled one out and tore a leg off for Rotta to chew on. One of the Gamorrean guards waddled in from outside and told Jabba that a group of mercenaries had arrived, looking for work.

“Let hoohah noleeya,” said Jabba.

Let them in

.

The guard returned with three mercenaries and an astromech droid, who all came to stand before Jabba. Bossk flicked his tongue out at them as they passed and looked annoyed at their presence. Jabba liked some competition among his hunters and soldiers. It kept them at their best. Rotta, on the other hand, seemed very excited by them and began to happily wave his arms and babble something. Jabba patted the huttlet to quiet him. He took a closer look at these mercenaries. Two were Ubese and wore the typical breathing masks of the species. The third was a Togruta, and a surprisingly young one. Jabba had tried to keep a Togruta woman as a dancer one time, but they were a fierce and agile species. That one had managed to leap up and stab her montrals into his tail before the guards had killed her. Perhaps they would make better mercenaries than dancers, though. This one had orange skin, white facial markings that resembled a skull, and solid blue montrals and lekku.

“Tell hoohah,” he said.

Tell them

.

TC-70, the translation droid stepped forward. He waited for her to finish the usual spiel of who he was and how generous he was to let them speak before him.

The taller of the Ubese stepped forward.

“Mighty Jabba, we have come to inform you of a traitor in your midst,” he said in his clacking voice.

“Choy? Traitor?” said Jabba, his voice booming. The band stopped playing their song and the Tholothian dancer quickly sat down.

“Yes, Mighty Jabba. In the ones you call the Krayt’s Claw. The Trandoshan, Bossk, has been working jobs for Count Dooku and for the Separatist Alliance even after Dooku’s death.”

“Dooku!” Jabba shouted. He would never forget how the Separatists stole his son and tried to kill baby Rotta.

“Thiss iss a lie!” Bossk yelled, hearing the accusations against him.

Jabba spoke and waited for TC-70 to translate.

“Mighty Jabba says that you were missing from the palace for several days and wishes to know where you were.”

The Trandoshan flicked his tongue out, looking nervous. Then, he grabbed the blaster at his hip and shot Jabba in the stomach. Hutt skin was thick enough that the blaster bolt did little more than sting, however.

“Killya him!” Jabba roared.

“We need him alive,” said the shorter Ubese, and then suddenly both the Ubese and the Togruta all had lightsabers in their hands and were protecting Bossk from the guards.

“Jedai! Killya hoohah all!”

Kill them all!

The other members of Krayt’s Claw leapt to Bossk’s aid, fighting both the Jedi and the palace guards alike. The Togruta jumped onto the throne and grabbed Rotta before rolling out of the way of Jabba. She slashed two guards down with a white lightsaber, all the while holding Rotta in her free arm. Before Jabba could yell at the kidnapper, however, he felt a chain wrap around his throat. He looked over to see the Tholothian dancer throw her full body weight backward to pull the chain tight around him. Jabba coughed and flailed. His ancestors may have been capable warriors once, but Jabba liked to display his wealth in the fat on his body, and he had little muscle to resist her. She pulled the chain tighter and tighter, until Jabba’s vision swam and then went black.

***

“Damnit,” cursed Obi-Wan, looking down at the lifeless form of Bossk. He had long since discarded the Ubese mask on the floor and was currently surveying the damage of the fight. Most of the servants, guards, mercenaries, and bounty hunters had run out of the palace as soon as Jabba died. The young Boba Fett had tried to stay and fight, but Embo and a Theelin bounty hunter had quickly pulled him away. Only the most loyal of Jabba’s guards had remained, and of course, the Tholothian woman, still chained to the throne. The guards were all dead, but the Tholothian still lived.

“And I thought living Hutts smelled bad enough,” said Anakin, looking disdainfully at Jabba’s corpse. He cut the Tholothian woman free with his lightsaber.

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

“Tarra Heruna,” she said.

“Nice to meet you, Tarra. We can take you someplace safe. The other Hutts won’t be happy when they hear about this.”

“What are we going to do with Stinky?” asked Ahsoka, still carrying Rotta the Hutt. Luckily, Hutts grew up slowly, so he was still small and light enough for her to do it easily. Rotta seemed completely unaware of what had just happened and was happily trying to grab one of Ahsoka’s painted lekku.

“I don’t know. Let’s just get out of this room and get some fresh air,” said Anakin, holding a hand over his mouth and nose.

Obi-Wan bent down and took Bossk’s commlink from his wrist. They walked back outside, through the now deserted palace. All the speeders had been taken by the fleeing crowds. R2-D2 beeped unhappily about the idea of walking all the way back to the city.

“Well, if you’d rather stay here,” said Anakin, already walking away.

Artoo made a whirring sound and then followed.

“Are you okay to walk?” Ahsoka asked Tarra, who nodded. Obi-Wan gave her his borrowed Ubese-style coat and they, too, followed after Anakin.

***

Boba was furious when Embo and Latts pulled him out of Jabba’s Palace and threw him into a speeder. Bossk had been a mentor to Boba, as well as a friend - or at least as close to a friend as a bounty hunter could get. When the fighting turned bad, however, and Bossk had fallen, Embo had stopped Boba from helping him. Bossk had died because of it.

It wasn’t entirely Embo and Latts’ fault, though, thought Boba, stewing in his anger. It was the Jedi. It was always the Jedi. They were a bunch of than brutal marauders, leaving nothing but destruction and pain in their wake. He hadn’t recognized the three at the Palace, not with the disguises they wore. It mattered little, though. He despised all of the Jedi.

Latts pulled the speeder to a stop in front of one of the little inns in Mos Eisley. Boba jumped out of the speeder first and began to head inside.

“Be mad all you want, Boba, but when the suns come up again tomorrow morning, you’ll be grateful we saved your life,” Latts called after him.

Boba said nothing. He didn’t even turn around.

“

Ungrateful womp rat

,” Embo muttered in Kyuzo.

Boba got a room at the inn and flopped down on the bed. He wished he had never taken the job of bombing the Senate building. He should have bombed the Jedi Temple instead. Although, he supposed that doing so would bring the Jedi authorities down even harder on him. He needed to get off of Tatooine and lay low for awhile. He’d leave in the morning, he decided.

Boba waited for the suns to set and then went for a walk, needing to clear his head. Mos Eisley was not the most peaceful place in the world for a nighttime stroll, but Boba knew how to survive. He tucked his blaster into his belt and then headed out down the dark streets, avoiding the most populated areas when he could.

The night was hot, even without the suns, and Boba began to sweat as he walked. He longed for a cool breeze. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off of his face, and then he stopped, listening. There was someone following him. Boba continued along, pretending he hadn’t noticed the footsteps of the figure behind him. When he had the chance, he ducked into an alley, planning to run onto the main street and hide in one of the many taverns. Instead, he ran straight into a hooded figure.

“Boba Fett,” said the man, speaking with a upper level Coruscanti accent. They usually didn’t get people quite that fancy in Tatooine.

“What do you want?” Boba asked.

The man lowered the hood and Boba recognized him. They had never met, but Boba had seen his face on the holonet. He was the former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, and possibly a traitor, if the broadcast news was to be believed.

“I must say, you haven’t quite lived up to your father’s reputation,” said Palpatine.

Boba frowned.

“Padmé Amidala and her supporters in the Senate still live,” Palpatine continued.

Boba’s frown deepened and he said, “You mean, you were the one who hired us for that job? I did my part. Mas Amedda, that was my target, and he’s dead. It was Bossk that was supposed to kill Amidala, but he’s dead now, too.”

Boba turned to walk away from the Chancellor.

“I’m afraid we are not quite done here, my young friend,” said Palpatine.

Boba didn’t turn to look back, but then a blinding pain struck him in the back and radiated throughout his entire body. For a moment, the alleyway was illuminated with eerie blue light and the sound of crackling lightning. Then Boba collapsed face first into the sand.

“Can’t have you talking to anyone,” said Palpatine.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant

Padmé was still a little sensitive to light, but she had mostly recovered from her concussion and other injuries, to Anakin’s and Ahsoka’s great relief. They needed some good news, especially after their hunt to find the bombers had proven mostly fruitless. They had found one of the assassins, but he had died before they could question him about Palpatine. It had been a two-person job, as well, so one of the assassins was still out there. So far, the attempts to track down the other members of the Krayt’s Claw had failed. The bounty hunters were good at hiding themselves when they needed to.

“So what happened to Rotta?” Padmé asked.

One of the best things about Ahsoka knowing about her semi-secret marriage to Anakin was that they could now have Ahsoka over for dinner. Ahsoka was easy to feed, too. After all the efficient protein bars and freeze dried food she got at the Jedi Temple, she appreciated anything that was fresh and warm, and meat, of course. Togrutas were carnivores, after all. She was currently chomping her way through a thick steak as she and Anakin filled Padmé in on their mission in Tatooine.

“We found a distant aunt on his mother’s side to take care of him. She owns a casino on Canto Bight. She’s a little strange, but she’s less of a crime lord than Jabba was. Her name is Jool the Hutt,” said Ahsoka.

“And Tarra?”

“She’s living under a new name on Alderaan,” said Anakin.

“That’s wonderful. I can’t imagine the life you must have saved her from,” said Padmé. She could imagine actually, but she didn’t want to.

“There are still plenty of slaves on Tatooine, in the galaxy,” said Anakin, looking out the window for a moment. Padmé reached out and grabbed his left hand.

“It did feel good, though. Like when we freed the colonists from Kadavo. It felt right, more so than a lot of the battles in the war,” said Ahsoka.

Anakin nodded, frowning as he thought about something.

“Maybe that’s what we should do after the war,” he said. “Go after slavery in the outer rim. Make a real effort to rid the galaxy of it.”

“I like that idea,” agreed Ahsoka.

“Oh, that reminds me. Rex, Fives, and I have been talking about a clones rights bill. I know they’re all welcome and free in the Mandalorian system, but I think we can get the rest of the Republic to adopt a similar policy after the war,” said Padmé
.

“There will definitely be plenty of work to do. They’ll have lots of options for careers,” said Anakin.

“If we could only get the Separatist Council to agree to the peace talks. They say that after Count Dooku’s death they can’t agree to any sort of diplomacy with us.” Padmé leaned on her hand. It didn’t seem like the Clone Wars was coming to a close any time soon. The state of the Republic Senate wasn’t helping anything, either. They had elected Bail Organa as the interim Chancellor, which had improved the meetings somewhat. Bail tended to keep a clear head even in the most chaotic of situations, and what with the bombings and the revelation of Palpatine’s true nature, the Senate meetings were definitely chaotic now.

The doorbell of the apartment rang and Threepio went to answer it, letting Obi-Wan in. They had invited him to dinner, as well, but he had had some work to do, and declined.

“Changed your mind, then?” asked Anakin.

“I found something,” said Obi-Wan, holding up a commlink device.

“Is that Bossk’s?” Anakin got up to look at the commlink.

“It is. I took it to a tech specialist to see if I could get any record of communication from it. The memory had been wiped, but not well. The specialist was able to find the record of a conversation on it just before the Senate bombings. We couldn’t recover any of the actual conversation, but we got a general location. Bossk was communicating with the Raxus System.”

“Where the Separatist Parliament is headquartered,” said Padmé.

“I’m sure Palpatine was behind this,” said Ahsoka.

“Then he is now working directly with the Separatists,” said Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka sighed, taking her turn to stare out of the window. It was not altogether unexpected that Palpatine would defect to the strongest army that could find, but she had thought he would bide his time a little longer. It seemed there was no rest for the Sith, however. It was concerning that the Separatists would allow him, the former leader of their enemy to join them. Ahsoka doubted that the majority of the Separatist Parliament knew of his presence and influence. He must be using a puppet leader, much like Maul had been planning to do with Almec.

***

Most of the Jedi were asleep as Ahsoka and Anakin walked through the quiet Temple halls together. Anakin usually stayed at Padmé’s apartment, as the two of them had become much less subtle about their relationship since the Battle of Coruscant. Ahsoka was pretty sure the whole Council knew about them, but were still pretending they didn’t. Ahsoka usually slept on Padmé’s couch, as well, still a little unsure of her position within the Jedi Order and also a little unsure of what she wanted it to be. Tonight, however, Anakin and Ahsoka wanted to make use of the Temple’s extensive archives and databases to do some research on the Separatist government. Padmé had given them a list of suspects, but they wanted to narrow down to those likely to be under Palpatine’s control.

Jocasta Nu was surprisingly still awake when they entered and was reading a huge flimsi book at the front desk. She smiled at them and told them to ask for her help if they needed it. Anakin went to look on the computers while Ahsoka checked the microdata reports of the Clone Wars. It was fairly boring reading, but the Son and Daughter hadn’t spoken to her very much recently, and she had to get her information somehow.

Ahsoka went up to ask Jocasta about a treaty that was referenced in the reports, and couldn’t help but to get distracted talking to the older Jedi. Jocasta was not quite as spry as she had been in her youth, but her memory was still phenomenal and she always had the best stories from across the galaxy.

“How was your mission to find the assassin?” she asked Ahsoka.

“We found him, but he died before we could question him.” Ahsoka could hear the glum tone in her own voice as she said it.

“I hear Jabba the Hutt is dead, as well.”

“A young Tholothian woman choked him to death with her own chain.”

“Well, it’s good riddance in my opinion, though perhaps it is not the Jedi way to say such things,” said Jocasta, with a little wink. Ahsoka laughed. It was hard to be forgiving of the slave-owning, planet-oppressing crime boss that had been Jabba the Hutt.

“Did you ever learn how the Hutts came to power?” asked Jocasta.

Ahsoka shook her head, leaning forward on the counter to hear the story.

“Well, it all started with the fall of the Infinite Empire,” Jocasta began. Ahsoka hung on each word as Jocasta told the tale of how the Hutts acquired the advanced technology of the fallen empire and used it to conquer their corner of the galaxy, amassing tremendous wealth and power as they went. Jabba had a cunning mind for business and so had been put in charge of his clan, but really he was inheriting the great power passed down to him from his ancestors.

“What do you think will happen now that he’s dead?” Ahsoka asked.

“Oh, the Hutts will find someone new to run their business on Tatooine. Gardulla, perhaps. I hope you hid that Tholothian woman, well, though, because they will be after her.”

Ahsoka assured her that they had. She thought for a moment about Jocasta’s vast knowledge of the different planets and societies and of the history of the galaxy, the Old Republic and the former empires.

“Master Nu, have you ever heard of Mortis?” Ahsoka asked.

“Mortis? Now that sounds familiar,” said Jocasta. She looked up, as if trying hard to remember something. She got up from the desk and went to retrieve one of the archive memories from the shelves. She activated it and showed Ahsoka the image of a wall mural depicting the Mortis beings. The Father was in the middle with his left hand raised, the Daughter on his right with a convor bird on her shoulder and the Son on his left with a clenched fist. A pack of loth-wolves sat at their feet.

“This is from the old Jedi temple on Lothal. The temple has long since been abandoned, possibly collapse, and the mural is assumed to be lost, but it was quite beautiful in its time. ‘The Mortis gods’ they called them: the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. It was said they had supreme power over the Force, that they could tear the very nature of our galaxy apart if they wanted to. Luckily, it seemed they never wanted to.”

“Did they ever...possess people? Like control them or send them visions?” Ahsoka asked.

“Not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

“Just...an old story,” said Ahsoka, lamely.

“Oh, and let me show you this.” Jocasta switched the image. It still showed the mural, but after a moment Ahsoka noticed some small changes to it. The Father’s left hand had lowered and was pointing to the left now. The Daughter was looking at the Father instead of straight ahead and the wolves were standing up.

“It changes?”

“The ancient Jedi thought it was portal to a world where time does not exist, but they did not know how to open it.”

Ahsoka frowned at the mural, looking from the Daughter’s face to the Son’s. For a moment she thought she saw the Daughter turn her head to look at her, but she must have imagined it.

“Thank you, Master Nu,” she said with a bow, and went back to see how Anakin was doing with his research.

“Boring,” he said, when Ahsoka asked him about it. She took the seat next to him, thinking that it was lucky that Padmé was the politician and not him. Anakin didn’t have the patience for politics.

“Have you found anything useful?”

“I don’t know. Bec Lawise is the Head of State, which makes him a likely choice, but his position seems a little precarious. Reports say favor for Voe Atell is growing, so she’s a candidate. I don’t know. Maybe he has corrupted all of them.”

“Maybe we should call it a night.”

Anakin agreed with that. He probably would have agreed to anything to get him out of doing more bookwork.

“You’re coming back to Padmé’s, right?” he asked her.

“Yes, I don’t know where I would even stay in the Temple. What did they do with my old room?”

Anakin’s expression grew dark. Through the Force, she could sense the same tension inside of him that he got during every Council meeting. He still held anger toward the Council for expelling Ahsoka, more anger than Ahsoka herself felt.

“They cleared it out and gave it to another padawan. Your lightsabers are in storage below the temple. Do you want them back?”

Ahsoka tapped the handles of the darksaber and the white lightsaber.

“No, I think these are mine now. I’ve gotten used to them.”

