Ahsoka went to the radar console, trying to figure out anything about the incoming ship. "It's a Republic shuttle with a Kaminoin identification signal. It's probably clones."

"And if they were tracking our shuttle, they already know there are Jedi here," Anakin reasoned. "They'll probably shoot first and ask questions never."

"They have orders to shoot down Jedi, not clones," Rex argued, walking up to the generals. "Let us go out there and try to talk them down."

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan told him, "They'll assume you're with us. Whatever chance you have at escaping this is lost if you show your faces."

Standing up behind his commander, Jesse insisted, "We've already made our choice. We'll keep them busy as long as you can and give you a chance to sneak up behind them."

"We don't have another option," reminded Ahsoka. "This shuttle model is weaponized. If we try to get to our ships and escape, they'll shoot us down and then we're all dead. Our best chance is to detain them on the ground before they can hurt any of us."

"Go," Anakin ordered, "and set your weapons to stun. Enough people have died today."

The troopers dropped the supplies they were carrying and grabbed their weapons and helmets, running back to the stairs they had taken to get to the command center. This left Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka in the room.

Obi-Wan still didn't look completely on board. "Maybe the majority will survive, but there's a greater chance for them to be killed individually if they try to protect us."

"That's not the point," Ahsoka argued, shaking her head. "I've already tried to talk them out of this, I suggested on the way here that they split up with me and head back to Coruscant. Rex, at least, isn't having it. This way, we can intervene before anything happens to them."

"Not from here, we can't," reminded Anakin, looking to the window. "Come on, I'm pretty sure there's a ledge we can wait for them on."

From there, they could see the ledge Anakin was talking about. It was about ten feet below the edge of the landing platform and mostly hidden from view. The incoming clones wouldn't see it flying in, and no one on the platform would see it either. 

The three of them jumped to the ledge, hiding as much as they could under the platform edge. Anakin was standing in between the other two, waiting for the third shuttle to land. Of course, this was an opportune moment to make a sarcastic comment.

"It's certainly been a while since we've all been in this type of situation," Obi-Wan remarked. "We have half a plan, twelve allies, and one chance to get this right."

"Half a plan is being generous," Ahsoka corrected, raising an eyemark. "After this, we need to find somewhere new to hide. If we're not going to kill these clones, then Xlenia is compromised."

"I have an idea for the three of us," suggested Anakin, looking to both of them, "but if the troopers are going to fight, then it might be time to convince Rex to split up. We're too big a group to stay together for long."

Snorting, Ahsoka told him, "Good luck with that."

Honestly, Anakin agreed, but he insisted, "We don't have a choice. Rex knows what we're dealing with. We can regroup later, but we've got to put some distance between us for the time being."

"Well, at least we'll have one last mission with them," Obi-Wan decided, pointing up onto the platform. "They're in position, and the shuttle is getting closer."

The engines in the distance were indeed getting louder, but despite the incoming clones, Anakin wasn't afraid. He had Obi-Wan on his right and Ahsoka on his left. Despite how long it had been since the three of them had fought together, on the same side, this is where he felt most at ease. 

...how long had it been since the three of them had fought together? There was the fight on Coruscant when Sideous had died, but they hadn't really worked as a team that night. The same thing on Bespin: the Sister had been against both Obi-Wan and Anakin. The Jedi had split up the first time around on Xlenia, and the last time before that was...before Ahsoka's trial. The three of them hadn't worked together in a fight since when Ahsoka was still a Jedi.

Perhaps the same thought had occurred to the other two, because all three of them looked at each other. Silently, they grasped hands, looking up at the platform where the clone shuttle was landing. Despite how much all of them had changed in the past one and a half years, it was still them. It was still Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka. 

