EEE IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHERRRR

I suddenly feel like this book has taken a hard turn from the introduction phase and into the main action. Time has flown, huh?

Also, if you like this book, make sure to go vote on my announcement. If this one wins, it'll get finished before Christmas!

"Anakin. Anakin, do you copy?"

The Jedi Master looked down at his wrist comms and sighed. He had forgotten all about Obi-Wan and the Council.

"Yes, Master. I'm here."

"So, was it just a false alarm?"

Anakin nervously looked away. He didn't want to lie to Obi-Wan, but he also didn't want to share any sensitive information. Ahsoka had made it extremely clear that the Council was not to know about the enemy base or who the identity of the Gifted was.

"Who all is with you?"

"I don't possibly see how that matters..."

"Answer me, Obi-Wan."

"Master Unduli and her padawan are with me."

The Jedi paused and looked around his ship. Both he and Ahsoka had decided to reside here for the next couple of days, or at least until they figure out a plan of action. He would've asked the Togruta for her opinion on the matters, but she was in her at the moment. Finally, after a moment of debate, he decided that even if Ahsoka had been close with Luminara and Barriss, he wouldn't share any information with them.

"Remove yourself from the room. Nobody else can hear this."

"I'll try not to take that offensively, Master Skywalker," a feminine voice replied, slightly put off.

"I'm sorry," Anakin sighed. "But it's not my place to tell anyone else."

After a couple of moments of shuffling and commotion, Obi-Wan said, "Alright. I'm alone now. What is it?"

"I was right." Anakin plainly answered.

"About?"

The young Jedi paused at this. He wanted to tell his old master everything, but having an aggravated Ahsoka around was the last thing he needed.

"The Gifter was the one that reached out to me," he finally mustered, though his voice was shaky with uncertainty. "Look Obi-Wan, I need to go right now. I'll contact you later with additional information."

"Alright Anakin," the older man apprehensively replied. "Don't wait too long though, the Council is already growing suspicious of your journey."

"Will do sir. Oh, and Master?" Anakin asked before Obi-Wan hung up.

"Yes?"

"Keep an eye on the five-oh-first. I need them alive, and Force knows what they'll get themselves into on their own..."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted. "You do realize that you're normally at the head of every prank they've ever pulled?"

The Chosen One awkwardly chuckled at this statement, then fired back snippily, "I only learned it from the best."

"Do not dare think for a second that I ever encouraged..."

"Bye Obi-Wan!" Anakin chimed with a sarcastic smile, then ended their call. He could even feel small, aggravated waves of the Force coming from his old Master.

"Anakin?" A voice called out from outside of his ship. Then, groaning at his own ignorance, he remembered that he was supposed to have met outside with Ahsoka at standard-time 8:00. It was currently 8:15.

"Coming Snips!" He shouted, gathering his lightsaber off of the bench and running to the door. He still couldn't believe it. He had been right. Ahsoka truly wasn't dead. While he might've been the only one that still believed in her, he knew that the entire Council would be thrilled to find that their beloved hero had managed to defeat death once more.

"Hello Anakin," Ahsoka coolly grumbled. "I see you're still as late as ever."

"Don't blame it on me," Anakin raised his hands defensively. "Obi-Wan called me."

Ahsoka visibly tensed at the Jedi Master's name, causing Anakin to wince. He probably shouldn't have mentioned Obi-Wan, considering that he had been like a wise father-figure to her. However, with a sharp 'tsk', she brushed off her emotions and smiled at Anakin.

"Oh yeah? What did he have to say?"

"Nothing much," Anakin shrugged, walking over to the small campfire that they had constructed the night prior. Takodana was going through one of its colder rotations at the moment, so even their robes hadn't been enough to fend off the crisp breeze. "Just asking about what I had found and what was taking me so long?"

"And what did you tell him?" Ahsoka asked as nonchalantly as she could, though Anakin could sense tell the worry that she was trying to bury.

"That I had found the Gifter and nothing more," Anakin assured her, then moved to rest a hand on her rigid shoulder. "Trust me, Snips. I won't tell anybody anything you don't want me to."

