Chapter 19: The Great Trial

Just as Anakin and the four SPARTANs disembarked the speeder, a general alert sounded off from the Republic's base, declaring that the Jedi prisoner had escaped. They saw clones running towards the perimeter, moving to lock down the entire facility. "No…" Anakin muttered, hearing live blaster fire from inside the facility. "Follow me!"

Wordlessly, the SPARTAN fireteam sprinted alongside Skywalker, making their way through the facility. In any other situation, the clones would have stopped GC personnel at some point, but they were a bit more concerned with the Jedi on the loose in their base. A general comm came over Anakin's commlink, as well as the base-wide PA system. "Alert, the prisoner has killed three clones. Shoot to kill, I repeat: shoot to kill!"

"Belay that order, Commander!" Anakin shouted into his commlink. "Set blasters to stun, box her in!"

"She's heading for the industrial pipeline, permission to engage?" Another clone came over the comms.

"Granted, weapons to stun!" Anakin acknowledged.

The SPARTANs, boiling with rather well-hidden rage, continued to follow Anakin through the facility, eventually emerging on the far side by a large set of industrial pipes all leading to the lower levels of Coruscant. "Fuck this…" Alice muttered, sending a silent order through her squad's Neural Lances. Anakin glanced over his shoulder as he ran, feeling the faint static electricity building in the air behind him. The four SPARTANs of Fireteam Gamma had their armor assemble itself around them, then took off at full speed towards the pipeline. Even Anakin, being a Jedi, had no hope of keeping up with them.

Kathryn silently prepared her Hard Light shield as she activated her armor's integrated jump pack, leaping up onto a catwalk with the rest of her team. Ahsoka was on the far end of the catwalk, deftly avoiding incoming stun blasts from the clone guards. Her heart sank into her gut when she saw a rocket fly out of the side of one of the LAAT gunships tailing the young Jedi. The blast just narrowly missed Ahsoka, sending little shards of metal impacting into the SPARTAN team's shields and knocking Ahsoka into the central junction for the pipeline. The SPARTANs skidded to a halt on the catwalk, watching as the gunships and clone guards moved to surround Ahsoka.

Kathryn could swear that she saw Ahsoka look right at her, pleading for her help. "Permission to act, ma'am?" She asked over their shared neural network, sharing the details of what she had planned.

After the slightest moment of consideration, Alice responded. "Granted."

Ahsoka looked around, completely surrounded by clone troopers. She watched Anakin ascend the staircase directly in front of her, and the team of SPARTANs that she had come to call friends standing to her right. She saw Kathryn's armored form looking down at her, hands clenched at her sides as she watched the troopers fast-rope down from the LAATs. She kept her lightsabers up in a vain attempt to cover herself from all angles.

She jumped slightly when she felt the faint prickling of static electricity around her, and a few of the clones reeled back. As she glance down in confusion, she saw the very same armored plates that the SPARTANs wore starting to assemble themselves around her.

In an instant, she found herself completely encased in the hyper-advanced alloy that was ubiquitous in the Coalition, the excess plates even forming to cover her distinctly inhuman head. The HUD flickered to life before her, feeding an immense amount of data to her. She watched as numerous safety protocols were engaged, the armor working to connect to a non-SPARTAN wearer. When a bright blue 'connection complete' lit up before her, she felt an immense surge of energy, the likes of which she never thought possible. It was like a constant adrenaline rush, without the tunnel vision or shakiness. It felt completely natural, like this armor was an extension of her own body. As she glanced over to the SPARTANs, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Kathryn standing there, wearing only her gel layer. "Move!" Kathryn's voice came over the suit's comms system.

Not needing any more prompts, Ahsoka leapt through the air with the assistance of both the armor and the Force. It all felt so effortless in this suit, but it still felt like the armor was holding back, like it was capable of so much more. Her smile only widened when she felt the faint prickling of a stun blast impact against the armor, the shield integrity indicator barely flickering in response. She landed on one of the large pipes with a heavy thud, quickly cutting a neat hole through it with her lightsabers, and falling through. As she splashed down in the shallow water at the bottom of the pipe, she towards one of the pipe's many junctions. Just as she approached the bend, she heard a few more people splash into the water behind her… tagged as friendlies on the armor's motion tracker. Wheeling around, she saw the four members of Fireteam Gamma moving towards her, now bearing their weapons.

