19 BBY
Coruscant, Core Worlds
Letting out a heavy breath, Jaika ran into the hanger of the cruiser. Her eyes softened when she laid eyes on Ahsoka and the 501st, whose helmets were painted in her honor. "Anakin, Rex, prepare all forces. We're jumping to hyperspace immediately." Obi-Wan revealed, as they all gazed back with curious glances. Ahsoka briefly met Jaika's gaze, making a warm feeling spread within Jaika's chest. The girl could not express how happy she was to see Ahsoka again, though she wished circumstances were different.
Rex complied to Obi-Wan's order and turned to command his brothers, as they all ran to prepare for hyperspace. "So the attack on Mandalore was approved?" Anakin asked, looking between Obi-Wan and Jaika. Obi-Wan tutted and crossed his arms. "No, it's Coruscant. Grievous has attacked the capitol." Obi-Wan revealed.
Jaika lowered her gaze to the ground, as a dark energy swarmed her mind. The siege of Mandalore could have been a pivotal battle for the Republic, if they captured Maul then many other systems would fall too. Jaika wanted the madman to be detained, as the reminder of what he did to Qui-Gon resurfaced, and Obi-Wan's heartbreak from what he did on Mandalore made Jaika want Obi-Wan to end their quarrelling. Jaika knew that the Jedi Council had something to do with their diverging mission. They'd prefer they focus on a mission in the Capital where a lot of Jedi are, than in a system which if they free, could become a powerful ally.
Ahsoka frowned at the two men, as her resentment grew for the Order. She carefully gazed towards Jaika, who was lost in her own thoughts as she observed Obi-Wan. Ahsoka frowned while observing her, detecting ounces of doubt drift from her. The mention of the Jedi made the faintest frown crease against Jaika's skin, as her eyes glossed over in conflict. That's new, Ahsoka thought. She was aware that Jaika viewed the Jedi in a more realistic perspective than the others, who still looked through rose-tinted glasses. Ahsoka thought about what Jaika said when she left the Order, apologizing for their failure. She did not think her confidence in them would fall so far so soon.
"Shaak Ti has been sent to protect him, but Master Windu has lost contact with her." Obi-Wan explained after Anakin asked about the Chancellor. "Not to worry, our fleet can be there within the hour." Obi-Wan comforted Anakin. Jaika instantly frowned, as she peered towards Ahsoka's irritated expression. "So that's it? You're going to abandon Bo-Katan and her people?" Ahsoka accused with a glare.
Obi-Wan frowned, "Ahsoka, surely you understand that this is a pivotal moment in the Clone Wars. The heart of the Republic is under attack." Obi-Wan explained, stepping towards her. Jaika crossed her arms as she peered between the two. Alpha beeped beside her, not liking the building tension, as she gently patted his head to comfort the droid. Jaika met Anakin's gaze, as he widened his eyes, while she narrowed hers and gave him a frown; the two sharing contrasting opinions. Ahsoka crossed her arms, "I understand that, as usual, you're playing politics. This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly need us." Ahsoka expressed. Jaika peered towards her when she mentioned people's lack of faith, making Jaika remember the horrifying stories that she heard from the underworld of the Jedi destroying villages during battles. "Right now, people on Coruscant need us." Obi-Wan pointed out with stern eyes.
"No. The Chancellor needs you." Ahsoka countered, arguing with the older Jedi. Jaika sighed, realizing the situation and how they suddenly got pulled from a major mission to help the Chancellor. The statement of the Chancellor having a role in the master plan continued to play in her head, making Jaika frown as she tried to view the situation from a different perspective. "That's not fair." Obi-Wan stated with a softer voice, Ahsoka glared, "I'm not trying to be."
Jaika had to say something. "She has a point. There's so many systems being captured by the Separatists, that have no Republic forces helping them; so many people are living in fear because the Senate has chosen to ignore their cries for help. Coruscant is important as it's the center of the Republic, but that does not mean we should turn our backs on other planets too." Jaika reasoned as the others faced her. "Not like the Jedi has." She whispered, which Ahsoka was able to hear, as she sent Jaika a curious gaze, which she returned with sad eyes, as Jaika knew that Ahsoka was the only one who could understand her doubt and frustration.