"I know," Ahsoka sighed, shrugging off his hand and pulling something out of a pocket in her cloak. "I'm just getting used to having someone around that I can rely on."

The move that the Togruta had pulled hurt Anakin a bit, but he respected her boundaries. After all, he had no clue what she had been facing over these past couple of months since the Battle of Exegol. Shoot, what had been on Endor that was so bad that she needed his help for?

"Hey 'Soka?" Anakin pondered, breaking the silence. Ahsoka looked up from fiddling with some sort of holopad in her hands.

"Yes?"

"How did you escape Endor?"

"Well I mean, you were the one that saved my butt back there..."

"Ahsoka, we both know that's not what I meant. You were obviously in trouble long before that."

The Togruta nervously messed with the tablet in her hands, contemplating whether or not she should lie her way out of this one. However, once she caught a glimpse of the pleading look in Anakin's eyes, she gave in.

"Someone managed to intercept the message that I sent to you and came to me first," she carefully replied, sipping a caf that she had made before going to retrieve Anakin.

"Do I know them?"

"No... not yet at least. Perhaps another time. Shall we go over any plans of attack?" Ahsoka deflected. Anakin looked torn between pursuing the previous topic and moving on, but he eventually sighed in defeat and nodded his head.

"What do we know so far?" The Jedi asked, sitting down on the same log that the pair had been on the evening prior. Ahsoka joined him, using her hands to prop herself up as she leaned back. She had not been able to relax in quite a while, so Anakin was glad she could.

"There's truly no easy way of putting this," she began, twisting the corner of her lip down in thought. "So far I've only seen one base, but there were thousands of them. Just like droids... except..." her voice wavered off as a lump formed in her throat.

"Except what, Snips?"

"They are all real beings. And they have lightsabers."

"Lightsabers?!" Anakin exclaimed loudly, causing himself to earn a harsh shushing from the Togruta.

"I know you're shocked Anakin, but you've got to keep it down. We can't risk anything," Ahsoka instructed sharply. It was enough to quiet the man, but his thoughts were still spinning at full speed.

"How did an organization like that get so many Force-sensitives without the Jedi even noticing? Isn't that what the holocrons are for?"

"Jedi are stupid, isn't much to say," Ahsoka shrugged, earning a sarcastically-offended reaction from Anakin.

"Excuse me, but you're talking to a Jedi here. And, if you don't recall... I am the one who taught you almost everything you know..." Anakin dramatically reenacted a scene of a woman flipping their hair, which was followed by a lopsided grin.

"Don't flatter yourself," Ahsoka teased back. "If I do recall, the last time we dueled against each other, I ended up kicking your butt pretty bad."

Anakin winced as he thought back to his battle with 'Dark Lady Atroci'. "In my defense, I was also in the middle of converting you back to the Light Side. So I wasn't completely focused on fighting."

"Right, whatever helps you sleep at night," Ahsoka shrugged, smirking at the annoyance that was radiating off of Anakin's Force signature. "If you want a rematch anytime soon, let me know."

"I... well..."

"Mhm. That's what I thought. Now, where were we?"

Anakin's eyes widened as they realized how bad they had gotten sidetracked. He groaned and threw his face into his hands. "At this rate, we're never going to amount to poodoo. But we were talking about thousands of little Sith minions running around in that base."

"Right. But running around isn't the term I'd really use for it. They were all so uniform and obedient, you might've thought that they were clones themselves," Ahsoka corrected.

"Force-sensitive clones. Now that's a terrifying thought for you," the Jedi dryly chuckled. "And I thought Rex and the boys were capable enough as it is, let alone throwing the Force into the bunch..."

"Let's just hope they aren't," Ahsoka interjected in an attempt to lighten the mood. "There might be another explanation. Either way, let's talk goals. We want to shut them down so they don't wipe out the Jedi Order, right?"

"Correct."

"So assassinate or capture the leaders?"