"Ahsoka!" Kathryn called out, skidding to a halt in front of her. She grunted as the shorter Jedi slammed into her, wrapping her arms around her. It was times like this she was very thankful for her skeletal enhancements.

"Thank you…" Ahsoka managed, relaxing her grip a bit when she realized just how much strength this armor granted her.

"We can go through all of the thanks when we get to the GC Embassy." Alice explained, turning around as she watched the yellow blips on her tracker light up. "Move towards the outlet pipe, pickup is en-route."

"Ahsoka, I'm gonna recall the armor now, okay?" Kathryn explained, earning a nod from the Jedi. At Kathryn's silent command, the armor instantly shunted itself back into the slipstream and reassembled itself around the SPARTAN. In an instant, Ahsoka felt all of her muscles loosen as she nearly collapsed, caught by the now-armored Kathryn. She was startled to find herself fully aware, but unable to move or even speak. "You're alright, the paralysis will wear off in a few minutes." Kathryn explained, making reference to the more… modern reason MJOLNIR couldn't be worn by the average soldier. The enhancements brought on by the armor included a near-constant stimulation of the peripheral nervous system, resulting in an effect similar to sleep paralysis in unaugmented wearers.

Effortlessly, Kathryn picked Ahsoka up in a bridal carry and started moving through the pipe. After they passed the second bend, the sound of armored boots splashing down sounded behind them. Picking up the pace, Gamma almost immediately arrived at the outlet of the pipe, the waste water flowing down to the lower levels of Coruscant via a massive tunnel, where speeders and smaller ships were making the routine trip. Alice activated a transponder beacon and dropped to one knee, leveling her weapon towards the bend where the Clones were approaching from. Willow and Jane joined her, preparing to gun down any of the Clones that rounded the corner.

Anakin very nearly had his head taken off by a burst of fire from the SPARTANs standing guard by the outlet, only saved by Alice beckoning them to hold fire over their neural net. "What are you doing?!" Anakin asked, stunned. "Ahsoka!"

Kathryn felt Ahsoka starting to stir in her hands, and gently placed her on her feet. "You didn't even…" She groaned, feeling her control over her muscles return. "try to help me!"

"They wouldn't let me in to talk with you!" Anakin defended.

"You could have if you tried!" Ahsoka retorted.

"How would that look, huh?" Anakin asked, rhetorically. "Forcing my way in would've made you look even more guilty!"

Ahsoka scoffed, stunned that her own master could say that. "I'm not guilty!"

"We have to prove your innocence! The only way we can do that is by going back!" Anakin attempted to reason.

"Prove I'm innocent?" Ahsoka was dumbfounded. "Who can I trust? Tarkin already told me! They stripped me of my status as a Jedi! My own master doesn't believe me, but they do!" She gestured to the SPARTANs standing guard around her.

"Listen…" Anakin held his hand out. "I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka… but you have to come back! Make your case to the Council!"

"No!" Ahsoka shouted. "I'm not taking the fall for something I didn't do!"

"You know that nobody's going to believe me, Anakin…" Ahsoka retorted.

"You're going to let the SPARTANs cause a diplomatic incident over this? Let them face whatever punishment they might because you don't even have enough faith in your own story to prove you're innocent?"

"She shouldn't have to prove innocence, Skywalker!" Kathryn shouted, her rage finally boiling over. "The burden of proof lies with the accuser, not the accused! She's your own goddamn apprentice and you're gonna leave her to the wolves in Tarkin's kangaroo court? They've already made up their fuckin' minds! If she goes back, she's dead! And I sure as fuck won't sit by while your 'Republic' executes a fucking teenager!"

"Gamma, your ride's here!" A voice came over their comms, just as a GC Pelican dropship descended before the pipe's outlet, the rear ramp open. Three of SPARTAN Fireteam Sword's operatives were standing in the passenger deck, with their officer piloting the craft.

