Chapter Text
Eight and a half weeks after the Temple Siege
“Freefall! Incoming on your six!”
“Nice shot, man!”
“Come on in for a pickup, Ten!”
“How many is that now? Fifteen? Twenty?”
“Thirty-five, but who is counting?”
“Uhm? We should! We gotta take them out for the second team!”
“Keep track, please.”
“Down to a handful sir.”
“How many is a handful?!”
Obi-Wan Kenobi, flanked by Captain Alpha-17 and Master Quinlan Vos, stood on the bridge of his ship, the Vigilance watched as explosions lit up the dark space around their battleship, fairly quiet in the dead spaces between the stars. Obi-Wan could tell that his commander was watching him, a bit closely. He had been like that recently; watching closely. It probably should have annoyed him but honestly, the jedi was much too tired for that sort of thing. It had been over two months since their escape from the siege at their former home, running from and dodging the Empire, collecting fleets and ships of jedi and troopers across the galaxy. They went in zig zags, untraceable patterns to keep the new Empire and their brainwashed soldiers off their trail, which was why things were taking so long. Sometimes, they would find a ship off guard and made a plan to take it over.
Like now.
“I feel as though this will be easier when we have Master Koon and the 104th to lead airstrikes,” Obi-Wan grumbled with a concerned frown, shaking his head. The jedi master was amazing in the air and his support – both in space and in leadership – would be invaluable. Even with all of the jedi around him, he felt so alone.
“Freefall knows what he is doing.”
“Freefall is an amazing pilot,” Obi-Wan agreed, quickly because this was very much not a strike against his trooper’s skills because the clone was absolutely fantastic in the air, one of his best. It was Obi-Wan’s own feelings of inadequacies in this moment, with this situation that was really in mind. “But the structure of our combined forces has changed and not everyone is adapting at the same lengths. Not everyone understands or listens.”
He nearly snorted. Obi-Wan found Alpha-17’s blunt disdain for most people almost refreshing. He could always count on him to be honest and speak his mind instead of the sugar coating and manipulating everyone else in Obi-Wan’s life seemed to do. “And you think they will to General Koon?”
“Yes.”
The Fortitude didn’t have a jedi commander or general and it was just a single ship, protecting a stash of resources on a nearby uninhabited planet. That single ship was no match for the fleet of jedi and trooper survivors that had come for them. While Master Shaak Ti and Battle Master Cin Drallig led a couple battalions to the plantside to take the resources the Fortitude was protecting for the Empire, Obi-Wan distracted the ship and planned to take it over – taking the brainwashed clones with them.
They had gotten fairly good at it. Nothing was perfect, of course, and anyone involved was volunteers only, but with their EMP blasts to immobilize ships and the large-scale pulse to take down even an entire ship full of chipped clones, they had rescued hundreds of troopers in the past month alone. And soon, in this moment now, they would strike again.
“Freefall, update?” he called through the comm. The bridge quieted to make sure that all communications were absolutely clear. There could be no mistakes around these parts; during these operations.
“Just a couple of fighters to take in, sir,” the pilot replied.
“Can we begin the second phase?”
“Absolutely, sir.”
Obi-Wan nodded and glanced at the captain standing next to him. As per usual, Alpha-17 was right on it and ordering through his own comm in another channel. “Sergeant Barlex, have your men prepare to fire both pulses on my count,” he grunted.
“Yes sir!” came the gruff but quick reply.
“We are down to two fighters to take, sir,” Freefall added through Obi-Wan’s comm. The jedi glanced over once again at the Alpha trooper
“Sergeant, pulse one,” Alpha-17 barked out.
It was quiet, near inaudible, the EMP blast but the effect was near instant. The Fortitude flickered and seemed to dive down just a bit from the nose as power shut down. The blast certainly did its work well.
“Commander Cody, Captain Fordo, Commander Rex,” Obi-Wan called out, calmly. “You are clear to land your troops. Freefall and his men have created a pathway and the first blast successful. The second pulse will be fired momentarily.”
“Yes sir,” Captain Fordo acknowledged.
“I miss that,” Alpha-17 admitted, grumbling under his breath. Obi-Wan just shook his head to himself with an amused scoff as he met the trooper’s eyes for a moment.
“We are all completely shocked,” the jedi muttered, sarcastically.
Obi-Wan wasn’t watching but he could definitely see from the corner of his eye the sly grin he was sporting.
“Sir, I don’t think the Commander title, is, well, a thing,” Rex cut in and Obi-Wan mirrored the frown he knew that Rex was probably forming. “I think Captain is just fine.”
“We did promote you,” he pointed out.
“I doubt the Empire would see it that way.”
“Well, the Empire doesn’t see me as a general, but you all still insist on calling me that,” Obi-Wan pointed out.
There was a pause, and someone snickered.
“Point taken.”
“General, pretty sure they actually do call you general,” Captain Fordo added in. “Just an enemy general.”
“I suppose you would be right, Captain,” he conceded.
“Pulse two,” Alpha-17 ordered.
“The chips will be immobilized in….” Obi-Wan drifted off, counting the seconds. “One…two…three…four. It’s done.”
“Boarding in ten seconds,” Commander Cody relayed.
“We will let you know if we need backup,” Rex piped in.
Someone scoffed again and Obi-Wan was near sure it had to be Alpha-17. He decided not to say anything on the matter. Alpha-17 may not generally ask for backup and honestly, Obi-Wan was pretty sure that the man could take down near well anyone around, but they would still be on standby all the same. As always. “May the Force be with you,” he said instead.
*
They had gotten good at this.
