Reality Changer

Chapter 11 - Children of the Force

Author's Note: This fanfic is more than 2/3 done being released now. :')

~ Amina Gila

The clone troopers move to stop them as soon as Ahsoka, Harmony, and Cassie sprint out into the hall. Right. They're going to have to deal with them, too. Ahsoka mind-tricks the clones into letting them pass, and they take off again before the decision can be reconsidered. Ahsoka can hear the sound of clashing lightsabers back from the throne room, and more than anything she wants to run back there and help Anakin.

But she can't. She knows the Sith would kill all three of them in no time, but... If Anakin is there, wouldn't they still have a better chance? For a moment, she's almost reconsidering going back, when Harmony speaks up. "Where do we go now?"

"For one, we better stop running. We look suspicious," Cassie points out.

Point. It's not like all the clones will know they aren't supposed to be here.

Ahsoka skids to a stop, looking between the others. "We should find Ana," she decides. Maybe then they can go back.

"Ana?" repeats Cassie.

"Anastasia, my best friend," Ahsoka explains shortly.

"She's still alive? And here?!" Harmony exclaims.

"I can sense her." Though she isn't sure why she's still alive, because no other Jedi are. What would the Sith possibly need her for, to keep her alive? "She's probably somewhere in the detention levels." Ahsoka's never actually been to that part of the Temple before, but she could probably figure out how to get there. Hopefully.

"And let's just hope all the guards think we're tourists," Harmony mutters under her breath as they head off again.

Ducking the clone patrols in an occasional hallway is easy enough thanks to Ahsoka's montrals, so she can usually sense them coming long before they pass that they can avoid them. Mind-tricking or knocking out the few when it doesn't work with is easy enough, but they aren't moving quickly enough. Anything could be happening to Anakin back in there, and she'd never know. Maybe she doesn't actually know him, but the thought of anything happening to him scares her more than she could even explain.

It's not Ana they find first. Instead, another very familiar figure walks into view around a corner, both of them slamming to an abrupt stop as they catch sight of each other. "Padme?" Ahsoka breathes.

"Ahsoka?!" The Senator-now-Empress asks incredulously, "What are you doing here?"

She's instantly struck speechless. There are so many things Ahsoka wants to say to her, she doesn't know where to start. They may not have known each other long, but that week they spent together on Naboo isn't something Ahsoka could ever forget. Still, they don't have time for reunions right now. "We might have come to see the Emperor," she explains quickly, gesturing to the Force-storm still going on outside, "And kind of... got some help to defeat him."

"What do you mean?" Padme demands, almost disbelieving.

"Not really time to explain. But they're fighting right now, and we need to get whatever help we can. Where's Ana?"

"I can take you there," Padme agrees immediately.

The four of them take off together, and no one stops to question them this time. Padme is technically the Empress after all, so she supposes that makes sense.

Ahsoka finds herself more than a little surprised when she realizes the place Padme is leading them to isn't a detention level; it's a normal living area, even if there are a good number of guards.