"I know you trust me, Anakin…" Ahsoka began, sighing. "Please… just trust me now." With that, Ahsoka jumped into the back of the Pelican, joined by Kathryn and the rest of Gamma team. She watched as the Pelican's bay door closed, and saw Anakin staring at the ascending GC dropship with a… stern look on his face.

"Incoming small arms fire from the Clones." Sword-Actual spoke up from the cockpit. "Returning to In Spirit of Fire."

Ahsoka sighed, then felt the familiar static discharge as the SPARTANs shunted their armor back into the slipstream. Wordlessly, she turned around and wrapped Kathryn in a hug, which the SPARTAN quickly returned. "Thank you…" She muttered.

"No problem…" Kathryn smiled, running a comforting hand across Ahsoka's back.

XXXXX

"This is an outrage!" Admiral Tarkin declared, glaring at Admiral Cutter and Admiral Lasky's synthetic body. "Your SPARTANs have directly interfered with the justice system of the Galactic Republic. I demand to know where Ahsoka Tano is, and that she be handed over to Republic authorities immediately!"

"Respectfully, Admiral Tarkin… under no circumstance will that be happening." Lasky responded, his face completely level. Fireteam Gamma was stood just a few feet behind him, standing at rigid attention in the presence of not only their direct superior, but his direct superior. "If it helps, Fireteam Gamma will not go unpunished for this… breach in protocol. As a matter of fact, I'll dispense their punishment right now…" He wheeled around, looking to the four SPARTANs. "SPARTAN Fireteam Gamma… consider yourself admonished. At ease!"

"Are you mocking me, Admiral?" Tarkin demanded, his face growing red in anger.

"As a matter of fact, I am." Lasky turned back around, facing Tarkin. "General Kenobi was kind enough to procure the duty roster for the facility where Miss Tano was being held, as well as all diagnostics data from the camera and recording equipment. Ahsoka tells me that the audio equipment in the cell of Letta Bowmani was, in your words, 'suspiciously malfunctioning'. What I find rather interesting is, according to the diagnostics, this equipment has been functioning perfectly fine since its installation last year."

"A simple computer error, nothing more. The equipment was malfunctioning, I can assure you." Tarkin retorted, still obviously infuriated.

"That's not all." Lasky continued, ignoring Tarkin almost completely. "Republic Intelligence shared with me same recording you showed Miss Tano in her cell. I'm not even going to touch the fact that her cell, the same one Miss Bowmani inhabited, magically found itself with functioning audio equipment without maintenance. What's really important is the recording itself… the audio was never 'malfunctioning'… it was erased, scrubbed clean."

"What are you implying, Lasky?" Tarkin asked.

"I'm implying that either you're a damned liar, or you have someone in your facility who actively attempted to frame Miss Tano for murder." Lasky spat back. "Either way, you lack sufficient evidence for me to hand a teenager over to face capital charges."

"Who are you to determine what constitutes 'sufficient' evidence?" Tarkin demanded.

"The Galactic Coalition's Lord of Admirals." Lasky deadpanned. "I'm not sure if you've read it, Tarkin, but the Treaty of Coruscant outlines that all GC capital ships are considered the sovereign territory of the Coalition, meaning that all Republic citizens on-board are subject to the laws of the Coalition. This also extends to constitutional protections. Meaning; I will not hand her over, as there is insufficient evidence for her to be tried for murder in a Coalition court."

Lasky had to keep from smirking as he watched Tarkin's fists clench. "You are subverting the Republic by doing this, Lasky…"

"And the Republic is denying a teenage girl the right to a fair trial, as outlined in your own constitutional equivalent." Lasky shrugged. "Call it even. Now… get the fuck out of my building, or I'll have my SPARTANs drag you out."

Tarkin gritted his teeth, glaring at Lasky and Cutter, who were pictures of indifference. After a moment, he turned on his heels and left the room, nearly shoving past the pair of Marines guarding the door.

