Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ahsoka didn’t get a chance to see Rex’s final moments.

A part of her was grateful. Seeing him die may have broken her. It may have finally snapped something in her mind that she would have never been able to recover from. It happened to Jedi sometimes. They were empathetic by nature and when people they cared about died, sometimes their minds broke. Usually, it happened to a padawan when their master died or vice versa. Lately, it had been happening more and more to Jedi who lost their men.

Ahsoka remembered one Jedi in the halls of healing. Her squad had been completely wiped out in a surprise attack. She was the only survivor. The bonds in her head were so frayed and ripped that the healers didn’t know if she’d ever be sane again.

Ahsoka didn’t want to be like that.

So, she was grateful she didn’t get to see Rex die. She was grateful she didn’t get to see his broken, bloody body on the pavement below. Limbs twisted in odd angles as the bones were crushed from the impact. Blood pooling around him and shining sticky crimson back at her. As a predator, she’d be able to smell the blood easily. She’d be able to smell that the meat was still fresh. A new kill.

She didn’t want to see it.

She didn’t want to smell it.

And this was why another part of her felt guilty.

She wanted Rex to see a familiar face in his final moments. One last comfort before he died. Everyone did. What right did she have to take that away from him just because she didn’t want to watch him die?

Ahsoka knew that Master Obi-Wan did his best to sit with the dying on the battlefield whenever he got a chance. Knowing that his presence helped ease their suffering if for only a moment. Maybe if Ahsoka had seen Rex die, she’d be able to offer that as well. Use the Force to take away some of his pain and give him peace. Because, in the end, that’s all she could give him.

But that chance was ripped from her.

As soon as Rex let go of her hand and plummeted to his death, Palpatine grabbed her with the Force and slammed her against the opposite wall. The force of it cracked her skull. Spots danced in her vision.

The guilt and the gratitude washed away and were replaced with rage.

How dare he take that choice from her!

How dare he keep her from seeing Rex and giving him comfort as he died!

Was it not enough that he killed someone she loved? Was it not enough that he used the dark side to torment her mind and remind her of every failure she had ever been responsible for? Was it not enough that he had enslaved her brothers, orchestrated the genocide of her people, and created this fake war all so he could get more power regardless of the innocents who suffered from his pride?

A hand closed around her throat.

No, not a hand.

The Force.

Palpatine stood by the broken window; cackling as he looked at her with yellow eyes.

She snarled at him and bared her fangs. Gnashing her teeth together in a warning. If he got any closer, she would rip his throat out.

“How uncivilized,” he sniffed. “And people wonder why so many despise the non-humans of the galaxy. Humans are more intelligent and better able to control their emotions. Look at you. One death and you act like an animal.”

“I’m going to make you suffer for all the pain you’ve caused,” she said, anger building in her body until she vibrated with it. Until she burned with it. A sun was in her chest; threatening to burn away her entire body until there was nothing left but fire.

Palpatine’s eyes narrowed. “And I shall make you suffer for all the plans you’ve ruined.”

The invisible hand tightened on her throat. She brought up her own hands in a desperate attempt to claw whatever was choking her off. Even if logically she knew it wouldn’t work, her body worked on instinct now. If something was choking her, she needed to get it off.

But no matter how hard she clawed, digging her hands into her throat until the skin ripped and bled, she couldn’t find a weak point. She couldn’t find relief. She couldn’t breathe.

Her feet kicked out helplessly. Her ears rang. Spots danced in her vision.
Her heart beat itself so hard against her ribcage it threatened to break out of her chest. Rip her body apart from the inside out.

She snarled and howled and gnashed her teeth but it was no use.
She could see… she could see someone standing behind Palpatine.
He didn’t look like he was truly there, though. Almost like a holo. But not quite. It didn’t have that grainy blue effect that so many did. He was shimmering and translucent, but not grainy and static.

Was Palpatine showing this to someone else? Was there another person above him this whole time? Was he not the one running the war but someone else? Had Rex and Cody been wrong about who the leader was?

She reached for her lightsaber.

“I don’t think so, child.” Palpatine ripped it out of her hand and threw it across the room. “Since no one else can seem to kill you, I’ll do it myself.”

“Go to hell!” she snarled.

The bravado was quickly fading.

She was going to die.

She was actually going to die.

Even with Rex’s sacrifice, it wasn’t enough to save her. He had killed himself all so that she could be killed immediately afterward.

The anger flared once more in her body. Her brother had died for nothing. All her brothers had died for nothing and Palpatine was going to get away with it!

“Don’t lose yourself now, little one.”There was a warmth beside her. The man who was standing behind Palpatine was now at her side. “Didn’t you receive another gift from your brothers?” he asked. His voice was calm and comforting. Like a warm hug. Yet slightly cryptic in only the way Jedi masters could be.

His words, while warm, did not stoke the fire within her, but rather tempered it. Dimmed it. Enough so the rage in her head abated and she could think more clearly.

A gift?

What gift?

One of her hands dropped, the fingers going tingly and numb. As it did so, it brushed against something hidden in her shirt.

Wolffe’s face flashed in her mind.

A gift!

Wolffe’s gifts!

Before she had much time to think about it, she grasped the handle of the throwing knife and launched it as hard as she could at Palpatine. She wasn’t even aiming at this point. Seventeen and Hunter were going to be pissed. But, thankfully, her aim was good enough that it nailed him in the shoulder.

Palpatine howled with pain and Ahsoka fell to the floor.

She didn’t waste any time and called her lightsaber to her; igniting it just in time to block Palpatine from cutting off her head. The small blade was still embedded into his shoulder. She could smell the blood. Wounded prey.

She needed to kill it before it killed her.

She held out her other hand and called Rex’s blaster to her, hooking it on her belt for safekeeping. It was all she had left of him. With this blaster, she would have a piece of him.

“You will pay for that,” Palpatine panted. His eyes were wild and his body body heaved as he launched himself at her.

Ahsoka managed to block each of his blows, but she hadn’t managed to go on the offensive yet. She tried a particularly aggressive and potentially risky slice to Palpatine’s stomach, fully intent on spilling his entrails to the floor and letting his bleed out on the plush carpets of a corrupt senate.
Palpatine jumped back just in time to avoid her slice. He was still spry, despite being an old man. But there was something off-balanced with the way he moved. He was wounded. Yes, from the blade in his shoulder, but there was more to it than that. It was probably the only reason she wasn’t dead yet.

“Do you really think you can defeat me, girl?” he spat. “I have been training for longer than you’ve been alive! I have perfected the art of killing Jedi!”

He raised his hand.

Ahsoka, picking up on the split second of increased ozone in the air raised her blade just in time to block the Force lightning from hitting her body.

It pushed her back several feet.

Now that she was able to breathe again, the rage was back. And she wanted Palpatine to hurt. In more ways than one.