Obi-Wan observed Jaika with a hum, while Ahsoka's understanding eyes morphed into ones of appreciation, thankful that Jaika continued to have her back. Proving that her loyalty towards her went beyond the Jedi. A silence fell upon the group, as the Jedi and force-user shared multiple glances. Jaika gazed up at Obi-Wan with desperate eyes, while his eyes sparked in determination. Anakin stepped between his two friends, "I'll divide the 501st, make a new division under Ahsoka's command." Anakin suggested, while Obi-Wan watched the Togruta girl with an emotionless expression. "Unfortunately, Ahsoka is no longer a part of the Grand Army of the Republic." Obi-Wan stated, crossing his arms.
"We'll promote Rex to Commander and have him lead the new division. Ahsoka can go with him as an adviser. What do you say?" Anakin suggested, turning to Ahsoka. Jaika smiled in agreement, knowing that Rex and Ahsoka could efficiently free the people of Mandalore. "I accept. That is, if Obi-Wan agrees." Ahsoka prodded, as she peered towards Obi-Wan, who stroked his beard. Jaika gazed between the two with awkward eyes. "Very well." He agreed.
Ahsoka bowed her head in gratitude, "May the force be with you." He wished and began to walk away, before turning back. "Oh, one other thing. I killed Maul once. Best to capture him. He doesn't seem to stay dead." Obi-Wan advised before walking out of the hanger. Jaika watched him leave with confused eyes.
Jaika faced Ahsoka with a smile, "I know you'll make the right choice, I believe in you. You're one of the best...fighters I've seen in my lifetime, Maul won't see you coming. It's nice to see you again, Ahsoka. I hope one day we can catch up, it it's all the same to you." Jaika spoke through a hidden meaning, which went undetected by Anakin. Ahsoka smiled towards Jaika, as she assessed the façade which failed to mask her eyes. Ahsoka knew that the moment the war ended, Jaika would leave - she could tell the Skywalker girl was run dry by the Jedi. "Thank you, Jaika. Your words always mean so much to me. I can always trust your judgment, and thank you, for having my back." Ahsoka shared, shooting her a knowing look. Jaika received her message, sending her a small smile of gratitude. Alpha wobbled beside Jaika, letting out a friendly beep while Ahsoka chuckled down at the enthusiastic droid.
"Good luck." Jaika wished with a nod, knowing that Ahsoka would need more than the force to succeed against Maul, and the war. The girl looked past her, meeting Rex's hopeful gaze, before Jaika sent Ahsoka a nod, looking her in the eyes - not knowing that would be the last time they ever see each other.
~☆~
The rising sun illuminated across the surface of Coruscant's outer atmosphere, as its light filled the planet's orbit with a calm serenity. The many cruisers and dreadnoughts were quick to disrupt that tranquility, as explosions detonated all around while the Republic and Separatist forces fired blaster cannons at each other.
Taking a sharp turn, Jaika's fighter dived downwards towards another cruiser, while Anakin and Obi-Wan followed closely after her. Nearing the engines to the cruiser, Jaika pulled the steering up last minute, flattening the fighter out as she flew above the winged structures of the cruiser. She steered between the blaster cannons, while the two other Jedi attempted to keep up with her. Jaika spun the fighter onto the hanger doors and flew forward. "Are you ever not going to show off?" Obi-Wan questioned through the radio channel.
Jaika peered to her right, as his red fighter eventually joined her side. "It's not my fault that I'm better than you." Jaika reasoned with a smirk. Obi-Wan did not respond, but from the small glance that he sent her through his cockpit window, Jaika could tell her sighed in disappointment. He was not amused, which of course increased her amusement. "Hey! Keep your flirting outside the cockpit!" Anakin teased, making Jaika roll her eyes.
Jaika played nice and bit her tongue, not wanting to expose her brother. She quickly rotated her fighter on its side, making a tight turn as she dived from the cruiser, travelling further down. Her ship spun as she flew downwards, showing off once again. Anakin sighed as he followed her lead, while Obi-Wan shook his head, holding back his smile.
