The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Two

Chapter Five: Anakin's Mission

ANAKIN SKYWALKER

“Everything’s set, General Skywalker. What are your orders?”

 “Very good, Rex. Prepare to make the jump to hyperspace,” said Anakin almost without thinking. His mind was wrapped up in other matters, like his former padawan. How was she? Did she find the security that she didn’t have at the Temple elsewhere? Did she keep her promise to think about him when she used her lightsabers? Oh, how he wondered!

 “What does our weapons depot look like?” he asked captain Rex absentmindedly. The officer clearly noticed that his thoughts were elsewhere, but said nothing, like the good soldier he was.

 “We have a good stock. Several crates of the newest rocket-launchers, Y-wing bombers, fighters, tanks, gunships, flame-throwers, cannons, droid-poppers…”

 A chorus of beeps and whirrs interrupted the captain’s list, announcing the arrival of R2-D2, Anakin’s personal Astro-Mec. Conveying a series of noises that his master could somehow understand, the obtuse little droid told him that Obi-Wan Kenobi wished Anakin to contact him immediately. 

 “Okay. No! All right, okay. Fine. Thanks, Artoo.” He walked over to the bridge’s holo-transmitter, and a hologram of his old Master came up.

 “Anakin, I’m in a bit of a situation here,” he said, his arms crossed and his expression grim. “It seems that the hyper-drive on my command ship is proving temperamental, and I will be delayed here for a while. Take half of my ships and your force, and get moving. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

“Sure thing. But I get the feeling that you’re up to something…” Anakin remarked suspiciously. “I’ll be leaving for Onderon in a few moments.”

“I’ll meet you there within half a rotation. Good luck.”

Anakin turned back to Rex. “Make the jump to hyperspace. I’ve got to go call the other cruisers and inform them of the plan.”

The eight cruisers soon reached the planet of Onderon. What they saw was the usual: several Separatist starships and a multitude of fighting. A boarding party was making its way to the lone Republic cruiser, which was remarkably still in working order, despite having sustained heavy damage. Anakin’s fleet joined the fight, which more than evened out the playing field.

Making their way down to the main hangar, the Jedi general and the captain got into one of the gunships that would lead them to the planet’s surface. Pushing a button on his communicator, Admiral Yulaurn informed him that someone had messaged the leading cruiser form the surface asking for him.

“Put it through,” he said. A hologram of Lux Bonteri came up.

“Master Skywalker,” he said. “I am calling to inform you that the attack seems to be directed towards me and my villa. Where are those reinforcements we were promised?”

 “Just sit tight, Senator. They’re flying in right now.”

“I see them. Please hurry!”

The gunship carrying Anakin and his troopers landed a little while away from the center of the fighting. The troopers jumped out, firing at any metallic object that moved. There were a lot of them – droids – to shoot.

Jumping out in turn, Anakin and his soldiers pushed forwards towards the Senator’s residence. Suddenly one of the men cried out, and pointed excitedly to something in the distance. Rex ran over to him, exchanged a few words with the trooper, and ran back to the young Jedi.

 “Sir,” he cried out, “Chopper thinks he’s just seen a Jedi! He said that they were using lightsabers!”

 “What? No, that’s impossible! General Kenobi said that he’d only be here in a few hours!”

 “I don’t think it’s impossible, general. See for yourself.” His captain handed him a pair of binoculars. 

 Focusing them on the center of the fighting, he noticed, sure enough, the flash of a green lightsaber. But then, a second one! And it was one that he knew well. The color was greenish-yellow, and a little shorter than the other one. 

  “That’s no normal Jedi,” he said to Rex. “It’s Ahsoka!”