“I don’t know,” she taunted. “You haven’t been able to kill me so far.”
Palpatine let out a roar and charged at her. The sudden lack of Force lightning twisted Ahsoka’s lightsaber and she stumbled to the side. Just barely managing to block his next attack. Even though he was struggling and sluggish. He was still on the offensive.

And Ahsoka was done being on the defensive.

With each strike he brought down upon her blade, she gave herself more and more into the anger. The darkness radiating from him was drawn to her like metal to a magnet.

No longer did it choke her lungs or cloud her mind. If anything, she was invigorated by it. Her strikes became faster. Harder. More precise. Her mind felt clearer.

She was focused on her goal.

This was the man who killed Rex. This was the man who planned to kill every Jedi, even the children. This was the man who sat there so smug and sanctimonious as the Chancellor of the Republic while behind closed doors he orchestrated a war that hurt everyone. This was the man who was so selfish that he did not care who died so long as he got more power.

And more power.

And more power.

He was the reason for so much suffering. For the blockades. For the civilians who couldn’t get their food or medicine. For the people who had to flee their homes because of the bombardment. For the clone troopers, enslaved and treated as subhuman because he wanted it to be.

Palpatine was powerful.

If he wanted, he could wave his hand and end everything right now.
He could feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and heal the sick. He could make the galaxy a better place for everyone.

But he didn’t. Because he didn’t care about anyone.

Only himself.

And she wanted him to suffer for it. She wanted him to feel every ounce of pain that she had felt watching Rex die. Hearing about her fellow padawans dying. Hearing about the masters who taught her while she was in the creche dying. Watching as her brothers, her vode died for nothing. Not for peace. Not for freedom. For nothing but a selfish man who’d rather watch the world burn than help it.

She bared her fangs and charged at him. She was going to strike him down and rip out his throat. She was going to make him hurt.

Instead of looking shocked, though, Palpatine blocked her next attack and laughed.

“Good. Good. Give into your anger.” His syrupy sweet voice dripped in Ahsoka’s ears.

“What?” Her chest heaved as she paused for the first time.

Something flickered inside of her.

“Strike me down in anger, padawan. Then, your fall to the dark side will be complete. And I will have won. More powerful than you could ever imagine.”

“You can’t win if you’re dead!” she charged at him once more, but Palpatine blocked with ease.

“What makes you think that this is my final plan? Come now. Strike me down. Learn about the power that hate can give you. The knowledge the Jedi don’t want you to know. I was hoping for Skywalker to fall, but you’ll do just as well.”

She looked towards where the warm man had been. Only, she couldn’t see him. There was only darkness.

She couldn’t even see the office. Black ink swirled in her vision and coated her hands until it was all she could see. All she could feel.

She leaped back, eager to put some space between her and him.

Her head… it felt fuzzy.

The sharpness she had experienced was fading to a dim buzz right behind her eyes. Her brain felt too big for her head.

She wanted to be angry. She deserved to be angry after everything he had put her through.

He killed Rex! That alone deserved death. Not to mention all the other people who had died by his hand, either directly or indirectly.

She would be making the Galaxy better by getting rid of him.

“Of course, you deserve to be angry,” Palpatine said. “Let it fuel you. Let it guide you. Then, you will move forward to the glorious purpose that I have laid the groundwork for. That the Sith have laid the groundwork for! Thousands of years of planning and moving everything until it was just perfect! All I need is for you to give in to your anger. Then, my plans will be complete,” he cackled. Lightning sparked from his hands and danced around her, but never touched her.

The darkness closed in on her. Pressing in on her. Squeezing her body until her guts threatened to spill from her nose, ears, and mouth.

She could do it. She could Fall and let the anger give her strength. It was right there. Tempting her. Whispering in her ear all the promises of the dark side. She would be stronger. She would be more powerful. She would make sure no one ever died again.

As she was now, she was just a weak padawan.

She would never defeat Palpatine. A Sith Lord. The Sith Lord. The one orchestrating everything. The one powerful enough to run two sides of a war without anyone knowing.

Would it really be that bad if she let herself Fall? She would be doing it to protect people. Not to gain power. Surely, that was a good reason to Fall? Surely no one could blame her if it meant bringing peace to the Galaxy?

“Of course,” Palpatine said. “You can save your brothers. You can free them from being slaves. All that’s standing in the way is me. My life. Kill me. Snuff out my soul and take your rightful place. Protect those you love.”

Her hand dropped. The cool touch of metal jolted her body. Rex’s blaster remained secured on her hip. A comforting weight. The last thing she had to remember him by.

What would he say if he could see her now? If he could hear her thoughts? What would any of her brothers say? Would they even be able to look at her with yellow eyes and hate fueling her heart?

She felt something flicker in her once more.

Fire.

But so, so different from before.

Not a destructive force of nature.

A hearth.

A source of heat.

Of life.

Protection from the long nights and predators that stalked the surface of Shili.

A meditation technique. A lesson in how, just as the flames move and bend to the will of the universe, so should you move and bend to the will of the Force. Don’t fight it. Accept and adapt.

A campfire on a planet after a long campaign. Troopers sitting around and trading stories. Each escalated to see how ridiculous they could get their claims before they were called out on it.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

And stepped back from the darkness.

“I am going to cut you down,” she said. Her voice was strong and true. The lightsaber in her hand hummed pleasantly as she opened her eyes and herself fully to the light side. The ink dripped from her hands and scurried away to hide in the shadows of the office.

“But it won’t be because of anger or hate. It will be because of love. There is no darkness in that. I will not fall. And you will not win.”

Palpatine’s smile dropped and he charged at her.

She whipped Wolffe’s knife out of her boot and blocked his saber.

“I will not let you stand in the way of my glory!”

“Kote lo’shebs’ul narit,” she snarled back. The Mando’a dripped off her tongue and filled her with the strength of a thousand warriors.

A million warriors.

All her brothers who had marched on before her now lending their strength from the stars so that she may succeed.

She pushed Palpatine back with the Force and accepted her fate.

She may not be able to kill him, but little gods was she going to make him work for her death. She was going to make sure that he never forgot how hard he struggled to kill one insignificant, lowly padawan. She was going to be the shame that haunted him every second of the day. The stain on his empire that he would never be able to get rid of.

”That’s my girl. Go for the throat, kid,” Tarre Vizsla said. How she knew it was Tarre Vizsla was beyond her. But she knew it. And she felt him wrap his hands around her wrists and direct her saber and knife to block a particularly nasty blow from Palpatine.

“It is about time someone gave that man hell,” Master Yaddle said. At least this one, she recognized. Her wisdom and strength filled Ahsoka's body and gave her the strength to block the Force lightning once more.

It was not just her vode whose strength she was drawing upon. It was all the Jedi. All those that had become one with the Force. Her people. Her past. Her present. Her future. The more she opened herself up to the light side, the more strength and support she got. Not from anger, but from love.

“Nothing is ever early or late with the Force. It is always on time.” Master Jinn replied. He was the one who told her about Wolffe’s knife. Who reminded her that she had more weapons on her than just her saber. The one who gave her warmth in the first place.