Anakin's yellow fighter neared Jaika's, sparking a challenge into both of their minds as they flattened out above another cruiser which was in the heart of the battle. She steered her fighter, swerving out of the way of debris that flew towards her; circling over the two other Jedi as the three of them flew through an explosion. Jaika squinted within the flames, before her fighter burst from the storm. She watched as Republic forces continued to fire at Separatist ships; many ships from either side slowly broke in their place. Jaika peered towards a Separatist dreadnaught as the Republic's blasts detonated an explosion within it, sinking the Separatist ship.
Diverting her eyes to the data screen in front of her, Jaika observed the readings as she was sent a map of the current battle so she could navigate her way through the space battle without any surprises. "Lock onto him, R2." Anakin spoke, as the droid chirped. "Master, General Grievous's ship is directly ahead, the one crawling with vulture droids." Anakin explained, as Jaika's eyes peered forward. She instantly noticed the clearing as less ships swarmed the area. Her eyes landed on the familiar dreadnaught model that she had seen many times. "Oh I see it. Oh, this is going to be easy." Obi-Wan expressed, making Jaika shake her head.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Obi-Wan." Jaika advised, as she recalled the many occasions where his confidence would jinx their situations. As her statement left her mouth, Jaika noticed the many Vulture droids which swarmed Grievous's ship, lift up and accelerate towards them. Jaika sighed, flicking a switch to open the flaps on the wings of her fighter; while one of Obi-Wan's squadrons locked onto their position and flew behind them to assist the three Jedi.
Jaika watched as the vulture droids neared them, swerving around as they drew in closer. Jaika peered outside the cockpit as Alpha rotated his head to look at her, which she responded with a smile, as the droid positioned his mechanical arms in a fighting position. The girl edged her fighter forward, beginning to accelerate while Anakin quickly joined her side. "This is where the fun begins." Anakin smiled as the droids approached.
"Let them pass between us." Obi-Wan commanded, as the three Jedi tilted their fighters to the side. Jaika let out a huff, wishing to rejoin the dogfight. The girl continued to rotate her ship, dodging the vulture droids that barely missed her. While she flew, her eyes peered towards the clones who fought in their ARC-170 fighters, blasting the vulture droids that chased them. The fighters accelerated and turned through their smooth maneuvers. A fighter from below Jaika exploded as a vulture droid blasted them, dismantling the ship as the two clone pilots screamed as they were thrown into the vacuum of space.
Jaika frowned, before moving her gaze towards another fighter, where she noticed a vulture droid trail closely behind one of their fighters. "I'm going to help them out." Jaika announced through the communication channel, as she changed the gears in her fighter to make an extreme maneuver to aid the clones. "Jaika, no." Obi-Wan ordered, as her hand hovered over the gears, "They are doing their job, so we can do ours." Obi-Wan lectured. Jaika's heart hammered against her chest as she looked down at the gear shift, her hand still resting on top of the controls. She eyed the fighters around her as they were shot down by vulture droids, before she gazed towards Obi-Wan's ship, before diverting her gaze towards Anakin's. He gazed towards her through his cockpit window, sending her a glance. They had a job to do. Letting out a sigh, she returned the gear of the fighter to its original setting and removed her hand.
As she did so, her eyes looked upon a group of blue streams which turned towards them. "Missiles. Pull up." Anakin directed, as Jaika twisted her fighter to the right, behind Obi-Wan as he also avoided the missiles. Jaika watched as they flew past their fighters, allowing them to flatten out again. "They overshot us." Obi-Wan huffed.
Alpha let out a beep, before a reading was sent to her data scan, "They're coming around." Jaika revealed. Her eyes gazed down towards a lower dreadnaught which had many antennas sticking out of the main surface of the ship. "You ready, Alpha?" Jaika questioned, earning an excitable beep from the C1 droid.