The landing gear of the clone shuttle engaged, and even though they couldn't see what was happening above them, the three of them could listen and figure out what was going on. A few seconds later, they heard a hiss of a door seal releasing and armored footsteps walking from the ramp of the shuttle to the platform. The three on the ledge drew their lightsabers but did not ignite them. Now that they knew what was going on with the clones, they knew better than to alert them to their position by making a sound. 

Above them, the footsteps stopped, and for a second, no one spoke or moved. Then they heard Rex say something, and he said the one word that could have possibly made their situation worse: 

"Cody?"

Anakin and Ahsoka's heads snapped to Obi-Wan, whose eyes grew wide before they shut painfully. Of course, it was the 212th who had tracked the Jedi. Who else could it have been?

"Rex," Cody replied, and they heard the adjustment of helmets. Are they taking them off? Anakin wondered, but there was no way to see without exposing himself. He looked to Ahsoka and started tapping his head, right where he had seen the scars on Rex and his men. He then hit his forearms against each other, signaling for a fight. 

Ahsoka shook her head, spinning her finger in a circle by her temple. She thought for a moment, then hit her head while making an unsure face. She didn't think there was a way to fight the inhibitor chips unless maybe they got a head injury or something. Maybe.

"I don't want to make this any messier than it has to be, so I'm going to ask you this once," Cody told the other clones. "Where are the Jedi?"

"We don't know, Cody," Rex answered, technically telling the truth. None of them had told him where they were going. "All we know is they're not in the Jedi shuttle and they're not in the building."

"You should have hunted them down by now," argued Cody, his voice getting harsh. 

Below them, the three were tensing up, but Rex kept his cool. "Our ship crash-landed here a few hours ago. We haven't had time to hunt anyone down, much less Jedi who don't want to be found."

A moment of silence, then: "Your ship looks pretty good for having 'crash-landed'." 

"Cody, listen to me," Rex called out, and Anakin knew he was giving up trying to cover for the Jedi. It clearly wasn't going to work. "Do you know why the Jedi are accused of treason?"

"We have orders, Rex!" a sudden shout came, and the faint sound of blaster safety's being flicked off could be heard. "All of the Jedi need to be executed! Good soldiers follow orders!"

"That's what we said on Umbara, and look at what happened!" yelled Rex, just as loud. "Killing Jedi isn't going to save the Republic, it's going to destroy it! This is what the Separatists want!"

The three couldn't tell if Cody was getting angry or frustrated or what, but his voice became strained. "The chancellor gave her orders-"

He was probably out of turn, but Jesse piped up suddenly. "Then why is the chancellor dead???"

No one said anything for a long time, and Jesse, probably sensing that he had managed to make Cody hesitate, kept going. "They think she was killed by a clone, sir. No one from the Republic is gonna know we had orders!"

"But we do," Cody reminded him, his voice rising and breaking. "Either execute them, or I will!"

"I'm not going to let you do that," Rex told him, so quietly the three could barely hear the words. What they could hear were blasters being drawn. 

All three of them nodded, crouching for their jump. They needed to intervene before the shooting started because while the 501st probably had their weapons set to stun, the 212th most likely didn't. On Anakin's mark, they leaped up into the air, igniting their sabers and landing in between the two squads. For better or for worse, the sides had been chosen. There wasn't any avoiding this fight. 

They had been right earlier, all of the clone troopers had taken their helmets off. Most of them were on the ground now, discarded and forgotten. It was because of this that Obi-Wan could see Cody's face. There was no guilt, no remorse, not a single emotion that he could pick out. He, and the rest of the 212th men, had blank, apathetic expressions. The same could not be said for the men behind them.

It killed Rex to do it, but he called to fire before Cody did. They had to knock out the other clones before they killed anyone, and stunning them would only hurt them for a second. Long term, it would save everyone a lot of pain. The blue stun rings began flying across the landing platform, finding their targets. 

The 501st got behind the three generals, taking advantage of the fact that they had cover and the 212th didn't. While none of the lethal bolts they sent hit Rex's men, Cody's were already falling to the ground. Granted, the 212th outnumbered the 501st two to one, but the generals were making all the difference. 