Jedi, millions of them, were with her. In this room. Helping her. Giving her their strength in the Light. Helping direct her body when she struggled. Giving her advice and encouragement. And she knew all of them. Because they were all the light side of the Force. And she was the light side of the force. Each giving and receiving as was necessary to be a Jedi.

Palpatine tried to wrench the lightsaber from her hand, but it was ineffective. She was never going to tell Cody that his dumb wrist strap may have just saved her lie (or at least bought her a few seconds). He’d never let her live it down.

But even if she lost the lightsaber, she would not be defenseless. Because she was more than just a Jedi.

She was a togrutan. A hunter with sharp teeth who could take down an Akul and wear the teeth proudly upon her head.

She was a padawan. A Jedi who didn’t need a lightsaber to wield the Force.

And a soldier. A trooper who knew how to throw a punch, shoot a blaster, and blow up a building with spare droid parts.

She had been training all these different parts of herself. And now it was time to use all these different parts of herself.

Palpatine said he had trained to kill a Jedi. But what about a togrutan? Or a trooper? Did he know how to block one of Commander Cody’s famous body slams? Or how to dislodge a togrutan from his body once their jaws clamped shut around their limbs?

Doubtful.

He was expecting her to fight like a Jedi. To fight with honor and dignity and pride.

But there was no honor in war.

And there was no dignity in hunting.

And pride was not the Jedi way.

She was going to fight dirty. Even if it would give her creche masters a heart attack.

She still remembered the very first time she had used her teeth in a fight. She was an initiate learning to spar. The other youngling had her pinned so, Ahsoka did the instinctual thing and bit him on the arm. The creche masters scolded her later, saying how biting your opponent was not the Jedi way. They were peacekeepers, not animals. Ahsoka didn’t use her teeth again.

At least, not until she had sparred with Wolffe for the first time. He had gotten her in a chokehold. Unable to see any way to get out of it, she tapped out.

Later, he stormed up to her, angry.

”Why the hell did you tap out? I don’t need you going easy on me, kid.”

Ahsoka blinked at him. “I didn’t go easy on you. I couldn’t break the hold.” She remembered thinking that Wolffe was under the impression Jedi had super strength.

He scoffed. “You could have if you had bitten me. My arm was right there. And I know your teeth are sharp enough to cause some damage.”

“Jedi don’t bite.” Was her immediate answer.

Wolffe took a step back, closed his eyes, and then counted to ten. When he opened them again, he looked at her with such intensity, that she shrank back out of fear she had done something wrong.

“I don’t care what Jedi do,” he had said. “I want you to stay alive. And if that means biting people’s heads off, then that’s what you’re going to do.”

“But—”

“But nothing. You can focus on being a Jedi after we win this war. Now come on.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the sparring room.

“What are we doing?”

“You are going to learn to fight like a trooper. Dirty moves and all. If anyone ever pins you again, I want you to do whatever it takes to get out of it. Even if that means fighting like everything but a Jedi.”

“I’m not an animal,” she had said.

“Kid, you’ll be whatever you need to be to survive. Go feral for all I care. But promise me you won’t let osik like 'Jedi don’t fight like that’ stand in the way of your life.”

She had promised him that she wouldn’t, and she stuck true to her word.

The troopers had a saying when they fought: It can’t stab you in the back if it’s dead.

It was remarkably similar to a saying on Shili: The only safe akul is a dead one.

And she fully intended to follow these sayings from now until she died. Whether that death came from Palpatine’s hands or something else years from now.

”Spoken like a true Jedi,” Master Vizsla said.

Ahsoka nodded and charged at Palpatine once more. Deep in her bones, she opened herself up to the truth.

Ahsoka Tano was three things.

Hunter.

Jedi.

Trooper.

And Palpatine couldn’t keep up.

When he attacked her like she was a Jedi, she dodged like a trooper. When he blocked her blows like she was a trooper, she attacked like a togruta.

The months of practice hunting her rats now filled her with the ancient knowledge of her people. The months of sparring practice and shooting practice with her brothers. The years of meditations and katas and discussing theories with other Padawans and Jedi.

Switching between the three of them with ease.

Hunter. Jedi. Trooper.

The knife in her left hand. The lightsaber in her right. Her teeth bared and ready to bite.

Hunter.

Jedi.

Trooper.

She didn’t know if she would win this fight. She probably wouldn’t. Even with Palaptine’s struggles to deal with her aggressive and mixed fighting style, coupled with Cody, Wolffe, and Fox’s efforts to kill him, it was clear he was still the better fighter. But it didn’t matter. She would fight the same way all the togrutans fought.

Vicious.

She would fight the way the Jedi fought.

Driven.

She would fight the way all her vode fought.

Brutal.

Palpatine may win the fight, but he would never forget her.

He would always remember her as the togruta he struggled to kill.

As the padawan who ruined his plans and forced him to step into the light. To expose himself as the monster he really was.

And, as the trooper who painted the senate walls with his blood.

When Echo and Fives wrote her obituary, she hoped they would include this fight as her greatest achievement. Like all her vode, she was ready to die for the mission. Like Rex, she was ready to do whatever it took to protect those she loved.

“Where’s your power now, hut’uun? I thought anger made you stronger. Doesn’t appear to be working out for you,” she snarled.

Palpatine roared with anger and charged at her.

“Go for the dick,” Master Tholme said.

A dark presence fell over her. But it wasn’t Palpatine. And it seemed more balanced than his. Not all dark. Not all light either. “I agree. Go for the dick.”

She paused and looked to Palpatine. “Is Revan a Sith Lord?” she asked.

Palpatine paused as well. Surprised. “Yes. He established the Sith Empire.”

"I also helped destroy it." Revan growled.

“Oh. He really doesn’t like you.”

“You’re speaking to him?” he shouted.

“Yup!”

“What’s he saying?”

She swung her foot right in between Palpatine’s legs. The shin guards Rex had wrestled her into when she first became Anakin’s padawan were hard and Palpatine cried out in pain.

“Go for the dick.” She smirked.

Revan was pleased with her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that but decided that was a problem for future Ahsoka and whatever mind healer was assigned to her after this mess.

She grinned, sharp teeth poised and ready to bite. “Also, he says it’s really important you hear the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise.”

Palpatine recovered and lunged towards her. This time, Ahsoka leaped up and over him. She landed on his back and sank her teeth into his shoulder, much like she would on a hunt.

Palpatine shrieked with pain and ripped at her skin before finally getting purchase of her shirt and throwing her against the wall.

Ahsoka hit it.

Hard.

Spots danced in her vision.

“I am tired of this game,” Palpatine panted. Blood now dripped down his neck and soaked his robes.

Ahsoka spat out some skin and muscle she had ripped from his body. The sticky blood on her chin was drying and itching.

“You and me both. Why don’t we call it a draw?”