Jaika dived towards the dreadnaught as two missiles honed in on her fighter. She steered her ship towards the antennas, skimming close to the surface of the ship. She kept her ship in an upright position as she flew across the ship, watching the scans as the missiles drew in closer to her. "Wait for it...a little closer...and...now!"
Gripping the steering, Jaika instantly rolled the fighter onto its side, and flew within the field of antennas. She weaved between each pylon as she turned the ship into tight angles. Jaika spun the ship around and turned the fighter onto its other side, switching the angle that she flew in, as she turned in even sharper angles. The missiles were caught off guard, as the tight angles were hard for them to maneuver in.
One missile cut against one of the antennas, making it skip against a couple more before it collided into a pylon and exploded. Jaika quickly pulled her fighter up and flattened out as the last missile followed after her. She observed the observation tower on the dreadnaught, sparking an idea in the girl's mind.
Jaika accelerated towards the tall structure, keeping her eyes on the approaching column as the missile neared her. "I know, Alpha. Watch your binary code." Jaika fired back. Once they got close enough to the spire, Jaika quickly punched the steering into a different gear and made a sharp turn away from the tower; not giving the missile enough time as it collided with the structure, detonating against the bridge as explosions spread through the ship.
The girl smiled as she turned her fighter back to the fight, rejoining Anakin's side. "Is he okay?" The girl glanced down and watched as Obi-Wan swerved around, trying to lose the missiles. Jaika could almost hear the many grumbles and curses that Obi-Wan was probably sharing with R4. Anakin chuckled in amusement, also enjoying the scene. "Yeah, he'll be fine."
Obi-Wan finally got rid of the missiles, as Jaika and Anakin rejoined his side. The missiles flew into a wave of droids, detonating. The explosion released a thrust which threw a cluster of buzz droids onto the Jedi. "I'm hit." Obi-Wan spoke. "I see them. Buzz droids." Anakin answered.
Jaika steered her fighter to her right, nearing Obi-Wan's ship as the buzz droids swarmed his ship. The buzz droids noticed Jaika's fighter, as they analyzed the grey-painted C1 droid which waved its mechanical arm at them in greetings. A cluster of the droids crawled onto Jaika's wings, as they stabbed sheets of metal on its structure.
Alpha instantly threw his mechanical arms about, slapping the droids that got close to him. He slapped one droid off of the fighter, making another approach him with its sparker; before Alpha shot out his larger burner and shot a current of electricity towards the droid, frying it. Alpha withdrew his weapon as another droid approached him. Alpha turned his head to the side, slapping the droid with his arm, before he moved his head back, slapping the droid again. The buzz droid staggered from the impact, before Alpha spun his head, slapping the droid with both arms, throwing the droid from the fighter.
A distant clanking caught Jaika's attention, as she laid eyes upon the buzz droids on Obi-Wan's fighter, as they sawed into R4's head, cutting it clean off. The poor astromech's head flew away as he let out a sad and helpless beep. Jaika moved her ship forward and met Alpha's gaze, "I've got backup, Obi-Wan." Jaika announced over the radio, as she began to press a couple of buttons. Obi-Wan looked towards her blue fighter, watching as her droid whacked a buzz droid around like a rancor. "Back up? What do you mean you've got---oh help me."
Alpha wiggled in excitement as Jaika released the lock on him. In seconds, the droid blasted from his compartment on her wing and flew backwards towards Obi-Wan's ship, letting out a pleased beep. Obi-Wan watched the droid with wide eyes, as it barreled towards one of his wings, slamming a cluster of droids from his wing. The droid planted himself on top of his wing and spun his head, releasing havoc as he slapped the droids around him.
Jaika watched with a proud smile as Alpha handed it to the buzz droids. "Jaika what is wrong with your droid?" Anakin asked over the radio, as he watched in terror as the psychotic droid blasted a group of buzz droids under his rocket. From beside Anakin, R2 watched the skirmish and let out a concerned beep. "Nothing." Jaika responded innocently. "Well actually...maybe he spent too much time with the Wolfpack."