It was odd. She remembered her trip to the crystal cave on Ilum to find the kyber crystal for her first lightsaber. It had sung to her, called to her, and felt so right in her hand. After so much had changed, however, she didn’t think her green lightsaber would feel the same as it once had. It might not feel like hers anymore.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Nor Tahn

The starship came out of hyperspace well out of range of the sensors on planet Nor Tahn, home to one of the most heavily fortified Separatist prisons, second only to the Citadel. Republic scientists had designed a new masking device that to hide their ships completely from the Separatist sensors. It had been tested in the lab many times, but never in the field until now. Aayla and Luminara wanted to approach carefully and be ready to escape, just in case the scanners somehow managed to find them.

“How does it look, Qutee?” Aayla asked her droid. QT-KT responded with a series of whistles and beeps that Luminara didn’t understand, but seemed to please Aayla.

“They haven’t picked us up yet,” said Aayla.

“We are still far away,” said Luminara, her hand clenched a little tighter than necessary to the ship’s steering column.

“True, but the scientists would not send the device out into the field if they didn’t think it was fully effective.”

“You mistake my tension for nervousness.”

Aayla leaned back and regarded her fellow Jedi. Luminara was older than her, around the same age as Obi-Wan Kenobi and her own Master, Quinlan Vos. She had always projected an air of quiet control over herself. Along with Master Shaak Ti, she had been one of the Jedi that Aayla had most looked up to, though in recent days even the most collected of Jedi like Mace and Luminara seemed to be more affected by the pressures of the war and the hunt for the Sith.

“We’re in the gravitational pull of the planet now. If the device doesn’t work properly, we’ll know soon enough,” said Aayla.

Qutee made a nervous little sound, but none of their own scanners indicated that they had been found yet. There ship was small and light-weight, built for speed and chosen for its inconspicuous nature. They made their way toward the planet and entered its toxic atmosphere, losing all visibility in the thick sulfuric acid fog that engulfed the planet. Their scanners and their sense of the Force were enough, though, to guide them around to the landing site.

“We’re coming up to the lake. Preparing to dive,” said Aayla.

The Fortress Prison had been built in the center of one of the Nor Tahn’s most dangerous lakes. Though there were a few species of bacteria that had managed to adapt to the extreme acidic conditions of the lake, nothing multicellular had ever survived even a brief dip into the burning liquid. There were no other options for landing, however. The lake stretched on for miles around the prison, and the building itself had been designed to prevent any unexpected ship landings. Aayla and Luminara had yet to see it in person, unable to make it out through the impenetrable fog, but they had seen a holo reconstruction. The building seemed to be a rough and spiky monstrosity, built high on the rocks. There would be no landing at the prison, so they had no choice but to go through the lake itself. Their starship had been coated in a resistant material that could withstand the acid for a few hours at least, though any longer and it would degrade and the ship would be lost. They also had specially made suits that would last about five minutes in the lake waters before they fell apart. It didn’t give the Jedi much room for error, but it was the best they could do for now.

About a week before, they had had a report of Depa Billaba and her young padawan, Caleb Dume, going missing during a battle in Saleucami. The Council had assumed that they had been killed, until one of the Republic’s deep cover spies had sent them information that Depa and Caleb were alive and being questioned at the prison. Since Palpatine’s betrayal, it was difficult to know which of the Republic spies were actually loyal to the Republic and which were loyal to Palpatine. Both Luminara and Aayla had considered it worth the risk, however, if they were able to get Depa and Caleb out of there before Depa was forced to reveal the Republic’s covert hyperspace lanes.

Aayla was the first one up and putting on her lake suit, before the ship had even reached the rocks underneath the prison. Luminara waited in the cockpit and ran a few final checks to ensure the ship was holding up alright, before she, too, went back to get in her suit.

“We need to save about three minutes to swim back down here, so that’s two minutes to get up to the surface,” said Luminara. She finished putting on her helmet and then clipped one of the extra suits to her belt, as did Aayla.

“Up we go, then,” said Aayla. She waited for Luminara to give her the go-ahead and the opened the hatch on the starship.

They used the Force to prevent the incoming water from flooding in too quickly and crushing them, and then swam out of the ship. Bubbles formed on their suits and masks as the acid began to eat away at the protective coating on their suits. Aayla shot upward, swimming and pushing herself through the water with the Force, until she broke through the lake’s surface. She swam over to the rocky cliffside and pulled herself fully out of the water and up onto a narrow ledge. Luminara’s head surfaced a moment later and Aayla reached down to help her out and onto the shelf of rock. Luminara unclipped a neutralizing agent from her belt and sprayed them both down with it before they removed their masks. The air itself was warm and thick, difficult to breath, but they had small filters with them to help with that.

“We made good time, under two minutes,” said Luminara checking her watch. Through the air filters her voice sounded a bit like Plo Koon’s.

“Better keep going. It’s a going to be a long climb.” Aayla looked upward at the rather daunting height of the rocky cliff and the wreath of fog that encircled it. She tucked away the lake suits and began the climb. Luminara had abandoned her usual robes for a black bodysuit, similar to what the clones wore under their armor and more practical for rock climbing. Her headscarf was sleeker and less elaborate, as well. Aayla wished that she, too, had replaced her sleeveless crop top for something that offered a little more protection from the fog. It was nowhere near as acidic and dangerous as the lake water, but it still stung and irritated her exposed skin as she climbed. The rocks were slick from the fog, as well, making her palms burn and turn raw from touching them. Luminara had had the foresight to bring gloves, of course, and seemed to be having an easier time with the climb because of it.

At last, they made it up past the rock to where the prison building sat. The spike constructions may have deterred starships from landing, but they actually made it easier to climb and hide around the building. Aayla and Luminara climbed up and around until they reached an exit hatch for waste disposal. Aayla flicked it open with the Force and pulled herself inside. It smelled awful, but it did offer some minor relief from the fog.

“Keep your filter on,” said Aayla, coughing a little from the stench of rotting garbage.

“Agreed,” said Luminara, crawling in behind her.

The waste chute was narrow, so that they had to go one at a time, moving on their stomachs and trying to find purchase on the slick surface. At one point Aayla slipped and slid backward down the tunnel, crashing into Luminara, who managed to catch them and stop them from falling further down.

“Sorry about that,” said Aayla.

“It’s alright. We need to go up just one more story. Our informant says they are being held in separate cells on that level.”

Aayla moved forward, going a bit more carefully so she didn’t slip again, until they reached the level three. There was a small hatch that opened into a hallway, but it was too narrow for them to slip through. They would have to widen it with their lightsabers first. They could at least see through the hatch into the hallway.

“It’s too many droids,” said Luminara. "They’ll spread the word that we’re here before we even get out of this chute."

“I have an idea. How fast do you think you can get to the prisoners?”

Luminara paused for a moment, looking like she was doing the math in her head.

“Under eight minutes to reach them and under five to get them back into the trash chute,” she said.

“I can do that. I’ll meet you back here in thirteen,” said Aayla, and she began to climb even further upward.

Level Five was far emptier than Three, having no high profile prisoners to guard. Aayla cut her way through the hatch and into the hallway, and then ran to find a droid or a guard to set off the alarm.

***

Luminara sat, crouched and waiting after Aayla left. At one point, a guard passed by and she had to duck back as he carelessly tossed some food waste down the hatch. It landed right on Luminara’s head and she shook it off in disgust, though she supposed it could not possibly make her smell worse than she already did.

An alarm went off in the prison and all but two super battle droids ran off in the direction of the sound. Luminara supposed that was Aayla’s work and just hoped that the younger Jedi was being careful. She took out her lightsaber and cut through the metal beside the trash hatch to make it big enough for her to fit through. The battle droids had their guns raised and ready when she came through, but she blocked their blaster bolts and cut them both down quickly. Remembering the layout of the prison she had memorized, she ran toward the cells of the prisoners.

***

Aayla had managed to slip through the main security squad of destroyers and commando droids, and was now running down a small hallway, a little worried that she was getting lost in the prison. She had at least managed to steal an access card off of a fallen guard, which she used to duck through a locked door when she heard a group of droids coming around a corner. She quickly closed the door behind her and realized she was in one of the prisoner holding cells. It was dark inside, but there was a small figure curled up in a corner. She went over and touched them softly on the shoulder. The figure turned his head and stared at her with a look of pain on his young face.

It was a clone, and a young one at that, no more than equivalent twelve probably. His Force signature felt splintered and painful when she tried to reach out and calm him.

“No more,” he said.

“No more what? What happened to you, cadet?”

“No more.” He wrapped his arms around himself and tucked his head into his knees.

Aayla reached down and took his arm, trying to be gentle. She pulled him up to his feet and he stood, though his shoulders remained hunched.

“I can get you out of here. Can you walk?” she asked.

He nodded, his eyes looking a little glassy and distant. She really shouldn’t be going off mission like this. After all, this young clone wasn’t one of the prisoners she was meant to be freeing, but she found she couldn’t just walk away from a child in pain.

“Follow me closely,” she said, and she opened the door, back out into the hallway.

***

Luminara slid down through the trash chute, stopping herself at the bottom before she went flying through the opening. Caleb Dume, a human boy of about fourteen, slid after her and she caught him, as well. Then came Depa Billaba, looking a little beat up after her time in the prison, though she was managing well enough with the escape so far. Luminara glanced at her watch. Aayla was late, and she had the spare lake suit for Caleb.

“We should start the climb down. Aayla is a fast climber and she’ll catch up,” said Luminara, sounding more certain than she felt. She took off her gloves and left them at the bottom of the chute for Aayla and then began the long climb down.

***

Aayla practically shoved the young clone into the trash chute and then followed him in. They slid down quickly, only slowing when Aayla used the Force on the both of them. For a moment she worried that Luminara and the others hadn’t made it, until she spotted the pair of black gloves on the floor.

“Here, put these on,” said Aayla, handing them over to the clone. He did so without a word.

“We have to climb down and we have to go pretty quickly. I’ll go first so I’m underneath you and I will catch you if you slip. Can you do that?”

The clone just nodded and murmured something too softly for her to hear.

“After me, then,” said Aayla.

Going down seemed like it should be easier than climbing up, but that was far from the case. Aayla’s hands were already sore from the first climb and began to freely bleed halfway down the cliffside. It was also hard to see where she should be putting her feet. The young clone was having even more trouble and had slipped and fallen several times, though Aayla had managed to catch him each time with the Force. The only good thing was that the fog had thickened to such a degree that the Separatists would likely not be able to spot them.

Aayla felt the Force presence of Luminara, Depa, and Caleb before she was able to make them out through the fog. She hopped down onto the ledge where they were waiting and helped the clone down beside her. Depa looked like she was in rough shape and was leaning heavily on Caleb.

Luminara looked relieved to see Aayla for a moment and then her expression changed to confusion when she saw the clone.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“I found him in one of the cells,” said Aayla.

“We only have four lake suits, Aayla. He won’t be able to survive.”

“No more,” said the clone, the only words he had spoken so far.

“We’ll take Depa and Caleb down, and then I’ll return with Caleb’s suit and bring the clone down,” said Aayla.

“There isn’t enough time. We didn’t plan for this,” said Luminara, looking frustrated and even a little desperate. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and then said, “I’ll do it. You wait here with the clone and I’ll be back.”

They put on the lake suits and Luminara dove in with Depa and Caleb, disappearing from sight. The clone crouched down on the rock and resumed his earlier position, with his arms around his knees and his face hidden from view. Aayla thought she should probably comfort him in some way, but she didn’t have much experience in comforting people. The closest she had come was when Anakin Skywalker had been injured and Ahsoka Tano had grown deeply worried for her Master’s life. Back then, Aayla had counseled Ahsoka in the typical Jedi fashion, telling her to let go of her Master and accept his loss if it happened. Instead, Ahsoka had stubbornly refused to give up and had managed to save Anakin’s life. Attachments were dangerous, as Aayla had been told since she had joined the Order, but somehow, they seemed to give Ahsoka the motivation to do things that other Jedi could not.

Luminara resurfaced and climbed out of the water. She quickly neutralized the suits and handed one over to the clone, which Aayla helped him put on.

“Is there time?” Aayla asked.

Luminara looked at her watch.

“Perhaps,” she said.

Luminara went first again, then the clone and Aayla after them. They pushed themselves down as quickly as they could with the Force. They were slower than usual, though, as they had to pull the clone along with them. The bubbles on Luminara’s suit were beginning to fizz even more than usual, especially a patch on her right shoulder. The fabric looked like it was only moments away from breaking down. Aayla reached out, concentrating as hard as she could and created a bubble of air around Luminara’s shoulder, just as the suit ripped in that spot. Luminara looked back at Aayla and seemed to give a silent thanks.

All Aayla could focus on was holding the acid away from Luminara’s shoulder, which meant she could no longer help push them along through the water. The clone was swimming hard, his own suit beginning to fizz around him. They didn’t have much time and Aayla wasn’t powerful enough to create a bubble around them all.

Through the murky water, their starship came into view, still sitting at the bottom of the lake. Aayla felt a large push in the Force as Luminara shoved them all toward the door of the ship. She opened the hatch and they swam into the chamber. The hatch closed and the ship began to pump the acid out of it and back into the lake. When the acid was almost entirely gone, the elbow of the clone’s suit disintegrated and he began to scream in pain.

“Qutee, neutralize now,” Aayla shouted into the helmet comm.

The neutralizing agent sprayed out, coating them all. Aayla ripped off her own suit and ran over to the young clone, pulling off his suit, as well.

His left arm was covered in a nasty chemical burn, making his skin bleed and turn red and inflamed. He whimpered a little as Aayla held the arm up so that it was directly under the spray of the neutralizing agent.

Once the acid had been rendered safe, the doors to the rest of the ship hissed open and Aayla helped the clone into the cockpit. The ship was too small to have its own medbay, so they would have to make due with the bacta bandages in the aid kit. Caleb had already opened it, at least, and was putting bacta gel on a cut above Depa’s eye. Aayla went to join them and Luminara jumped into the pilot’s chair and began their take off to get them out of the lake and out of the planet.

***

Somewhere in Hyperspace

The young clone had fallen into an uneasy sleep with his arm wrapped up in bandages. He hadn’t managed to say anything coherent other than “no more,” so they had yet to figure out why an unassuming cadet was being kept at a high security Separatist prison. As for Depa and Caleb, they were both sleeping much more peacefully. Caleb’s head had even drooped down onto Depa’s shoulder, in an almost familial manner. Luminara watched them for a moment and then turned back to the white trails of starlight that streaked past them.

“I’ve always admired your confidence,” said Luminara.

Aayla looked a little at a loss for what to say and stayed quiet, watching Luminara carefully.

“I must admit, even since Barriss was taken by the dark side, my faith in myself has been shaken. My belief in the Force stays in tact, but I’m just not sure anymore what my role is in all of this.”

Aayla reached out and took Luminara’s hand. Her palm was scratched and raw from the climb down the cliffside, but the feeling of it was comforting. Luminara squeezed it back.

“I’m not sure any of us know. These are strange times we are living in,” said Aayla.

“Have you ever thought of leaving?”

Aayla raised her eyebrows at the question.

“The Order? No, I don’t think I have.”

“I think about it sometimes,” Luminara admitted.

Aayla really didn’t know how to respond to that. Luminara had always seemed so poised and so devoted to her faith. To see her so shaken and questioning was jarring.

“Well, I hope that you stay. I enjoy our time together,” said Aayla, after her brief hesitation.

Luminara gave her a faint smile at that.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant

Fives found Shaak Ti meditating in her room in the Jedi Temple. Normally, an outsider like him would not be allowed within the residential part of the Temple. After the attack on the Senate, however, he and many of the other ARC-Troopers had taken on extra security at the Temple and the Senate Building. It was a little strange to see more of the inner workings of the Jedi Order. He was still not allowed in the council meetings, of course, but he had seen the archives, some of the personal rooms of the Jedi, and the training rooms. It was a beautiful place, on the whole, but one that was starkly impersonal.

Shaak Ti’s bedroom was pretty spartan, though it was not quite as bare as Fives had expected. There was a neatly made bed in one corner, a small closet for her robes, and a meditation pillow on the floor. Fives was surprised to see the decorations on the walls, though. There was a painting of a colorful grassy plain, which he assumed was her home planet of Shili, and a wooden carving of a snarling beast with teeth that looked similar to the ones that Shaak Ti wore on her forehead. The room had one window, through which the sunlight came pouring in.

Shaak Ti looked up when he entered.

“Excuse me, General,” he said.

“Come in, Fives.”

He stepped further into the room and she waved a hand, causing the door to shut behind him.

“Rex said you were wanting to speak to me,” Fives said.

Shaak Ti nodded and said, “I wanted your opinion of some things. Would you like to sit?”

There was no chair in the room and Fives looked around for a moment before settling on the foot of the bed. It wasn’t so much of a bed as a wooden plank with a blanket on top, though. He set his helmet beside him.

“I have been speaking with the Kaminoan doctors about the young clones. They seem to be developing well in their pods. Several more of them have been decanted since we left them.”

Fives nodded along as she told him about the status of the embryonic and child clones still in Tipoca City and about the Kaminoans themselves. Master Plo Koon had been overseeing their care and protection following the Battle of Coruscant. The 104th Battalion was with him, of course, and it seemed that two other Jedi Knights called Cere Junda and Jaro Tapal had joined them with their respective padawans. The Kaminoans had largely been released from custody, though most of them were still restricted from accessing the areas of the city that housed the clone children. Fives was largely aware of most of what Shaak Ti was telling him, but he suspected she was working up to something else. She paused and regarded him for a moment.

