Welcome Readers!

Remember my friend who helped me write "The Epic Game" (one of the chapters of NSNW3)? We put our writing skills together once more and came up with this short story.

If this story is confusing for you (which it probably will be), please read the commentary my friend and I have added at the end. :) (p.s., you can skip over and read that first if you want to :D)

Hoshi no Jedi (Jedi of the Stars)

The landing platform of the Twilight lowered down, and Anakin Skywalker stepped onto it. "This mission won't take too long," he said to his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, as she watched him board the ship. "Stay out of trouble, ok?"

Ahsoka sighed. "I wish I could come with you," she said quietly.

"I know, but you have another mission to take care of."

Ahsoka nodded.

Anakin walked the rest of the way up the platform and waved goodbye as it closed.

Ahsoka watched until the Twilight was completely out of view before walking to the Jedi Council room to receive her mission.

"Padawan Tano," Mace Windu said to her as she stood in the middle of the room, "we've received a distress signal from Naboo; we need you investigate."

Ahsoka slightly raised an eyebrow, but made it unnoticeable to the Council. "Do you know who sent it?" she asked out of curiosity.

"The signal was sent from the Palace on Naboo," Obi-Wan told her.

"Please set out right away," Master Windu instructed her.

"As you wish, Masters," Ahsoka replied with a bow of respect, and was about to leave, when an idea occurred to her. "Masters," she started, a smile spreading across her face, "I would like to request the help of a certain warrior for this mission…"

"Who is this warrior?" Mace Windu asked.

Ahsoka's smile grew. "Sir Meta Knight."

…

Meta Knight stood, arm against the table, back to the door. He was lost in thought as he normally was, but not so much that he was unaware of his surroundings. After years in the army, it came naturally.

Suddenly he heard footsteps echo down the castle halls, somewhere nearby the door to the room he shared with his followers… and getting closer.

The footsteps were not rushed, as if the person was in a hurry or something had gone wrong, yet they didn't sound as if the person was trying to approach him unnoticed. They sounded steady, almost confident.

There was a knock on the door, before the handle twisted and the door opened slowly.

Without turning around, (or being aware of who it was at the moment,) Meta Knight addressed the person. "Is everything alright?"

"Why must you always assume something is wrong?"

Meta Knight blinked in surprise as he recognized the voice. He turned around, as if to assure himself it was really who he thought it was. "Ahsoka…?"

Ahsoka was smiling. "It's good to see you again, Meta Knight."

"What brings you here?" he asked, hiding the surprise from his voice that coursed through him.

She explained her mission briefly before smiling again. "I was wondering if you would be willing to assist me."

"Mmh," Meta Knight murmured thoughtfully. There was a moment of silence. Then: "Yes, I believe I could come with you."

Ahsoka smiled again. "Thank you."

…

The Jedi cruiser had been in hyperspace for many long hours. At last, the cruiser dropped out of hyperspace and slowly began to make its way towards the planet's surface.

Once the landing platform was down, Ahsoka disembarked the cruiser and took a quick look around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary around the palace. She turned around to glance at Meta Knight. "Let's go," she said, beginning to make her way towards the palace.

The two walked up to the palace and were met by the palace guards.

"Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano," said Ahsoka, "and Sir Meta Knight. We've been sent by the Jedi Council and must speak with the queen immediately."

The guard nodded and stepped aside for them to walk by.

With Ahsoka in the lead, they walked into the throne room.

"Queen Neeyutnee," Ahsoka addressed her with a bow, "we have received a distress signal from this palace. I have been sent to help."

The queen looked confused, and remained silent for a moment. "We… did not send a distress signal," she said at last.

Ahsoka and Meta Knight exchanged glances. Ahsoka cleared her throat. "Sorry to disturb you then, your Highness," she said.

The queen nodded, signifying that they were dismissed, and Ahsoka and Meta Knight left the palace.

A confused look crossed Ahsoka's face. "I don't get it," she murmured almost to herself as they walked back towards the cruiser.

"Hmm…" Meta Knight said thoughtfully. "It is rather strange."

Ahsoka nodded in agreement. "But what will we tell the Jedi Council?"

"We tell them the truth," Meta Knight told her. "That there was a mistake."

She nodded again. "Yeah…"

Suddenly, while they were merely steps away from the cruiser, a small explosion was heard.

Meta Knight put a hand in front of Ahsoka, stopping her. "Nani…?" he murmured.

Another explosion. Then, a clone trooper ran off the landing platform. "Sir, something's gone wrong in the engine room."

"Now things are really getting strange," Ahsoka mumbled to herself. "Quick, let's see what happened."

"Try to stay out of notice," Meta Knight warned. "We still don't know what's going on."

"Right," Ahsoka replied with a nod. She carefully went up the landing platform, all her senses becoming alert. She gestured for Meta Knight to follow her down one of the hallways.

Meta Knight followed quietly after her, on high alert. Something didn't feel right…

Suddenly Ahsoka froze dead in her tracks. "Don't move," she whispered.

Meta Knight stared ahead, tense.

Barely moving a muscle, Ahsoka used the Force to lift a small piece of metal that had been shaken off in the explosion. She moved it steadily through the air into the hallway in front of them. A beeping noise sounded.

"Bomb!" Ahsoka cried. "Run!"

Meta Knight muttered something under his breath. "This way!"