Cody wasn't stupid, he realized that Rex and his men had the upper hand as soon as the Jedi were in play. Not only that, but he had fought beside Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano before. He knew they were exemplary at deflecting fire and they weren't about to let a single shot get past them. His squad was already halfway down. If he didn't do something now, all three of the targets were going to escape. 

On the other side, Rex was standing close enough to Ahsoka that she was still able to cover him, but far away enough that he didn't have to aim around her. Without a helmet, he noticed a small object flying through the air towards him a lot faster. "Grenade!" He called out, ducking. 

Those within range of the device took cover, but Ahsoka was faster. Stepping between Rex and danger, she caught the grenade midair and lifted it up into the sky with the Force. In front of her, the 212th were down to the last few men. They almost had it. 

Anakin kept his focus as the grenade exploded above his head. A few more seconds and all of Cody's men would be out. He just had to keep-

A blazing heat slashed through his abdomen, making him double over. Two more hit, tearing through his stomach, drawing Anakin to his knees. Behind him, a few more stunning shots of the 501st came, knocking down Cody and the last of his men. Anakin breathed hard, and he felt Obi-Wan at his side, holding him upright. 

Obi-Wan was panicking, and he looked his apprentice up and down for what had caused him pain. When Anakin's shaking hand lifted from his stomach, though, there was no wound. "Anakin?" he asked fearfully, but the man seemed alright.

"I'm okay," Anakin replied, grabbing onto Obi-Wan's arm. Despite the good news, he didn't seem any less shaken. 

Behind him, Jesse had holstered his weapons and was breathing a sigh of relief. He too had thought that General Skywalker had been hit. "We made it," he announced, looking at the yellow and white troopers lying on the ground before them.

Anakin was still shaking his head though. "No," he declared, his eyes wide. "No, we didn't." Slowly, he looked over to Ahsoka, who was still standing still with her arms above her head in front of Rex. 

He knew what he had felt. The pain had come from getting shot by fatal blaster bolts, but none had hit Anakin. If that was true, then there was only one other explanation.

No one else seemed to realize it, not until Ahsoka began to fall. Her lightsabers fell and clattered on the ground, deactivating as they went. Rex caught her, and only then did they see the three black holes still smoldering in her abdomen. 

"Get the medkits!!!" Jesse shouted, pointing back to the command center. The clones started running, immediately forgetting about the 212th. To a few of the others, he pointed at the shuttles. "Get the engines warm, we need to get out of here!"

While they ran off to follow the lieutenant's orders, Rex and the Jedi lifted Ahsoka over to the nearest railing, propping her up against it. She winced as her body shifted, coughing and trying to draw a regular breath when none would come. Rex was already talking to her, keeping his voice steady. "Easy, General. The boys are already getting supplies, they'll be right back. Just hang in there."

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, no I knew. I knew this was-"

"What?" Obi-Wan cried, trying to find the words to say. "How could you...how could you possibly..?"

"I felt it on the ledge," Ahsoka confessed, leaning back and clutching her stomach with one hand. "I knew someone had to go."

Anakin was hardly paying attention to what she was saying because he could barely tear his eyes away from her wounds. Raising a hand, he was about to try and recall what he had done for her months ago if he could have focused enough to do so. As he was going to though, Ahsoka grabbed his hand. "Wait," she coughed out, looking at him. It was only then that Anakin looked at her face. 

She was crying, freely. Not from the pain of being shot, he knew, but the pain of what was happening. Ahsoka, without words, let Anakin feel the Sith spirits again, still raging inside her. 

This will kill them, he thought, but it didn't sound like his own voice in his head. It sounded like Ahsoka's. I can stop it. He shook his head, silently protesting even though he knew she was right. 

"Remember what I-remember what I said," she told him, her chest heaving, "in the basement."