“What is your age now, Fives?” she asked.

He hadn’t really been expecting that. The clones didn’t keep careful track, honestly, after they became adults.

“Around equivalent twenty four, I think,” he said, after considering it for a moment.

“So you have been alive for twelve standard years?”

Fives thought that was about right. He had graduated from training and shipped off to Rishi outpost when he was nine standard years, equivalent eighteen. Most of the clones didn’t think too much about their ages. In Fives’ case, he was trying to ignore the truth of his shortened and accelerated lifespan.

“Toka Luteh and I have been discussing an...experimental treatment,” said Shaak Ti.

Fives frowned at that. In his experience, the scientific exploration of the Kaminoan doctors did not tend to work out well for their clone subjects. Still, Toka Luteh did seem more compassionate than Nala Se had been.

Shaak Ti continued, “Toka has been considering some ways to halt the accelerated aging of the clones and to revert you all to a lifespan more typical of your species. She has developed a temporary solution, a mix of telomerases and antioxidants to slow down the cell senescence, but would like to work toward a gene therapy to permanently decelerate your aging. It is all rather untested for now. I wanted your opinion on the matter. Do you think this is something you and your brothers would be interested in pursuing?”

Fives rubbed his chin as he considered it. A normal lifespan. He could have seventy years to live ahead of him, rather than just twenty or thirty. He could do so much in that time.

“Well, I can’t speak for all the clones, but I would say that yes, I’m interested.”

“Then I will inform Toka, so she may begin the

in vitro

testing.”

Shaak Ti crossed her legs, returning to her meditation pose. Fives stood to leave, but then hesitated for a moment.

“May I join you, General? Meditate with you, I mean,” he said.

“Of course.”

Fives sat on the floor next to her and crossed his legs as best he could in his armor. He watched Shaak Ti for a moment to copy her pose. Her eyes were shut and he noticed that the tips of her blue and white lekku had turned faintly pink. He wondered if that always happened when she was meditating. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He efforts proved rather fruitless, however. There was just too much for him to think about. So he gave up on the meditation after a few minutes and allowed himself to think about all the things he would due with a longer lifespan. He still liked the idea of being a pilot, but there were other things he was beginning to want, as well. With so much time, so much potential life ahead of him, he could have a family. The clones were all sterile, but the Clone Wars had created many orphans, and he could adopt. There were plenty of his little brothers that would need homes, as well. He shouldn’t get his hopes up too high, but still, sitting in the bright light of Shaak Ti’s room, he just couldn’t help himself.

***

Ahsoka hesitated outside of Riyo’s apartment. She had been nervous about being late to meeting with Riyo and so she had arrived over ten minutes early. She should probably have just walked around the apartment building for awhile until it was time, but instead she when straight up to Riyo’s quarters. Ahsoka took a breath and knocked.

It was the LEP droid, Missie, who opened the door.

“Greetings, Master Tano. You are early,” said the droid, standing to the side to let Ahsoka into the living room.

Riyo walked out a moment later, wearing a robe and with her hair still wet.

“Ahsoka! You’re early. I’m sorry, I’m not ready yet,” she said.

Ahsoka felt the tips of her lekku grow hot and she looked down at the floor.

“I’m sorry. I should have waited.”

“Just give me a few minutes. Missie, can you get Ahsoka some tea?” said Riyo and she ducked back into the bedroom.

Ahsoka sat on the couch, not entirely sure what to do with herself while she waited. Missie brought her a drink, which Ahsoka downed without even really tasting it. Riyo emerged again after a few minutes, with her purple hair dried and pulled up into a bun with a gold hairpiece around it.

“Ready?” Riyo asked.

Ahsoka jumped up to her feet. Riyo took her arm and led her out of the apartment and out to the platform where the shuttles were kept.

"
Are you sure you want to go out to lunch? You could still be a target. Maybe we could just eat here,” Ahsoka said as Riyo got into the shuttle.

“It’ll be fine. Besides I’ve got my powerful Force-sensitive friend to protect me,” said Riyo with a grin.

Ahsoka got into the shuttle and Riyo flew them out into the midday traffic.

“You know, you’re a lot more cautious than you used to be,” said Riyo, taking her eyes off the travel lane for a moment to glance at Ahsoka.

“I used to be pretty reckless. I’ve had to learn over the years to be a little more careful.”

“Fighting in the Clone Wars, you mean?”

“Yeah,” said Ahsoka. She thought for a moment about one of the first times she had been given command of a clone squad. She had fought among them with Anakin many times, but it was during the siege and liberation of Ryloth that she had acted as a true commander. It had not gone well. She had flown out with a pilot squad of clones to break through the Separatist barricades, and she had ignored orders to pull back when the fighting got too heavy. A lot of her men had died because of that. Anakin was always a little reckless, and Ahsoka had been, too. She had seen the consequences that reckless impulsivity could have, though. Sometimes the thought nearly paralyzed her, but she also knew from experience that inaction could be just as deadly.

Ahsoka felt Riyo take her hand and looked down for a moment.

"
We can talk about something else,” said Riyo.

They changed the subject to more innocuous matters, trying to momentarily ignore all the problems that loomed over them. They arrived at the restaurant that Riyo had picked for their lunch. It was much fancier than Ahsoka was used to, located in the glass dome of a building in the Senate District. The view was spectacular, looking out all over the city and the sky above them. They were seated at a marble topped table, blocked from view of the other patrons by tall ferns.

The Pantoran diet tended to be primarily vegetarian, and as a species they rarely ate meat. Riyo ordered some sort of vegetable platter that smelled horrendous to Ahsoka, but which Riyo seemed to enjoy. Ahsoka imagined Riyo felt much the same way about her own plate of nexufish.

“How are the Senate meetings since the bombings?” Ahsoka asked.

“About as chaotic as can be expected. We’re going to vote for the new Supreme Chancellor soon. Bail has done well acting as the interim, and I hope it goes to him. There are plenty who oppose him, though. Palpatine had many supporters. Even with all the evidence against him right in front of their faces, some of them still support him. There is a faction who I think would follow him no matter what, even knowing he’s a Sith Lord. They don’t trust the Jedi very much. Padmé thinks some might even leave the Republic altogether and join with the Separatists.”

Ahsoka’s face must have fallen at that, because Riyo quickly added, “But many more have rejected Palpatine since we revealed the truth of his identity.”

Ahsoka leaned forward on her elbow and pushed a piece of fish around her plate for a moment, not eating it.

“I wish I knew where to find him. We know he’s working with the Separatists in some way, but I don’t think he’ll just be there with them on Raxus,” she said.

“Are you still having those visions?”

Ahsoka frowned a little. She actually hadn’t mentioned the visions to Riyo before. Padmé must have told her about them.

“No, I haven’t heard from the Son or the Daughter since before the Battle of Coruscant. It’s like they’ve gone silent. Even when I meditate I can’t call them to me. I wish they would send me a sign.”

Riyo reached across the table and took Ahsoka’s hand again. Ahsoka gave it a little squeeze back, feeling ever so slightly better. She looked out the glass wall at the city. It was damaged and scarred after the battle, but it was healing, piece by piece. The galaxy would persist, even in the face of so great and terrible an enemy as the Sith Lord.

***

Although apparently Obi-Wan had known about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship for some time now, Anakin had to admit that it was a relief to be able to speak openly about his wife. He and Obi-Wan had never been the best at speaking with each other. They had always had things to talk about, but those were things like the Jedi philosophy, the war, and the bureaucracy of the Senate. They had never spoke about things like relationships. They did now, though. It was awkward at first - tremendously so. Slowly, however, they were getting more and more comfortable with it. Whenever Obi-Wan came back from Mandalore to attend the Jedi council meetings on Coruscant, they would even have tea and just talk about things.

“How’s Korkie?” Anakin asked.

“Well, Satine finally told him that we’re his parents. He was pretty upset that we lied to him and I think a bit angry with me for leaving his mother all those years ago. Of course, I never would have left had I known…”

“That she was pregnant?”

“That she wanted me to stay,” Obi-Wan finished.

Anakin leaned back in his chair. They were seated out on the balcony of Padmé’s apartment, where Threepio had set up a little table and some snacks for them. It was a warm day in Coruscant, bright and pleasant. The sky traffic of shuttles was thick overhead, though. It seemed that things were returning to normal, with all the citizens getting back to their usual business, even after the devastating battle that had occurred there.

“I suppose it’s...understandable for him to be angry. It isn’t easy to be lied to,” said Anakin.

“No, but I think he is starting to forgive us. Slowly. And I must say, he is certainly more reasonable than you were at that age.” Obi-Wan gave a wry smile as he said it.

“I take great offense to that, Master. I tried very hard to be a good padawan.”

“You were a great padawan, but not always an easy one.”

Anakin broke into a grin at that. After training Ahsoka, he understood a little bit better of what Obi-Wan had gone through in training him.

“Is Padmé going to join us?” Obi-Wan asked.

Threepio had brought them quite a spread of cheeses and fruits. It seemed a shame to waste them.

“She said she wasn’t feeling well this morning. She’s been a little nauseous the last few days, but she usually perks up in the afternoons, so she might join us then,” said Anakin.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, frowning a little.

Anakin heard a beep on his commlink, then, and a moment later Obi-Wan got one, as well.

“Luminara and Aayla must be back from their mission,” Obi-Wan said.

“We should go see how it went.”

***

Padmé was sitting in bed working on her datapad when Anakin came in, saying that he and Obi-Wan needed to return to the Temple. He kissed her on the forehead, which was a bit sweaty after a morning spent heaving into the refresher. He didn’t complain, though.

“I’ll see you tonight. Feel better,” he said.

She waited for him and Obi-Wan to leave and then ran to the refresher once more. She vomited and then sat back down on the cool tile floor. She didn’t know what was wrong with her stomach these past few days. It must have been the Sorgan krill she had eaten the other night. It would pass.

“Can I get you anything, Mistress Padmé?” called C-3PO from the other side of the door.

Padmé pushed the button and the door slid open to reveal him and R2-D2 standing there.

“No, but thank you, Threepio. I think I’ll just go back to bed for a bit,” she said.

Artoo rolled forward and she used him to help push herself up off the floor. He made a few beeps and whistles, which made Threepio turn to him.

“Artoo, that isn’t at all polite to say,” said Threepio.

Artoo just beeped again.

“What is it?” Padmé asked as she flopped back into the bed.

Threepio paused for a moment, shifting uncomfortably, and then said, “Well, he wondered if you had any tenderness.”

“Tenderness,” Padmé repeated. She pressed on her stomach for a moment. She supposed it was pretty tender, but that was to be expected.

Artoo beeped and made a whirring sound.

“I am not saying that, Artoo. Forgive him, Mistress, but I believe that Artoo suspects that...that you are pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Padmé repeated. She almost scoffed for a moment. She and Anakin were both very careful to use their contraceptives. Then she remembered the night after the Battle of Coruscant when they had all gone out to a cantina, had several glasses of Corellian whiskey, and there was a chance that they had been far less careful that night.

“Oh, kriffing hell,” she said.

She put her hands on her stomach and gave it a little rub. It wasn’t that she didn’t want children. She absolutely did, and at least two of them. It was just that things were so dangerous now. Anakin was always away fighting and Padmé was a senator who had had to deal with assassination attempts on more than one occasion. They didn’t exactly have the most stable home right now.

Padmé felt something cold touch her hand gently and looked down to see that Threepio had taken it in his. Droids didn’t typically show any sort of physical affection, but Threepio had picked up a few idiosyncrasies from observing humans. Padmé didn’t mind it and in fact was grateful to have both of the droids there with her.

When she and Anakin had married, Padmé had had a fantasy of what their life could be. At the time it had been a naive notion and one completely out of reach. Still, things were changing for the Jedi. If Obi-Wan could ignore certain aspects of the Jedi Code, then certainly the others could, as well. Maybe someday, she and Anakin could go to Naboo and raise their children there. She could serve as an advisor to the queen and he could go out on Jedi missions when needed before returning home to them.

It was still a somewhat intangible dream, but somehow she could see it more clearly than ever before.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ahsoka reached the Temple just after Anakin and Obi-Wan, and together they made their way to the infirmary. Luminara and Aayla were waiting in the halls outside, both looking concerned but unharmed.

“How did it go?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The mission was a success,” said Luminara, glancing over at Aayla.

“So Master Billaba and her padawan are alright?” asked Ahsoka.

Luminara nodded slowly and said, “Depa has some injuries, though the healers do not think they are serious.”

“And we did rescue another from the prison,” said Aayla.

“Another?” said Obi-Wan, raising his eyebrows.

Instead of explaining, Luminara simply led them through the doors and into one of the infirmary rooms. It was long and narrow with a row of five beds on each side of it. Most of the beds were empty, though two of them were occupied by Depa Billaba and an adolescent clone. Depa’s padawan, Caleb Dume, was sitting at the foot of her bed and Mace Windu and Yoda were both speaking softly to her. They nodded to Ahsoka and the others when they walked in, and then turned their attention back to Depa. She looked weak and bruised, but at least she was sitting up a little.

Master Shaak Ti and Fives were standing by the bed of the young clone. He wasn’t looking at them, though, but rather was staring up at the ceiling with an oddly blank expression. Ahsoka went over to his bed and got a closer look at him. He didn’t seem too injured on the outside. One of his elbows was wrapped in bacta bandages and he had a nutrient tube in his other arm, but that was it. However, when Ahsoka reached forward and touched his hand, she felt something broken inside of him. Something terrible had been done to this clone, something that had nearly ripped his consciousness to pieces.

“Aayla found him in one of the cells. They aren’t sure what was done to him,” said Shaak Ti. She touched the clone’s head gently. His hair was longer and shaggier than the clone cadets typically wore it and so she smoothed it out of his eyes.

“Nothing good,” muttered Fives.

“There is more. When the medical droids analyzed him, they found no chip in his brain. But they also ran an analysis of his DNA. They found his genetic code to be completely unaltered from that of Jango Fett.”

“Boba,” said Ahsoka, and Shaak Ti nodded.

“He hasn’t said much,” said Fives.

As if on cue, Boba quietly said, “No more.”

Boba didn’t look much more than twelve or thirteen years old. He had been through his share of tribulations in his young life and had inflicted quite a bit of violence in return. Whatever had been done to him, though, he didn’t deserve. No one deserved.

Ahsoka went back over to Obi-Wan and Anakin and told them about Boba.

“Do you think he was the second assassin?” she asked.

“He was a member of Krayt’s Claw, working with Bossk. And to find him in a Separatist prison, yes, I’d say it’s very likely,” said Obi-Wan.

“So Palpatine did that to him,” said Anakin, his expression growing dark.

“Why would he do such a thing? Why not just kill Boba?” asked Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka thought about it for a minute. The only possibilities she could come up with were that Boba still had some information on the crime families that Palpatine wanted or that Palpatine wanted the unaltered version of the clones’ DNA for some nefarious purpose. Whatever it was, it was certainly nothing good.

***

Lothal City was shining like a beacon in the afternoon sun, with the rays bouncing off the white faces of the buildings. It was so bright it almost hurt the eyes to look upon. For the Separatist droids, of course, it wasn’t a problem. They could simply adjust the intake of their photosensors and keep marching across the plains to the city. There were hordes of them - battalions of battle droids, super battle droids, and commandos on the ground, while vulture droid circled the blue skies above the city.

Up until then, Lothal had largely been ignored by the Separatists. It was a small planet, largely agricultural, though there were a few centers of industry, largely centered around the doonium mines. It was a metal often used in the construction of starships and so of some potential worth to the CIS. It was, however, more commonly found on the planets Umbara and Batonn and within rocks of the Socorro asteroid belt. Lothal’s production and exportation of the metal was falling behind and the planet was falling into a severe economic depression. It probably would have been easy to convince the leaders of Lothal to join with the Separatists. They were growing desperate and the Republic had so far failed to help them. Palpatine wasn’t particularly interested in recruiting the people of such a measly little planet to his cause, however. His interests in Lothal went far beyond the lives that existed there.

Palpatine sat in one of the Bulwark-class battle cruisers, which hovered in the lower atmosphere of Lothal. He couldn’t be at the invasion of Lothal City in person. It was too exposed. He wasn’t quite ready to reveal himself to the Jedi and the Republic. However, he had set up cameras within the photoreceptors of several of the droids, which gave him a good view of the battle, watching on the screen of his datapad. He could see, up close and in vivid detail, as the droids marched into the city and began to fire upon the civilians there. A few armed citizens began to shoot back, but they were quickly overwhelmed. Lothal didn’t have much of a standing military, which was obvious enough as the battle droids efficiently decimated the population of the planet’s capital. Palpatine switched over to the camera feeds from the droids invading the city of Jalath, and then Kothal. It was much the same as in the Lothal City. The people fought back briefly, and then they ran, and then they were slaughtered.

Palpatine smiled beneath his hood.

***

Ahsoka awoke covered in sweat and panting hard, though she couldn’t quite remember the nightmare that had caused her state of distress. She ran her hands over her face and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her heartbeat slowed down once more, returning to normal, and she sat up. The room was pitch black around her, so different from Padmé’s living room, which was illuminated by the electric lights of the city, even at night. Padmé had needed some time alone to speak with Anakin, however, and so Ahsoka found herself back in one of the windowless padawan rooms in the middle of the Jedi Temple. It wasn’t exactly where she wanted to be, but it offered some familiar comfort, in a way.