Palpatine readied for another attack. “I will end you.”

Then, he charged.

*****

A part of Jesse was kind of pissed that he had to cut his date short. He so rarely got to Coruscant which meant that most interactions with his partner were done over comms that were monitored by everyone and everything imaginable. He was amazed that Skywalker and Amidala managed to keep up any sort of relationship because Jesse felt like he was barely able to have a five-minute conversation with his partner.
But, he also knew that Rex respected the men’s time when they had even a little of it to spare. So, for him to ask Jesse to get to the Senate Building as soon as possible because something fishy was up, Jesse could (reluctantly) admit that it was probably best that he get there sooner rather than later.

And his amazing partner (who Fives was never going to meet because that asshole would screw it up) had been so understanding and wished him luck on whatever was going on.

Was it too early to propose marriage?

Probably considering Jesse wasn’t legally sentient and therefore couldn’t get married.

Maybe that should be the next Creche to Command Episode: Trooper Marriage Rights.

Hey, they got that med bill passed. Surely marriage would be an easy task. Right?

He was probably giving the nat borns too much credit.

But that was Commander Fox’s problem to deal with and not his.

As he ran towards the Senate building, he hoped to have a bit of a debrief with the captain before going off to watch over Ahsoka and the Senator. Maybe figure out what had set him off. Brainstorm some possible solutions. Decide if they needed more backup. That sort of thing.

Of course, Jesse had forgotten that his vode could not stay out of trouble if their lives depended on it. And they often did.

His hopes of the captain merely overreacting because he was being overprotective of Ahsoka were dashed the second he rounded the corner. His eyes trained to spot potential dangers the second he was in a new location.

In the ten minutes it took for him to rush over to the Senate building, shit had already gone down.

“Fuck!” Jesse cried upon seeing two nat born senate guards unconscious and surrounded by shattered glass on the ground outside the main entrance.

“Sir? Can you hear me?” He rushed up to them and put his fingers on one of their necks; fearing the worst.

He felt a steady beat of a heart beneath his fingertips and let out a sigh of relief.

Stunned.

Not dead.

That relief was quickly replaced with confusion. Why would someone attack the Senate guards, but not kill them? They clearly didn’t care about being found out as they had made no attempt to hide the bodies. But why keep the guards alive at all?

His heart dropped to his stomach as he spotted something white and blue not far from the bodies.

Rex’s helmet.

His blood turned to ice in his veins and he picked it up. “Captain?” he called.

No response.

“Commander? Ahsoka?”

No response.

More importantly, no body. No Ahsoka. No blasters. No scorch marks to indicate there had been a fight. Just two stunned guards, a bucket, and shattered glass.

Okay, so maybe Rex was right in freaking out and calling Jesse here because something was definitely wrong.

He went to the door. He should find a Corrie and ask them if they knew what was going on.

His hand stopped the second he touched the handle.

If the Corries knew about the attack, then why wouldn’t they be getting these two men to the med bay? Why leave them on the ground? Why leave the scene of the crime unguarded at all?

This place should be swarming with Corries and police droids. But there was nothing. Just the distant sounds of speeders zooming around Coruscant’s busy skyways.

He stepped back and let his training take over.

Someone attacked these two men. And Rex was here because his bucket was here. He was here with Ahsoka but there was no Rex and no Ahsoka. Someone attacked the guards but didn’t kill them. Who was to say the attacker left and didn’t just enter the front door and start picking off the Corries?

And why was he even assuming it was one person?

There was no way Rex would let himself get taken down by a single person. Unless that person was a Sith. But if that person was Ventress, these men should have lightsaber holes in their chests, not be stunned. And why was Rex’s helmet here but not Rex himself?

Did Ahsoka even make it inside the building? Rex had said she went in but did this happen before or after that?

He looked up at the Senate building, and then back down at the glass crunching beneath his feet.

“Someone broke a window,” he muttered. “And they broke it from the inside because the glass shattered outwards. Which means the attacker is inside the Senate Building. Or was.”

He looked back to the front door and bit his lip.

Going through the front door and then floor by floor was probably a stupid idea. Plus, he didn’t know the access codes to all the floors so he wouldn’t even be able to do that. But…

If he could find where the broken window came from, that might be a good place to start.

“Fives, do you copy?” Jesse said, hoping he might get some backup. No one responded.

“Commander Appo, do you read me?”

Nothing.

“Commander Cody?”

Nothing.

“Commander Fox?”

Nothing.

“Ahsoka, are you there?”

Nothing.

“Shit, what is going on? Am I being jammed?” he wondered.

He backed up from the Senate, feeling exposed and vulnerable right next to the doors and the two bodies. He looked around, not knowing what he was looking for but hoping to find something all the same.

He didn’t find anything.

He had to make a decision and he had to make it fast. Going in alone, without backup, was probably a dumb idea. But, he also didn’t think he had time to go to the barracks, the Temple, or the Corrie base and ask for help. Something was happening in the Senate and it was happening now. Ahsoka and Rex were in danger. He could not waste any time.

Besides, Commander Fox kept a tight leash on his Corries. He probably knew something was up and was on his way here right now. And, if someone did attack Rex, he would have called someone else. He would have sent out some sort of help signal. Clearly, no one was jamming him when he called Jesse. So he might have managed to slip something out.

Of course, this was all still speculation and Jesse could be marching to his death because he decided to go in alone.

“Fuck!” He pulled out his tether and shot it up the Senate building. A potentially stupid decision, but sitting around arguing with himself wasn’t going to help anyone.

The first thing he would do would be to see where the broken window came from. Once he got that figured out, then he’d make his next move. For now, he had no other information other than the fact that there was a broken window somewhere. Rex’s helmet was on the ground and not with Rex. Ahsoka was missing. And two guards had been stunned, not shot, and left out in the open for all to see.

He started climbing, glad he had his full kit on for volunteering. He supposed that was another good thing about his current plan. If he didn’t show up for his shift and the Corries didn’t know what was going on, someone would contact Rex to report him AWOL. And when they couldn’t get ahold of Rex (if they couldn’t get ahold of Rex), that might trigger an investigation which would then get Jesse some backup.

With each meter he climbed, he felt more and more sure of his decision.

Higher. Higher. Higher.

Speeders rushed by him.

The wind roared in his ears.

His legs and arms burned as he pulled himself up one meter at a time. Higher than any course Seventeen ever had him do. Higher than he was comfortable with. It wasn’t that he was scared of heights, necessarily. More just that he didn’t like it when his feet weren’t on solid ground.
The tether took most of his weight and helped pull him along. He passed by hundreds, if not thousands of windows. All unbroken. It was the first time he truly grasped the size and scale of the Senate Building. He knew it was massive to hold the thousands of senators that worked here plus all their aids and guards and other dignitaries visiting. But now that he was hanging off the side of it, he realized how small he was in the scale of the galaxy. In the scale of the universe. One tiny ant that could barely be seen against the size of the cosmos.