Lasky huffed as the door slid shut behind Tarkin. "Prick…" He muttered to himself. "Gamma, Admiral Cutter, you're free to return to your duties."

XXXXX

Aiter couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the Republic Senate practically break down around him. News of the GC's role in saving Ahsoka Tano from a kangaroo court headed by Admiral Tarkin and Palpatine had drawn a fairly clear line between many of the Senators. There was of course Senator Amidala, who stood with the GC on this matter. If rumor was to be believed, she would have acted as Ahsoka's defense in the trial… not that it would have mattered. Then there were the Nemoidian senators, who had absolutely no qualms with publically denouncing the Coalition and their interference.

"Do you have something you want to add, Sangheili?" The Kaminoan senator asked, rather sarcastically. She had obviously seen Aiter chuckling at the 'functioning' democracy at work.

"Only that your senseless bickering does not change matters." Aiter shrugged, silently cursing himself for picking up so many Human traits. "The Coalition will, under no circumstance, relent on this matter."

"Oh, more moral grand-standing from the outsiders!" The Nemoidians declared. "What a surprise."

"You speak on morals while advocating for the execution of a young one?" Aiter rebuked, remaining perfectly calm, much to the Nemoidian's dismay. "Fascinating. Mark my words, this war will be the death of your Republic if you do not hold true to some form of basic principle."

Aiter glanced down to his datapad, seeing a new set of directives sent from the Coalition's State Department. His mandibles formed the Sangheili equivalent to a smirk as he read over the beautifully short message. "Well, it seems the illustrious Kaminoan and Nemoidian senators shall have their wish." The entire Senate fell into a confused silence, watching the Sangheili close down his datapad with a quick swipe and attach it to his side. "The Coalition Parliament, in a majority vote, has elected to withdraw all military support for the Republic's war effort, effectively nullifying the Treaty of Coruscant's military cooperation clause."

Aiter continued, even over the frantic shouting of the Senate chambers. "All diplomatic proceedings shall proceed, though only as civilian or trade relations. The Coalition shall continue military operations against the CIS on its own terms. Allow me to offer a personal suggestion… do not stand in our way."

XXXXX

Ahsoka fiddled with the panel on the wall. Even with all the time she had spent on In Spirit of Fire, she had never really tried to learn how this GC tech worked. As she tapped away at the holographic panel, the lights in her room dimmed significantly, with only the light blue accents radiating through the room and providing a surprisingly calming atmosphere. Her scientific experiment had concluded… she had found the light switch.

After going through her button-pressing in reverse and turning the lights back on, she looked back to her room. It was almost like a relatively comfortable apartment on the vessel's notably smaller central decks. She had already stored her humble belongings away in the storage compartments by her bed, and found herself with nothing left to do other than fiddle with the electronics in the room in an attempt to understand them.

She started tapping away at the panel attached to the side of her bed, jumping slightly as she heard what she could only assume to be music playing from… somewhere in the room. There were no visible speakers, but it sounded like she was in the middle of a concert hall. This wasn't like any music she had ever heard. She expected the thick electronic beats so commonly found in the popular music of the Republic, but was greeted by a surprisingly slow sound. Whatever these instruments were, they sounded vaguely electronic, but were definitely something that was played. There were those little imperfections that showed actual instrumentation. She wasn't quite sure what the song was about yet, but it had something to do with 'the pious, the pure of heart, and the peaceful'.

She decided to simply sit on her bed, crossing her legs, and start meditating. The quiet music in the background was soothing, helping to ground her. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she was eventually pulled from her meditation by the sound of the door sliding open and a familiar voice asking for her. "Ahsoka?" Kathryn asked, her boots clicking against the metallic floor.

Ahsoka's eyes immediately shot open, and a smile crossed her face. "Kat!" She beamed, immediately jumping to her feet. "You're back!"

"Yep." Kat smiled in return. Ahsoka noted that she had evidently been on official business, judging by the dress uniform. "Watching Admiral Lasky tell Tarkin off was a goddamn spiritual experience."

"Any updates from down there?" Ahsoka asked, smirking at the mention of the normally-calm Lasky telling off a Republic admiral.