Ahsoka couldn’t remember her dream, but still, she felt some disturbance in the Force. It was like a distant scream in her head that eventually faded and went silent. She shivered.

Feeling so unsettled, Ahsoka rose from her pallet on the floor and made her way into the hallway. She walked quietly through the Temple and back up to the medical bay. Depa Billaba was improving rapidly and had already been released to her own quarters. Boba Fett, however, was still there, both for medical observation and confinement. Sick and broken as he was, the Jedi still did not trust Boba. Ahsoka nodded to the Temple Guard who waited outside the room and entered, going over to Boba’s bed.

Boba was awake and still staring at the ceiling, his expression blank. He didn’t react when Ahsoka stood beside him. She placed her hand over his forehead and closed her eyes. His mind was a fractured maze, impossible to navigate, but that didn’t stop her from trying. She reached out, trying to make some sense out of the flashes of pain and fear that came from within him.

“No more,” he said.

Ahsoka thought of the Daughter, and the sense of balance and calm that she felt whenever she was in the Daughter’s presence. She tried to hold onto that feeling of serenity as best she could and then transfer some of it to Boba. Slowly, she reached out even further, trying to piece together what she could of his consciousness. She began to find memories, some in tact and others just scrambled images. She saw his father, Jango, teaching him about Mandalorian armor and how it was made. She saw the two of them flying together across the galaxy. And she saw Mace Windu kill Jango with a sharp blow of his lightsaber. Boba shuttered beneath her palm.

“Wolves,” he said.

There were some Jedi, though they were very rare, who had learned the ability to heal wounds through the Force. They were able to pull the living Force from themselves or from the living things around them, and use it to regrow tissue, stop bleeding, and to hold on to life itself. Ahsoka had never learned this ability and she knew that the mind was a far more difficult thing to heal than any other crude matter of the body.

“At the Door,” said Boba.

Still, Ahsoka could feel the Daughter’s hand guiding her, helping her to bring some peace and some intelligible sense to Boba’s mind. She pulled it together, slowly and incompletely, but it was something.

Ahsoka saw Palpatine, standing in an alleyway on what looked like Tatooine.

“Can’t have you talking to anyone,” he said.

Ahsoka felt the lightning hit her as it had hit Boba and she sank to one knee beside Boba’s bed. She managed to keep her hand on Boba’s forehead as the memory of the pain coursed through her.

“The Temple,” said Boba.

Ahsoka opened her eyes and saw the Daughter, standing far off in the corner of the room, behind one of the empty beds. Her long green hair flowed around her as she watched them. She said nothing, but raised one hand, pointing toward the wall. The pose reminded Ahsoka of the mural that Jocasta Nu had shown her in the library. It had depicted all of the Mortis gods, the Daughter with her convor bird, the Father in the middle, and the Son with loth-wolves at his feet. Jocasta had said the ancient Jedi had thought it to be some kind of portal, a doorway to a world in which time did not exist.

Wolves at the Door

.

“A wolf at the Door,” said Boba.

The Daughter turned her head to the left, looking toward where the Son would have been in the mural and Ahsoka felt suddenly cold.

The room of the medical bay faded around her, so that only her and the Daughter remained. They stood together in an inky void for a moment and then they were standing in a grassy field scattered with odd conical boulders. Ahsoka shivered for a moment, a odd feeling to have in the presence of the Daughter. A moment later, however, she saw why.

Palpatine walked across the field, lowering the hood of his black cloak as he went. He approached one of the tallest of the boulders and raised his arms. It began to raise, spiralling upward out of the ground until it revealed a narrow doorway. Ahsoka followed him inside, through the hallways of the stone temple, past the corpses of ancient Jedi, until they reached the mural of the Mortis gods. The image of the Daughter in the mural had been facing them, but she turned away to look at the Father. The Son smiled and the wolves at his feet stood up and ran across the wall to a new doorway, one that had not been there before.

A deep and gravelly chuckle rose out of Palpatine.

“The ultimate power. Time itself,” he said. He stepped through the doorway.

Ahsoka felt a jolt and found herself back in the medical bay room. The Daughter was gone, leaving the room empty except for her and Boba, who seemed, at last, to have fallen asleep.

***

Riyo had been having a very pleasant dream when she was shaken awake by the cold and metallic hand of her LEP droid.

“What is it, Missie?” she asked, rubbing at her eyes.

“The holocomm keeps beeping, over and over.”

Missie’s eyes glowed faintly yellow in the dark bedroom as she looked intently at Riyo, who, with a groan, pulled herself out of bed.

“Who’s calling?” Riyo asked, still a bit drowsy and confused.

The droid didn’t know and so Riyo reluctantly went out to the holotable in the living room. The room was dim, lit only by the diffused light of the city through the curtains and the flashing red light of the holotable. Riyo clicked the switch and the blue image of Ahsoka popped up in front of her.

Riyo smiled when she saw Ahsoka, but seeing Ahsoka’s expression, her smile faded.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, without bothering to say hello.

“It’s...good to see you,” said Ahsoka softly. She was stalling.

Riyo took a small step back and looked over Ahsoka carefully. Ahsoka seemed to be sitting down, her arms held out in front of her, almost as if she were piloting a ship. But she wasn’t on assignment. She was still on Coruscant. She had to be.

“Where are you?” Riyo asked, with an edge to her voice.

Ahsoka looked away for a moment.

“There’s something I have to do,” she said.

“What do you mean? Did the Council send you on a mission?”

“No. Not the Council.”

Riyo crossed her arms. She was confused and had a mounting sense of dread growing somewhere in her stomach.

“Ahsoka,” she said.

“The Daughter sent me a vision. There’s an ancient Jedi temple on the planet, Lothal. It is said to have this incredible power within it, the power to alter time. Master Nu thinks it’s just a rumor, but the Daughter has shown me the truth. The Sith Lord is seeking it out. He knows how to access the power. He may even be there already. I have to stop him. I had to…” Ahsoka trailed off.

There was a strange look in her eye, one that made Riyo wrap her arms even tighter around herself.

“Ahsoka, what are you saying? Where are the other Jedi?”

“There wasn’t time. And the Sith Lord is mine is defeat,” Ahsoka said, almost harshly.

Riyo watched her closely. Ahsoka’s irises seemed brighter than usual, though it may have been an effect of the holoimage. She didn’t know what to say, and so she just said Ahsoka’s name once more.

“I have to go,” said Ahsoka. “I’m almost there.”

The holocall clicked off before Riyo could say anything more. She found herself alone in the dark of her living room. She felt out of her depth like she never had before.

Still, she knew that of all the things to do, she couldn’t do nothing. She steadied herself with a long breath and sent out a holocall to Padmé Amidala.

***

Lothal

Ahsoka landed the Twilight on the grassy plains of Lothal. It was quiet as she descended from the ship. The flat fields extended all around her, broken up only by smooth conical boulders that pointed toward the sky like fingers. It was late afternoon, and hot, and even the loth-cats must have been napping.

“Stay here, R7,” Ahsoka said to the astromech that had accompanied her.

He made a nervous whirring sound, lower pitched than Artoo’s, and rolled back onto the Twilight. Ahsoka continued down the gangplank and looked around her. There was smoke on the horizon to the east, three great plumes of it rising up and staining the sky gray. One of the cities was burning. Jalath, she thought, based on the direction. But there would be time for that later. She needed to get to the temple.

Ahsoka tapped each of her lightsaber handles, as if reassuring herself that they were still there. Then she ran out across the plains, startling the edgehawks and loth-rats that were resting in the tall grasses. The temple wasn’t far and soon she could see it, rising up higher than the other boulders. From a distance, it looked very plain, just like the other gray rocks of the plains. As she grew nearer, though, she could make out faint carvings etched into the temple and the ground around it. She didn’t have much time to observe them, though, as her attention focused on the hooded figure standing before the temple. She stopped about twenty feet from the figure, not wanting to move in too close yet, and waited for him to turn around.

“Ahsoka Tano,” said Palpatine, in his gravelly voice. Ahsoka hadn’t used to think his voice was so menacing, but she certainly did now.

Slowly, Palpatine turned and lowered his hood. He looked much the same as he had as Chancellor. His white hair was still neatly groomed and his expression calm. The only noticeable difference was the black robes and the golden eyes. He observed her for a moment and then broke into a chuckle.

Ahsoka tensed, bracing herself for his Force lightning.

“I am so glad you have come, you know,” he said.

He reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out an object, like a glass disc that he held in his palm. Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers.

“It was you who stole the holocron from me, wasn’t it? That day in the monastery. Yes, very clever. Of course, it was really this you should have taken. I had been storing it for some time, not entirely sure what it does, I’ll admit. But after you destroyed my holocrons, I took a renewed interest in my old artifacts. And the Son was kind enough to show me how to use it,” he said.

Ahsoka ground her teeth, and shifted her stance.

“You never should have trusted him, you know. The Son doesn’t truly care who has power, who wins and who loses. He is an agent of chaos, a pure being of discord,” Palpatine continued.

“And you’re not?”

Palpatine chuckled again.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. My dear, if anything, I am the ultimate Order. I will feed the Son chaos, of course, as he desires, but from the ashes he creates, my Empire will rise. And with it, the galaxy will know my Law. You could join me, you know. You’re not completely lacking in potential.”

“I don’t think so,” Ahsoka growled.

“Ah,” said Palpatine. A brief expression of disappointment flashed across his face and then vanished. He raised the glass disc. “Then you can at least help me open the temple.”

The disc began to glow red and Ahsoka felt as if a hand had reached into her chest and grabbed her lungs, wrenching the air from them. She couldn’t breath. She couldn’t hold her lightsabers. Blue light began to emerge from beneath her skin, sucked out of her and toward the disc. She gasped and fell to her knees and the light was pulled from within her by the Sith artifact. The light touched the disc and it turned inky black, just a void in Darth Sidious’ hand, and devouring Ahsoka from the inside. She could hear screaming in the distance - or perhaps just from within her head - and she could hear the cackling of Sidious. Her vision swam and she fell backward, collapsing down into the dirt. The smoky sky of Lothal stretched above her. She took shallow breaths, all that she could manage, and felt all her power leave her.

A figure approached and bent over her. Ahsoka looked up into the pale face of the Daughter, her green hair flowing around her. Ahsoka reached out and the Daughter took her hand and smiled at her. Ahsoka didn’t feel warm, though, as she usually did when she met with the Daughter. She took a rattling, gasping breath. The Daughter kept smiling, even as her eyes turned glowing red and her teeth turned to sharp fangs. It was the Son grinning down on her, not the Daughter. And by his side was Sidious.

“It takes two to open the temple, you know. So you have my thanks for giving me the power of two,” said Sidious. He and the Son stood and went over to the temple, raising their hands. The massive rock began to raise, rotating slowly as it was pulled out of the ground. There was a large rumbling sound as it went, filling the air and shaking the earth. At last a door was revealed, a narrow stone entrance to the temple. Ahsoka watched as Sidious entered the temple, leaving her lying on the bare soil and barely able to breath.

The Son was gone. The Daughter was gone. Ahsoka felt nothing. She couldn’t feel the life of the grasses around her, or the loth-cats and other animals that prowled within them. The sky was empty above her. She reached out a hand, trying to summon her lightsaber to her, but it didn’t so much as twitch from where it lay on the ground.

Ahsoka closed her eyes. There was nothing. It was all gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Coruscant

Padmé heard the holocall beeping from the living room before C-3PO came in to tell her of it. She hadn’t really been sleeping, just lying in bed with Anakin’s arm around her. She hadn’t told him about the pregnancy yet, though not because she didn’t want to. She had been going to - she had - but in the end she had lost her nerve. It was just such terrible timing. They were in the middle of war. Anakin could get called away at any moment on some dangerous and horrible mission. She kept going back and forth in her head, imagining a peaceful life with Anakin on Naboo and imagining a never ending war, her children brought up in the middle of the bloody strife.

“There’s a call for you, Senator,” said Threepio.

Padmé rose slowly, trying not to wake Anakin, but he felt her leave the bed and opened his eyes.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“There’s a call,” said Padmé softly.

She almost wished he would let her take it and go back to bed. Anakin didn’t always sleep well either, and they both needed their rest, now more than ever. Together they went into the living room and turned on the holotable.

“Padmé, Master Skywalker,” said the holoimage of Riyo Chuchi.

Padmé hadn’t been expecting a call from her fellow senator, especially not so late at night. Such frantic messages at odd hours almost never yielded pleasant results.

“I’m sorry to call so late, but it’s Ahsoka,” said Riyo. Her voice sounded strained and worried.

“Ahsoka? What’s happened?” asked Anakin.

Even without the Force, Padmé could feel his immediate fear.

“She’s gone after the Sith Lord. She said she knows where he is and that she’s the only one who can defeat him.”

“What? How cou- Where is she?” asked Anakin, practically shouting now.

“The Jedi temple on Lothal.” Riyo’s expression looked pained and Padmé wished she could reach through the holocall to comfort her.

Anakin ran back into the bedroom, emerging only a few moments later with his lightsaber in hand and R2-D2 beside him.

“What are you doing?” asked Padmé.

“I’m going after her,” he said, heading for the door.

“Wait. Ani, wait!”

He paused to look back at her.

“Ahsoka doesn’t have time for me to wait.”

“Ani, would you just stop and think for a moment? You’re not even wearing boots. If the Sith Lord is really on Lothal, then you will need help. You’ve heard the reports of the Separatist invasion there. You need the 501st. You need the other Jedi. Please,” said Padmé.

He still looked ready to run out barefoot and fight the Sith, so Padmé kept going.

“Obi-Wan is on Mandalore now,” she said. “He can reach Lothal in half the time you can and take the 212th. Maybe he can catch Ahsoka in time. But you have to inform the Council.”

“And if they say no?” His eyes narrowed a little. After everything that had happened, the Jedi Council had not regained his entire trust.

“Then I know you will go anyway. And maybe you, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan together will have a chance, but you must at least try to get the Council, as well.”

Riyo looked nervously from one to the other. Anakin just sighed.

“Call Obi-Wan. I’ll inform the Council,” he said.

Threepio came over and handed him his boots and then Anakin was gone from the apartment, already calling Captain Rex on his commlink. Padmé rubbed her eyes for a moment.

“Is there anything more I can do, Padmé?” asked Riyo.

“You’ve done so much already. I must get a message to Obi-Wan.”

Riyo nodded, still looking a bit lost, and switched off the call, leaving Padmé and Threepio alone in the apartment.

“Shall I make you some tea, Senator?” Threepio asked.

Padmé nodded. She felt weighed down by worry, but she couldn’t let that stop her now. Obi-Wan needed to be informed. He had to get to Ahsoka before it was too late.

Lothal

Ahsoka woke up to see a starry sky stretching above her. Coruscant was so bright with synthetic light that it was nearly impossible to see the stars beyond, but here on the plains of Lothal she felt like she could see each one burning in the distance. It was beautiful, in a way, or at least it would have been on any other night. She sat up slowly and was immediately so nauseous that she threw up on a patch of grass. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling just slightly better. She got to her feet and stretched out her hand, willing the darksaber to fly into it. Like the lightsaber, though, it didn’t move.

It was gone. Her connection to the Force was gone. The Daughter and the Son were gone. The Sith Lord had pulled them all from her and taken them for his own.

Ahsoka felt like she might be sick again. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block out the whole world. A loth-cat ran by her. She couldn’t see it or feel it through the Force, but she could feel the vibrations of its footsteps in her montrals. She opened her eyes again and went to pick up her lightsaber and darksaber, strapping them back to her belt. She still had them at least. That would have to be enough. Palpatine was inside already, on his way to finding the mural and unlocking its unfathomable power. She took a deep breath and then ran through the temple door.

There was a narrow, dark passage just behind the door, curving and winding backward into the structure. The walls were stone and carved with strange glyphs that she didn’t recognize. She crept through, moving as quietly as she could. Eventually, the passageway opened up into a circular room full of doors, all made of wood and all looking nearly identical to each other. Leaning against the wall between two of the doors was the skeleton of a Iktotchi, wearing crumbling brown robes. He must had been one of the ancient Jedi, before the temple was abandoned.

There was a rumbling sound from behind her and the temple began to shake. Looking back, she saw the light from the doorway disappear as the temple sank down once more into the earth. She was trapped inside then, with no way to go but forward. Although which way forward she should go, she wasn’t quite sure.

Ahsoka walked into the center of the room and looked around at all the doors. There was still some diffuse light throughout the temple, though she couldn’t pinpoint the source of it. She wanted to reach out, to try feeling for Sidious with the Force, but stopped herself. She was still thinking like a Jedi, or at least like a Force user. She needed to think like a Togruta. A hunter of the akul and survivor of the plains of Shili.

She lay down on the floor and pressed her right montral to the ground. She could feel, just faintly, a vibration in distance, coming from the direction of one of the doors. That was where Sidious had gone.

Ahsoka got to her feet and ran carefully down the hallway behind the door, stopping every time she reached a junction to listen for movement. She followed it down deep into the temple, plunging further into the earth of Lothal. As she went, circling ever downward, the vibrations grew stronger through the walls. Soon enough she could hear them, as well as feel them with her montrals. It had to be Sidious. But it seemed he wasn’t alone anymore.