As he got higher, the wind and the sounds of speeders so close yet so far from him made it almost impossible to hear. But… he did think he could hear something. It sounded like… it sounded like lightsabers.

He couldn’t be sure. It could all be in his head, after all. Ringing in his ears from months of explosives going off around him. Knocking him off his feet and to the ground.

Then, what felt like thousands of meters in the air, he saw it. The broken window. Glass shattered with bits of broken, jagged pieces still framing the solid parts of the walls.

He pulled himself into the room and looked around.

“Senator Amidala’s office?” He recognized it almost instantly, what with how much time Skywalker spent with her.

Ahsoka was supposed to be in here.

He crept further into the room, careful to keep low and quiet while he surveyed the damage. It was dark, but he could see blaster shots on the walls. Perhaps some blood on the floor. More importantly, there weren’t any bodies. A fight had taken place here, but he couldn’t see anyone dead. Not Rex or Ahsoka or the senator.

He crept further in.

Someone had shot into this room from the door and hit the window. But where were Ahsoka and the others? Where was the Captain?

Where the hell were the Corries?

He stepped further in.

Now, inside and slightly protected from the wind, he could hear better.
He hadn’t been hallucinating the lightsaber sounds earlier. He could hear them. One did not run into Ventress, Dooku, and Grievous and not know what lightsabers sounded like when they were clashing. And to his knowledge, there was currently only one Jedi on this floor.

“Ahsoka!” He gasped, rushing out the door.

Wherever she was fighting, it wasn’t in here. Which meant something had happened in the Senator’s chambers. And then the fight migrated to another section. Perhaps Ahsoka and the Captain were trying to get the Senator out of the building. Maybe Rex stunned the guards so he could get inside. That would explain why they weren’t dead. Though it didn’t explain the lack of Corries or why his helmet was at the bottom of the building.

And who could possibly be on Coruscant? Ventress? Grievous? Dooku?
Jesse shuddered to think of who it could be and what they could want with Senator Amidala. He sent out another frantic message to every trooper he could think of, hoping one of them would receive it and send him some backup. He knew Ahsoka was a good fighter, but that didn’t mean he wanted only herself, him, and Rex to fight whoever was currently trying to kill them.

He rounded the corner and his eyes fell on Ahsoka and the figure she was fighting.

For a second, he didn’t know who it was in the room. It certainly didn’t look like any of their usual villains.

But, as the attacker spun around, the light hit his face in such a way that recognition shot through Jesse’s body.

Chancellor Palpatine.

That’s who was fighting Ahsoka.

Only, it didn’t look like the Chancellor. His face was warped and grotesque. His eyes were yellow. He was wielding a red lightsaber with a ferocity that wasn’t matched by any other Sith Jesse had come across.

There he stood, frozen in the doorway. Unable to move as he watched Ahsoka launch herself at Palpatine again and again and again.

It was only when Palpatine slammed her against the wall that Jesse was shaken out of his shock.

Ahsoka was taunting him. Palpatine was snarling like a wild animal.

He might get court-martialed and decommissioned for killing the Chancellor, but he didn’t care. He was trying to kill his vod’ika. And Jesse was willing to kill anyone trying to kill his vod’ike. Even if it was illegal.

He whipped out his blaster and shot at Palpatine before he could attack a downed Ahsoka. One grazed his shoulder, but the man managed to block the other. Just barely.

Palpatine threw out his hand just as Ahsoka pushed herself to her feet. She let out a cry and flattened against the floor; writhing and kicking to try and get back up. But it was no use.

Jesse kept shooting at Palpatine. He was blocking about ninety percent of the shots just fine. The other ten weren’t enough to bring him down.
Then, Jesse’s blaster was ripped from his hands.

“No!” Ahsoka shouted.

An invisible hand picked him up by the throat and slammed him against the wall. He clawed at it, trying to breathe though it was no use.

“What do we have here?” Palpatine cackled. His face warped even more as he grinned. “A clone here to do my bidding?”

“Fuck off,” Jesse gasped. He tried to kick Palpatine weakly. But the man was just far enough away that his legs didn’t even graze him.

Lightning shot from Palpatine’s fingertips.

A scream ripped from Jesse’s throat as every nerve ending in his body lit on fire. His teeth felt fuzzy in his head. His ears popped. Distantly, he was aware that Ahsoka was also screaming. He peeled open an eye to see that he was not the only one being electrocuted.

The lightning stopped.

Jesse slumped against the invisible hand, glad it was holding him up because his legs would not support him.

“What do you say, girl? I’m tired of toying with you. How about you witness the might of my army? How about you see just how perfect my clones are?”

“I will kill you,” Jesse snarled. “I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

“Not if I order you to kill her.” Palpatine smiled.

“Order me all you want. I won’t do what you say. And I know how to defend against mind tricks. So don’t even think about trying it.”

“Ah, but who needs mind tricks when I can simply speak my wishes out loud?”

Ahsoka had gone deathly pale and stilled. Her eyes were glued to Jesse. Wide with fear.

She was afraid of him?

But why?

“I won’t do it. I won’t hurt her,” Jesse said once more. Though he no longer believed that fully. After all, Ahsoka didn’t seem to believe it either. “Ahsoka, you have to believe me. It doesn’t matter what he orders me to do, I won’t do it.”

“Jesse?” she whimpered, still frozen and staring at him with abject terror on her face.

Palpatine grinned. “Oh, but you don’t have a choice. Activation Code 99266.”

Jesse’s brow furrowed. Something in his head clicked. But he didn’t know what it was.

“Trooper, activate Order 66.”

He was released from the wall and handed back his weapon.

He fired it.

*****

Ahsoka never got a complete list of all the troopers that had been dechipped. Why would she need it? It was an ongoing effort and they were on track to get one hundred percent by the end of the month. She knew that most of the 501st was clean. But not all of them were.

She had hoped that Jesse was one. But, the second Palpatine said the Activation Code, she knew that wasn’t the case.

Something in Jesse’s mind shifted. He went dark. Empty. Like a droid. A shell of himself. No emotion. No fear. No pain. No anger. No hope. Nothing. An empty husk of a man.

She always thought that if the chips were activated, the troopers would fight it. Tech and Echo warned her that it probably wasn’t possible, given what they knew about how the Corries acted while blacked out. But she wanted to believe. She had to believe. Her  vode were strong. They could fight anything.

Only, now she realized just how wrong she was.

“Jesse! Please, this isn’t you,” she cried as she just barely managed to roll out of the way of Jesse’s shots.

She reached out with the Force, hoping for any indication that he was still there. That there was some part of him she could latch onto and drag back to the surface. Some hesitance. Some slight movement of his hands that made his aim off and proved that he was fighting the chip. Even just a little.

There was nothing.

Jesse was aiming to kill.

He didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t even fight.

Just turned and started firing.

