Chapter 7.

'…yes'.

Ahsoka's very words resonated in Anakin's mind as he was brought back to reality by the overwhelming chorus of chatter surrounding him. The clones had gathered outside of the ship where Anakin had been in a deep meditative trance in his encounter with his former apprentice. The storm had finally stopped and Morai ruffled her feathers, reminding Anakin that she was still on his shoulder. Morai moved her head backward before knocking her beak onto the side of his face, demanding that they get moving.

Anakin snarled pushing the convor off his shoulder and ordered the platoon of troopers to organise themselves and prepare for an overnight camp. With the limited supplies onboard and no assault craft, Anakin and Obi wan would be forced to leave the clones at the starship. They would leave on two hoverbikes that were not designed for rough terrain as they had done the first time, they had encountered the landscape of Mortis.

Obi wan frowned and stroked his bearded chin as Anakin told him what Ahsoka had said about Morai but he didn't provide any clarity to the words she had said.

"Come on old man," Anakin spoke, starting the hoverbike and revving the engine.

Much to Obi wan's reluctance to leave the ship with a few hours before nightfall, he knew that there was no stopping Anakin. He followed Anakin's lead into the distance, Morai flying low to the ground escorting them. There was a familiar hum that radiated from the convor's presence and a soft luminous glow that reminded Obi wan of Ahsoka's lightsaber crystal. He smirked to himself and gave his thoughts to the mysterious ways of the force as a crack of lightning could be heard rolling behind them.

They had only been riding for a short amount of time as Morai swooped backward and looped around to land on the back of Obi wan's hoverbike, prompting them to stop and scan the landscape. A cold sensation consumed their bodies as their eyes embraced the desolate remains of volcanic earth below with a singular temple erected central to their general direction. Morai let out a high-pitched solemn coo, fluffing her feathers and hiding from a gust of wind behind Obi wan.

The light of day was betraying them as the wind began to rise in an exasperated crescendo bringing dusty, sandy, black-ash from the valley below. Anakin gave Obi wan a determined look and started his engine once again, pulling his shirt up around his nose before diving into the void below.

Ahsoka sighed wiping tears from her face as she arrived back to her body upon the terrace rooftop. She could hear the voice of Katooni and Petro approaching as she attempted to even out her breathing. Anakin was all she could think about as Katooni called to her. Ahsoka was worried about every action she could make and how it would affect Anakin, how could she help him, what should she do… but it was all hopeless at filling the cracks in her chest.

She looked up and smiled at the pair before heading to the comfort of inside solace, Katooni yelling in the distance that a Commander Rex had sent a transmission asking for her. It only sunk into Ahsoka's peripheral hearing as the door shut violently behind her, banishing the anxieties about Anakin away.

Rex.

It was a comforting thought as she immediately took out her transmitter and holoprojector from her bag, unable to locate Lux and Zatt in the main living quarters. They must be down below, she thought, tapping in Rex's personal communications frequency. She waited for a response, nervously playing with the silka beads hanging on her headdress.

'unauthorised ship approaching'.

Ahsoka immediately stood upright, tapping her wrist band to hail the incoming ship but before she could say anything the security system spoke again.

'override code accepted. Hangar door opening. Warning ray shield is still in effect'.

Ahsoka tightened her fist, hailing the ship, "identify yourself, this is restri-".

Before Ahsoka could finish her sentence, Katooni shot out of the turbolift and grabbed Ahsoka by the arm, "they're landing on the roof!".

With little time to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Ahsoka barrelled out of the turbolift with Katooni, lightsabers in hand ready to be ignited at a second's notice.

The landing ramp extended as two white boots and blue knee guards slowly came into view, a blue and white astromech zooming down the ramp and stopping at Ahsoka's feet. Ahsoka put her lightsabers down and leant down to hug the dome of the astromech as it talked to her in binary.

"I missed you too, Artoo," she said smiling, looking back to the uniformed clone trooper in front of her.

He stood with his arms crossed and a frown, but could no longer keep up the charade, rushing forward and embracing Ahsoka.

"Its good to see you, Commander".

Ahsoka frowned, pulling back to stare at the trooper who used to serve her.

"It's Lady Tano now, Rex," she replied playfully, sniffing back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, "I hear you're a Commander now".

Rex nodded, the smile fading from his face, "Chancellor Organa told me that I could find you here".

"I see," Ahsoka's words were final as she gestured for Rex and the others to join her inside.

"wait, there are others on the ship. Do you mind?" Rex asked hesitantly.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, smiling and telling him to meet her inside with the others. She should know better than Rex wouldn't have come by himself to see her.

Everyone was sat in the main living quarters as Rex exited the lift with four others. Ahsoka did not recognise them but she did however recognise the insignia branded on their uniforms. Rex introduced everyone to, 'Clone Force 99' better known as 'The Bad Batch'. Hunter, Crosshair, Tech, and Wrecker stood awkwardly in the unfamiliar surroundings. Wrecker placed himself on the floor, grinning awkwardly and scratching the back of his head, whilst Tech tapped away on his holopad. Crosshair took his natural stance against the closest wall and Hunter stood alongside Rex. Artoo lazily parked himself in the centre of everyone, waiting expectantly.

"Is it correct for me to assume that you came to talk to me about Anakin and Obi wans, disappearance?" Ahsoka began, which made Rex glare at her.

"It's not just that, Commander Fox and his platoon were also on that ship," Rex explained, as Hunter sneered at Ahsoka.

"The same Commander Fox that hunted me down, you mean? Abiding by Palpatine's orders?" She fought back.

Rex shook his head, "I didn't come here to fight. I came here for you".

Ahsoka's expression softened. She sat back down and allowed Rex to continued. He asked Artoo to display a hologram of a fist encompassed in a circle that had been spray-painted on a wall with a clone troopers' belt and helmet left at the base of the wall.

"This symbol has been found at the many Republic outposts that clone troopers have been protecting. More recently it has also been found at Confederate outposts as well. The troopers guarding the outposts have all gone missing and any droids in the facilities have been dismantled or cut in half by what appears to be a lightsabre," Rex prompted Artoo to show the second hologram of a droid in two pieces, scorch marks on both halves.

"That is from a lightsabre, no doubt about that. What does this have to do with me?" Ahsoka furrowed her eye markings, shifting her weight to one side, crossing her arms.

"By your advisory, these findings have only become apparent after looking into the Sith Acolyte movements".

Ahsoka stayed silent, remaining in her position as Katooni, Zatt and Petro grew restless, rising from their seated positions and looking closer at the holograms. Lux stood up and made a deliberate manoeuvre to look outside to judge the dimming daylight.

"Well, it seems that we should all settle in for the night, the first snowfall for the season is supposed to fall overnight," Lux smiled, breaking the prudent silence and making his way out of the room, gesturing to the younglings and the idol bad batch members to follow him to the turbolift.

Much to Ahsoka's dismay Rex and Hunter had stayed upstairs. She bit her lip, recognising the symbol that had been left at the sight of multiple clone trooper disappearances.

"Rex, Mortis was real. It might not have been real to the Senate, but it was real to the Jedi. That is the mark of The Son of Mortis. He's alive".