The main pathway that she was on continued straight forward, leading up to a massive arched doorway all carved from dark stone. She could hear the roar of a crowd through it, and she hesitated. She snapped her fingers, feeling the echoes return to her. Then she scanned the walls around the arch, until she spotted the small opening just above and to the left of the doorway. She leapt up, kicking off of an outcropping of stone and caught the edge of the opening with her fingertips. With a heave, she managed to pull herself up and through the hole in the wall, finding herself in a narrow tunnel. It was too small to stand up, and so she crawled forward on hand and knees, as the sound of shouting and cheering grew louder. She could hear Sidious’ voice booming out over the cries.

“Arise! Arise! Sith of the ancient times. Sith long perished. Sith who were slaughtered on the battlefields of Lothal by the Jedi of old. Do you like the temple that the build on your graves?” Palpatine was saying. He wasn’t shouting, but his voice carried through the tunnels, so loud it made Ahsoka cringe. At his words, there was an angry scream from the as yet unseen crowd.

“Arise! Arise! Spirits of the ancient Sith, arise! And take back your temple from the Jedi.”

Ahsoka crawled forward and the tunnel she was in opened up into a massive amphitheater underground. She crept to the edge and peered down at the crowd below, careful to stay unseen. The room itself was a huge cavern, once a natural formation, now carved into tiers of raised seats, all surrounding a dais in the center. Darth Sidious stood on the dais, in the middle of an army of ghosts, with his arms outstretched to them. The army itself seethed and wavered. They looked somewhat like Force ghosts, but instead of glowing with blue light, they exuded a sort of murky gray luminescence. They were translucent, but as she watched them, Ahsoka thought they were becoming more opaque.

“Go now, and find me the mural of the Mortis gods! Find me the key to time itself! And then, I shall possess unlimited power!” Palpatine shouted, his voice amplified even more by the echo in the cavern.

The ghost army cheered and screamed, and they began to run through all the doorways out of the amphitheater, dispersing themselves through the Jedi temple. As they left, Ahsoka ducked down as low as she could, lying flat in her tunnel and trying not to be seen.

She was alone, hiding away from the galaxy’s most evil power in a cold tunnel. What could one being, one helpless being, do in the face of such tremendous and cruel might?

***

The rain was falling hard on Lothal when Obi-Wan and the 212th landed their ships next to the Twilight. Obi-Wan and Cody ran out into the downpour, crossing over to the other ship. They found it abandoned, however, except for Ahsoka’s red and gold astromech, R7-A7, who was beeping nervously as he waited in the cockpit.

“She must already be at the temple,” said Obi-Wan.

Lightning spread out like a spider web across the sky, followed seconds later by a tremendous crack of thunder. Jocasta Nu had given them an estimate of the temple’s location, but knowledge of the exact site had been lost to the Jedi. Obi-Wan wasn’t entirely sure how Ahsoka would have found it in the first place. But then again, these days Ahsoka was aware of more things than she should have been, courtesy of the Mortis gods in her head. They would just have to spot the temple from the air, though that would be no easy feat in the middle of a thunderstorm at night.

They took flight again, staying low to the ground. Arseven had pointed them in the general direction that Ahsoka had gone and they flew after her.

“I’m not getting anything except rocks and grass,” said Boil, scanning the plains below them with his macrobinoculars.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, seeking out some sort of convergence over the temple. He felt something, a strange and disquieting ripple of energy.

“There,” he said suddenly. “Fly that way.”

The pilot pulled the ship to left, dropping lower in the sky. Obi-Wan spotted a tall rounded boulder and told them to land the ship beside it. It didn’t look like much of a temple, but it was the centerpoint of the ripple in the Force. The 212th Battalion landed all around the rock, encircling it. The men began to disembark from their ships, their blasters raised and ready to fire at any sign of the former Supreme Chancellor.

“Are you sure this is the right place, sir?” Cody asked, looking from the barren rock to the empty plains.

Obi-Wan approached the boulder and laid his palm against it.

“This is it,” he said, “but the entrance has been sealed.”

“Can you open it?”

“Not without help. Master Nu said two Jedi are needed to open the temple.”

“So I suppose we wait,” said Cody, the rain plinking off his armor.

“Yes, it would seem so.”

***

Ahsoka ran through the hallways and tunnels of the temple, turning this way and that with absolutely no sense of where she was. At times she could hear the footsteps of the spirits of the ancient Sith, which would lead her to turn and run in the opposite direction for a time. They sounded heavy for ghosts, almost corporeal. She needed to get out, though, to leave the temple and return to her ship to send a message to the Jedi. She just had to avoid the spirits until then. She came to a crossroads and turned left, trying to move upwards toward where she thought a door might be found.

The sound of stomping feet began to echo down the hallway in front of her, and so Ahsoka turned and fled, running back down the way she came, twisting her way through the passages until she could no longer hear anyone behind her. She slowed to a walk, panting hard. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears.

There was a small door up ahead, made of wood and with a bright light on the other side of it, shining through the crack at its base. Ahsoka broke into a sprint again until she reached it. The door swung open easily enough and she leapt through without pausing to see what lay beyond it, slamming the door behind her.

Ahsoka found herself in a sterile gray hallway, similar in appearance to the halls of the Republic’s Star Destroyers. Cold white lights shown through slats in the ceiling and walls, illuminating the corridor. A boxy little droid whirred passed her, a model she wasn’t familiar with. It was too small to be an astromech and was painted entirely black. A cleaning droid, she supposed. She turned, watching its path down the hallway, and as she looked she saw the door that she had come through was gone. There was no sign of the underground tunnels or the temple at all, just this strange hallway. She could feel motion beneath her feet and the hum of an engine. She was on a ship, she realized, though it didn’t seem to belong to the Republic or the Separatists.

She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and then several people in white armor ran past, not taking any notice of her. Ahsoka thought they were clones for a brief moment, but their armor was wrong. They rounded a corner and quickly disappeared from sight. The hallway was quiet then, once the sound of the soldiers’ footsteps had faded away. Ahsoka looked around, trying to figure out which direction to go in, but she no longer had the Force to guide her. She started walking, not at all sure where she was going or even where she truly was anymore. She passed more of the soldiers as she went, going about their drills, but she wasn’t even sure if they could see her. Perhaps she, herself, had become a ghost, left behind to haunt strange starships.

She entered a long empty hallway, which was darker at the far end than any of the others had been. There must have been a power outage in the light, leaving nothing but shadows in the distance. Then the hallway filled with sound. First there was a slow rattle of an inhaled breath and then a hissing exhale through a respirator. A man in the black mask and armor, one she had seen before in a vision sent by the Son, stepped out of the shadows, almost as if he himself was materializing from them. Palpatine was not with him this time, but that didn’t make her feel any less afraid. She backed away from the figure.

“You have failed me, apprentice,” he said, advancing toward her. He raised a gloved hand as he went, holding her in place with the Force, halting her retreat.

“It is foolish to resist the might of the Sith,” he continued.

“Then I suppose it’s better to be a fool.” Her voice, at least, sounded much braver than she felt.

The figure’s respirator rattled again.

“So be it,” he said.

He release his Force hold on her and ignited a red lightsaber, raising it up to bring down upon her. She grabbed the darksaber and only just managed to use it to block his downward blow. Still, the power of his strike was enough to knock her to the floor. She rolled to the side, dodging another attack. He lifted her up by the throat with the Force and tossed her into the wall. Ahsoka managed to keep her grip on the darksaber, but she felt the wind knocked from her lungs. She rose to her feet, gasping, as the figure advanced once more on her.

She turned and ran.

***

The landing ships began to descend around the 212th before setting down in the mud. Anakin and Captain Rex were the first ones off, followed by more of the 501st. Obi-Wan was relieved to see several of the other Jedi soon behind them. Anakin was just about ready to cut through the stone walls of the temple in his impatience to find Ahsoka. Obi-Wan didn’t think he would have been able to hold Anakin back to wait for their reinforcements, but the reinforcements were mercifully on time. They were twelve Jedi in total, and two battalions of clone troopers.

“To open the temple, two there must be,” said Master Yoda, stopping in front of the towering stone to lean on his cane.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stepped forward to the boulder and lifted their hands. The earth shuttered a little as the stone raised out the ground, rotating upward to reveal a door. They lowered their hands and the temple settled into place. A deep feeling of cold was emanating out of the temple opening and sent a shiver through them all.

“He’s here,” said Shaak Ti quietly.

They could all feel the unfettered presence of the Sith Lord within.

“Yes, and not alone is he,” said Yoda. He set his cane down and led the way through the door, followed soon after by Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and the others.

Anakin, however, hesitated, which gave Obi-Wan pause.

“I can’t feel her,” said Anakin. “I thought it was just because the door was shut, but now... I can’t feel Ahsoka at all.”

“Her presence must be lost behind that of Darth Sidious. We will find her, my friend.” Obi-Wan set his hand on Anakin’s shoulder, reassuring himself as much as Anakin. It seemed to work. Anakin took a deep breath and began to follow Depa Billaba into the temple, with the 501st behind him.

“Cody, stay here and keep your men around the perimeter. Have all sides of the temple covered. We need to make sure nothing escapes from inside,” said Obi-Wan. He couldn’t see Cody’s expression, but he assumed it was probably quite grim.

Then Obi-Wan joined Anakin as they passed beneath the stone archway and into the icy air of the temple.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ahsoka could hear the sound of her own breathing, the short, sharp gasps of her lungs as she raced through the ship, turning this way and that. Sometimes she would come to a dead end and have to quickly backtrack her steps to a different hallway. Meanwhile, behind her was the persistent rattling of the respirator and the heavy, almost mechanical footsteps of the monster in the black mask. He didn’t run, and she seemed to be faster than him, but he never stopped coming. No matter how fast or how far she seemed to run, she could always hear him close behind her.

She ran down the length of a wide corridor and paused at a four way junction, trying to decide which way to go. She was breathing hard and the muscles in her legs were beginning to burn. The figure in black armor rounded the corner, marching steadily after her. She chose the hallway on the left and ran down it, knowing she couldn’t keep this up much longer.

Halfway down the hallway, Ahsoka stopped and turned back to face the oncoming figure. She grabbed the handles of her lightsabers, igniting them both. She was still a fair duelist. She was quick and agile enough. Besides, Cad Bane had never had the Force and he had always managed to put up a good fight against the Jedi. She would just have to do the same.

The monster in the black mask approached and as he came, he ripped off a piece of metal siding from the wall and slung it at Ahsoka with the Force. She leapt upward, only barely managing to clear the piece of metal before it embedded itself in the far wall, just over the opening to a trash compactor. She didn’t want to give him any more advantages, and so Ahsoka charged toward him, bringing her white lightsaber up to deflect his and slashing wildly at his mask with the darksaber. She made contact with something and the figure flinched away for a moment. He soon straightened back up, revealing a burnt hole in the mask, on the right side. An angry golden eye glared out at her through the hole, an eye that had once been blue. She had seen that look of anger before. She recognized it.

This warped, twisted thing had once been Anakin. Or maybe it still was Anakin.

He raised his lightsaber again, anger rolling off of him in waves. Ahsoka didn’t think that she could block another blow from him now. Instead, she turned and ran once again, and dove down into the chute for the trash compactor.

Ahsoka tumbled downward and landed in a heap on a stone floor. She wasn’t in a trash compactor, however, but on the ground of one of the temple tunnels, deep below ground. She was back where she had started, or so it seemed. At least Anakin was no longer with her, which was not something she had ever thought would bring her relief.

Ahsoka got up and brushed the dust off of her. The faint ambient light that illuminated the temple seemed a bit brighter here that it had before. She put her lightsabers away on her belt and followed the tunnel on a gentle upward slope, running her hand along the wall as she went. She couldn’t feel the footsteps of the ancient Sith in her montrals. This part of the temple seemed so still.

The tunnel rose gradually upward, widening as it went. The light was growing brighter, as well. It wasn’t as harsh as the synthetic lights on the starship, but for some reason it hurt her eyes even more than that. At last, the tunnel opened up into what appeared to be a large cave, with a high ceiling supported by natural columns of rock. Long, deep shadows were thrown across the floor by the columns. Once inside, Ahsoka saw the source of the radiant light. On the far side of the cave was the mural of the Mortis gods, the same one that Jocasta Nu had shown her in the library, though it was so much more vivid in person. Painted golden rings surrounded the faces and hands of the three gods, shining a yellowed light down on Ahsoka. She approached it slowly, taking in the intricate details of the Father’s robes, the passive disdain on the Son’s face, and the convor bird perched on the Daughter’s shoulder. Ahsoka only came up to the Daughter’s hand and craned her neck to look up at the faces as she stood below them.

“I wish you were still here with me,” said Ahsoka, raising her own hand up to touch the image of the Daughter’s.

“But

I’m

still here with you,” said a soft voice.

It was not the gentle voice of the Daughter, nor even the sad, urging tone of the Son. It was, however, a familiar voice, though not one she had been expecting or wanting to hear.

“It’s been too long, Lady Tano,” said the voice, still so soft and smooth. He moved forward from behind the columns, his golden eyes glowing bright. The red markings on his face looked a sickly shade of orange in the light of the mural.

“Maul,” said Ahsoka. He really was impossible to kill.

He took another few steps forward, but his footfalls didn’t have the same heavy clanking as the last time she had seen him. He moved silently, cat-like, across the stone floor. Ahsoka looked hard at him, at the edges of him, and saw the faintest hint of transparency. He, too, was one of the resurrected spirits, and like the others he was not yet completely corporeal. That gave her chance, she supposed. She took out her lightsabers in front of her and flipped the darksaber into a backwards grip, ready for him.

Maul sighed.

“You needed her power to defeat me before,” he said, gesturing up at the mural. “I’m afraid now you are completely alone. You are truly lost.”

He ignited his red lightsaber, one side and then the other. Before Ahsoka had a moment to reply, he lunged at her.

***

It was difficult to separate out any one Force signature within the temple. Everything around them felt cold and dark, like a void that was siphoning the life out of the place. Anakin couldn’t feel Ahsoka or Palpatine within the roiling sea of dark side energy. It was like trying to pick out a single whisper from a roaring crowd. Everything just got lost.

They reached a round room full of doors and stopped, with the clones still filling the hallway behind them. Master Yoda walked to the center of the room and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. Plo Koon and Shaak Ti stepped up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulders, focusing with him.

“I’m not sure we should be splitting up right now,” said Obi-Wan, eyeing the different doors, all the options ahead of them.

Anakin put on a fake smile and said, “Don’t worry, my old master, you’ll be perfectly safe with me.”

“You just worry about yourself, my very arrogant former padawan,” Obi-Wan said.

They went quiet then, waiting for Yoda to pick the best path.

“I think I hear something,” said Aayla Secura, tilting her head to the side.

A hush fell over them, and Anakin could feel their tension. Then, from the rear of the unit, a clone screamed in pain.

“We’re under attack!” a voice shouted, just before the hallway exploded into blaster fire.

Flashes of blue light lit up the dim tunnel as the clones fired upon some unseen enemy. More clones screamed and shouted in the distance. The ones closer to the circular room kneeled down, blasters raised as they waited for what was coming. Anakin bolted into a run, moving back into the tunnel through the lines of the 501st soldiers. He heard Obi-Wan shout his name and then Obi-Wan’s footsteps as he followed after Anakin.

They charged forward and as they rounded a bend, they could see red blurs of light in the distance. There were two lightsabers, and from the way they were moving, two who were wielding them. Sidious must have found a new apprentice.

The clones were fighting hard to hold the line, but they were falling quickly in the onslaught. Anakin ran and leapt in front of Appo, blocking a lightsaber strike from one of the figures. Both were hooded and pale, but now that he saw them up close, neither one of them was Darth Sidious. Instead, the Sith in front of him was a lanky woman with gray skin and white tattoos, a Dathomirian perhaps. Her eyes were gold and full of rage. There was something strange about her appearance and her Force presence, however. It was like she wasn’t quite there.

She pushed back against Anakin and swung at his head, but he blocked her again. Behind him Obi-Wan raised his hand and knocked her backwards with the Force. She fell to the ground, more easily than Anakin would have expected from a Sith, and rolled to her feet.

The second Sith advance toward them. He could have been human, though it was difficult to tell. His skin was deathly pale with dark veins across his forehead. His mouth and nose were covered by a respirator. Before he could reach them, however, Luminara, soon followed by Aayla, raced out and blocked him. They engaged him, pushing him back farther down the tunnel, leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin to deal with the Dathomirian Sith.

She rose to her feet, her yellow eyes burning with hatred. She ran at them and jumped as high as she could in the tunnel, raising her lightsaber to bring it down on them. They dodged and as they landed, Obi-Wan spun around and struck her in the arm, cleaving off her right hand and causing her to drop her lightsaber to clatter on the stone floor. Anakin didn’t hesitate, but beheaded her before she could react. Instead of falling to the ground, however, the Sith crumbled into ash, leaving nothing else behind. Even her lightsaber disappeared. The only sign that she had been there at all was the ash that mixed in with the dust on the temple floor.

Anakin looked over to see that Luminara and Aayla had dispatched the other Sith and that he had similarly dissipated into nothingness. Aayla was nudging the ash pile with her foot, while Luminara frowned at it.

“A Sith should not have been so easy to kill,” Luminara said, coming over to them.

