A.N.
I do not own Star Wars or Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
I'd like to reassure all readers that I've got the plot completed and several chapters written and proof read before I uploaded this.
This fanfic will be updated at least once a week.
Enjoy!
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Prologue:
The Clone Wars rage on across the galaxy. On the jungle planet, Toledo, General Darjeeling of the Confederacy of Independent Systems is threatening to use a local-made chemical weapon to aid the Seperatist Campaign.
General Anakin Skywalker, his apprentice Ahsoka Tano and the Clone forces must ensure his efforts are halted before it's too late.
To help with the campaign, Master Yoda has sent reinforcements to assist Anakin and Ahsoka and put an end to the fighting there once and for all…
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Chapter 1- The Battle of Toledo
"Fall ba-!" The clonetrooper's cry was cut short when a mud-soaked explosion engulfed him and two of his companions, littering their bodies on to the scorched battlefield.
Republic war skiffs advanced in waves from behind the jungles and on to the savannah, in hopes of pushing forward against the stalemate where hundreds of droids and tens of Seperatist mechs dug themselves in and managed to put a crimp on Jedi General Anakin Skywalker's so called, "perfect plan".
"So, was this your idea of a glorious day, Sky Guy?" Ahsoka's teeth gritted harder as she deflected more blaster bolts. Usually, her light sarcasm is accompanied with a smile. But this time, her master has gone too far. He can be so stubborn sometimes.
"Now's not the time for this, Ahsoka!" The two of them stood side by side skillfully swinging their blades in an attempt to direct the bolts back on to the droids, knee deep in mud, their robes and tunics riddled with holes and splattered with dirt, "And besides, no one ever said this was gonna be a glamorous job."
"Now he tells me." This time she smiled.
"Master Skywalker!" Captain Rex' static voice came over Anakin's comlink, "Master Skywalker…"
Ahsoka pulled her leg out of the mud and took a step forward, deflecting more attacks and allowing Anakin a moment to speak, "what is it, Rex?"
"Giant tri-droids, incoming!"
Anakin looked ahead and spotted over the smoky horizon three big domes, each with three attached legs and an assortment of guns just above the legs. The guns spun about the axis every time they fired, bringing down devastation over anyone who hoped to find cover on the battlefield. It was up to the Jedi now to do their part.
Anakin's eyes narrowed as he came up with a plan, "I'm on it, Rex."
"Master!" Ahsoka 's voice suddenly pulled him out of focus.
"What?"
She gave him that look that almost everyone does, that look that says he's making the wrong decision, that he's being reckless again, "We can't stay here much longer. We need to pull out."
An explosion erupted just beside them, the tri-droids were getting close, "We've worked too hard to reach this point. We can't pull back now."
"We're down to half our troops, master! If we stay any longer those droids are gonna be all over us."
Anakin took in a deep breath and ducked behind their muddy trench, he looked into the force and could feel the raging fire of battle getting hotter, he could sense every clones' exasperation, every droids' mechanical wheels turning, and as he tried to see the bigger picture, he frowned. This battle could go on for a lot longer without any results. It will only cost them more troops.
Finally, he nodded and pulled out his comink, "Captain."
"Yes, general?"
"Call in the gunships, we're pulling out."
"Sir, what about the tri-droids? They'll rip us to pieces if we move out of cover."
Ahsoka sat beside him, interrupting him and tugging at his sleeve, "We need a plan!"
Anakin tried to ignore her whiny tone, but she did raise a good point, "I'm working on it, Rex."
He put away his comlink and glanced at Ahsoka , he found her studying him carefully, "What?"
Now he noticed something stirring up inside her, like a ball of energy, urging to be released. It grew and grew as she gave him a menacing smile, then he spotted something almost flicker in her eyes, like a spark, a very bright spark. And before he could say anything, she interrupted, "Leave it to me."
"Ahsoka wait!" But she already hit the field, running, slicing, jumping, cutting and diving. It was a rocky terrain, with patches of green here and there, Ahsoka had to navigate over a junkyard full of demolished tanks and a sea of clone corpses and droid parts. Blaster bolts criss-crossed here and there, whizzing past her, yet she paid it no heed.
Before her, past the smoky clouds, she could see the three towering machines, raining a heavy volley of fire over her general direction. But she was fast. In a blur, she dashed from cover to cover, climbing over the remains of a Trade Federation hover tank, running across its gun turret and leaping high, disappearing from the tridroid's sensors.
"Commander," looking through his binoculars, a battledroid spotted the young Togruta fighting her way towards the giant tri-droids and gestured towards her, "A flying Jedi, twelve o'clock!"
The battle droid in command, recognizable by the yellow hue on his shoulders, shoved the other out of the way and peeked through the binoculars, "Where? I don't... Oh wait…Yeah, now I see her- gah!"
The commander's head vanished the moment Ahsoka touched the ground and rolled. She found herself underneath the first tri-droid; the other two flanked it on both sides. A split second later she ran up on to its nearest leg and clambered onto the cannon. Swinging acrobatically, she somersaulted on to the dome.