Ahsoka nodded and quickly ran after him.

The beeping noises quickened, and though they were getting further away, the beeping kept getting louder. The two reached the bridge. And then-

The bomb blew up, shaking the entire cruiser as if it were made of Styrofoam.

Ahsoka tried her best not to panic. "We need to find a way out of here!"

Meta Knight glanced around.

Ahsoka quickly came up with a plan. "The windows," she said. She ran up to one of the windows and closed her eyes, focusing on the Force.

The explosion had started a fire in the cruiser, and it was spreading fast, causing other small explosions.

Just as the entire bridge was about to explode, Ahsoka sent out a powerful Force blast, shattering the thick glass on the windows. "Quickly!" she said to Meta Knight, and climbed up onto the edge of the window.

Meta Knight's cape took on its wing form, and he spread them and flew through the window after her.

Ahsoka used the Force to help push herself high up in the air. She used the Force again to soften her landing. But it wasn't over yet. "Everyone!" she called out, "Get a safe distance away from the cruiser, quickly!"

The clones all evacuated the cruiser, running to where Ahsoka told them to go. Not more than a second after they were all at a safe distance, the entire cruiser exploded, leaving nothing but burning metal and debris.

Meta Knight stared at the burned remains. "This…" He shook his head, eyes turning deep red. "It's possible… that this was linked with the 'distress signal' we received…"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes…" She trailed off while thinking. "I suppose there's something more going on then we thought."

"Mmh," Meta Knight agreed.

"We need to find some way to contact the Jedi Council," Ahsoka said. "Since the communications on the cruiser are… 'out of order', we'll have to find another way."

Meta Knight fingered Galaxia's hilt, thinking. "That may not be the only problem we face at the moment…"

Ahsoka suddenly snapped into attention, becoming completely alert. "Everyone quiet," she whispered, listening intently.

Meta Knight glanced at her before looking around slowly.

Her eyes widened. "Someone's coming."

She was barely about to finish before they all heard the footsteps that were getting louder and closer. The sound of many footsteps… metal footsteps.

"Droids…" Ahsoka said.

"Great," Meta Knight said, drawing his sword.

"Bad move, Jedi," came a voice.

Ahsoka recognized this voice immediately. She turned around, seeing Cad Bane and an entire battalion of battle droids. "Cad Bane,"

Meta Knight whipped around. "You," he growled, eyes blazing red.

Cad Bane had an evil smirk pasted across his face. "Ah… I remember you…"

Meta Knight tightened his grip on Galaxia's hilt.

Ahsoka drew her two lightsabers and ignited the bright green blades. "What do you want?" she demanded to Bane.

"What I want is of no interest to you. I do my job, I get paid," Bane turned to his army of droids. "Destroy them all."

The droids all pointed their guns at Ahsoka, Meta Knight and the clones, and began firing bright red laser fire at all of them.

Meta Knight muttered something under his breath quickly, and raised his sword, deflecting the lasers. Galaxia was not a normal blade. The metal could deflect almost anything.

Ahsoka twirled her lightsabers around, blocking several lasers. She jumped into the air and landed down on a droid, slicing it cleanly in half.

Meta Knight ran forward, slicing through three droids at once.

Amidst the laser fire, Ahsoka glanced around and saw they were incredibly outnumbered. "This is not going to be easy…" she mumbled to herself.

Meta Knight grunted. He called upon his Mach Tornado, wiping out five more droids.

Cad Bane saw that there were expertly defeating the droids. He knew this would be the case. That's why he had come prepared. "Backup droids, come in," he said into his wrist comlink. Mere seconds later, a group of about twenty droidekas rolled in.

Meta Knight glanced at the droidekas. "Ahsoka," he warned.

Ahsoka pulled her lightsaber out of a droid's chest as it fell to the ground. She looked over at the droidekas. "We're going to have to work together on this one," she said. "I need you to distract them while I go around and destroy them from behind."

"Right," Meta Knight said. He ran forward, giving the droidekas what they would interpret as an easy target.

Ahsoka ran to the edge of the battlefield and slowly crept around the droidekas unnoticed. She slipped under the energy shield of the first one and sliced through it. The energy shield faded away and the droid collapsed. "One down; too many more to go," she murmured, moving to the next one.

After destroying the second one, the others seemed to notice what was happening, and began to focus their laser fire on her instead.

"Ahsoka!" Meta Knight yelled. He ran over, using Galaxia to deflect the laser fire. He stood between her and the droidekas, doing his best to deflect their attacks. "Try it again," he said, still focused on fighting.

Ahsoka nodded, and ran around the back of the droidekas again. This time, however, she tried a different strategy. She focused on the Force, and sent out a large blast, causing all the droidekas to roll, which made their energy shields turn off. "Quickly! Before they can put their shields back up!" she called, beginning to slice through the droidekas.

Meta Knight ran forward, using Drill Rush to take out two more droidekas.

Ahsoka lifted a droideka in the air and used it to smash through a large number of the battle droids.

Despite the fact they were in mid-battle, Meta Knight took his focus off the droidekas for a split second and glanced over at Bane. Eyes widening, he yelled out a warning, "Ahsoka!" But he was too late.

Bane swooped down on his rocket boots and landed right behind Ahsoka. He pointed his gun at her, ready to fire, but Ahsoka sensed it just in time and whirled around, slicing the gun in half. Bane used his wrist comlink again, this time to call Commando droids.