"Anakin seems to have started… looking into this himself." Kathryn explained, leaning against the wall and tucking her hands in her pockets. "Oh yeah." She smirked. "And the Coalition has cut off all military assistance to the Republic."

Ahsoka was absolutely stunned. "Wait… seriously?"

"Yep." Kathryn nodded. "We're ending this… on our terms. We're working on tracking down the primary separatist leadership right now. Once we have them cornered, we're hitting them… hard."

Kat jumped slightly as her neural lace's communicator sent a notification to her HUD, showing an incoming comm from Admiral Cutter. "Go ahead, Admiral." She answered, seeming to space out for a moment to Ahsoka.

"SPARTAN Lockhart, further evidence in miss Tano's defense has been uncovered by Skywalker, implicating Barriss Offee. She had admitted guilt in the orchestration of the Temple Bombing to General Skywalker, and her confession will be presented before the Senate in a few minutes."

"Was there a fight?" Kat asked, curious.

"Affirmative, two Jedi Padawans and a Temple Guardian were injured during Skywalker and Offee's fight in the Jedi Temple. The Jedi Council is requesting miss Tano's presence. Admiral Lasky has already cleared her departure from In Spirit of Fire with military escort. Assemble a platoon of volunteers to act as security forces."

"Understood, Admiral." Kat affirmed, closing down the comms once Cutter disconnected.

"New orders?" Ahsoka asked, already being quite familiar with how GC communications functioned.

"Better." Kat smirked. "Anakin's presenting evidence proving your innocence to the Senate." Ahsoka's mouth dropped open at that. "He found and apprehended the actual mastermind behind the bombing."

"Who was it?" Ahsoka asked, stunned.

"A Jedi by the name of Barriss Offee." Kathryn explained, Ahsoka's eyes widening even further.

"No…" Ahsoka muttered.

"You know her?" Kathryn asked, confused.

"Yeah… we were friends." Ahsoka nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka…" Kathryn consoled, placing a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "Well, look… the Jedi Council wants to see you at the Temple, and Lasky's cleared you to go. I'm gonna pull some ODSTs from their stations on-ship to act as a security detail."

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "Alright… let's go."

XXXXX

Ahsoka stepped out of the GC dropship, joined by a small group of eight ODSTs in more-formal uniforms, headed by Kathryn. All of the GC soldiers carried some sort of ceremonial rifle that she had never seen before. It was all-black, looking significantly less-advanced than the weapons they usually carried. Judging by the design, they looked almost like slug-throwers. They had a bright blue LED screen just above the receiver of the weapon, attached to the base of a hollow carry-handle. There was a circular optic attached to the top of the carry-handle, with a small box-like magazine slightly jutting from the stock of the weapon. If she had to guess, they were operating as some sort of honor guard, not just a security detail.

There were a few Jedi around the entrance of the temple, all of them watching her and the ODSTs with a confused look. After the soldiers descended the ramp behind her, she turned to Kathryn. "Kat… can you stay out here?" She asked, looking up to meet the SPARTAN's almost-glowing green eyes. "This is… something I need to do myself."

"Of course." Kathryn nodded, motioning for the ODSTs to stand at-ease. She reached into her dress uniform's breast pocket, producing what seemed to be an earpiece. "If this winds up being some kind of set-up, ping that communicator and we'll storm the building. I know it's a long-shot, but… just in case."

Ahsoka took the small device in her hand, plugging it into her right ear. "Okay… thanks, Kat."

With that, Ahsoka made her way into the Jedi Temple, entering a turbolift to the Council Chambers, and found herself standing before Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Master Yoda, Ki-Adi Mundi, and three other members of the Jedi Council… including Plo Koon, the very same man who had brought her into the Order to begin with. As she approached them, hands clasped behind her back, Anakin was the first to speak up. "Ahsoka… I'm so sorry." Anakin began, his voice solemn and low. "About everything." As he bowed his head slightly, Ahsoka gave him a gentle nod in return.