“No, these must be something else. Did you recognize them?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The one you were fighting looked like Darth Skrye, who was murdered by her apprentice, Darth Tenebrous, over two centuries ago.”

Anakin shook his head a little. He didn’t share Luminara’s ability to remember so many dates and facts from history. All he remembered about Darth Skrye was that she used to drink the blood of fallen Force sensitives to try and consume their midi-chlorians.

“Could it have all been an illusion?” asked Aayla, still observing the ash and dust on the ground.

“That is real enough,” said Anakin, looking at the bodies of his fallen men. The Sith, or whatever they had been, had cut down over a dozen of the clones before they, themselves, were defeated. Anakin clenched his fist as he looked at the dead men. He should have ordered them to wait outside with the 212th. This Jedi temple was no place for those who were not Force sensitive.

“We need to inform Master Yoda and the others,” said Obi-Wan, turning back down the tunnel toward the still living clone soldiers.

***

Ahsoka crossed her lightsabers and caught Maul’s own, just in front of her face. Her reactions were slower than usual, but she noticed that Maul’s strike didn’t have as much strength to it either. The time that she had fought him before, the time she had killed him, each of his blows had landed like the strike of a sledgehammer. She had beat him then because she had been quicker and she had had the Daughter with her, strengthening her connection to the Force. The Daughter was gone now, just an image in a mural, but it seemed that Maul was weaker, as well. He had only partially returned to this plane of existence. Still, the temple was growing colder and a feeling of dread was spreading within Ahsoka. Even without the Force, she could sense the power of the dark side growing. Maul wasn’t overwhelming her yet, but he would be able to soon, just as the monster in the black mask had.

Maul pushed forward and Ahsoka let him. She rolled onto her back and then kicked Maul hard in the stomach, knocking him off of her and onto the floor. She got to her feet before him and lunged at him, but he managed to recover in time to block her. They slashed and parried, trading blows with masterful speed, but both lacking the power they had once had.

As they fought, Ahsoka heard a strange sort of humming, an eerie, but not altogether unpleasant sound. She paused, looking over her shoulder at the mural. Maul lashed out at her and she had to duck and roll to get away from him. He struck against her lightsaber, this time with enough strength to send her crashing to the ground. The temperature in the room was dropping and the tips of Ahsoka’s fingers were beginning to go numb. She breathed out and could see her breath puff out in the icy air. She got to her feet and backed up, toward the mural. She had somehow dropped her white lightsaber and now held only the darksaber in both hands. The mural went silent. The cold air hung dead around her as Maul advanced.

“What a fine relic, Lady Tano. But it won’t save you.” Maul reached his left hand out and summoned her white lightsaber, the one that had once been his brother’s.

Ahsoka felt her back press against the stone of the mural. Could it really be a gateway to a world where time did not exist, a world between worlds? The entire galaxy could be overwhelmed in mere moments with such a power.

Maul struck at her and she jumped to the side before ducking under his arm. He turned, slashing at her, but she was too quick. He hacked and stabbed at her with his lightsabers blades, growing angrier and angrier as she backed just out of reach, blocking with the darksaber only when she had to. He lunged again and stumbled as she flipped out of the way. His eyes were burning and his strikes growing more careless. He came at her hard and fast and she moved away, back toward the mural. Furious, Maul dropped the white lightsaber and held his double bladed weapon with both hands. He lined it up to skewer Ahsoka with it and then struck forward.

Ahsoka ducked, just in time, and the lightsaber buried itself into the wall. Not just into the wall - into the mural. Maul had stabbed it right into the stomach of the painted Father.

Maul froze as he realized what he had done, his yellow eyes going wide.

There was a creaking sound and then the image of the Father began to move. His gray face turned downward to look at Maul. The Son dropped his raised fist and the Daughter turned away from them. The convor bird on her shoulder took flight along the wall and disappeared into the cracks of the cave. Maul took a step back. The cave began to shake and rumble like an earthquake. The stone around his lightsaber began to crack, travelling up through the Father’s glaring face. The crack spidered off into the image of the Daughter and the Son and chunks of rock began to fall out of the mural before shattering onto the ground. A stalactite broke loose from the ceiling and fell with a deafening crash, shaking the floor even more.

Ahsoka grabbed up her white lightsaber and bolted toward one of the tunnels out of the cave. Maul seemed frozen in place, trapped by the broken gaze of the Father. Ahsoka ran and dove into the tunnel as more stalactites came loose and fell to the ground. She was safe from them at least, but still, she wanted to keep moving. She heard Maul scream in pain and saw a flash of crackling blue light from the cave behind her. Maul’s shrieks came to a swift end.

“Ahsoka Tano!” roared the rough and enraged voice of Sidious, rising up over the sounds of crashing rocks.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

More of the strange shadowy Sith appeared around the Jedi, some who they recognized, and some whose faces must have been lost to history. The Jedi could defeat them, especially when the numbers were in their favor, but the Sith were beginning to pick off the clones. They seemed to have grown more cautious of the Jedi, and so they waited in the shadows, made a few strikes at the 501st, and then retreated back down the hallways.

The path that Master Yoda had chosen led them down deeper into the temple, through the winding hallways. Anakin and Obi-Wan stayed at the back of the line, behind the clones, and Aayla and Luminara walked in the middle, hoping to offer some protection to the 501st, who were growing ever more uneasy.

“I don’t like this,” said Vaughan quietly, from where he walked at the front of the line.

“Easy, soldier, stay focused,” said Fives.

It was growing darker as they descended and so just ahead of them, Yoda and Shaak Ti kept their lightsabers lit for illumination. Fives tried his best to follow his own advice, to keep his attention on the Jedi in front of him and potential Sith waiting for them. He had to admit, however, that he had a very bad feeling about this.

Master Yoda stopped suddenly and the rest followed suit. He raised his lightsaber above him, casting the green light out into the tunnel ahead. A pair of bright yellow eyes stared back at them as one of the Sith spirits walked toward them. This one did not attack and retreat, as the others had, but came to a halt a few steps in front of Yoda. Fives raised his blaster, but the Sith did not move. This one wore a suit of armor and a gray mask over his face that looked like a skull. Only his eyes shown through. He seemed to be made just as much out of smoke as flesh.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked. His voice was deep and drawling.

Plo Koon and Depa Billaba took out and ignited their lightsabers, as well, soon followed by the other Jedi.

“I do. Darth Bane, you are,” said Yoda.

Fives didn’t know who any of these Sith monsters were, but the way the Jedi were reacting, it seemed this was a particularly nasty one.

“Then you know the success of my legacy. The Sith used to destroy each other, but they have grown strong under my Rule of Two.”

“Only one now, there is,” Yoda said.

“There will always be another.” As he said it, Bane looked off toward the back of the line. Something about his voice made Fives shutter a little.

“For there must always be the dark side, just as there remains the light,” said Bane and with that he dissolved away in smoke.

The Jedi were silent for a moment, still tense for an attack. Slowly, Fives lowered his blaster. Shaak Ti looked back at him and then followed Yoda.

“Continue on, we must,” said Yoda.

They didn’t make it far, however, when the temple began to shake beneath their feet. Jesse and Vaughan lost their footing and fell to the ground, and Fives was only prevented from falling when Shaak Ti caught his arm.

“Brace yourselves!” shouted the voice of Captain Rex, somewhere further back in the tunnel.

There was a crashing, rumbling sound in the distance. Falling rocks, from what Fives could tell. Some of the tunnels must have been collapsing. They had nowhere safe to go, though. The door out of the temple was too far behind them now. Instead, the clones and Jedi alike pressed themselves against the stone walls and hoped they wouldn’t be buried alive.

Eventually, the quaking stopped, and their tunnel had survived. A new sound came to them then, though, a piercing and guttural scream, full of rage. The voice of Lord Sidious.

“The Sith Lord, we have found,” said Yoda, getting to his feet. He brushed some dust from his robes and then headed in the direction of the scream.

***

Run.

Run.

Ahsoka felt like she had on Wasskah, the forest moon of Trandosha and the hunting grounds of the Trandoshans. There, she had run with Kalifa and the others from the hunters. There, she had decided to stand and fight. There, she had won the day.

But she couldn’t stop and face a Sith Lord. Not now. She could barely hold her own against Maul, a dead apprentice. She had no hope against the master. Her courage seemed to seep out of her and despair began to take its place. Her legs felt very heavy and her fingers very cold.

Run.

She had to remind herself. She had to keep moving, though to where, she had no idea. She didn’t know where she was in the temple or where she was going. Why had she come? What horrid impulse had driven her into the temple? Perhaps she had taken too much after Anakin. It was certainly the kind of thing it would do. Outnumbered. Ridiculously outmatched. He would still charge in, and then somehow find his way out of it.

Run.

She couldn’t hear Sidious behind her, but she knew he was there, in pursuit. She could feel it in the way the icy air clung to her that he was close. She ducked around a bend, and then another, and then she spotted another hole in the wall. She had to crawl into it on her belly and then shimmy herself further down the tight tunnel. She barely fit, but she kept going. She stopped only when she thought she had gone far enough, and collapsed down. She pressed her cheek against the floor of the tunnel and tried to take deeper breaths.

Of all the places she had imagined it ending, she had never pictured some dark and cramped tunnel where she cowered, waiting to die. As macabre as it was, she did used to picture her death sometimes. She imagined herself bravely sacrificing herself to save Anakin or the clones. She saw herself falling heroically but never flinching against her foe. Never this. She had never pictured this.

Ahsoka closed her eyes.

Run

, she thought, but she could no longer do so. A memory came to her then, one from the early days of the Clone Wars. She had broken her arm during one of her first missions as Anakin’s padawan and he had taken her to a nearby field hospital. It had only been a fracture, easily healed in bacta, but it wasn’t her own injury that stood out the most in her mind. She remembered the clones there much more vividly. So many of them in there had been missing limbs or had been paralized in their battles with the Separatists. She had asked Anakin how they would recover from such injuries, and he had misunderstood her to mean how they would physically recover. He had told her about getting his own prosthetic arm and how he didn’t notice the difference too much. Ahsoka had looked over at the clones. So many of them in the hospital had been quiet, some glaring at the walls, others rather listless.

“But how do they cope?” she had asked.

Anakin had understood her then. He had been quiet for moment, as if trying to find the proper Jedi answer. Then he had sighed and said, “I suppose they just take it day by day. They survive until they can live again.”

Ahsoka had been confused by that.

“If you can’t run, you walk. If you can’t walk, you crawl. And if you can’t crawl, someone carries you along. They learn to use what they still have left to them.”

Anakin had flexed his metal hand a little, while Ahsoka had continued watching the clone soldiers.

The memory faded away again, but Ahsoka still thought about Anakin’s words. She hadn’t lost any limbs. She wasn’t paralyzed. She had only lost her connection to the Force.

So use what you still have

, she told herself. And after all, none of the clones ever had the Force, and they still did extraordinary things.

There was no one to carry her and so she crawled. She lifted up as much as she could in the little tunnel and slid herself along, putting one arm in front of the other and heaving herself forward. Her stomach scraped against the rough stone until it was scratched and sore, but she kept moving. She could see nothing in the dark tunnel, and only felt her way forward. At last, her hand reached forward and touched nothing but air. She had found the end of it. She pulled her hand back and got her white lightsaber, igniting it to light up her new location. The tunnel opened up into a larger hallway, this one more constructed looking. Unlike the rough natural walls of the lower passageways, this one had carved archways and smooth floors. She was about three feet off the ground and so she slid herself carefully out into the hallway and stood, holding her lightsaber in front of her. She turned, trying to decide which direction to go, when she saw a flicker of movement.

There, on the wall, was the mural portrait of the little green convor bird. It flapped its wings and flicked its long tail at the sight of her.

“Well, I guess some of the mural survived,” Ahsoka said aloud.

The convor’s mouth moved, as if it were trying to hoot, but no sound came from the painting.

“Can you show me the way out?” Ahsoka asked.

The convor hopped a little and then flew across the stone, pausing to look back at Ahsoka. Keeping her lightsaber in hand, Ahsoka followed it.

***

The Jedi did not find the Darth Sidious as they tried to follow in the direction of his rage-filled screams. It seemed that the temple had other plans for them, as if the very passageways had a mind of their own. Instead of finding the Sith Lord, they found themselves standing in front of a towering archway, carved out of dull black rock. From the other side, they could hear hushed whispers, though the meaning of the words was unknown. Vaughan looked more nervous than before and even Fives took a small step closer to the Jedi at the sound of it.

The earthquake, or whatever it had been, had ended, but there were still aftershocks. One rolled through just then, causing them to brace themselves once more against the walls. The archway shook, but held strong. The hallway behind them, however, did not seem to be as soundly built, though, and with a tremendous crash, it began to collapse downward. Great chunks of stone broke loose from the ceiling and fell down around the back of the line. Anakin and Obi-Wan, still in position behind the clone troops, both thrust their hands forward, pushing the clones out of the way with the Force. Yoda and the other Jedi raised their hands, holding the rocks in place to give Anakin and Obi-Wan time to escape the cave in. Then, when they were clear, the Jedi released the rocks, and the tunnel caved in behind them.

Captain Rex got to his feet from where he had been thrown.

“Thanks, General,” he told Anakin.

Anakin and Obi-Wan walked up to the front of the line, to regroup with the other Jedi.

“It seems the only way is to go forward,” said Plo Koon. His goggles reflected the bright blue glow of his lightsaber as he spoke.

“Up ahead is great darkness. Careful, we must be,” said Yoda.

Anakin looked out over his men, over the 501st. They had lost nearly thirty so far to the attacks of the ancient Sith. He thought they were probably going to lose many more than that. Still, they didn’t flinch away from the task. Rex called them into formation and they got back into their lines. Yoda meanwhile directed the Jedi to encircle them. Then, together, they marched through the archway.

The arch was as deep as it was tall, but as they walked beneath it, they began to catch sight of the room beyond. They emerged into a cavernous space, high-ceilinged, vast, and echoing. Tall tiered seating lined the walls of the room, forming an arena with a dais in the center. There were several other doorways around the room, leading out of it, though none were as large or as sinisterly grand as the one through which they had just passed. Yoda led the way out into the center of the arena and stopped, looking at the different doorways.

The whispering sound persisted, and slowly figures began to enter the arena from the various entrances. Most were robed and hooded, though some wore archaic-looking armor. All had bright golden eyes. They moved slowly and with purpose, surrounding the Jedi and the clones, though they kept a distance from them.

“How many are you counting?” Anakin asked.

“Certainly more than we have,” said Obi-Wan.

The Sith spread around them, cutting off any chance of retreat or escape. They took out they lightsabers and lit them, so that a wave of red light flooded across the arena, drowning out the blue and green glow of the Jedi’s own lightsabers.

“Ready, men,” said Rex, and the 501st aimed their blasters.

Darth Bane stepped forward and raised his lightsaber. He bellowed and thrust it forward, signalling the Sith to charge. The wave of red light surged toward them.

“Fire!” shouted Rex.

***

Ahsoka nearly cried with relief when she saw the doorway leading out of the temple, though it was still a long ways down the hallway, just a slit of light in the distance. Still, she could hear the falling rain outside and the faint rumbling of thunder. The air felt fresher near the exit, after spending so long breathing the still and stagnant air below ground. The painting of the convor bird gave a little hop, reflecting Ahsoka’s joy. It flew forward on the wall and Ahsoka ran after it. She was ready to be out of this wretched place, this mixed shrine to the dark and the light. She wanted to feel the rain and the grass beneath her feet. She wanted to be reminded that there was still so much life in the galaxy. And perhaps most of all, she needed to contact the Jedi Council about the location of the Sith Lord.

The convor stopped. Ahsoka stopped.

It could never be so simple.

Darth Sidious stepped out of the darkness in front of the doorway, appearing only as a silhouette in front of the light. Ahsoka couldn’t see his shadowed face beneath his hood. He chuckled, a grating, rasping sound with no true happiness in it. He had been waiting for her, and she in her desperation and exhaustion, had not been ready for him.

The convor bird turned and fled back into the temple, leaving Ahsoka alone once more.

“Foolish child,” said Sidious. “Do you think have stopped me? You have only delayed my plans, as you did on Coruscant. But the rise of the Sith is inevitable. And you are nothing more than a persistent nuisance that I am ready to be rid of.” His voice raised into an infuriated shout as he spoke.

Sidious raised his hands and streaks of blue lightning shot out from his fingertips. They arced through the hallway, illuminating his face, before hitting Ahsoka squarely in the stomach. She was knocked backwards and landed hard on the stone floor. It hurt so much more than she had imagined. Every nerve felt as if it was on fire, as if she was burning from the inside out. The lightning faded and the pain eased a little. However, the respite was just long enough for Sidious to observe her with an almost hungry glee, before letting loose another string of lightning. She screamed.

Sidious paused once again and walked closer to her. His long cloak brushed against the ground and she could hear the soft sound of it coming near. She looked up at the plain ceiling of the hallway, wishing it was the sky. She wouldn’t mind seeing the sky one last time. She could pretend it was there. She could pretend that she wasn’t about to die alone.

“So, this is it? I had expected something a bit more exciting,” said the rumbling voice of the Bendu in her head.

“You’ve lost, little one. You could have been so much more,” hissed the Son.