Anakin could barely think straight, but somehow the memory came floating back to him: Maybe it doesn't have to do with helping. Maybe it's more important to just be there even if you can't stop the pain. Maybe that's enough.

With weeping eyes, he stared at hers, hoping Ahsoka could hear him as he had heard her. Is it enough? he asked her, tears falling down his face. Are you sure? If you go forever, is there nothing more I can do?

It is enough, she promised him, sliding her hand from his wrist to his palm. It's enough, but don't let me go alone. Be with me, she asked, pleading with him. 

He didn't want to, he wanted to scream and ignore her plea, he wanted to save her and keep her alive. Yet even as the desire in him rose up, so did the knowledge that this was going to happen whether he wished it or not. Anakin gripped her hand, closing his eyes and letting the tears fall onto the ground. 

There was nothing he could do to save her, not this time. The Force would not save Ahsoka, for a reason Anakin didn't understand. By some twisted, horrible fate, the will of the Force was taking Ahsoka away. He wasn't going to let her go alone, though. He wasn't going to leave her to suffer. 

He would fight on. He would fight through the pain of this death, fight through the nightmare that was waiting for him off of this planet, and fight for everything he still had left. It was enough to be with Ahsoka as long as this wasn't the end. Not for him, and because of that, not for her either. A fierce, loyal strength rose in him, and he wasn't afraid. Nodding slowly, he stared at her heartbroken face, ready to be with her one last time.

Beside him, Obi-Wan sensed that something in Anakin had shifted. He stared at Ahsoka, who in turn looked at him. Through the tears falling down her face, she smiled weakly, as if somehow that would make it better. It didn't, it didn't make it better because all Obi-Wan saw was the girl he had met at the Temple, the one he had dragged into this war because he thought it was the right thing to do. He saw the future of every child in that demolished building, the bright and shining hope he had for them, the hope that there was a way out of the nightmare that had come upon them, and he saw it dying. This eighteen-year-old girl was lying on the ground, her life Force fading away like the rays of the sunset. 

He would have begged for Anakin to do something, for Ahsoka to do something, for someone to save that joy that she embodied, but words failed him, as almost all else had. All of the failure, not hers, but his and the Council's, had done this. It had ripped life away from those who deserved it and death had taken them, one by one. Ahsoka was his hope that there had been other survivors, that there was another way out there, somewhere, and he had chased it down with Anakin in the hope that the Light could live on, but it couldn't. 

Fear stole into him, and Obi-Wan's body began to shake. He became afraid that there was nothing that would save that which did not deserve to die, that there was nothing any more to protect joy. There was nothing that could hold back the cruelty and horror of this world that hated them so much and wanted them dead. Pain instead ruled on high, and there was no power that could match it. Not the Force, not justice, not luck, not time. He begged silently for Ahsoka to fight, to battle back against reality she faced because if she could not, there was no one who could. Ahsoka was his only hope that loss could be fought, that there was still joy in this desperate, cruel world, but he could see it in her face that there was no fight, no battle. There was only a ticking clock with her name on it.

When no words came from either Jedi, Rex took it upon himself to talk to Ahsoka. "Look," he told her, his own voice beginning to break. "The boys are almost back, we're going to have this fixed..."

Ahsoka didn't respond except to rest her other hand on Rex's and hold it again, like she had while they had rested on the shuttle. This was the eternal sleep, she knew, but she had protected Rex from it if nothing else. It hadn't been an accident but a fully conscious choice, one she had made with the consequence in mind. 

He refused to accept it though. Rex kept shaking his head, and he sqeezed her hand, trying to keep her alive through the sheer force of will. "Please," he whispered, "please, please..." he kept repeating it, asking her to stay with them, to stay alive. Asking her not to go.

She didn't want to. With every 'please' Rex said, she was reminded of just how much she wanted to live, to rise and walk away from this scathed but breathing. Ahsoka didn't want to leave her family to survive in this harsh new reality without her, to give up every chance she had to be with them and find a way to make everything right again. 