"They're shutting down all the controls." Obi-Wan revealed, as a buzz droid dug one of its arms into the systems of the ship. Jaika quickly swerved her fighter, avoiding a vulture droid. The girl quickly dived down and chased after the droid, firing back at it. Anakin observed how Jaika was quickly occupied with clearing their path to Grievous's ship, as he lowered his gaze to Obi-Wan's ship. "Move to the right so I can get a clear shot at them." Anakin directed.
"The mission. Get to the command ship. Get the Chancellor. I'm running out of tricks here." Obi-Wan commanded, making Jaika frown as she continued to dodge the blasts from vulture droids. Anakin continued to fire the droids that swarmed Obi-Wan's fighter, accidentally blasting the winglet off one of the wings. "Hold your fire! You're not helping here!" Obi-Wan shouted, getting frustrated.
Anakin cringed, "I agree. Bad idea." Anakin mumbled, as they continued to fly towards Grievous's ship. The buzz droids dug deeper into the systems of Obi-Wan's fighter, making systems spark, as the windshield within the cockpit started to fog up and crystalize. Obi-Wan's chest tightened as the situation got worse by the second. "I can't see a thing, my cockpit's fogging. They're all over me!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, as the buzz droids continued to crawl from each side of his fighter. Anakin quickly dived towards Obi-Wan's fighter, closing the flaps on his wings as he gently nudged his wing on top of Obi-Wan's. "Move to the right."
Obi-Wan's fighter crashed to the side, sparking even more anxiety within the man. "Hold on Anakin, you're gonna get us both killed. Get out of here, there's nothing more you can do. Go help Jaika, she's being swarmed by vulture droids." Obi-Wan commanded, as he peered above him where he watched her blue starfighter swirl and take sharp turns to avoid their blaster fire. Obi-Wan's worry distracted him, as he noted how skilled of a pilot she was. Anakin gazed up at her evasive maneuvers, before he shook his head. "I'm not leaving without you, Master. Jaika will be fine, she always is." Anakin assured, knowing that his sister somehow always found a way out of undesirable situations. There was a reason why he always let her lead squadrons from the 501st.
Anakin scraped his wing against Obi-Wan's once again, making a buzz droid crawl onto his fighter and towards R2. Obi-Wan glanced from Anakin, to Alpha who continued to beat up the droids on the fighter who swarmed him. Obi-Wan hoped the droid would find a way out of the mess, as he knew how much the droid meant to Jaika. Alpha spun his head, shaking them off of him before he slapped one droid and pinned them with his arm before stabbing through its central eye. Obi-Wan's eyes lit up in realization. "R2, hit the buzz droid's center eye!"
Once R2 defeated the droid, they moved ahead. Alpha activated his rocket to keep up with the two fighters. As they flew, more vulture droids dived down towards Anakin and Obi-Wan, but before they could blast the Jedi, a blue fighter dived after them and released their ion cannons, destroying the droids. Obi-Wan smile widened once he saw Jaika's fighter drift past them before she lined up beside Obi-Wan's fighter, where Alpha jumped back onto her ship, lodging himself in the droid compartment. "The General's command ship is dead ahead." Jaika announced, as she began to dive towards the large cruiser.
Obi-Wan frowned once he got a closer look, noticing the blue shields by the entrance of the hanger. "Well, have you noticed the shields are still up?" Obi-Wan remarked, as Jaika peered towards him with a dry expression. Anakin quickly rolled over the two Jedi fighters and dived into a steep angle and fired multiple blasts at the shields either side of the hanger doors. Once they were demolished, the ray shield powered down, activating the ship's secondary precaution as a heavy door began to slide across the space. "Oh I have a bad feeling about this." Obi-Wan breathed, as he dived his ship too.
Obi-Wan was the first ship to descend into the hanger, as he skidded across the hanger floor; while Anakin dived after him, swerving as his fighter bumped across the floor. Jaika punched down on her accelerator and steepened her dive towards the closing door. The final section of the door began to skid towards the locking mechanism.