Ahsoka grabbed her lightsaber just in time to block the first deluge of shots that came her way. Palpatine let her. She could feel his glee radiating off him. Enjoying the show as Ahsoka desperately tried to block the shots without sending any back towards Jesse.

She couldn’t keep it up forever. There was a chance that she would block a shot wrong and send it straight back to him, killing him. She wouldn’t risk it.

But she had to do something. Because Jesse was not going to stop. He would die before he let her escape. The chip overrode any bits of his personality and replaced it with a mindless droid whose only goal was to kill.

She thought about waiting for him to run out of shots and then… doing something else to stop him. But his blaster held so many. She was already fading fast from her fight with Palpatine and the dark energy that surrounded him. The Jedi (and Revan) had given her a boost. But it wasn’t enough. She didn’t know if anyone else was coming or if they were, when they’d get here. Rex was dead. And Jesse was trying to kill her.

In her distraction, Jesse managed to land a shot. It only grazed her shoulder, but it was enough to cause her to stumble backward.

“Good, good. Kill her,” Palpatine cackled as he fell back into a chair. His face was flush and his breathing was heavy. He didn’t care if Jesse killed her or not, she realized. He was using this as an opportunity to regain his strength. Meanwhile, she got no rest. Even if she managed to defeat Jesse, this would give him enough opportunity to rally his strength and attack her once more.

“Go! Run, girl. We’ll hold off Palpatine for as long as we can,” Master Qui-Gon said.

Ahsoka did not need to be told twice. She turned and fled down the hallway, her feet carrying her toward the elevator.

Jesse took off after her, sprinting and not ceasing his firing even once.
She scanned her key card and waited for the elevator; turning to continue to block the shots to the best of her abilities without hitting him as well. This was her greatest weakness. Jesse was shooting to kill. She was not. And, like any good soldier, he was exploiting that to the best of his abilities. She saw now what the Kaminoans saw. What the people who were anti-trooper saw. Not a man with morals and values. But a killing machine. The perfect killing machine. Able to improvise in ways that droids could not. Able to recalibrate and reconfigure plans and strategies at the drop of a hat. Able to use every scrap of knowledge he had to get a leg up on his opponent and win.

The elevator dinged and its doors opened just as Jesse ran out of shots. Ahsoka didn’t have time to guess what he would do next because he threw himself at her.

She shrieked as they collapsed into a heap on the elevator floor.
Jesse slammed her head into the ground. Spots danced in her vision.
He sat back, pulled back his arm, then smashed his fist into her face. Her nose crushed under the force of his fist. Blood and snot spurted out. Tears leaked out of her eyes both as a reaction to the broken nose and as an overload of emotions.

Jesse wasn’t done yet. He wrapped his hands around her neck and started to squeeze.

“Jesse…” She gasped. “Jesse… please. Please stop.” More tears flooded her eyes. Blood dripped down her nose and chin.

She didn’t even feel hate from him.

No glee at besting his opponent.

There was nothing.

No emotion.

Just a droid simply carrying out its programming.

This wasn’t her brother anymore. He was just a shell. And he was going to kill her.

“Jesse,” she whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me.”

Something took over her mind and she grabbed Rex’s baster from her hip, pressed it to Jesse’s chest, and fired.

He collapsed on top of her.

Body completely slack.

Dead weight.

She scrambled out from underneath him. “No!”

Her heart stopped beating.

She had just killed him.

She had just killed her brother!

First Rex died and now Jesse.

“Jesse, no!” She rolled him over, hoping the blaster shot hadn’t gone through his heart. If it didn't go through his heart, she could heal him! She could save him.

Except, there was no blaster shot.

Because she hadn’t shot him.

She had stunned him.

But still, the fact that she didn’t even know whether or not she had just killed her brother was too much.

She scrambled to the elevator door, now closed, and welded it shut with her lightsaber.

That complete, she sat down next to Jesse’s body and howled. Sounding like a wounded animal. More tears and blood streaked down her face and stained her clothes and the floor. Her blood was smeared all over Jesse’s front. Coating his fist. His hands.

She did her best to shove herself as far away from Jesse as she could. Impossible in the small elevator but she still tried. Sinking to the floor, she curled up into a ball and started to sob. She had just tried to kill her brother. She hadn’t even hesitated. She pulled out the blaster and shot him point blank.

First Rex and now Jesse. How many more people would get hurt tonight? How many more people would die tonight? And how many would die because she wasn’t able to protect them? Jesse was only here because of her. If she had just listened to Rex and treated this whole thing with more caution, he would still be alive. And Jesse would be on his date. Would he remember that she tried to kill him? Would he hate her for it? Would he blame her?

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.” She hiccupped. Her entire body shook and the blaster fell to the ground with a loud clatter. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I’m sorry, Rex. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do. Please, please wake up. I can’t do this anymore. Master Qui-Gon? Please come back I need… I need… Someone help me.”

“There, there,” someone said.

Ahsoka felt arms wrap around her shoulders and pull her into a chest. Though, it wasn’t solid and warm. She could tell what she was leaning against. But it wasn’t there. Not really. It was like a memory.

She looked up, expecting to see Master Qui-Gon or one of the other Jedi who had helped her with Palpatine earlier.

Instead, she was looking into a very familiar set of warm, brown eyes. Ones that she had seen millions of times before even if the people with them were all different. And, just like the Jedi, despite having never met him before, she knew who he was.

“Ninety-nine?” she asked, aware she was still bleeding from her nose, had snot dripping down her face, and was sobbing like a baby.

Ninety-nine smiled at her. “There you go. Breathe just like that. Nice and deep.” His mouth moved, but it also didn’t. And he was shimmering and blue. Just like Master Qui-Gon had been.

“How are you here? Aren’t you dead? Unless you have the Force too.”

Ninety-nine laughed. Fives was right, he was a comforting presence. “As far as I’m aware, I don’t have the Force..”

“Then why?”

“Ka’ra osik,” another voice said.

She turned to see that by Jesse’s body were three other troopers.

“Hevy? Droidbait? Cutup?” She asked, knowing each of their names though she never met any of them in person.

“Hello!” Droidbait said, waving to her.

“Ka’ra? You mean this doesn’t have anything to do with the Force?” she asked.

“Hell if I know, kid,” Hevy scoffed. “We are just as lost as you are. And by the time we learned about Mandalorian culture, it had been filtered through a half-dozen generations of brothers. Who knows if what we were told was the truth at all?”

“But we’re here,” Cutup said. “And we’re just as pissed off as the rest of our brothers that Palpatine used us like this.”

“Why now?” Ahsoka asked, wiping away her tears.

“The Captain made you one of us,” Droidbait explained. “And we never leave a brother behind.”

That made her feel better. “How long does it take to get like… like you?” she asked. “No offense, but I really want to talk to Rex right now.”

“Kid, we didn’t know we could do this until ten seconds ago. Who knows what’s going on with the captain,” Hevy said. “Now, what’s the plan?”

