Anidala: Across the Stars

Chapter 15: The Battle Part 2

"Boka Tan, you and your warriors will protect the throne room and the Palace. Maul's followers are likely to come here and try to overthrow you. A few will stay with Maul. Master Unduli and Master Mundi will stay here with you to protect the people and fight along side you. Master Kenobi, Ahsoka, and I will wait until the attack has started, then take the 501st battalion down into the underground of Mandalore. Rex has reported an entrance in the back of the throne to a secret system of underground passageways. We believe they connect to wherever Maul is hiding. Us three will wait there and serve as protection in case any of mauls followers try to use the passage, then track him down and end him once and for all. Does everyone know their assignments?" The leaders nodded. "Very well. Go rest, but be weary of the attack. The first sign of battle, everyone go to their stations. May the force be with you." Anakin and Ahsoka walked away and slid down a pillar in unison.
"So now we just wait?"
"Now we just wait, snips."
"This doesn't seem like your kind of plan skyguy."
"None of this seems like my kind of plan. Will you keep watch? I need to go talk to Padmé."
"Any time skyguy." She lifted up a communicator, and Anakin gave her a thankful smile. Anakin walked behind the pillar and turned on the hologram.
"Padmé! Are you safe? Are you ok? Where are you?" He asked her.
"I'm fine, Ani. Just a little tired of waiting around for the battle to be over. I miss the twins."
"I miss them too." Anakin responded.
"How much longer do you think it will be before we can begin negotiations?"
"Well we're waiting for Maul to attack now. Then we'll need to give Boka Tan a few days to get her new government in order, and to settle the people. And another day for negotiations...." Anakin sensed his wife's sadness.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to go home, Ani. Home to the house in Naboo. I want to raise the children there for some time. I want to train Leia to be queen as I was when I was young. I want them to see the beauty of their home planet, to have my people recognize them as Nubian."
"Then as soon as this is over we will go. We will go to the house by the lake. We can even take the whole family, everyone could use a break from the turmoil before we start purging slavery from the outer rim territories."
"I love you Anakin." Padmé smiled at her husband.
"I love you too Padmé." The hologram disappeared.
Anakin slipped the communicator into his pocket, then went back to where Ahsoka had now fallen asleep in the pillar. He sat down next to her tilting his head back against the Pillar and eventually falling asleep.