Meta Knight grimaced and flew forward. Suspended in the air with his wings, he had his sword to Bane's neck in a flash. "Call them off," he commanded, his voice granite hard.

Bane kicked Meta Knight away and flew into the air on his rocket boots. "You will not defeat me again," he said, and watched as the Commando droids continued to march closer.

Meta Knight grunted as he hit a large boulder before falling to the ground. He tried to clear his blurred vision and attempted to push himself up again.

Ahsoka, who had just finished slicing through the last of the droidekas, gasped as she saw Meta Knight roll to the ground. She ran over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking her eyes off the approaching droids.

"I'm fine," he said. "But stay focused." He didn't want to give the droids a chance to attack her.

Ahsoka nodded, turning back around to face the droids. The Commando droids began charging towards them, pulling out their knives.

Meta Knight was finally able to get to his feet. He pondered using Sword Beam for a quick second, but then thought better of it. He didn't have the energy to use it and keep fighting. He spread his wings and flew forward.

The Commando droids ran faster. Ahsoka gripped tighter to her lightsabers and began to fight them. One of the droids knocked her lightsabers out of her hands, where they skidded away and got lost amidst the chaos. Ahsoka clenched her fists. The droid attempted to punch her, but she dove out of the way and kicked the droid down. It appeared that she had won, but at the last second the droid sprang back up and tackled Ahsoka to the ground.

"AHSOKA!" Meta Knight yelled, rushing forward and driving Galaxia through the droid.

Ahsoka pushed herself back up, panting. "Thanks," she said to him.

Meta Knight glanced around. "This is idiotic," he said. "We're outnumbered practically ten to one. Where are the clones?"

Ahsoka searched the battlefield. "They're fighting the droids…" She trailed off as she realized that they only had a few clones left. All the others were dead.

Meta Knight gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. "I don't think we can win this one…"

"You're not suggesting we surrender are you?" Ahsoka exclaimed, slicing through yet another droid.

"No," Meta Knight murmured. "But…" He sighed, slicing Galaxia full-force through another droid.

"What are we going to do then?" Ahsoka asked him.

He watched the droids. "Fight to the bitter end," he said, "no matter the outcome."

Ahsoka nodded. "I suppose so…" She trailed off.

Bane watched them from the sky. "This is taking too long," he mumbled. "I suppose it's time I finish this myself." He flew down and picked up two knives from the fallen Commando droids.

Meta Knight saw Bane's movements from the corner of his eye. "Ahsoka… Bane…" he warned, destroying another droid.

"I see him, I see him" Ahsoka muttered, becoming a slight bit impatient.

Bane used his rocket boots to charge at them, pointing the two blades in front of him.

Meta Knight sliced at the blades, the sound of metal clashing against metal ringing out.

Bane knew that this tactic would not work. He flew up high in the air, and pulled out a tiny capsule. "Say goodnight," he murmured with an evil grin, and he dropped the capsule and flew away. The capsule fell down to the ground, and broke, filling the air with smoke which could knock almost any species unconscious.

Meta Knight glared at Bane before his eyes widened at the capsule. "Ahs… oka…" he started to say. His vision began to swim once more from the smoke and he struggled to stay conscious.

Ahsoka coughed. "Stay… awake…" she mumbled. Her vision blurred. She couldn't hold on any longer, and collapsed to the ground.

Meta Knight only had time to sheath his sword before he, too, collapsed. He couldn't afford to lose it.

Bane watched from a far distance and waited for the smoke to clear. Once it did, he flew back and grinned as he looked at his new captives. "And this time," he said to no one but himself, "there will be no escape."

…

The Twilight landed on the landing platform in front of the Jedi Temple. Anakin stepped off with Rex and the other clones which had survived the battle.

Obi-Wan happened to be near the landing platform at the time, and went to meet his former apprentice. "Ah, Anakin. Was your mission a success?"

Anakin grinned. "The Separatists will be thinking twice before they ever try and invade that planet again."

"Good," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle.

Anakin looked around for a brief moment. "Is Ahsoka back from her mission yet?"

"No," Obi-Wan said, "Not yet."

"What's her status?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan didn't reply right away.

Anakin looked at him. "Something went wrong, didn't it?"

"I didn't say that, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him.

"But you're thinking it," Anakin stated.

"I was not," Obi-Wan protested.

"Well, just tell me what's going on then!" Anakin exclaimed.

"Calm down, Anakin," Obi-wan said to him. "We're not certain anything has gone wrong. But she hasn't checked in on schedule."

"I knew it; something's wrong," Anakin murmured.

"Anakin, we've gone over this before…"

Anakin sighed. "I know." He tried to get off the subject. "Have you at least tried contacting Ahsoka?"

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. "Yes," he said at last, "She didn't respond."

Without another word, Anakin turned around and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To find Ahsoka," Anakin said, heading back to the Twilight.

"Anakin, you're getting ahead of yourself again," Obi-Wan said. "You don't even know where she was sent for the mission."

Anakin looked at him, not willing to admit that Obi-Wan was right. "Where was she sent?" he asked.

"She was sent to Naboo to investigate a distress signal," Obi-Wan explained.

"What?" Anakin exclaimed. "Why didn't anyone tell me about a distress signal from Naboo?"