"You have our most humble apologies, Little 'Soka." Plo Koon's slightly-synthesized voice began, bowing his head slightly as he clasped his hands before him. "The Council was wrong to accuse you, and strip away your status within the Jedi Order."

"You have shown great strength and resilience in your struggle to prove your innocence…" Windu continued.

"This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight." Master Mundi added, offering the faintest smile.

"This was actually your Great Trial; now we see that." Windu added. "We understand that the Force works in mysterious ways, and because of this trial you've become a greater Jedi than you would have otherwise." Ahsoka regarded Master Windu with a certain… skepticism. She had never heard him offer praise like this before, even if it was veiled behind a lecture on the Force's machinations.

"Back into the Order, you may come." Yoda offered, looking up to Ahsoka as he placed both hands on his small cane.

Ahsoka crossed her arms, staring down to the ground as she thought on the offer. Her attention was grabbed by Anakin. "They're asking you back, Ahsoka…" He began, approaching her as he reached into one of the pouches on his belt. "I'm asking you back." He held out the small string of beads, signifying her status as a Jedi, that the Temple Guardians had ripped from her Lekku in the Republic prison.

She looked down to Anakin's offering, then up to him. When her eyes went back down to the little string of beads that had once meant so much to her, he nudged them just a bit closer, prodding her to take up the Council's offer and return to the Order. She sucked in a deep breath, and closed Anakin's hand back around the beads. She looked back up to Anakin, who was struck still by such a simple action. "I'm sorry, Master… but I'm not coming back." With that, she gently released Anakin's hand and turned for the turbolift, tapping the button that would send her back to the ground floor.

Ahsoka stared down at the stone floor for most of the trek back towards the GC transport, descending the steps with a practiced and careful walk. Just when she was halfway back to the transport, she heard Anakin calling out after her. "Ahsoka, wait!" She continued her walk, but eventually stopped when he called out again. "Ahsoka, I need to talk to you!"

Anakin sighed as he finally caught up with her, pleading his questions when she finally turned to look at him. "Why are you doing this?!"

"The Council didn't trust me…" Ahsoka explained, lacking any anger or resentment in her voice. She had made peace with her separation from the Order. "The Clones I fought with didn't trust me… but there were a few people that did. How can I trust myself if I stay here?"

"What about me?" Anakin pleaded, his voice rising slightly. "I trusted you, I believed in you! Enough to find Barriss!"

"I know you believe in me, Anakin." Ahsoka sighed. "And I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you! I can't stay here any longer, knowing that the Order will just… throw away students like this."

"Ahsoka… the Order is your life! You can't just… throw it away like this! Ahsoka, you're making a mistake!" Anakin continued pleading.

"Maybe…" Ahsoka admitted. "But I have to find that out for myself. Without the Council… and without you." She sucked in another deep breath, turning around to face the small honor guard of GC soldiers, still standing vigil around their transport.

"I understand… more than you realize… I understand wanting to walk away from the Jedi." Anakin said, staring down at the ground.

"I know." Ahsoka responded, simply. "Goodbye, Skyguy…" With that, Ahsoka continued heading for the GC transport, stepping past the two squads of ODSTs in their dress uniforms. As she passed, the soldiers picked up their ceremonial battle rifles, the weapons all sounding off with a click as they connected with the open palms of their wielders. She sat down in the same seat she had taken on the flight down to Coruscant, casting one last look out at the Jedi Temple as Kathryn sat down across from her. She saw Anakin looking back, his eyes practically begging her to change her mind. She only turned away once the rear door closed and the thrumming of the aircraft's propulsion started up.

XXXXX

Lasky approached the door, tapping away at the console on the wall and allowing it to open. He tapped his synthetic knuckles against the wall as he entered the small apartment, simply for decency's sake. As he stepped through the small hallway, he was greeted by an admittedly incredible sight. He saw Ahsoka sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, the various bits and pieces of her lightsaber floating around her. She was obviously in an incredibly deep meditative state, completely oblivious to Lasky's presence. It wasn't exactly a surprise she couldn't sense his presence, given his… synthetic nature.