Hysterical laughter bubbled up her throat. “Plan? What do you mean ‘plan’?”

“Well, you need to get out of here, don’t you?” Cutup asked. “So, how are we going to do that?”

“Why are you asking me? Rex is…” The words choked her throat. She forced them out anyway. “He’s dead. And Palpatine is a Sith lord and Jesse never got his chip out and I don’t know if anyone got our message and I don’t know if I can keep fighting him and I can’t use my key card because it’ll lead me down to the front and there are Corries everywhere that are probably blacked out and I can’t jump out a window like Rex wanted me too because I can’t jump with Jesse unconscious but I can’t leave him here because Palpatine will kill him and I can’t lose another brother tonight I can’t and—”

“Relax. Deep breaths,” Ninety-nine said, rubbing her back. Even though she couldn’t feel him, his touch still comforted her. It grounded her. She could feel the warmth in it.

Hevy appeared next to her. “You can’t talk like that, vod’ika. You’re a trooper. And troopers don’t give up just because the odds are stacked against us. You fight until you die or the battle is won. Is the battle won?”

She shook her head.

“Then you got to fight.”

“I can’t, though. I understand what you’re saying, but going back out there to duel would be suicide and it wouldn’t solve anything.

“I’m not saying you need to go on a suicide mission—”

“Says the guy who died because of a suicide mission,” Cutup scoffed.

Hevy punched him in the arm. “But think,” he continued.“There’s got to be something you can do. You’ve eliminated jumping out the window or going down to the first floor or fighting. So what else is there?”

“Nothing,” Ahsoka spat. “There’s nothing else.”

“No, I refuse to hear that,” Cutup said, coming to sit next to her. “We can figure it out. We just have to think.”

“Yeah,” Droidbait added. “Besides, you’re already at rock bottom. There’s really nowhere to go but up.”

Something clicked in Ahsoka’s head. “Droidbait, you’re a genius!”

“Finally someone recognizes it.”

“Don’t go getting a big head. She’s only got Fives and Echo to compare us to,” Hevy said.

Wow, Fives and Echo kind of undersold just how much their batch argued with each other. And they did not hold back on just how much they argued.

“No, we can go up!” She took out her lightsaber and started carving a circle in the ceiling of the elevator. “There’s a med bay about five floors up equipped to the teeth with everything you could ever need to do whatever medical procedure is necessary. Padmé told me about it. Just in case the Chancellor gets shot or something. We can use the med bay to get Jesse’s chip out. Then I can inject him with some adrenaline to wake him up. We can scale down the back side of the Senate building since he still has his tethers. And then we can get to the Temple, tell the council about Palpatine, and have them deal with him!”

“See! There is something you can do,” Hevy said.

Ahsoka turned to beam at him. “Thanks.” She finished the circle and forgot to catch it. It fell on Jesse. “Oops, sorry Jesse.”

She climbed out the top. “I don’t suppose you guys can help lift him to me?”

Droidbait tried. His hand went right through. “No.”

“That’s fine. I can use the Force.” She crouched on the top of the elevator and threw all of her concentration into trying to lift Jesse off the floor and out of the hole.

“Probably should have made it bigger.”

“Hevy shut up! She’s concentrating,” Cutup scolded him.

Ahsoka’s body shook as she struggled to lift him. She had used so much energy just trying to stay alive. Her reserves of the Force were starting to get depleted and she didn’t know how much more she had in her. Hopefully enough to get Jesse’s chip out and to the temple.

She dropped Jesse on top of the elevator and collapsed next to him, panting.

“Force, Jesse, what are you eating? You’re so heavy!”

“Come on, just a bit more. You can do it,” Ninety-nine said, always next to her. A warm, comforting, stable presence.

She swallowed and nodded. She strapped Jesse to her back and then used his tethers to scale the wall. Thankfully, they took most of his weight so she could focus on just getting them up there. Once she got to the floor she needed, she pulled out her lightsaber to cut through the doors.

“Wait!” Hevy hissed.

“What?”

“You said the Corries were blacked out?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“What makes you think they aren’t on this floor?”

That was a good point.

“I don’t know how to check, though. When they’re blacked out, they’re empty. Like a droid. I can sense them if I know they’re there. But I don’t know if they’re there."

“There’s a vent over here,” Droidbait said, pointing to what he meant. “You can use this to do recon.”

“Good idea.” She detached herself from Jesse and made sure he was stable, hanging off the side of the wall, and then she hopped over to where Droidbait was. She used the tip of Wolffe’s throwing knife to unscrew the vent cover and then slip in.

“Shit. They’re everywhere,” Hevy said. Even though the vent was only wide enough for one person, he was right next to her. Weird.

“I’m not going to fight them all. I can’t,” she said. “Even if I wanted to, I’m too tired.”

“What about stealth?” Cutup said. “Sneak through the halls? They seem to be working on a standard guard rotation which means there are gaps if you move fast enough.”

“But how am I going to move fast and drag Jesse?”

“There!” He pointed across the way at a service cart usually used to transport food to the various senators as they worked. “Put him on that and wheel him around.”

It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.

“I’m going to get Jesse up here. Can you guys watch the guards and try and see how long I have in between rotations to get him to the cart and into that alcove over there?” she pointed to a shadowed area that she could hide in until the next gap of guards came.

“Yes, sir, commander,” Droidbait saluted.

“Commander’s pet,” Hevy scoffed.

Cutup smacked him upside the head. “Be nice.”

“Boys, keep focused,” Ninety-nine scolded them.

They grumbled at him but quit arguing.

Ahsoka scaled back down to Jesse. It was much more difficult trying to get him into the tight vent area without making a bunch of noise. Someone, she managed it.

“Alright, on the count of three, you have ten seconds to get him on the cart and to the alcove. Think you can make it?” Hevy said.

Ahsoka nodded.

“One, two, three! Go go go!”

Ahsoka didn’t waste any time and scrambled out of the vent, dragging Jesse with her and throwing him on the cart before taking off to the alcove. She just barely managed to slip in between the pillar and a large plant before two Corries rounded the corner.

She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed by her and Jesse without a second glance.

Beside her, Hevy was tense. “Our brothers… they’re like droids. He’s taken everything from them,” He hissed. “They’re not cracking jokes or talking to one another. They’re just… existing. Puppets for him to use. And he doesn’t even care. He likes it, even. That’s all anyone is to him. A puppet to use however he sees fit.”

She put a hand on his shoulder. Or… near his shoulder. She wasn’t sure if she was even touching him.

Outside of the alcove, Droidbait and Cutup were on either side of the hallway.

Hevy shook off his anger and turned to her. “Which direction do you need to go now?”

She signed that she needed to go left. She wasn’t sure if the guards would be able to hear Hevy and the others. But they certainly could hear her.

Hevy nodded and signed to Droidbait and Cutup the next set of instructions.

They signaled that they understood and turned back to watch.
She waited, crouched by the cart; eyes never leaving Droidbait and Cutup, waiting for the signal.