"You were already busy," Obi-Wan replied simply.

Anakin knew that Padme was on Naboo right now. If something had happened to her…

Without another word, Anakin stepped into the Twilight and took off, leaving Obi-Wan to once again only wonder.

…

Meta Knight awoke to excruciating pain. He gasped, only to find he couldn't move. His wrists had been secured, and his wings… they had been pierced in several places. Clamps had been put through the piercings to hold them in place. Meta Knight shut his eyes, breathing hard. The pain in his wings… it was almost unbearable.

A voice came from the other side of the room. It wasn't Ahsoka's voice. "Meta Knight? What are you doing here?"

"Padme," Meta Knight gasped, not from surprise of finding her here, but the fact that every time he moved even a fraction of an inch, his wings brushed against the clamps. He could feel blood dripping off of them and onto the floor. Through jagged breaths he told her, "Ahsoka… had a mission… the Jedi received a distress… signal from Naboo… and Ahsoka… requested that I accompany her…" He shut his eyes once more and clenched his teeth.

"Ahsoka's here?" Padme asked. The room was dark, and she was only able to barely see Meta Knight because she could hear him.

"Yes," Meta Knight panted. "I don't… know if she's actually… in here though…"

Padme scanned the room, trying to get her eyes to further adjust to the darkness. Ahsoka didn't appear to be in the same cell as them. But, why would Bane put her in a different cell…

Meta Knight focused on breathing… every movement he made… made his wings scream in pain.

Padme went over to Meta Knight. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Meta Knight closed his eyes. "N… no…" he managed to murmur, his voice broken.

Padme quietly sighed. Being in the cell made her feel so helpless.

Meta Knight looked up, then let out a yell of pain as his wings jerked spasmodically.

A quiet groan was heard from the darkest corner of the room, followed by coughing.

Meta Knight breathed jaggedly for a moment. "Ahsoka…?"

The shadows seemed to shift, and Ahsoka moved to where it was at least a little bit lighter. "Meta Knight." She spotted him and gasped when she saw what had been done to his wings.

Meta Knight watched her, his eyes dull. He felt exhausted.

"Let me help you," Ahsoka said. She knew that if she could remove the clamps on his wings with the Force, it would be much better for him. She tried to focus on the Force, but found that she couldn't. She felt awkwardly out of her element, completely cut off from the Force. She tried not to panic.

Meta Knight looked at her. "What's wrong…?"

"I… I can't use the Force," she said in a mere whisper, still not being able to figure out why.

Meta Knight looked at her grimly. "They must have drugged us," he said.

"Well that's just great," Ahsoka mumbled, sitting down next to him and leaning against the wall.

Meta Knight closed his eyes. He wondered how long they had been captured.

"What do you think Bane is going to do with us?" Padme asked.

Ahsoka blinked. "Padme?"

Meta Knight managed to nod.

Padme moved closer to them so Ahsoka could see her. "I'm not sure why Bane captured me," she said.

Meta Knight heard something from outside the room. "I get the feeling we'll find out soon enough," he murmured.

Bane walked up to the cell and smiled evilly at them. "Ah, you're all finally awake…" he said. "Well, you'll be pleased to know that there is no way you will ever escape, so I would save your energy."

Meta Knight silently glared at him with what energy he had left.

As if Bane thought they didn't already know, he added, "Oh, and this entire facility is filled with devices that make using the Force impossible. Your Jedi friends will never find you. Unfortunately… that's not the point…"

Padme looked at Bane. "What do you mean?"

Bane smiled evilly again. "You three are to be my bait, and since no one can find this place, we're going to have to send a little message to lure one of your Jedi friends here…"

Meta Knight glared at him again before groaning in pain as his wings twitched.

Bane ordered the droid to grab Ahsoka. Ahsoka attempted to get away, but failed. "Now…" Bane said to her. "You are going to send a message to your Master in the Force to come and find you."

"Never!" Ahsoka growled, struggling to get free from the droid grabbing onto her.

Bane switched off the Force repelling devices.

Ahsoka refused to do anything.

"Alright then," Bane said. "I thought it may come to this…"

Meta Knight glanced between the two of them worriedly.

Bane called for the Magnaguard droid to come into the cell. "Shock her," he ordered the droid.

"No!" Meta Knight yelled.

Ahsoka tried with all her might to get free, but it was impossible. The droid drove the stick into her leg, sending a powerful shock through her entire body. Ahsoka screamed in pain. The droid stopped, and Bane and his droids left the cell.

Meta Knight's heart leapt in his chest as she screamed. "Ahsoka," he said worriedly.

Ahsoka collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. "I'm… alright…" she panted.

Meta Knight watched her worriedly. He leaned back against the wall, exhaling. "He won't get away with this," he said quietly.

"Master Skywalker will come to save us," Ahsoka said. "Hopefully he'll stay strong and not fall into the trap that Bane wants him to."

"Mmh." Meta Knight closed his eyes once more, his wounds draining his energy.

…

Anakin was flying through space, almost to Naboo, when he suddenly felt a pulse in the Force. Ahsoka. "Just hold on, Ahsoka," he said, "I'm coming."

…

Meta Knight sighed, wincing as his wings moved accidentally against their restraints.

Ahsoka looked over at him. "I may be able to try and get those clamps off your wings now, since I seem to be fully connected with the Force again."