He watched in… amazement as the bits of the lightsaber slowly began to reassemble before the young woman, eventually forming back into a complete weapon and gently clicking against the metal floor once what he could only assume to be some sort of cleaning procedure was done. When Ahsoka finally opened her eyes, she jumped a bit seeing Lasky. "Oh… Admiral Lasky!" She said, quickly jumping to her feet. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"It's fine." Lasky smirked, stepping a bit further into the room. "I didn't want to disturb you…"

"Oh, it's no problem." Ahsoka explained, reattaching the lightsaber to her side. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, actually." Lasky nodded. "This was… something I wanted to see to personally. I understand if you need some time to think about this, but… I've pulled some strings back on the Ark. If you'd like, there's a place for you in the Coalition… We could use someone with your-"

"Absolutely." Ahsoka nodded. "I'll do it."

"Well… that was quick." Lasky chuckled. "I wasn't expecting you to take me up that fast, but who am I to judge. I'll get everything sorted out. There is… one caveat, though."

"What's that?" Ahsoka asked, raising a brow.

"Well… as you can understand this is a big occasion for the Coalition." Lasky explained. "Our first extra-galactic citizen is no small matter, and the people back home are naturally going to be… curious. What I'm getting at is that there are some very important people back home who want to meet you."

"Are you saying… I'm going to your galaxy?" Ahsoka asked, amazed.

"I am…" Lasky smiled.

"If that's your caveat, I'm definitely in now." Ahsoka smiled.

"Good to hear… I'll organize a departure for the Ark for you and a small security detail." Lasky nodded.

A/N:

CLONE WARS SAVED, BOIS! WE SIEGE OF MANDALORE NOW!

Alright, now that that's out of my system, I finally got a chapter for this one out. I'm just gonna jump straight to the review responses, because I'm running out of energy and it's 2 A.M.

Reviews:

Teck 3- I get what you're saying with it being more Republic than GC, and me having so many of the GC characters involved was actually a conscious choice. This chapter probably outlined it a bit better, but the GC is basically disgusted with how the Republic conducts itself, so they started… forcing (pun intended) their way into dealings like that in a vain attempt to nudge them in what they think is the right direction.

Xbox432- Thanks, man! I always thought my combat scenes were a bit… choppy at times. I've kinda used Mantle as a test-bed for changes to how I write for combat. Glad it seems to be working out.

Wookie100- I'd say the GC made a very… interesting choice.

Divine Protector of Skyrim- I probably should've explained the Pelican variants a bit better. Basically, think of them like how the U.S. Air Force has multiple variants of the F-18, F-35, and Blackhawk that are the same platform, but fill different roles in combat. The Mk X is basically the Pelican we all know and love, serving as a troop transport like the aforementioned Blackhawk when used by Airborne Infantry, while the Mk. IX is a much larger, sturdier aircraft meant to carry heavier vehicles into combat, like how modified Blackhawks are used to carry lighter vehicles nowadays.

CousinxCaps- I'm not too familiar with the modern take on BSG. I've watched the older show from the 70s, back before they genderbent Starbuck, a ton of times (I've even got a box set that looks like a Cylon head).

LethalJustice94- Yep, they're stationed on In Spirit of Fire. They'll take a much more active role in the coming chapters.

J.E.P. 1996- Believe me, I know how stiff the early dialogue was for this story. To be completely honest, I'm a bit too busy/lazy to go back and start re-writing.

Sabatie- Laws of Entropy my friend. There's no such thing as a 100% efficient transfer of energy, even with something like Vacuum Energy. Any problem can be overcome with the proper application of overwhelming firepower.

WhiteRoseShipper- Wow, that's some high praise. I'm honestly humbled that my writing got you interested in things like this, much less made you enjoy it. Thank you so much. I have a feeling you might enjoy something I've got on the backburner right now. Don't really have an ETA for it, but I'll just settle on Soon (tm).

RogueShadow222- Shhhh, mods don't know yet.

HeroHunter2- Yep :)

Hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, and please feel free to leave any feedback for me.

As a fellow desert-rat says:

God-fuckin-speed,

TallYapflip