Once she was close enough, Jaika rolled her fighter onto its side, managing to slip through the door with a couple of inches to spare. She quickly spun her fighter back into an upright angle and forced it down onto the ground, as the velocity of the fighter caused it to glide across the smooth flooring, bumping up and down as it struggled to slow down. Jaika tensed as she held onto either side of the cockpit walls while the fighter continued to slide, whilst Alpha screamed.
She peered to her side and noticed the other side of the hanger get closer as she approached the other ray shield. "Kriff this." Jaika muttered, and pressed a button to release Alpha before pressing another button to open the hatch. Jaika launched herself out of the cockpit and ignited both of her lightsabers, slicing through the droids that approached her.
Rolling onto her feet, Jaika stood up and turned towards the other droids, making her way through the masses, as she jumped from group to group. Alpha did his part and blasted their faces with his rocket, melting their wiring together.
Jaika and her droid joined Obi-Wan and Anakin, and she helped their efforts to fend themselves against the approaching droids. "R2, locate the Chancellor." Obi-Wan ordered, earning a beep from the droid as he rolled towards the ship's log. Jaika gazed towards Alpha and sent him a nod, as he rolled after R2.
Once the last droid fell, Jaika lowered her lightsabers and turned her attention back to the two men. "I think that was quite successful." Jaika admitted, while she caught her breath. Obi-Wan looked down at the girl, recalling her very narrow arrival which she just about made in one piece. A distant clanking caught their attention, as all three Jedi glanced ahead.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow when he looked upon a blue Jedi starfighter that began to slow down as it slid towards the ray shield. The fighter pierced through the shield, as it fell from the edge of the hanger's floor and drifted off into the vacuum of space. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow while he watched her fighter float away, while Anakin held in a laugh. Jaika tore her gaze from her ship towards the two men, "It'll be fine."
Just as she said that, a cluster of Republic fighters skimmed past it as a squadron of vulture droids flew past, blasting it into a scrap of flaming metal. Jaika blinked, before turning to face Obi-Wan. "Um...that could be a problem." Jaika acknowledged, while Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head.
Jaika walked past them as she approached R2, with the other two right behind her. Obi-Wan observed the map of the ship which R2 projected above him, "The Chancellor's signal is coming from right there, the observation platform at the top of that spire." Obi-Wan explained, pointing towards the projection.
Anakin suddenly frowned as he turned away, making Jaika frown as she stared at him before a strange feeling stirred around her, as the air thickened and an ominous energy hummed within the walls of the ship. "I sense Count Dooku." Anakin admitted, as he observed the hanger, while Jaika analyzed the surveillance cameras in the corners of the room. She knew they were being watched, so they had to move with caution. "I sense a trap." Obi-Wan expressed, making Anakin look back. "Next move?" Anakin questioned.
"Spring the trap." Jaika answered on Obi-Wan's behalf, with eager eyes as both men looked at her. Obi-Wan's eyes filled with enthusiasm, as he smiled at her for voicing his exact words. Anakin sent a nod, approving her plan as the three of them began to walk away from where they were stood. They only made it a few steps before a chain of beeps called out from behind them. Turning around, Jaika looked upon R2 who gazed at them, while Alpha stood beside him, turning his head. "R2, go back. I need you to stay with the ship." Anakin ordered.
"Here. Take this, and wait for orders." Obi-Wan commanded, as he tossed a communicator towards the droid, who beeped in response as he caught it. Obi-Wan and Anakin began to walk away, while Jaika focused on her droid. "Alpha, stay on look out. Maybe find me a ship." Jaika requested, earning a small beep from him. Jaika stepped away from the droid before she quickly spun back around. "And don't blow anything up!" Jaika demanded, earning a dejected sigh from the droid.
While Jaika reunited with the two Jedi, R2 peered towards the faulty C1 droid and let out a low whistle, while Alpha waved at the retreating girl. Alpha turned to R2 and quickly prodded the astromech, rolling him backwards, making Alpha let out a chain of distorted beeps which emulated a laugh.
(4575 Words)
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A/N:
I deleted Ahsoka and Jaika's reunion and things of Yerbana because they were long and boring. Also I like how its rushed between them, similar to Ahsoka and Anakin's reunion.
RIP Yerbana arc.