Meta Knight just nodded.

Ahsoka carefully touched the clamps, pondering how she would go about removing them. Meta Knight's wings shivered as she touched the clamps, causing him to wince again. Deciding on a certain method, Ahsoka used the Force to bend the metal until it snapped. She removed the clamp and moved on to the next one.

After several minutes of careful and precise bending of metal and concentrating on the Force, Ahsoka was able to remove all six clamps.

Meta Knight gasped as the final clamp was removed. His wings lowered until they brushed the floor. "Th-thank you… Ahsoka…" he managed to murmur.

"Don't mention it," Ahsoka replied. She reached into the small pocket-like container she always had on her belt. Luckily, Bane hadn't taken it. She pulled out some first aid supplies and began to bandage Meta Knight's wings.

Meta Knight grit his teeth as she treated his wounds. It was still painful.

Ahsoka finished and put away the rest of the supplies. "There," she said with a small smile.

Meta Knight closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Again, thank you," he murmured.

"You're welcome," she replied. She sat down next to him and leaned back against the wall again. "I wish there was something we could do," she muttered.

Meta Knight looked over at her. "Be patient," he said gently. "The time will come when it's ready."

…

The Twilight landed on Naboo, not too far away from the palace. Anakin stepped out of the ship and looked around. He went where his senses led him and gasped at the sight before him.

The debris of an entire Jedi cruiser, as well as the remains of many battle droids, was all over the place. This was definitely where he needed to look for clues.

As Anakin carefully made his way around the fallen droids, he noticed something lying on the ground. Something shinier than a droid.

He followed the glint and discovered that they were Ahsoka's lightsabers. Now he knew he was on the right track. He picked up the lightsabers and clipped them to his belt to return to Ahsoka when he found her later.

Now the tricky part; finding out where Bane took her. Anakin reached out in the Force and sensed Ahsoka's presence. It didn't seem too far away. In fact, it seemed incredibly easy to find. Why would Bane make it so obvious…?

Anakin followed the Force signature of his Padawan, only hoping that she'd still be alive when he got there.

…

Meta Knight stared at the ground, thinking, trying to figure a way to get them out.

"He's close…" Ahsoka whispered to him, not wanting Bane to hear her if he so happened to be nearby.

Meta Knight said nothing. Finally, an idea occurred to him. "Ahsoka," he said, his voice low, "can you destroy these other clamps on my wrists? I have an idea…"

Ahsoka looked at the clamps. They were a bit tougher to break then the ones that had been used on his wings, but they looked breakable…

"I'll see what I can do," she said. Concentrating all her energy on the Force, she twisted the metal for what felt like forever, until the metal finally snapped. "One down…" she panted. She again focused her energy, and managed to break the last clamp. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Meta Knight rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing again. "Well done," he said. He put a hand on Galaxia's hilt, drawing the sword. The blade shimmering in the light, he weighed Galaxia in his hand for a moment before telling the girls, "Stay behind me." He started to let his energy flow into his sword.

Ahsoka nodded and watched him, wondering what he was going to do.

Meta Knight closed his eyes and focused. Never before had he attempted to use Sword Beam in an enclosed area, not without giving himself enough room to leap into the air. But it was their only hope.

Meta Knight lifted his sword, drawing it back, before swinging it quickly in front of him in a large arc. A wave of energy detached itself from Galaxia, shooting forward and slicing straight through the door… and everything else in its path for the next thirty feet.

Everything that the beam of energy had touched now rippled with small electricity bolts.

"Whoa," Ahsoka breathed, staring at the door to the cell. The energy field on the door had flickered away in smoke when the energy beam hit it.

Meta Knight stood, breathing hard. He didn't want to have to do that again any time soon; if he had to he'd most likely collapse from exhaustion.

Ahsoka peered out the door and looked to the left and right. "The coast is clear," she said. "Let's get out of here before Bane realizes what's happened."

Meta Knight shifted his wings a little and grimaced before following her.

Ahsoka paused for a moment before going down one of the hallways.

The three walked for a while through the darkness, before eventually coming to a place where there were many different paths to choose. Ahsoka turned to the others. "I'm not sure which way to go," she said.

Meta Knight heard footsteps coming down one of the hallways. "This way," he told them quietly, motioning to the next hallway over. "Stay low in the shadows until we know who it is."

As they hid in the darkness, all Ahsoka could hear was her own pounding heart. If Bane found them… he'd show no mercy. But as the footsteps grew closer, Ahsoka began to feel a familiar ripple in the Force. Her eyes widened with excitement. "Guys," she whispered, "it's…"

Anakin ran into view of the dimly lit hallway. He paused at the many different paths just as they had.

Ahsoka ran out of the shadows. "Master!" she cried.

Anakin was taken by surprise. "Ahsoka!" he exclaimed when he saw her.

Meta Knight smiled and motioned to Padme that it was safe to step back into the light again.

Padme walked over to Anakin. "Nice of you to drop by," she said with a smile.

Anakin looked at Padme in shock. "Padme?" he exclaimed. He quickly cleared his throat. "Uh… what are you doing here?"

"Bane captured me as well."

Meta Knight stepped into the light as she spoke.

Now Anakin was really surprised. "Meta Knight?" He really didn't expect that.

Meta Knight smiled and nodded in greeting. "Anakin."