“Ahsoka,” said the Daughter. Her voice sounded distant, as if she was speaking to Ahsoka through a wall. Ahsoka couldn’t even hear her clearly in her imagination.

“Ahsoka, have you given up on the Force?” asked the Daughter.

“I have no connection to the Force.” Ahsoka may have spoken it aloud, but she wasn’t sure. Sidious said nothing in the reply.

“The Force is all around you. It exists in every living thing,” said the Daughter.

More blue light came into the tunnel and Ahsoka braced herself for another barrage of Force lightning. It didn’t come yet.

A figure leaned out over her. He was tall, with long hair and a beard, and he glowed with blue light. She had never met him in person, but she recognized the former master of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Ahsoka,” he said, his voice deep and soothing. “It’s time to get up.”

“You’re not alone, Ahsoka,” said another voice, one Ahsoka recognized. She sat up and saw Adi Gallia standing before her, made of the same blue light as Master Qui-Gon.

Slowly, Ahsoka got to her feet.

Darth Sidious stood in the hallway, about twenty feet from Ahsoka. Lining each side of the hall, like a gauntlet between her and the Sith, stood the ghosts of the fallen Jedi. Ahsoka watched them, looked at each of their faces. She recognized many of them. Tiplar stood with her head tendrils waving behind her. Even Piell watched her with his one good eye and nodded. Bolla Ropal, Finn Ertay, Ima-Gun Di, Jedi who had fallen in the Clone Wars and Jedi who were long dead, they all lined the temple hallway.

Darth Sidious made no reaction to the ghosts. He couldn’t see them.

“You lasted longer than I expected. But I’m afraid we’ve reached the end.” Sidious raised his hands once more.

The lightning blasted out, streaking past the lines of ghosts toward Ahsoka. She raised her right hand, extending two fingers toward it. It burned as it met her fingers, but Ahsoka pulled it into herself. She traced her left hand along her right arm and down toward her stomach. It crackled and stung and made her want to scream once more. She pulled the lightning into her left arm, not letting it pass through her heart, and thrust forward with her left hand.

Lightning exploded out of her fingertips, crackling and wild. It shot back at Sidious and struck him. He was lifted off his feet and blown backward from the power of his own blast, through the hallway and all the way out the door of the temple. He landed heavily, with the storm pouring down on him, and then started to rise again.

Ahsoka ran forward through the Force ghosts, who disappeared from sight as she passed them. She reached the doorway as Palpatine got to his feet and stepped out into the rain. As she did, she saw that she was even less alone than she thought. She looked around at the clones who surrounded the temple. It seemed the entirety of the 212th Battalion were standing in wait outside the entrance, hundreds of them.

The clones were still for only a moment. Then the voice of Commander Cody rang out.

“Blast him!” he shouted.

Ahsoka rolled out of the way as hundreds of bolts were fired from all directions and converged to pierce through Sidious. His body twitched and thrashed under the barrage of particle beams. Then he fell, the all-powerful Lord of the Sith, brought down by a battalion of clones and a Force-less padawan.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Anakin had fought in so many battles - against droids, against Separatists, even against Sith - though nothing quite like this. The last time he had fought a Sith Lord, Darth Tyranus, he had lost an arm. But then again, he was more skilled now than he had been.

A Lethan Twi’lek, wearing a black robe and an armored breast plate, charged toward Anakin. She slammed her lightsaber down upon his, sending a shock down into his shoulder. He parried her blows and shoved her backwards. She bared her teeth at him and attacked once more. This time, he managed to grab her by the wrist, keeping her lightsaber away from him, and stabbed her through the stomach. She dissolved into ash, but was replaced a moment later by a tall Muun, who Anakin recognized. Darth Plagueis grinned at him, baring down with his lightsaber. Anakin hesitated a moment and then let himself fall backwards. Darth Plagueis lost his balance, as well, and Anakin kicked him to the side. The clones fired on him without hesitation, sending Sidious’ former master back into death.

Anakin could see flashes of the other battles around him. Obi-Wan was furiously engaged with a human Sith wearing elaborate white and gold armor. A woman with blonde hair and black ink around her eyes slashed Cere Junda in the leg, before the clones managed to shoot her down and pull Cere back from the oncoming Sith. Shaak Ti and Plo Koon were attacking Darth Bane from both sides. Eeth Koth was speared through the chest as a group of Sith overwhelmed him. Clones fell around them, shouting, screaming, and fighting back until their last moment. As Anakin fought his way through the Sith, he found himself near Master Yoda, who spun and leapt around his larger opponents.

A deep voice called out.

“Are you growing tired, my old master?” Count Dooku stepped forward to meet Yoda and Anakin.

Y
oda said nothing, merely adjusted his grip on his green lightsaber and held it at the ready. Dooku raised his own and took a step forward. Then he froze.

An expression, caught between a gasp and a grimace of pain, crossed over Dooku face. His eyes went wide. His mouth moved, as if trying to say something, but before it could come out, he fell apart into ash. All around them, the spirits of the ancient Sith collapsed, dissolving until they were nothing more than ash and a few stray wisps of smoke. Anakin turned in a circle, scanning the arena for any last remaining Sith. They were gone, though they had left plenty of destruction in their wake.

Obi-Wan was kneeling beside Stass Allie, who had been struck through the shoulder and was panting hard in the pain. Eeth Koth and Tiplee lay dead, along with many of the clones. Cere Junda’s left leg had nearly been severed and was only hanging on by a mere few inches of tissue. She was unconscious, but still alive from what Anakin could tell. Fives had been stabbed clean through the gut and was leaning heavily on Shaak Ti.

“Medic!” called Rex. He was still on his feet at least.

Kix ran forward. He checked Eeth Koth and Tiplee for any signs of life and finding none, he quickly moved on to the other serious cases.

“Appo, Vaughan, help with the wounded,” said Rex.

Anakin felt stunned. Something had changed. The icy and oppressive air in the temple felt a little lighter. The clones couldn’t feel it, but looking around at the other Jedi, even the injured ones, he could tell they did, as well.

“Sense him, I do not,” said Yoda. Anakin didn’t need to ask who Yoda was referring to. The presence of Sidious had dissipated along with the Sith spirits.

Anakin went over to Obi-Wan and Stass.

“I’m alright,” she said, though she was shaking a little.

“We need to get the wounded back to the ship,” said Obi-Wan. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.

“We still haven’t found Ahsoka,” said Anakin.

“We will.”

***

Ahsoka stood. She was covered in mud and sore all over, but she didn’t take her eyes off of the heap of robes and flesh that had once been Darth Sidious. Cody ran over to her.

“I’m sorry, commander. I should have waited until you were clear,” he said. He took off his helmet, his eyes wider than usually.

Several of the other clones approached the body, their blasters still raised as if convinced he would come back to life.

“You did the right thing. You didn’t hesitate,” said Ahsoka.

“Is he...? He’s really…” Cody said. He seemed a bit stunned.

Ahsoka led the way over to the body, and gestured to the clones to lower their blasters. She kneeled and rolled the body over. The 212th had lived up to their reputation as marksmen. There wasn’t much left of Sidious. The face was mostly gone, with just one golden eye still intact, and the rest blasted away. The torso was riddled with smoking holes. Ahsoka patted the damp robes until she found the glass disk concealed within them and pulled it out. She observed it for a moment and then dropped it on the ground and stomped down hard on it, shattering the Sith artifact beneath her boot.

Blue smoke curled up out of the broken pieces of glass and passed back into Ahsoka. She took a deep breath in, feeling the hum of the living Force around her. She reached her hand out and raised it, lifting Wooley, who had been standing nearby, a few inches off the ground.

“Hey, hey!” he shouted, kicking his legs out.

Ahsoka lowered him back down.

“Sorry, I just needed to see something,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile.

Cody chuckled a little.

“Where are the other Jedi?” he asked.

Ahsoka didn’t know. She hadn’t seen them and she told Cody as much. They both looked back toward the entrance of the temple.

“Are we going back in for them?” asked Boil, coming up to them.

Ahsoka’s stomach sank at the thought of going back into the temple again. After all she had seen in there, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to return. Still, she supposed there was no other option for them. She needed to make sure that her friends were safe - that her family was safe. She nodded and Cody began to get the men back into ranks.

Crys and Trapper were waiting by the doorway, but Crys shouted then.

“I see someone coming!”

Ahsoka tensed, not sure if she was ready for another fight. If Maul or the monster in the black mask came out of the temple, she didn’t know if she could face them again.

It was not the monster in the black mask, however, but Anakin who appeared. He saw her and immediately broke into a run, practically tackling her into a hug. It hurt a little, but she didn’t mind. She was just glad to see him again.

He pulled back for a moment, before saying, “Ahsoka, don’t ever do that again.” He was using his stern teaching tone of voice, but he hugged her again immediately after.

“Don’t what? Kill a Sith Lord again?” asked Ahsoka.

Anakin let her go and she pointed to Sidious’ remains, still lying on the wet ground.

“Kriff,” was all he could say.

Obi-Wan came out, carrying an injured Stass Allie, who he handed off to Cody before he and Rex joined them. More Jedi and members of the 501st emerged from the temple, carrying the dead and wounded with them. Ahsoka’s initial feeling of euphoria faltered as she watched two clones who held the lifeless body of a fallen brother between them.

“This is my fault,” she said.

“It’s because of you that our casualties were not far worse,” said Anakin. It did make her feel slightly better.

“How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

“Your girlfriend let us know,” said Rex, giving her a nudge with his shoulder.

Ahsoka shook her head at him, but she smiled. Riyo must have thought Ahsoka was insane, running off on her own to face the Sith Lord. And she absolutely had been.

“We should go help the wounded,” said Ahsoka.

The clones had already carried most of their wounded brothers back onto the ship. Two members of the 212th were wrapping up Sidious’ body, as well, to bring back as proof of his death to the Republic.

“I suppose we’re near the end now. The end of the war,” said Rex. He had a strange expression on his face. He had been a soldier for his entire life, as had all the clones. This was going to be a new world for them.

The sky was lightening, the rain ebbing away, leaving a gray expanse of clouds above them. Ahsoka looked up one last time before she boarded one of the ships and saw a convor bird flying in lazy circles above them. It drifted on thermals, rising higher and higher until it was little more than a speck of green. Ahsoka turned and climbed into the ship after Rex.

***

Coruscant

It was a relief to be back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, with the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and all the various beings and droids that roamed the hallways. It was a place full of life. Changes were coming for the Jedi. It was inevitable. Walking through the Temple, however, hearing the laughter of the younglings, Ahsoka felt hopeful once more about the direction the Order would take. She passed by the training ground and saw two young padawans sparring while their masters looked on. She stopped for a moment, watching them. She knew the padawans, a young wookiee named Gungi and a Tholothian named Katooni. They had been younglings when Ahsoka had escorted them to Ilum to collect the kyber crystals for their lightsabers. Now they were padawans themselves and growing in strength.

Ahsoka continued on through the Temple to the wings of the infirmary. Boba Fett had been moved to a private room to complete his healing. He was beginning to talk again, but it would take time for him to be well enough to leave the Temple. And then of course, there was the question of what to do with him afterwards. He was a difficult child. He had had a difficult life, and he would need someone very patient to look after him.

Cere Junda, Stass Allie, and Fives were in the main room of the infirmary, under the care of the Jedi healers. Cere’s leg had had to be removed and she was still waiting for her new prosthetic. Her padawan, a girl called Trilla, was sitting beside her. She seemed to be lecturing Cere about leaving her behind when the Jedi went to Lothal.

“I could have helped you, Master,” Ahsoka heard her say.

“I know, Trilla. Next time,” said Cere, patting her arm. She looked a little tired. Ahsoka was reminded of the time that Anakin had tried to leave her behind on a dangerous mission. Ahsoka had snuck aboard the ship anyway and gone along to help them.

Ahsoka went over to Fives’ bed.

“How are you, Commander?” he asked.

“I feel strange. It’s hard to believe it’s really over. That he’s really gone.”

“And good riddance. Are the Seppies still holding out?”

“No, Bec Lawise surrendered this morning. The Senate is already working on the plans for the reintegration of their worlds into the Republic. Sounds like the senators are going to be busy for a long time now.”

“Good luck to them,” said Fives. His head flopped back on his pillow and his eyes half shut.

Ahsoka patted him on the hand and told him to get some rest before leaving the infirmary. Almost immediately, she ran into Master Yoda.

“Ready for the council meeting are you?” he asked. He was smiling up at her from the middle of the hallway.

“As ready as I can be. I suppose we’ve got a lot to talk about,” she said. They began to walk together, making their way up the staircases of the Tower of the High Council. Through the windows she could see the rooftop gardens of the Temple, where a group of younglings were playing a game with a ball, levitating it with the Force and trying to throw it to one another. A part of her wished she could join them outside, rather than sitting through another long meeting. Still, she wanted to hear the Council’s thoughts on the potential reforms to the Order.

“I suppose we’ve got some big changes to consider,” she said.

“Yes. Lost, we have been. Nearly fell into the Sith Lord’s trap.” Yoda was quiet for a moment and then said, “Resigning as Grand Master, I am.”

Ahsoka stopped. She turned to look at him, feeling a little stunned. Yoda had been the Grand Master of the Jedi High Council for over a century, longer than most of the Jedi had been alive.

“Master-” Ahsoka began, but he held up a hand to stop her.

“Failed the Order, I have,” he said gravely. Ahsoka wanted to interject, but he stopped her again and continued. “Lost in the ancient ways of the Jedi and blind to the present was I. Much to think about, we have. Much to think about.”

Ahsoka was quiet. She didn’t quite know what to say. Yoda brightened, then, and smiled at her again.

“Worry not. Many younglings to teach, I have,” he said. His tone sounded lighter. She supposed that along with a great honor, it must be a terrible burden to be Grand Master.

“Come along,” said Yoda, and he continued up the staircase.

They reached the doors of the council chambers and Yoda stepped aside to let Ahsoka walk in first. Master Yoda was always so early and she was expecting that they would be the first ones into the Council chambers. As she walked into the room, however, she saw that the entirety of the expanded Council had already gathered, and she was surprised to see that they were not the only ones. Several other members of the Order stood around them. Old Tera Sinube was there, and Quinlan Vos and Bultar Swan. There were several clones, as well - Rex, Kix, Jesse, and Appo from the 501st, Commander Cody, Boil, and Trapper from the 212th - and the senators, Riyo, Padmé, and Bail.

Ahsoka paused. She had never seen non-Jedi inside the Council chambers before. The members of the High Council rose from their seats when she entered. She looked to Anakin and Obi-Wan, confused. Anakin stepped forward and held out his hand, palm up, with the beaded cord of her padawan braid lying across it. He held it out to her as he had over a year before, when she had walked away from the Jedi Order. She stepped forward and took it slowly from his hand. Anakin smiled and took a step back, his eyes getting a bit shiny. He rubbed at them and Padmé touched his arm.

Mace Windu stepped forward then in front of Ahsoka. His lightsaber handle was in his hand.

“Padawan Tano, please kneel,” he said.

She felt her heart pound faster in her chest and she did so. His purple lightsaber ignited.

“By the right of the Council,” he said, bringing it just above her right shoulder. “By the will of the Force.” He moved the lightsaber to her left shoulder. “Ahsoka Tano. Rise, Jedi Knight.”

Ahsoka got to her feet. All around her blue and green lightsabers lit up and were held in the air by the Jedi.

“Rise, Jedi Knight!” they repeated.

***

Ahsoka sat on one of the walls around the rooftop gardens, facing out over the city. The sun was sinking low in the sky, turning everything it touched golden orange. Tera Sinube had made her a glass of jogan fruit juice, which she sipped slowly as she watched the sunset. Behind her, in the courtyard, the younglings had finished their game and were lying around on the warm stones. They were waiting until the last moment before they were called back into the Temple for the night.

“Mind if I join you?” said a voice.

Ahsoka looked down to see Riyo standing in the courtyard.

“Of course,” said Ahsoka. She set down her drink and offered her hand to help Riyo climb up on top of the wall. Riyo settled herself down on it.

“I’m surprised you aren’t needed at the Senate right now. So much has happened today,” said Ahsoka.

“I’ll need to go back before too long. But I can stay a little while longer.”

Ahsoka smiled at that. Riyo took her arm and laid her head on Ahsoka’s shoulder. It seemed like the news of the Separatist surrender was reaching the people of Coruscant. They could hear faint cheering and singing from the city below them. They listened to it all and watched the sky turn a miraculous shade of pink and gold.

“I haven’t thanked you yet, for telling Anakin where I had gone. I’m not sure I would have won against Sidious in the end without the 212th there,” said Ahsoka.

Riyo sat back up right and looked at her. Then she leaned forward and kissed Ahsoka. It was soft and quick, but it was enough that Ahsoka nearly fell off the wall. Riyo grabbed her by the arms, trying to hold her steady. There was a giggling sound behind them and they saw the younglings watching them.

“Alright, young ones. Bed time,” said Ahsoka.

Some of them groaned, but they quickly enough scurried back into the Temple. Ahsoka knew her lekku must look bright pink.

“Want to, um, try that again?” she asked.

Riyo nodded and leaned in to kiss her again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Mandalore

“Well, she did say she had prepared for this,” said Obi-Wan as the shuttle flew over the main plaza in Sundari.