"General Skywalker. Commander Tano." The pair woke to Rex shaking them awake.
"They're here sir. The 501st is already in the underground." Anakin jumped up pulling Ahsoka to her feet with him.
"Let's go Rex." Ahsoka said running off toward the hatch in the back of the throne. She jumped down the hole, startling the 40 men waiting for her. Anakin, Rex, and Obi Wan jumped down next to her.
"I don't like waiting Master. I feel our skills would be better put to use out there."
"I know snips. I don't like it either."
"Sir we've got incoming!" Rex yelled as he fired his blaster down the hallway toward the 10 Mandalorians running toward them. Obi Wan jumped in between the clones and the oncoming warriors, deflecting bullets.
"Finally, the fun is beginning." Anakin said as he and Ahsoka ran toward the Mandalorians. Fighting living things instead of droids was not something either Jedi was used to. Ahsoka deflected a blast with her lightsaber and it flew
Right back at the mandalorian, hitting him right in the neck of the armor. He screamed and fell back. She deflected another, and another, each returning back to the warrior it had come from. Finally the hallway was empty again, except for the bodies of the fallen red armored Mandalorians.
"Master, this doesn't count as taking innocent life, does it?"
"No snips, but I don't like it. There was no other way."
"There's always another way." Ahsoka responded, grimly.
"It's unlikely that Maul would join the upper battle. Hes much too content to let others do his dirty work for him. I suggest we advance down the hall and find where their base is located." Obi Wan came up between them. Anakin nodded.
"Rex were moving down the hallway!" He called. You sir. You heard the general boys, move out!" Anakin and Ahsoka crept ahead of the group, peeking around corners, preparing for an attack. They rounded a corner to see a giant vault door with the symbol of death watch painted on it.
"Master!" Anakin called, "I think we found our base." Obi Wan Ran up behind them.
"Now the only question is, what will we find inside." Anakin pushed open the door to reveal a giant, but completely empty room.
"Wow." Ahsoka said as she walked inside. There were chairs and tables set up, splayed everywhere. There were beds hanging from the ceiling, bolted to the wall, and in corners of the dome. There were doors branching off all over the giant dome.
"Master.."
"I sense it too snips. He's close."
"There!" Obi Wan pointed to one of the closed doors.
"Maul is in there. Rex, you and your men block every exit out of here, we can't have anyone getting in or out. Ahsoka, you hide. We need you as our back up Incase Master Kenobi or I fall." Ahsoka nodded and went to go find the most secure hiding spot. Rex placed 2 of his men at every door, instructing them to barricade every exit save the one they came in.
"Anakin and Kenobi charged the door. They new Maul was just waiting for them. There was no way he didn't already know they were there. The door burst open, and there stood Maul.
"Hello, Darth Maul." Obi Wan said.
"Kenobi." He growled, then leapt at his old foe. The trio sprung into battle. Maul on the offense. Ahsoka watched carefully, waiting for the exact moment to spring into battle. She watched them dance over tables, creating an even bigger mess than when they had originally come. She saw Maul catch Anakin in the shoulder with one of his lightsabers and she almost left her hiding place. He screamed but kept fighting. Maul leapt up on a table, and kicked off Anakin's chest to backflip away from Kenobi. He fell back and hit his head on the edge of another table. Kenobi ran after Maul but was caught on the defense once again. Maul forced Kenobi onto the floor, shutting off one side of his lightsaber to put all he had into forcing the masters lightsaber closer to his face. A split second glance let Ahsoka know it was time. She took a deep breath, then vaulted our of her hiding spot somersaulting through the air toward Maul. She yelled as she came closer to him, lighting her lightsaber and plunging it into his back as she landed, she fell off as Maul fell to the ground, but not before he lit the last side of his lightsaber, sinking it through Ahsoka's stomach.
"No!" She heard Anakin yell. She fell to the ground, and Rex barely caught her head before it hit the ground. Anakin scrambled over and kneeled next to her, taking her into his arms.
"Hang in there snips. You're gonna be ok. I promise I'd never let anyone hurt you, so you're going to be ok." He searched frantically around him for something to bandage the wound.
"Hey skyguy." She coughed out. "It's ok. I had a good run."
"No, Ahsoka. It's not Ok. This is not ok! You hear me! You're gonna make it through this!" Anakin's voice broke and tears fell from his eyes. Ahsoka grabbed his hand, but couldn't hold it up for long. Her arm weakly fell over her stomach, still clasped onto her masters hand.
"There's no way to save me now master. You taught me well. Tell Leia, and Luke that I'm sorry I couldn't see them grow up. And that I'm sorry I failed you." Anakin thought of Palpatine. He had said there was a way to heal the ones you loved. Anakin had to have faith in the force, that the light side was just as strong as the dark. He wiped the tears from his eyes, Then put his hand over the hole in her stomach. Ahsoka screamed as pressure was put on her wound. Anakin closed his eyes, holding his other hand tight to Ahsoka's. He imagined using the force like he did to move things, except he was using it to move Ahsoka's torn flesh back together. He imagined it slowly, but surely, knitting itself closer and closer together until she was ok again. Ahsoka stopped moving under his hand, and he opened his eyes expecting to see Ahsoka, dead. The color drained from her face as it had been when she died on Mortis, instead he saw her wound closed, a painful looking scar where it had been.
"Anakin is she alright.." Kenobi stopped in his tracks as he saw Anakin's hand finishing the job of healing his Padawan. He gaped in Aw, but quickly turned to worry as Anakin collapsed over Ahsoka. Rex put his hand on his generals neck, feeling for a pulse.
"He's still alive sir. They're both still alive." Obi Wan sighed in relief.
"They really are too alike for their own good, Rex."
"That they are sir." Rex said as he slid the limp Ahsoka into his arms. Obi Wan hoisted Anakin over his back, and the general and the captain carried their friends back to the surface, followed by the clones.
"Is he dead, sir?" Rex asked as they walked down the hallways.
"Yes, captain. Who'd have thought a measly hit to the back would kill him when slicing him across the middle wouldn't." Rex shook his head.
"You Jedi always amaze me sir."
When they got to the surface, the battle had been won. Maul's followers were being escorted to the prison, and Boka Tan was checking on the wounded and the dead and sending those who needed help to the hospital.
"We've got everybody on the transport that needs to go to the hospital, my lady. Anybody else?" One of her warriors asked her.
"We've got two here who might need a check up." Obi Wan called as he and Rex came through the opening in the back of the throne. Two Mandalorians ran over to take Anakin and Ahsoka to the transport.
"Master Kenobi! Is he dead?" Boka Tan asked, running over to the Jedi master.
"Yes, Lady Boka Tan. Darth Maul has been slain. And peace can return to Mandalore."
"Thank you, master Jedi. I will need a few days to organize and rally the people before we can start discussions with the senate..."
"That's quite alright, my lady. Chancellor Skywalker willow air as long as you need her to." Boka Tan nodded, then left to talk to her warriors.

When Anakin woke up, he was in the bright room of a mandalorian hospital. His head hurt and his body ached from exhaustion, but as far as he could tell, he was fine. He looked around to see Ahsoka laying in a bed near his.
"Ahsoka!" He cried, leaping out of bed to run to her side.
"Hey snips! Can you hear me? I'm right here. You're ok. You're gonna be ok." He grabbed her hand, shaking it lightly to wake her up. She didn't, Anakin was afraid she was wasn't going to. He put his head down on the bed.
"I'm sorry Ahsoka. I'm so so sorry. I failed you. I wasn't strong enough to save you." He cried, but then felt her squeeze his hand.
"I don't know what you're talking about skyguy. You saved my life." She said weakly.
"Snips!" He jumped up, then pulled her tightly into his arms.
"You're ok." He said warmly.
"Just like you said I'd be, master."
"Anakin, May I have a word?" Obi Wan came in.
"Of course, master." Anakin said, letting go of Ahsoka. She smiled at him as he left the room with his master.
"What did you do? By all means she shouldn't be alive, much less up and talking."
"When palpatine was still alive, before the twins were born. He told me that there was a way to heal your loved ones, and save them from death. He had told me it was a power only a user of the dark side could possess, but he was wrong. I used the light side of the force to heal her wound."
"Anakin, no other Jedi in the history of the order has been able to do that." Obi Wan said, disbelievingly.
"No other Jedi in the history of the order has been the chosen one." Anakin said, smugly.
"The second we get back to coruscant, we need to show the council this new ability of yours." Anakin nodded.
"How long have we been asleep?"
"Five days. Padmé just finished up the peace negotiations. Mandalore has agreed to join the Galactic republic, officially. We are preparing to return to Coruscant. We leave tomorrow."
"What about Maul?"
"He's dead. Finally." Anakin smiled, knowing Qui-Gon's death had been avenged by none other than his own padawan.