Afterglow | The Clone Wars

60 | Heart of a Mandalorian

~

Ord Mantell - Mid Rim Planet

Ahsoka broke through the thick smoke, her ears still ringing from the enemy bombs that had eradicated the earth around them. She coughed to clear her throat of the debris, nearly smacking into the bottom of a tall cliff that shot off into the murky, smoky abyss above their heads. Minutes before, the beautiful aqua sky had been visible. The suns were high in the atmosphere, cascading a glow on the planet that was eerily peaceful.

The separatists, however, did not know peace. They attacked the Republic forces head on, unafraid to lay waste to the land with their heavy artillery "Ahsoka!" Anakin called, running through the dust to be with his Padawan. The air around them had grown shadowed from the battleA small squad of clone troopers were following at his tail, with more scattered across the area. Red plasma blasts erupted through the clouds, hitting the rocky cliff behind them. They ducked, covering their heads.

Captain Rex was with him. He turned, firing his guns into the distance to give them cover. Fives was at his side, along with Jesse.

"We need to get our walkers up the wall, we'll have a better angle of the enemy from there!" Ahsoka yelled over the commotion, pointing her green saber up towards the peak of the cliff that could not be seen from their position. Anakin tilted his head back and squinted his eyes in attempts to get a visual.

"It'd be a vulnerable position for our walkers. The enemy cannons are going to shoot them down" Anakin reminded, blocking plasma fires with his lightsaber.

"Maybe the dense smoke and fog will interfere with their scopes?" Ahsoka offered. 

"Maybe, but it's still a heavy risk-" he moved towards the base of the cliff. "There are a series of caves within these cliffs-" he nodded his head towards the rocks "-if my memory is correct from our briefing, there is a cave entrance close to here. The only problem is that the droids could box us in... and who knows if the caves even lead anywhere. We don't want to end up stuck and in a tight spot"

"With all do respect, General Skywalker. That'd be better than being sitting ducks out here" Fives interjected, unafraid to speak his mind in the heat of battle.

"Good point" Anakin agreed, sighing heavily "but if only we had...." his voice trailed off, then he growled in frustration "caves it is, for now. We'll figure something else out when-"

"Get down!" Rex suddenly warned as an enemy bomb erupted through the dust above them.

The group dispersed and covered themselves from the firing overhead. It smashed against the side of the cliff and rained down purple rock on the squadron of clones and their Jedi generals. Ahsoka ducked, landing roughly on the ground beside Captain Rex. He fell to his side, covering his head with his hands as he felt rock pelt against his armor.

"Are you alright, Commander?" he called out to the Padawan immediately.

"I'm okay" she replied, shakily climbing up to her knees. Rex stood up from the ground, pressing against the side of a rock in order to shield himself from the enemy fire.

A second missal shot off from the distance, setting its sights on the clone troopers "incoming!" a clone trooper yelled. Everyone braced for impact once again. Anakin lowered himself behind a fallen rock, making sure to keep his sights on Ahsoka. However, the blast never arrived. The land around them remained intact. Anakin blinked, waiting for the impact with his heart pounding in his chest, but it never came.

The world around them went quiet.

From the silence, the sound of a lightsaber unsheathed. A green glow emerged from the murk of battle. Anakin lifted his head from behind the rock, squinting his eyes to make out the dark, blurred figure that could barely be seen in their midst. A second green saber ignited, extending east and west. A familiar double-sided saber.

A hand lifted up, flesh and bionic fingers curled as they channeled their concentration into gaining access to the energy that surrounded them. It bonded itself to their request, engulfed them and twirled around their body like a winding dance. The force, it captured the missal, halting its trajectory in mid-air. The force floated out into the dust of the battle and chased it from view. In an instant, the battle field was clear. All eyes settled on one figure.  The robotic enemy, yards away, stood frozen.

Ahsoka gasped, standing up from beside Fives as her eyes widened. Standing in between them and an army of droids was a ghost dressed in black, yielding a green saber. She held the saber behind her, with her other hand extending out towards the missal that levitated in the sky.

Captain Rex grew weak. He dropped both of his blasters and removed his helmet, his eyes undoubtedly deceiving him. The person stood several yards away, hardly recognizable, but his gut told him that it was and could only be one person. Even if it was a mirage, her spirit had come to save them. His helmet slipped from his fingers, landing in the dirt.

Her fingers tensed, teeth gritting from discomfort. In one swift movement, she pushed the missal back towards the enemy ranks with a heavy grunt. The droids jolted in shock as the blast catapulted back towards them. Their own attack coming to haunt them. It collided in the center of the formation, evaporating hundreds of battle droids in an instant. She lifted the comm link wrapped around her wrist to her chin, speaking lowly to those on the receiving "send the plague"

Republic ships and fighters appeared down from the skies then, dropping artillery without mercy on the separatists army. They swooped overhead like a swarm of insects. She lowered her hand, baring witness to the spectacle. Bombs rang in her ears with metallic pieces beginning to litter the battlefield. It was something rather beautiful.

Explosions were familiar, like an old friend. With each one that fell, the Republic drew closer to victory. It was strange how cataclysmic destruction could lead to something so sweet. She closed her eyes, soaking in the violence that brought her an odd sense of peace.

It was the type of peace that a pacifist dreams of, yet the Jedi could feel it in the utter chaos of war. Her hair whipped from one side to another from the gusts resulting from the blasts. She fully trusted the bomb squadron of the 212th to do their duty and take down the droids. It that moment, it didn't matter if a bomb accidentally hit her, vaporizing her into an oblivion. She was simply content.

She lifted her arms up at her sides, keeping her saber in hand. Fire cascaded from one corner of the battle to another, exploding out from the ground and raining down delicate grains of dirt onto her skin. Battling alongside those closest to her, she never thought that she would experience it ever again. She made sure to take in every moment.

At the heart of every Mandalorian, a warrior resides.

As the smoke cleared after the destructive downpour, her frame appeared amidst the fading smoke. Ahsoka stepped forward, hesitating because of her uncertainty. Was she looking at fact or fiction? Her blue eyes darted between the familiar silhouette. In that moment, the long lost Jedi turned to look over her shoulder as the small squadron emerged from their positions behind the rocks.

"Sorry I'm late, my friends-" she tucked her saber into her belt that hid beneath a dark cloak, and began to walk towards them unhesitatingly "-intergalactic traffic was a nightmare"