Ahsoka pressed herself against the window to look out at truly massive crowd below them. It seemed like the entire city, if not the planet, had crammed themselves into the square. It was hard to make out any details in the sea of people, but she could see several bright and often hand-painted banners flapping in the wind. Rex and Jesse joined her at the window, both looking a bit awestruck. Kix sat near them, tapping his fingers on his knee in nervous anticipation.

The shuttle set down on the landing pad of one of the buildings that bordered the square and they began to disembark after Obi-Wan. As they came down the gangplank, a deafening and ecstatic roar rose up from the crowd below. Cody and several of the other clones walked over to the edge of the landing pad and looked down at the crowd, looking a little stunned at their reception. Cody hesitated and then waved slowly and the cheer grew louder.

“We’d better head down, then. And make room for the other shuttles,” said Obi-Wan.

Their shuttle took flight again and was replaced on the landing pad by the one that carried Anakin, Shaak Ti, and several others in the 501st. Ahsoka walked slowly down the steps toward the plaza, waiting for Anakin to catch up with them.

“Satine really goes all out,” said Anakin, looking out over the cheering masses.

As they descended, Ahsoka noticed more people than just those down in the square. It seemed that every balcony and open window was occupied by more of the revelers. One balcony was draped with a large white banner, painted in blue letters.

“Welcome home, Sons of Mandalore,” Rex read aloud. He looked quite overcome by it.

They reached the floor of the plaza and the crowd pushed apart for them, creating a pathway over to the capitol building. They could see Satine and Korkie standing out front, at the top of the steps to the capitol, with several other Mandalorian officials and palace guards around them. In front of the steps, flanking the pathway, stood several rows of children and each was holding a wreath of white calla lilies. There were many young clones among them. Back on Kamino, the clone children had all looked so similar, with their identical uniforms and military crew cuts. Now, however, they seemed to be growing out their hair into unique styles and wearing different Mandalorian fashions, finding what appealed to them. They were becoming more like their adult brothers, who tended to change their hair and get tattoos soon after being shinies.

Cody and Rex led the way through the crowd, and as they walked, the children stepped forward to place the flower wreaths over their heads. The Jedi received wreaths, as well, though Shaak Ti’s could not fit all the way over her montrals, and so had to hang from one of them. Fives found this hilarious, but Shaak Ti wore the lopsided wreath with as much grace as she could muster. A young Mandalorian girl stepped forward with a wreath for Ahsoka and she kneeled down to let the girl put it around her neck. Her own montrals were still growing, not yet as impressive as Shaak Ti’s, and the wreath fit well enough. It smelled wonderful and made Ahsoka realize why Satine always put the flowers in her hair.

More shuttles were arriving, and a steady train of clones formed behind them. Ahsoka looked back at them all. They wore their gray and red GAR uniforms, and it was difficult to identify them by unit without their painted armor. Of course, the units didn’t matter so much anymore. The war was over. The clones would be moving on to their new lives, not as soldiers, but as men.

They reached the capitol building and Korkie came forward to hug Ahsoka. He was still a little awkward around Obi-Wan, however, and so the two of them merely clasped hands.

“This is...more than we were expecting,” said Obi-Wan to Satine, gesturing to the crowd.

“We have much to celebrate,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss and then turned to Rex, Cody, and the other clones. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Satine led them over to an old woman who stood among the group of Mandalorian officials. The woman was short and stout, with powerful arms despite her age. Her skin was dark brown and wrinkled, and it became more wrinkled as her face broke into a wide smile. She had a black tattoo on her chin in the same style of design worn by many of the clone troopers.

“This is Lani Fett, Jango Fett’s grandmother and the matriarch of Clan Fett,” said Satine.

Lani walked up to Fives and reached up to grab him by the face, kissing him once on each cheek. Fives looked a little startled, but he soon grinned at the woman.

“So many grandsons,” she said, moving on to kiss Rex.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Fett,” said Cody.

“That’s Grandma Fett to you,” she replied sternly.

Ahsoka laughed at that. Cody was so used to formality and regulations. He looked a little out of his depth with how to interact with his new grandmother.

“She has a daughter, Jango’s cousin, who would like to take in Boba,” Satine told Obi-Wan and Ahsoka quietly. Ahsoka nodded. Boba couldn’t stay at the Temple forever and it was probably better for him and Mace Windu to live on separate planets.

With the introductions made, Satine stepped up to the top of the stairs once more and waited a moment for the crowd to still.

“Now, I know you did not come here to listen to the long speeches of politicians, and so I will keep this short. It was fourteen years ago today that the clone army was formed, using a Mandalorian as template. And it is with the utmost joy that today we are now able to bring that army back and to grant them the rights of full citizens of Mandalore. We thank them for their protection and more than anything, we welcome them home.”

The crowd erupted once more into cheers.

***

There was a band playing atop the steps of the capitol building and the Mandalorians had begun a lively dance in the area surrounding it. The music was different from what Fives usually listened to on Republic Forces radio, but he was enjoying it. A few of his brothers had been pulled into the dance by the people of Sundari. They didn’t know the steps, but they were learning quickly enough.

A serving droid walked past with a tray of drinks and Fives grabbed one of them, a purple, fruity concoction that was sure to give him a headache the next morning. He spotted Shaak Ti by the doorway of the capitol, surrounded by an excited group of clone children. One of them, in his teenage years, was gesturing animatedly as he talked to her, while a younger clone seemed to be trying to climb up her robes, and a third one was wearing her flower wreath as a crown.

Fives downed his drink and walked over to them. The teenage clone stopped talking and went wide-eyed when he saw Fives.

“You’re ARC Trooper Fives, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Yeah, that’s me, kid,” said Fives.

“You uncovered the whole plot. You’re a legend!”

Fives rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

“Well, it was nothing,” he said.

“Don’t be so modest,” said Shaak Ti.

“Right. Listen, kids, could I have a moment alone with the General?”

The clone boys agreed and ran off into the crowd, quickly distracted by the many diversions in the plaza. The one wearing the flower crown made a little hand sign to Shaak Ti before running off after his brothers. She watched them go for a long moment and then turned to Fives.

“You know, I am not a general anymore, now that the war is over,” she said.

“Back to Master, then?”

“Perhaps just Shaak.”

“Oh, um, yes. Shaak,” he said, feeling his face grow hot. She was watching him carefully and he realized that he had asked to speak to her, which meant he should probably say something now.

“I just was wondering if you…knew how the vote in the Senate was going,” he said, lamely.

“I’m not sure. Some of the senators will be arriving here soon, so they should be able to tell you more. I have spoken with Toka Luteh, however. She says the aging deceleration is going well. The pills should be available soon, though the gene therapies will take longer.”

“Right, of course, Gen- Shaak. Thank you.”

“Will you stay here on Mandalore?” she asked.

Fives looked out at the plaza. Sundari seemed as good a place as any.

“I think so. At least until the rest of the Republic grants us full citizenship.”

They fell into silence for a moment as Shaak Ti seemed to be thinking hard about something and Fives was trying to build his courage. The song ended and the band switched to something a little slower, though still quite upbeat.

“Would you like to dance?” he finally forced out. He braced himself, waiting for rejection.

“I would,” she said.

He hadn’t prepared for that possibility and so stood still for a few seconds, until he recovered enough to hold out his hand and walk with her down to the other dancers. They began to twirl along with the Mandalorians. Shaak Ti wasn’t quite as graceful on the dance floor as she was on the battlefield, but then again the Jedi didn’t train to be dancers. A few of Fives’ brothers saw them and looked at him with mix of jealousy and surprise. One even mouthed “How did you…?” and pointed to Shaak Ti, but Fives ignored them and kept dancing.

There were changes coming, not just in the Galactic Senate, but within the Jedi Order, as well. Fives wasn’t privy to the Jedi meetings, of course, but Ahsoka had told them a little about the proposed reforms. After Obi-Wan had threatened to leave the Order for Satine and Anakin had revealed his secret marriage to Padmé Amidala, the Jedi Code forbidding all attachment was soon to be overturned. That was part of the reason why Fives didn’t feel too guilty pulling Shaak Ti closer to him when the song slowed and likely part of the reason why she didn’t pull away.

***

The ship with the Republic senators arrived to the plaza and Anakin rushed forward to help Padmé off of it.

“Ani, I am pregnant, not porcelain,” she scolded him. Her belly was starting to stick out, and Anakin was already acting like a worried father.

“I know, I know,” he said, but he kept an arm around her anyway as they walked down the ramp.

Satine ran up to hug Padmé and had to shoo Anakin away before he was able to start talking about how hugging Padmé too tight could hurt the babies or some such nonsense.

“You look so beautiful,” said Satine, holding Padmé’s face.

“I hope so. I threw up twice on the trip here,” said Padmé.

Satine took Padmé’s arm and began leading her down to the festivities in front of Anakin and Obi-Wan.

“Where is Bail? I thought he was going to come,” said Satine. The group of senators included Mon Mothma and Riyo Chuchi, but Bail Organa was conspicuously absent.

“He wanted to, but he couldn’t get away from Coruscant. Being the new Chancellor fills most of his time, especially with all the rebuilding to be done after the war,” said Padmé.

“And he’ll be a godfather soon, which should keep him and Breha extra busy.”

“Without a doubt.” Padmé gave her belly a pat as she said it. As they walked, she took a moment to observe the exuberant celebrating of both the clones and the Mandalorians.

“Hopefully soon the Republic will follow after Mandalore and pass this clones’ rights bill,” said Padmé.

“Until they do, the clones are all welcome to stay here.”

“We’re pushing to get the vote passed before the next rotation, but the Senate is slow to get anything done,” said Padmé.

A few steps behind them, Anakin was telling Obi-Wan about Padmé’s pregnancy in excruciating detail. Luckily they had moved on from the topic of morning sickness to the growth of the fetuses.

“They should each be about the size of a meiloorun right now, though the doctor said one might be bigger than the other if they’re taking more nutrients.”

“Meilooruns? Delicious. Now, what’s this I hear about the Organas being the godparents? I thought Satine and I were the godparents,” asked Obi-Wan.

Anakin looked confused.

“Are they only supposed to have one set of godparents?” he asked.

“It’s traditional.”

“Oh.”

“How many people have you asked?”

Anakin cleared his throat and looked at the ground before saying, “You know, you, Satine, Bail, Breha, my stepbrother, Ahsoka, Rex, Sabé, and um, Threepio.”

“A droid? You made a droid the godfather of your children. Why don’t you just throw R2-D2 and your starship in there, as well?”

“Well, Master, a starship is not sentient and Artoo really doesn’t have the patience for fatherhood. You’ll be the primary godparent, of course.”

Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“And speaking of fatherhood, how is everything with Korkie?” Anakin asked. It worked well as a change of subject to get Obi-Wan to forget his annoyance with Anakin.

“Getting better, I think.”

“Is he here? I haven’t seen him,” said Anakin.

Obi-Wan didn’t even hesitate when he pointed to Korkie in the crowd, where he was dancing with Ahsoka and a group of their friends. Riyo ran off to join them and they watched as Ahsoka lifted her off the ground and spun her around.

***

The dancing and parties outside in the plaza persisted even as the sun went down and the night sky appeared about Sundari’s dome. Ahsoka and Riyo had spent the afternoon dancing with Korkie, Soniee, and the others. It was a strange thing in a way - Jedi and Mandalorians, senators and soldiers, and all of them dancing together. Eventually, though, they began to grow hot and tired and made their way into the cooler air of the capitol building.

Several of the clones were already inside, forming a ring around a performance space in the middle of the large entry hall. Ahsoka spotted Rex sitting with Cody and Wolffe, so she and Riyo made their way over and joined them. They settled down on the floor and watched as a group of Mandalorian children followed a tall man out into the space. The man gently helped the children arrange themselves into rows, with the youngest in the front. There were two clone boys among the children, dressed like the rest in beautiful blue tunics. They grinned and blushed a little as they saw the older clones in the crowd. Three other adult Mandalorians came out carrying instruments and sat behind the children.

The man stepped forward and sang a line in Mando’a. “

Vor entye at te dala alor, jatne be Manda’yaim, ibac motir sha te munad be cerar.

”

The children sang back, their voices high and clear, “

Te or’atu muninar be pitat-briirud, mesh’la sal, bal ori kebii’tra. Teh Kalevala at Vorpa’ya.

”

Mando’a was a new language to the clone children, but they sang the words well. Their voices faded out and a drumbeat began. The children began to dance in time with it. Their hands moved gracefully around them as they swayed and stepped to the rhythm of it.

The man began the first part of the song. It was a beautiful melody and Ahsoka wished she could understand the words of it. Riyo could speak a little and told Ahsoka that it was about a Mandalorian who caught and tamed a mythosaur. The clone children seemed to lose their nervousness as they danced and began to smile wider, jumping and twirling with the others. The children began to sing along with the man, keeping their voices low. Then the man paused in his singing and the voices of the children rose up and filled the hall, so beautiful it nearly took Ahsoka’s breath away.

“

Vor entye at te dala alor, jatne be Manda’yaim, ibac motir sha te munad be cerar

,” they all sang out together. The beat grew faster as they sang and the children moved forward.

“

Kyr’bes cuyir val gai

,” sang the man

.

The children leaped up and landed in a fighting stance and shouted, “

O’r te gai be te kyr’bes - slanar ures chaabar!

”

The audience cheered and leapt to their feet to applaud, the adult clones perhaps the most enthusiastic of them all, and the two clone boys blushed again. All together the children took each others’ hands and gave a bow before running back off the stage.

Ahsoka sat back down and put her arm around Riyo to watch the next performance. She felt light and even a little giddy, more so than she had in a long time. There would always be darkness in the galaxy, always be pain and cruelty. But there was so much more that was beautiful and kind. Sitting here, watching the clones return home at last, with the Jedi and the Republic safe and Riyo beside her, it was easier now than ever to see everything that was luminous in the universe.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Naboo, Eight Years Later

Luke ran ahead of them on the trail, racing up the steep hillside. He was turning into a bit of a show-off, like his father. Leia stayed back with Ahsoka, holding her hand and pulling Ahsoka forward, trying to get her to walk faster.

“Go on, catch up to your brother,” said Ahsoka, giving her a little nudge.

Leia nodded and ran forward. Luke tried to run and beat her to the top of the hill, but he had wasted too much energy climbing on rocks, so Leia easily raced past him. They looked like little ikopi, bounding up the hillside. Leia reached the hilltop and began to jump up and down to celebrate her victory. They were sweet kids, though not the most humble.

Ahsoka turned to look at the sparkling blue lake that stretched out from the base of the hill. Padmé’s green-domed house sat on top of a bluff overlooking the waters. Padmé and Anakin were both on Coruscant for a few days, dealing with their respective Senate and Jedi business, leaving the house and the twins in Riyo and Ahsoka’s care. Riyo was at the house still, sleeping in while Ahsoka took the twins out early to train and to explore the hills that surrounded it.

“Hurry, Auntie ‘Soka,” called Luke.

Ahsoka turned her gaze away from the lake and ran up to join Luke and Leia at the peak. She found a relatively flat boulder and sat down cross legged on it, soon joined by Luke and Leia.

“Alright, let’s begin,” said Ahsoka. She found a small stone and placed it in front of her. “Luke, can you lift the stone?” she asked.

Luke nodded and held out his hand, scrunching his face with deep concentration. Slowly the rock began to float upward, wobbling a little as it went. He held it up for a few seconds and then released the breath he had been holding and dropped the stone.

“Well done. Leia, would you like to try?”

The stone rattled a little on the boulder as Leia struggled to lift it. She sighed and put down her hand, looking frustrated.

“Is something troubling you, Leia?” asked Ahsoka.

Leia shrugged and Ahsoka waited for her.

“I’m not as good as Luke,” she said.

“You're not supposed to be as good as Luke. You're only supposed to be as good as Leia, and that's good enough for me. The Force may not come as easily to you. Do you want to give up and never try again?”

She shook her head.

“Try again, Leia,” Luke said, giving her a nudge.

“Remember what we talked about, Leia. It’s ok to be jealous and disappointed, but don’t dwell on such things. Acknowledge them and try to move on.”

Leia took a deep breath and then another. She raised her hand again and closed her eyes. This time the rock shot upward, fast enough to startle Ahsoka.

“Did I do it?” asked Leia, opening her eyes.

Ahsoka caught the rock as it fell back down. “You did it,” she said.

Leia broke into a wide smile.

“Let’s try some meditation now. See what you can feel here on this hill. Try to connect to the life around you,” said Ahsoka.

The twins crossed their legs and put their hands in their lap to begin meditating. Ahsoka stood and looked down at the lake again. There were two familiar figures walking along the shore, watching Ahsoka and the twins, but not coming closer. The Son and the Daughter had not come close since the end of the war, but she could always feel them. The Daughter stopped and turned to fully face Ahsoka, with her green hair blowing around her, despite the lack of wind. The Son turned his back, only glancing at her over his shoulder. They were a part of her and always would be, but not the main part. Ahsoka Tano, once a vessel of the Mortis gods, was now something entirely new, though what exactly that was, she was still figuring out.

A sleek silver vessel flew over them and landed at the house.

“Luke, Leia, your parents are home,” said Ahsoka.

The twins jumped up and began to run for the house. Ahsoka took a final look at the Daughter. She found herself smiling and then followed after the twins, racing them across the grass to greet Padmé and Anakin.