Droidbait held up three fingers.

It was time to move.

Two.

Ten seconds and she’d have to hide once more.

One.

She took off with Jesse once more and turned left.

“Up ahead! Coming from the right!” Cutup called.

Ahsoka just barely managed to duck into a storage closet as the Corries rounded the corner towards her.

“You’re doing fantastic,” Ninety-nine said. Even though he was disabled, he was keeping up just fine. There was no awkwardness in his gait or slowness in his steps. He moved just the same as Hevy, Cutup, and Droidbait.

“Thanks. And thanks for helping me. You didn’t have to.”

Ninety-nine smiled at her. “Of course I didn’t have to. But I wanted to. This is our fight just as much as it is yours. We may be dead, but we’re not done yet.”

“Coast is clear. Move, move, move!” Cutup said.

Ahsoka slipped out of the closet and rushed once more to where Droidbait and Cutup were at the end of the hall.

She turned the corner and hid behind another plant.

“How much farther?” Hevy asked.

“Ten paces. To the right. It’ll be the last door at the end of the next hallway.”

“Got it. Droidbait, go see if anyone’s guarding it. Cutup, watch for the next guard rotation.”

She allowed herself a few moments to relax and reconnect with the Force. Reconnect with her breath. Reconnect with the light side. The stealth wasn’t easy, but it was giving her a chance to regain some strength. It helped that Palpatine wasn’t up here. While she could still feel his dark influence, it was lessened somewhat. She could think more clearly and didn’t feel the pressure of darkness crushing her soul.

“No guards,” Droidbait said, coming back to the alcove. “But the hallway is a rest point. We’ll need to be careful. If a guard is there, they’ll be waiting for at least ten minutes.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Just tell me when to move.”

Cutup held up three fingers.

Two.

One.

She scrambled out from the alcove and pushed the cart along. Trying to keep her steps as quiet as possible.

“No guard,” Ninety-nine said.

Ahsoka grinned. Finally, something was going right. She got to the door and pulled out her key card. She swiped it.

The door beeped. The light stayed red.

Her smile dropped.

She swiped it again.

Same result.

“Hevy, the card isn’t working,” she said, panic starting to rise in her throat.

Hevy was by her in an instant. “Shit. That card only allows you to go to the lobby and the Senator’s floor, right?”

“Oh no! I didn’t even think of that!” Of course, she wouldn’t have access to the med bay! How could she have overlooked such an important detail?

“Guard coming! Five seconds!” Cutup said, scrambling around the corner and coming towards them.

“Shit, move kid! Move!” Hevy cried.

Ahsoka grabbed Jesse and just barely managed to hide at the guard came.

“We’ll be here for ten minutes at least,” Droidbait said, coming to sit beside him.

“How long do you think he’ll be out?” Cutup asked, gesturing to Jesse. “And will him getting knocked out reset the chip? Or will he wake up with those orders rattling around in his head?”

“Does it matter? The longer we’re here, the more likely the Stih downstairs will realize where we are and come hunting,” Hevy snapped. “And it’s not like the key card will magically work next time she tries it.”

Ahsoka wasn’t listening to them, though. Instead, her eyes fell on the Corrie’s hip.

“He’s got a keycard. I’m going to go get it,” she said. “Watch Jesse.”

“Wait, kid!” Droidbait called.

But Ahsoka didn’t wait. The guard’s back was turned and she crept closer to him.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The guard shifted and turned just slightly.

Ahsoka flattened herself against the wall. Just outside of his periphery. She felt like she was hunting one of her rats. A delicate balance between moving closer to her prey, and tipping them off that she was there. One millimeter off, and he’d see her in the corner of his eye and react. But, she had been hunting her rats for months now. She knew how they moved. How they sensed the world around them. She was a hunter, through and through. And this was no different.

Hevy was beside her. “Focus on getting the card. I’ll watch and let you know if he turns.”

Ahsoka nodded and closed her eyes. She let everything else bleed away except for the Guard and the key card. She held out her hand and focused on the latch. Clicking it open and moving it slowly enough so that the guard didn’t sense it.

That done, she started bringing the card to her. Her heart was in her throat. The Force reserves which had been slowly building through her stealth mission were starting to deplete rapidly once more. She hadn’t given herself enough time to recover. If she dropped the key card, it would all be over. The guard would see her and shoot her. She wasn’t strong enough to fight off a trooper twice.

She forced herself not to think of that. She forced herself to focus on the key card and brought it closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The entire building shook. Ahsoka lurched out from her hiding place. Her eyes snapped open just in time to catch herself.

The guard fell forward too. The keycard lay about three feet from her. Too far for her to grab it.

“What the fuck?” The guard scrambled to his feet. “Delhi, report. What’s going on?”

Delhi responded something and the guard took off down the hallway.

Ahsoka didn’t wait and snatched the card. She hurried back to Jesse.

“What the fuck was that?” Cutup asked.

“Language!” Ninety-nine scolded.

“It felt like someone blew up the building. Maybe backup’s here?” Droidbait said hopefully.

“Maybe. I still need to get Jesse’s chip out and I’m not waiting to find out,” Ahsoka said. She breathed a sigh of relief as the light on the door blinked green and it slid open.

“You are not authorized to be in—” Ahsoka shot the droid with Rex’s blaster and pushed Jesse inside.

“I got to go do something,” Hevy said.

“Do something? We’re ghosts! What could you possibly need to do?” Cutup called after him.

Ahsoka wasn’t exactly happy that Hevy was leaving her. She liked having a squad to watch her back and keep her from dying. But she also knew that a lot was going on. If Hevy needed to go, then he needed to go. Besides, Jesse would be awake soon enough.

She lifted him onto the table and started up the machine. “Alright, time to dig the chip out.”

She waited for it to finish its reading.

It beeped at her.

“What? What do you mean there’s nothing there? He’s not doing this of his own free will.”

But what if he was? What if the chips just turned off the inhibitions of the troopers? What if Jesse really did hate her and wanted to kill her?

“Deep breaths, Ahsoka. Don’t panic when you’re so close to succeeding,” Ninety-nine said.

She took a deep breath and nodded, trying to remember everything she knew about the chips.

“It’s in there. It has to be. The machine just has to find it.”

“How do you get the machine to find it?”Droidbait asked.

Ahsoka thought for a minute. Then, she went around to Jesse’s side and put her hands on either side of his head.

She took a deep breath and then focused everything on Jesse’s mind. “I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me,” she said.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me.”

The machine started up again.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me.”

She could hear Jesse murmuring.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me.”

There was a darkness in his mind. She could sense it. Unnatural and twisting. Forcing him to act against his will.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me.”

She needed to focus on that. That was what the machine needed to find. That’s what the machine needed to remove.

“I am one with the Force—”

“And the Force is one with me.”

Ahsoka’s eyes snapped open just in time for her body to be ripped away from Jesse.