Ventress was prepared to leave the planet that night. All of her supplies were loaded and the ship had been properly refueled with its coordinates set for an unknown location. The former sith apprentice was about to climb the open hatch of her vessel, but paused to look over her shoulder to Dakota who stood quietly next to Obi-wan. Even after their dispute in the escape pod, the invitation was still open. The invitation to leave the Order behind and roam the galaxy as a free woman.
Was she to return to a home that teaches to suppress emotions, or be free to make her own decisions? All that is familiar dwells in the Jedi Temple, and all that is foreign lays out beyond the stars with Ventress.
All that was routine laid waiting on Coruscant.
Dakota gazed up at Ventress, contemplating her choices, both the pros and cons. She took a step forward and outstretched her arm, but hesitated when she caught sight of her own bionic fingers. Warm wind cascaded through the dark trees of the planet Raydonia. It's dry ground was now coated with the spilt blood of the innocent victims murdered by Maul and Savage.
No matter which side she chooses, there will no be escaping the terror that the brothers have inflicted. She droppd her hand and turned her head to see Obi-wan, her friend of many, many years. He wasn't aware of her inner turmoil then, he simply wondered why she was behaving in the way that she was. In the distance, behind him, the faint sight of slain bodies were visible to her eyes.
They didn't ask for this, they were caught in the cross-fire. A Jedi should have been there to protect them. She bit the inside of her cheek as her frustration grew. They deserved to live, just as the innocent people in her mothers home village deserved life.
It was the same then. Bodies were piled up and burned, leaving the chief of the village, her own grandmother, to bleed out and die in Dakota's presence. Their blood is on Savage's hands, just as the colonists here on Raydonia are. In turn, due to her neglegance, their deaths are on her shoudlers. It was something that she cannot allow to happen again, even if her pursuit to defend them leads to her death.
Remaining in the Jedi order gives her the ability to serve those in needs, despite its flaws. At the heart of a good Jedi, compassion overflows. With her friends, and alongside the clones, winning this war is possible. The hope that the Jedi provided her when she was a young child is what drew to the Order in the first place. The mystery of the force, the devotion that Mace Windu had for her as her Master, and the kindness that Obi-wan showed when no other Padawan at the time would.
It hasn't been perfect since begnning her life as a Jedi. There have been many disagreenemnts, heartache and pain, but at the end of the day when she stands before a victory beside her closest allies in the name of the Republic, that is where her heart is. Her heart is in the reunification of children with their parents, in the poor-spirited souls who rejoice in the presence of salvation.
With Obi-wan came the Jedi order, Anakin and Ahsoka, Mace Windu, Master Yoda, the clones, and Rex. Freedom from war was being offered to her on a silver platter, but it's not only the war that she'd leave behind if she decided to go with Ventress. It'd be her loved ones. She stepped back to Obi-wan's side, silently making her decision.
"You will most certainly die" Ventress murmured, a hint of disappointment present in her tone as she disappeared into her ship. Within moments, it shot off into the sky and out of sight. Dakota watched silently, staring into the dark purple clouds. The door to unadulterated freedom was closed.
~
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"