"Uh," Anakin nervously chuckled. "Definitely capture. Assassinations without proof that they were the ones behind the Jedi murders might land us in some political trouble."

"Wrong!" Ahsoka chimed, almost happily. "This isn't a part of the Separatists war. The Senate and the Republic have no affiliation to this."

"Which means using the 501st and all the other legions to help us is off the table..."

"Unfortunately, you are correct there," Ahsoka sighed. "I miss the old days. Fighting by yours' and the boys' sides were some of the best times of my life. Guess it's time to put that behind me now, huh?"

Anakin remained silent, but it wasn't because of him reminiscing in memories. No, instead he gave the Togruta a tight-lipped smile as he thought about how fighting in the war was far from over. Grievous was still very much alive and wreaking havoc, as well as a multitude of other Separatist generals. It seemed like the renegades never gave up.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asked, tilting her head slightly to the left. "I know that look. I've worn it too many times."

"It's nothing," Anakin assured her, causing a heavy blanket of grimness to smother the two. Both of them were keeping secrets from the other, and it was causing a large rift in their relationship. When the pressing look that the Togruta was giving him became too much, he eventually caved, "The war isn't over, Ahsoka. Nothing's changed."

"But I killed Sidious and captured Dooku?" Ahsoka muttered in confusion. "Who the kriff would be left to..." she wandered off as a scowl washed over her face. "Grievous."

"It's a shame you're already occupied by this," the Jedi sighed. "Your help on the field would be much appreciated."

"Mhm," Ahsoka hummed absentmindedly. Truth be told, Ahsoka didn't think she would fight in the war even if she could. There were just so many things wrong with it. Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, not soldiers. "But back to assassinating the leaders..."

"Snips!" Anakin scolded, laughing in bewilderment at her dark humor. "Killing in cold blood is not the Jedi way."

"One: I'm not a Jedi, and two: it isn't exactly cold-blood," Ahsoka pointed out. "It's their life or all the innocent ones they're about to take. Doesn't sound like too bad of a compromise to me."

However, as she said this, she couldn't help but think back to the warning given to her by her older self.

Remember the morals that make you who you are. Do not harm innocent. Sometimes, people don't have a say in what they do.

Confusion raked over her body as she pondered this. Who was innocent in all of this?

"...Takodana to Ahsoka... Takodana to-"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," the Togruta sheepishly smiled and pushed back her previous thoughts. She would just have to trust that the Force would guide her to her answers.

"What I was saying is that we need to gather more intel," Anakin explained. "And, for that matter, more allies."

"Nobody else can know about this!" Ahsoka snapped. "Think of all the danger we would be putting everyone in!"

"Ahsoka, we both know that we can't take on that many people."

She sighed, knowing he was right. Despite how powerful she had become over the past few years, it would be irresponsible to try and do this all on her own. "Let's start with people we can trust first."

"The Council?"

"God, no!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "Anyone but them. Except a choice few. Let's start small."

"Obi-Wan," Anakin hummed. "We need someone to keep us in check and actually come up with a good idea."

"You've got me there," Ahsoka admitted, laughing as she thought back to all the times that the Jedi Master had saved their butt during battles. "What about Barriss?"

"But she's barely a Jedi Knight," Anakin argued. "Just because you were friends..."

"No, hear me out. Has she told you anything about what happened to me all of the times that I disappeared?"

"Um... no? What would she know about that?"

"Then I've made my point," Ahsoka smirked. "Sometimes the best secret-keepers come from unexpected places. So, who else?"

"If we're working with Barriss and Obi-Wan, we'll need to use Luminara as well. She'll get suspicious too quickly."

"Rex too."

"But Rex isn't even..."

"Hush," Ahsoka shushed, shaking her head. "We're bringing Rex."

"I don't understand-"

"You don't have to," Ahsoka grinned. "Well, matters are settled then. We'll lie low here for a bit until the others come."

"You don't think we're going to need any more people?"

"Trust in me," Ahsoka reassured him. "This isn't a sword-fight. Smaller numbers will help mask our presence. Get in, destroy stuff, and be out before they even know what hit 'em."