Closing her eyes, she gasped again, not just because it was getting harder to breath but because she was forcing herself to accept her own death. Because she had to go to whatever waited for her beyond death without them and leave them to whatever fate the will of the Force had for them. She was holding Anakin's hand with her right and Rex's hand with her left, but she knew that even their desperate grip couldn't keep her here. Obi-Wan's fearful stare from between them couldn't keep her here. Rex's pleading couldn't keep her here. Anakin's faith in her couldn't keep her here. 

But it could make leaving them possible, even worth it. It could mean that their relationship with her was worth forsaking all else, that the Jedi Code and the Republic were no longer more important than her. It meant that she had value outside of her rank and her talent, her strength and her skill. It wasn't her position or duty that made them loyal to her but her, nothing but her, that kept them by her side until she was gone.

Ahsoka opened her eyes again, seeing the faces of men who had risked everything for her sake. Faces of men she would never leave if it were up to her. Faces of men whom she trusted and trusted her. It was the last thing she would see before she died, before she saw nothing else again. She wasn't alone, not here. She wasn't alone, she wasn't afraid, and she wasn't forgotten. All of the rest of the galaxy may have abandoned her, but Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex were still with her. 

She knew what she wanted to say, what she wanted them to remember until she saw them again. Years ago, she wouldn't have known to say it, but she knew now. She knew what made sacrifice worth the loss, what made life something to value and treasure. She knew why she had done this.

"I love you," Ahsoka cried, clinging to the hands that held hers and looking at her family as she told them. "I love you."

She looked up to them though her vision was blurred by tears. With her last look, she saw their shining faces, the faces of men who loved her, and she closed her eyes one last time. It was enough. Seeing them there with her was enough to give her strength to do this.

Ahsoka started falling. She didn't know where she fell to, but she knew that as she did, she was holding the hands of her brothers, of her family. I love you, she thought again, one last time. I love you.

Her head fell to one side and her hands went limp. As the sun set over the horizon and ended the day, so ended Ahsoka Tano.

Anakin felt her spirit leave first. Not only did the Force inside her fade away completely, but the Force bond between them snapped on her end, leaving Anakin broken inside. This was no trick, no falsehood, no lie. Ahsoka was dead. 

He could have done anything. He had stayed until she was gone, but she was gone now. He could have screamed, he could have run, he could have been angry, but that promise was what showed him the way otherwise. This time was different. Where once his emotions ruled him, now they could not. More than anything else, this was Ahsoka's legacy: the people that love you do not leave you. Not really. She had taught him that loss was bearable, that pain was not the end. 

Because of her, Anakin was able to do something he never had before: he let go. He rested her hand gently on the ground, covering it with his own, and breathed. For her sake, he spoke in a quiet but steady voice, just barely above a whisper.

"The Force will be with you, Ahsoka Tano," he promised her, letting go of her hand. "Always."

That's when Rex and Obi-Wan knew. Rex bent forward, begging Ahsoka to come back and wake up, but Obi-Wan let go of his hope, which he knew was truly defeated. He leaned against Anakin, letting his cries fall out. Anakin held onto him, keeping him upright. While Rex refused to release Ahsoka, the Jedi wept, facing the truth they could not escape. 

Behind them, the 501st troopers had already returned from where they had run off to, and they saw more from Rex than from the corpse itself that General Tano was dead. The medical supplies in their hands were useless. There was no more urgency, no more hope for her. 

As they realized, they kneeled behind the Jedi and their commander, tears falling from their own eyes. Icy cold wind blew about them, and without the warmth of the sun, there was no comfort for the loss of the woman they had risked everything to save, only to lose all the same. No person was left standing on that platform. Only one of them had died, but all of them had fallen to their knees in defeat. 

One death to save them all, one death to make them all fall.