The look on Anakin's face was still that of pure surprise. Ahsoka giggled. "He's speechless."

"Obviously." Meta Knight chuckled.

But the reunion was short-lived. A voice came over a loud speaker. "Ah, Jedi, I see you've found the hostages," said Bane's voice. Droids came from every hallway and pointed their loaded guns at Anakin, Ahsoka, Padme, and Meta Knight. "I suggest you drop your weapons," Bane said.

Meta Knight tightened his grip on Galaxia's hilt. "And I suggest you let them go," he said, stepping forward.

"Do you really think it's that easy?" Bane asked.

Meta Knight shrugged. "It's your call. Whether you want the other have of your base destroyed as well," he threatened.

"If it has to be that way…" Bane trailed off. "Droids, destroy them. No survivors." The droids began shooting countless lasers at them.

Anakin grabbed Ahsoka's lightsabers off his belt. "I found these lying around," he said, handing them to her. "Try not to lose them again."

Ahsoka gratefully accepted her lightsabers. "Thanks, Master."

Meta Knight stood in front of Padme deflecting the lasers fired at either one of them.

As the first few droids fell, Padme grabbed one of their guns and began to help Meta Knight and the Jedi.

Ahsoka sliced through a droid. "There's hundreds of them!" she exclaimed.

Meta Knight grimaced. "I know…"

Anakin thought for a moment as he deflected a laser just before it hit him. "I may be able to try something…"

Meta Knight glanced at him for a quick moment before returning his attention to fighting. "And that would be…?"

"You three focus on the droids in that hallway," he said, pointing to the hallway behind him. "Whatever you do, don't come out of that hallway."

"What are you up to this time, Master?" Ahsoka asked.

"Just do as I say," Anakin told them.

"I guess we'll find out," Meta Knight said quietly as he stabbed through another droid.

As soon as Anakin was sure that they were out of the way, he began to focus deeply on the Force. It appeared that he was doing nothing at all.

Ahsoka watched him and soon figured out what he was doing. "Make sure you stay back," she said to Meta Knight and Padme with a smile.

At last, Anakin let out a gigantic Force blast, destroying every droid in his path in every single hallway except the one behind him. The blast shook the ground like a strong earthquake.

Everything went silent.

Meta Knight looked at Anakin for a long moment before glancing around at the destroyed remains of the droids. "Well done, Anakin," he said.

"Thanks," Anakin grinned.

"Now we have to find a way out of here," Ahsoka said.

"Anakin, how did you get in here? Maybe we can go out the way you came in." Meta Knight asked.

Anakin thought for a moment, glancing at the different hallways. "I believe it was this way," he said, and began to walk down one of the hallways to the left.

They walked for a while, turning down different hallways as Anakin directed them. "Just through this door, and we should be out…" He opened the door, but found that they were not outside. Instead, they saw Bane in a chair, looking over screens and other data.

Meta Knight stopped as he saw Bane. His own words from earlier came back to him clear: "He won't get away with this." He tightened the grip on his sword.

Ahsoka resisted the urge to shout at Anakin for making them go the wrong way. "What's the plan?" she whispered.

"We finish this once and for all," Anakin whispered back. He slowly crept into the room, and motioned for the others to follow him. Bane had no idea they were there.

Meta Knight resisted the urge to behead Bane right then and there and silently followed Anakin.

Anakin was not going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers once again. Many times had they almost gotten Bane. And every time, Bane managed to somehow escape. This time would be different.

Meta Knight gripped his sword even tighter before his wings twitched painfully. He bit back a curse and remained silent.

Ahsoka kept a close eye on Bane. She quickly glanced at Anakin. Anakin nodded and continued closing in on Bane. He gestured for them to surround Bane, and once they had, he ignited his bright blue lightsaber. "It's over, Bane," he said.

Bane said nothing.

Meta Knight stared stonily at Bane.

Ahsoka remained silent, but she began to get a bad feeling in the Force…

Anakin pointed his lightsaber at Bane. "You're under arrest."

Meta Knight was silent. Why doesn't he say anything? he wondered.

"Master…" Ahsoka said worriedly.

"I said, you're under a-"

Suddenly, a gun was fired, and a laser flew mere centimeters past Anakin's face. Anakin whirled the chair around and found that it was nothing but a dummy made to look like Bane.

Bane appeared in the doorway to the room.

Meta Knight whipped around. Idiot! he silently cursed himself. Even he should have seen that it wasn't actually Bane at the controls.

Anakin glared at Bane. "Messing with a Jedi is never a good idea, Bane."

Bane ignored him.. "I finally have you all where I want you. You will never escape my fortress… alive."

"Isn't that what you said the last time?" Meta Knight sighed.

"Maybe so, but I haven't been proven wrong now, have I?" Bane stated with an evil grin.

"Then what would you call the last two times? You captured one of us TWICE and we escaped both times." Meta Knight said.

Bane frowned, obviously unable to find a suitable reply. He recovered by pulling out his guns and beginning to fire at all of them.

"Not… again…" Meta Knight growled, deflecting the lasers while slowly making his way closer to Bane. "NEVER. AGAIN."

"We need to surround him!" Ahsoka cried.

Meta Knight, eyes glimmering dark red, slashed at Bane's guns. Both guns were sliced straight in half before each was destroyed in a small explosion.