The Jedi paused apprehensively, but he eventually gave a slow nod and stood up. "I'll contact them. Don't move."

"Right. 'Cause I totally have other places I can go," Ahsoka sarcastically remarked, sharing a final smirk with Anakin before he walked off.

"Hey, Obi-Wan! Yeah, I've got something to tell you..."

———————————

"What in the Force could be so important on Takodana?" Obi-Wan rhetorically pondered to himself. His lack of attention caused him to collide with someone. Both of them fell down, but he quickly scrambled up and offered his hand to the other person. A smile broke across his face as he realized who it was.

"Master Unduli! I was just looking for you," he exclaimed. Luminara appreciatively grabbed his hand as he pulled her up.

"Is that so?"

"This is going to sound confusing," Obi-Wan began. "Well, it is Anakin's idea... what's new?"

"You and Master Skywalker have quite an interesting relationship," she chuckled.

"You've got that right. Anyways, I need you and Knight Offee to depart with me soon."

"To where? The Council hasn't briefed me on this yet," Luminara asked.

"The Council isn't aware of this," Obi-Wan explained. "And they can't, either. This needs to stay quiet."

"This is strongly against the Code," the Mirialin warned.

"It's not like the Council hasn't done this before," Obi-Wan shrugged. "So, could you please collect Knight Offee and meet me in the main hanger?"

"I suppose," Luminara skeptically replied, walking off to search for her old padawan. Obi-Wan instead went in the direction of the clone barracks. He had a certain clone commander to collect.

~

"Excuse me, have you seen the Commander of the five-oh-first?" Obi-Wan asked a passing clone. He has similar armor to that of Anakin's legion, so the Jedi assumed that he would know where Rex is.

"Yes sir. He just departed with some of the others for the mess hall," the clone reported.

Obi-Wan quickly thanked him and walked towards the cafeteria. Within a couple of minutes, he had spotted a cluster of clones with the familiar blue and white armor. As he walked up, he noticed that is was Rex, Jesse, Echo, and Fives.

"Commander Rex. Anakin has requested to see you."

"Another mission, sir?" Rex asked as he stood up from the table and joined Obi-Wan. The pair immediately began walking out.

"Of the sorts. I'm not very familiar with it myself. All I know is that we're going to Takodana."

"Takodana?" Rex echoed in shock. "Is that where the General is now?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"I wonder what he's doing there," Rex thought aloud.

"As do I. Hopefully not getting in trouble again," Obi-Wan smartly remarked. They shared a good laugh at this as they were nearing the hanger. Sure enough, both Mirialins were waiting there and conversing with one another.

"Master Kenobi," Luminara greeted with a smile, then turned to Rex and nodded. "Commander."

"We better be on our way. Anakin seemed very urgent about all of this. Ladies first," Obi-Wan gestured towards a nearby Acclamator.

"Don't you think that's a bit overkill for Takodana?" Barriss asked as they boarded the ship. Obi-Wan, who was heading towards the cockpit, shrugged.

"It's Anakin. With him, you've got to be prepared for everything.

—————————

"We're here," Obi-Wan announced as he pulled the ship out of hyperspace. The previous display of blue and white streaks faded into a view of a lush planet.

"I forget how lovely this planet is," Luminara noted as she stood beside him. "Save for the smugglers, of course."

Obi-Wan angled the ship down and towards the coordinates had transferred him earlier. A clearing just large enough for the Acclamator and the other two ships that were already landed appeared into view.

"I wonder who's with him," Rex mumbled. Obi-Wan shrugged in response, though he was pretty sure he knew.

The Gifter.

The Jedi powered off the engine as they touched the ground. Then, as one mass, the four of them walked towards the exit in anticipation. Anakin and some other person were sitting on a log by the shore, looking over a holopad as they walked up. The Jedi Master stood up and waved to them, flashing his iconic grin.

"Who's that?" Obi-Wan asked.

The figure stood up as well, shrugged off her cloak, and turned.

"It's been a while, everyone."