Anakin smiled, her skills have most certainly developed. He continued to watch as she deflected the blasts coming from the other two walkers, almost effortlessly. It didn't take a moment before the deflected attacks took its toll and they both finally collapsed, causing immense explosions upon hitting the ground.
She spun on her heels, blade twirling over her head and thrusting it into the dome of the last walker beneath her. She then slid down along its curve, her lightsaber still slicing the dome till she landed on the ground, then like a lightning bolt, she leapt into its belly, blade first, and out the other side where she once stood.
Anakin's jaw widened as he watched the tripod coming down in two separate pieces, crushing any droids attempting to shield themselves from it. He went back down for cover quickly, raised his comlink and cleared his throat, "Rex!"
"Sir, did you see what she just-?"
"She gave us what we needed, now move!"
"Right away, sir!"
Anakin peered back over the mud, spotting a blue flare that ripped through the air from Rex's position. Suddenly the cries of retreating clones began to echo, urging each other to cover their backs and keep their heads down, but Anakin wouldn't move till he found Ahsoka. His eyes shifting here and there, searching past the chaos that unfolded all around him.
Suddenly, he flinched as a familiar pair of boots splashed mud at him, then he glanced up to find Ahsoka crouching over him with a smile, "You gonna carry on playing with droids all day master or are we gonna head back for supper?"
Anakin sneered and gestured towards the gun ships coming for them, "Come on."
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Deep in the swampy jungle, sat on the ground against a supply crate, Ahsoka kept herself warm beside the heat lamp. She's been watching Anakin and Rex standing over a holo-map in front of her, going over the events of the battle again and again, trying to make sense of what went wrong, but it was nothing new to her.
Meanwhile, the rest of the troops moving here and there were trying to set up the rest of the camp, for what seems like the tenth time. Anakin was right; there certainly wasn't anything glamorous about being a Jedi.
"Alright, Rex." Anakin glanced up at the captain and patted his shoulder, "We'll carry on tomorrow. Get some rest."
The captain nodded a salute and marched off, his boots splashing in the mud, leaving Anakin to complete the overview. Moments later, when it was finally getting dark, he switched off the hologram and turned to face her, tightening his muddy rain coat and leaning against the hologram emitter.
She straightened up a bit and tried to make out the expression on his face, but it was shadowed by the darkness.
"You did well today, Snips." He said, in a rather plain tone, "But that last stunt scared me."
"Which one?" She replied, also plainly, "The one where I showed you boys how the job should be done?"
She then brushed her tunic and sighed casually, "Or the one where I got away with splashing the general's face with mud?"
Although he couldn't see it, he could definitely sense her boastful smile from here.
"Very funny, Snips." He took a few steps forward and came down on one knee opposite her, "I was actually referring to that reckless attack you made against those walkers."
"Reckless?" She snapped, raising a brow.
"That's what it looked like from where I was standing." He wrapped himself up in his coat as soon as he felt raindrops over his head, then sat to put his hood on.
The thick leaves from the trees around them provides enough cover for drizzles like this, but these drizzles don't take long before they get stronger, and by then all the troops will be in their shelters. Heavy showers here can spread all kinds of illness and diseases. And if it hadn't been for the glow lamp that kept them warm they could also catch a chill.
"I did what had to be done." She finally said.
"Look Ahsoka, I'm not saying what you did was wrong. Your stunt was brave. But, it was also very dangerous."
"But, I knew exactly what I was doing every step of the way!"
Anakin sighed and lowered his head, "Which brings me to the next point…"
She cocked her head to the side, waiting.
"Just before you attacked, I felt a strong surge in the Force…inside you. I've never felt so much energy in a Jedi before, especially a padawan…especially, your age."
She shrugged, "So… what?"
"Ahsoka," Anakin chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "you obviously don't understand. The way you destroyed those droids….the only person who's ever displayed that much power was Master Yoda."
Ahsoka's eyes widened, "So, you're saying I'm stronger than him?"
"I don't know." He closed his eyes and raised a hand over her, scanning her with The Force, "I don't feel anything now. Just regular you."
He opened his eyes, "It's like the power came for just a moment, and then vanished."
"Well, now that you mention it, I did feel something." She looked to the side, mentally trying to go back to that moment, "I can't really describe it, but I was more confident, that's for sure."
The sound of water showering over the big leaves echoed louder as the rain got heavier, Anakin and Ahsoka looked around to find they were the only ones left in the camp.
"We'll discuss this another time." Anakin stood and lent her a hand to help her up, "For now, I think we better get some sleep."
She reached for her cloak and stepped behind him as he lead her to her shelter, "Master, when we get out of this place, remind me to never ever sign up for a swamp trip again."
Anakin smiled, "I'll put you second on the list, then."
"Why, who was first?"
"Rex."
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A.N.
Tune in next week for the second chapter, reviews are most appreciated and will be credited at the end of each chapter.