Bane dropped the remains of the guns and began floating in the air on his rocket boots. But he was not unarmed…

Anakin and Ahsoka glanced at each other quickly. Through their bond in the Force they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Anakin nodded once and they began closing in on Bane.

Suddenly, Bane landed in the middle of the room and put his hands in the air.

Meta Knight pointed Galaxia's tip at Bane. Why did he give up so easily…? he wondered.

Anakin and Ahsoka pointed their lightsabers at him as well. But it just didn't make any sense.

That's when Ahsoka noticed one of the buttons on Bane's wrist controls was blinking, faster and faster.

Bane smirked, and less than a second later, an explosion went off, shaking the ground and making everyone loose their balance. Bane quickly flew out the door on his rocket boots.

"After him!" Anakin cried, taking off running.

Meta Knight stumbled a little from the explosion before finding his footing again and ran after Anakin.

As they chased Bane down numerous hallways, Ahsoka got an idea. She looked at Anakin. He knew what she was thinking.

Once they were close enough to Bane, Anakin and Ahsoka simultaneously grabbed onto him with the Force. Bane struggled to get away, but he couldn't.

"Meta Knight," Ahsoka called, struggling to keep her hold on Bane, "do something!"

Meta Knight ran up, stopping less than two feet away from Bane. His mind hurriedly scrabbled for a plan.

Bane, in his effort to get away, glanced at Meta Knight and came up with a genius idea. He reached out and managed to grab Meta Knight's sword. Suddenly a large electric current was emitted from the sword as Bane wrapped his hand around the hilt. The electrifying shock overcame him, and with an agonized cry, he fell unconscious.

Ahsoka and Anakin dropped him. Anakin walked up to Bane and slapped handcuffs on his wrists.

Ahsoka smiled. "We did it!"

Meta Knight glanced at Bane before returning his attention to his sword. He sighed. "He fell into the same trap that Silica did…" he said, retrieving Galaxia from the ground and sheathing it.

"Let's get out of here before the droids figure out what's happening," Anakin said, dragging Bane along with them.

"Droids? Figure out what's happening?" Ahsoka asked with a laugh. "I don't think so."

Meta Knight chuckled.

"And Ani," Padme added with a playful smile, "let's try to find the exit this time."

Ahsoka couldn't help but giggle when Anakin's cheeks flushed slightly red. "Right, the exit," he said, clearing his throat. "This way!"

Meta Knight glanced between Anakin and Padme before smiling under his mask. He noticed something between them that most people missed.

Ahsoka looked at Meta Knight. "What is it?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Meta Knight said, still smiling.

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, but just shrugged and continued following her master.

Within the next few minutes, they came to a door. "This should be it…" Anakin said, pressing the button.

The door slid open and they were all greeted by bright, wonderful sunshine.

…

The Twilight landed back on Coruscant, and they all walked off the ship. Obi-Wan spotted them, his eyes widening as he saw Bane. "You captured Bane," he said. "Well done."

Anakin grinned. "All it took was a little shock."

Obi-Wan didn't understand what he meant, and, quite frankly, he thought it'd be best not to ask.

Meta Knight chuckled.

As Anakin walked away with Obi-Wan, Ahsoka turned to look at Meta Knight. "Thank you for accompanying me on this mission," she said with a small bow of respect.

Meta Knight bowed his head. "It was my pleasure." He smiled. He looked to the horizon, and for a few minutes, they were silent. "I've missed you, Ahsoka," Meta Knight said quietly.

Ahsoka blinked, almost surprised to hear this. Meta Knight may have been a hardened war veteran, but inside, she knew he wasn't heartless .

"I've missed you, too," she replied with a smile.

They watched the horizon slowly melt into streaks of hazy orange and pink as the sun set, remembering their conversations from the not-long-ago past.

"Please, forgive me for intruding…" Ahsoka murmured.

Meta Knight sighed. "No, it… it's alright…"

"…Are you ok?"

Meta Knight looked to the side. "I haven't been ok for 20 years…"

As the memory faded, another took its place.

A glint of gold returned to Meta Knight's presently light blue eyes. "Thank you, Ahsoka…" he said quietly. It had been years since he had opened up to someone about his past this way. The pain of the memories seemed to be a little duller.

Ahsoka smiled. "You're welcome."

The memory ended once again, and Meta Knight glanced over at Ahsoka. Suddenly an uneasy feeling grew in his gut. She was so full of life… but he sensed something would happen involving her over the next few years.

The faces he knew in the past that were no more flashed before his mind's eye.

She won't die… he told himself. She can't… he closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of his thoughts. She won't die…

She won't die…

She won't…

...

His mind flickered back to their old conversations, and Meta Knight lost himself in them for the moment and was able to forget his worry. He knew they all had to die sometime. It was nature. But for now, he would appreciate the fact tat they were both alive. He smiled a little and looked back up at the sunset as the last of the golden light slowly faded from the sky into the horizon.

Thank you for reading! Now read the commentary if you haven't already :)

Me: Hello and welcome, Readers, to Hoshi no Jedi! I'm here with my friend Liv, and we're gonna explain a few things about our fanfic, since it's probably a little confusing to you!

Liv: Hello, loyal fans of my best friend! Wow, that sounds weird... but cool! XD

Me: LOL!

Liv: Seriously, though... my BFF is a celebrity on fanfiction! It's like, whoa

Me: Stop bragging X3

Liv: :3

Me: XD Anyway, where do we start?

Liv: Well, I'm sure everyone who's not totally Kirby-savvy is wondering, "What the heck is up with Meta Knight? Isn't he supposed to be like a bad guy or something?"

Me: LOL XD well, if any of you read Chapter 12 of A Not-So-Normal Week 3, The Epic Game, then this is sort of after that, but not related to A Not-So-Normal Week.

Liv: Yeah. And that's another thing. After we finished chapter 12, we continued to have the characters interact when we would do IMing chats. And MK and Ahsoka sorta have a close relationship in it... NO! NOT LIKE THAT! Jeez...

Me: hahaha yeah, they're really good friends. I see MK as sort of like another Master or mentor to Ahsoka.

Liv: I wouldn't say that... he already has that role for Kirby in the anime.

Me: Yeah.

Liv: But ANYWAY! xD So, you're still probably wondering why MK seems so good. Well, unless you've seen the Kirby anime, probably you're only impression of him is Kirby's rival.

Liv: But in the anime, he takes on more of the mentor role for Kirby, and, well, it's hard to explain, but I guess you could say he's kind of like Obi-Wan. You know, in "A New Hope."

Me: Hehe CUPCAKES 8D

Liv: XD

Me: When you mentioned Obi i thought of cupcakes :D

Liv: So yeah, Mety take on his more - fatherly? I don't know - role in the story. :D Seriously, I dare all of you to go watch the anime right now. Go on, do it. o3o

Me: Haha yeah, it's pretty epic

Liv: And, please, WATCH THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL! Dx

Me: Now for why we decided to write this story... well, after the NSNW chapter, she *points to Liv* got me obsessed with Meta Knight XD 8D so, since we're both huge fans, we decided it'd be fun to write a fanfic together! :D

Liv: Yes! And it turned out wonderfully :D

Me: Yep! 8D

Liv: Let's see... what have we forgotten...

Me: I remember! Why MK references to Bane about "last time"

Liv: Oh yeah! Another IMing chat reference. In our chats, Bane captures both Ahsoka and Meta Knight on different occasions. And of course they escape. XP

Me: So this can kinda be thought of as, "The Bounty Hunter Strikes Back"! XDDD

Liv: LOL! Oh, and when Bane grabs Meta Knight's sword... if you go to youtube and look up "Hoshi no Kaabii episode 60", that should explain it. Feel free to watch the entire episode or just skip to 0:38 on "Hoshi no Kaabii Episode 60 Part 3". And make sure the user the videos are from is StarFumu! The quality of her videos are the best.

Me: Yeah, I love that episode :D

Liv: Or, for all you lazy people who won't bother to go and watch it, XP, here's what MK says after someone grabs his sword and gets shocked like crazy. "Only those who possess incredible power can obtain Galaxia. If one who is unworthy holds it, their life will..." Yeah...

Me: I saw that episode! 8D

Liv: LOL of course you did. I'm the one you sent you the youtube links xD

Me: Yeah... I was gonna mention that... XD

Liv: Oh, and we considered adding Jack Sparrow to the story and making it a triple-crossover, but it didn't quite work out. Somewhere in between the peanuts and rum, I think.

Me: LOL yeah, it just didn't quite fit...

Jack Sparrow: *pops out of nowhere* CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!

Liv: D:

Me: LOL!

Liv: Why does he always do that? ;_;""""

Me: Because he likes being called Captain...?

Liv: So, anyway, have we covered everything?

Me: I think so... :D

Liv: So then, for you all who are reading this before you read the actual story, we hope you enjoy it! :D And for those who have already read it and are reading this afterward, we hope you enjoyed it! Wow, that sounded redundant...

Me: Yeah, we hope you enjoyed it, and like enjoyed it and stuff, and oh we hope you enjoyed it XDDD

Liv: Either way, we hope you enjoy it all around! xD

Me: Yeah! 8D

Liv: OK then, that's everything!

Me: I guess so!

Liv: So this is where we say goodbye... oh wait! *Runs off*

Me: ...

Liv: *Comes back minutes later dragging MK behind me*

MK: -.-""""

Me: HAHAHAHAHA

Liv: Me: He had to appear in this. :3 Saber, go get Ahsoka :D

Me: Will do! *runs away into other room*

MK: You two are insane.

Liv: You're just noticing? :3

Ahsoka: *Walks into room* What do you mean you and Liv want Mety and I to say goodbye to millions of people?

MK: *sigh* (to Ahsoka) Are you surprised?

Ahsoka: ... I suppose I shouldn't be... XD

Me: Just do it XD

Liv: Yeah!

Ahsoka: XD Fine. Goodbye everyone!

Liv: Now you, Mety! :3

MK: Stop calling me that. *Sigh* Min'na, sayōnara. There, I said it. Can I go now?

Liv: Yes, you can go. xD

Me: Why does he have to leave! D:

MK: That should be fairly obvious

Me: Whatever :3

Liv: Bye, everyone!

Me: Good byeee!

(Added note [because we couldn't find a good place to put this in the commentary above xD]: As far as the end, if you don't understand what MK means by his past and "not being ok for 20 years", watch episode 4. The events of his past he explains to Fumu in that episode we calculated to have happened around 20 years ago, so... yeah.)