Fordo, Cody and Rex with their forces had quickly taken over the Fortitude, sending non-clone enemy combatants and officers off to another planet while a team of ship workers took over the vessel and medics and healers started to quickly start their rounds of surgeries on the rescued troopers.
They had all become quite quick and accurate with this sort of thing. Battlemaster Drallig and Master Shaak Ti also updated on their progress planet side. They would have to move quickly. As they started to come back, they convened with Obi-Wan and several others of the makeshift council.
“We have a lot of stops, of course, still, but we are making good progress although the Empire’s hunts have made things difficult to rendezvous with others. And they have started hiring bounty hunters.”
“The Bounty Hunters wouldn’t dare come near such a big group of anyone.”
“No but there are jedi out that we have made contact with that are making their way towards us that do not have clone attachments.”
“Who do we know of? Update?”
“Master Allie has been declared deceased.”
“Anyone else?”
“Master Tholme and I escaped,” T’ra Saa said through a call and glanced at her companion who stood next to her. There were a few of them getting into contact, when they could. Obi-Wan, Shaak Ti and Drallig did their very best to get through as many communications as many times as possible. The man glanced at his former padawan, Quinlan Vos, near Obi-Wan. The relief was palpable. Although they knew each other was alive, it was another thing to see each other.
“We got to General Vos’ forces before the Empire,” Master Tholme added. “And we are working to rendezvous with Aalya Secura and Commander Bly’s forces, but we are being chased.”
“The Empire has taken over Master Luminara and Master Yoda’s forces,” Saa continued, gravely. “We do not know their fates.”
Obi-Wan swallowed harshly and could practically feel Quinlan’s eyes on him. The loss of Luminara was personal and the loss of Yoda, as well, but also to the Order as a whole. The thought was a bit terrifying.
“We need to continue moving,” Shaak Ti said after a long pause of silence.
“Menace has gotten a signal,” Commander Cody added. He was still on the Fortitude, having taken plenty of men along with him to keep the ship under control. “The Empire is coming up with more forces than we are ready to deal with currently.”
Master Drallig nodded. “Let’s keep moving to the next rendezvous point.”
After the meeting, Quinlan stayed on the bridge while Obi-Wan and Alpha-17 left. Obi-Wan and Alpha-17 set in a healthy and comfortable silence as they walked down the halls, but it certainly got real uncomfortable real fast when they spotted Ahsoka Tano stalking down the hall towards them. Alpha-17 let out a noncommittal huff as Obi-Wan steadied himself. He tried not to sigh because he knew absolutely what the problem was going to be. She came up to him with renewed strength and confidence. She knew what she wanted. He knew what he wanted. “Hello, Ahsoka,” he greeted with a soft smile, not unkindly. Tired, but not rude, he reminded himself. His relationship with Ahsoka was interesting to say the least, at the moment. “Where might your charge be?”
After Master Feemor was announced he would live with a rather lengthy recovery about him, they had agreed it would be best if she would aid in his recovery, for however long it would take. It had been a struggle and Ahsoka had not been happy with it – she wanted to fight, and she didn’t want to take authority.
She was emotional and a teenager, they all noted. It was unusual for her age and what had happened to her, but she surely couldn’t be put out in the field. For a multitude for reasons. Consequences were just one of those.
He knew she had felt a bit betrayed when Rex agreed with them.
Ahsoka surely had not liked the prospect and although Obi-Wan wasn’t entirely sure how Master Feemor felt about it, considering how Ahsoka was often acting, it would not have been surprising if he didn’t care for it either. “Napping,” Ahsoka frowned, serious and ready for her argument. “I wanted to join the strike team, but Freefall wouldn’t let me. He let another padawan join instead. I can only guess you told him not to clear me. I’m a better pilot, I could have helped.”
“You have your own duties, Ahsoka,” he reminded her, keeping his voice as gentle and patient as he could. He hoped he could keep the exhaustion out. The last couple of days had been rather intense, with the Empire’s forces hot on their heels. And with all that had happened with Padme…
“I can be of actual use,” Ahsoka insisted, pulling him out of his wandering thoughts.
“You are being of use,” Obi-Wan replied, a bit unimpressed by her argument. It was barely one at all. She knew exactly who she was trying to debate and although Obi-Wan was probably the last one to brag about the nickname and title others had given him, he knew that he wasn’t a half bad speaker and negotiator.
“What? Getting Master Feemor more bandages? Checking his wounds? Anyone could do that,” she replied with a sigh, folding her arms over her chest. “Some of the clones from the ship we rescued have even been helping.”
“Your point?”
“I can fly! I can fight!”
“And others cannot?”
“You…you and Anakin trained me. I am a good pilot,” she continued, and he started to walk down the hall. They were not only gaining attention but Obi-Wan… he had places to be. He always had places to be these days.
“You are,” he agreed, readily.
“Then why won’t you let me help?”
“You have a job,” Obi-Wan pointed out.
Ahsoka frowned and stared at him. “I know what you are doing.”
“And what is that?”
“You loop the conversation until I get frustrated and give up. Give in.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” she grumbled, insistence.
“Look, Ahsoka,” he sighed, keeping his stride long and wide. Perhaps the movement would tire her out a bit, take some of her seemingly boundless energy. “We have been over this. As Master Feemor’s wounds and state were a direct effect of your choices and behavior and the council thought it would be appropriate for…” he started but Ahsoka quickly interrupted. He shouldn’t have been surprised but in all honesty, Obi-Wan had startled a bit by her hostility. Her frustration was growing.
“It’s your council,” she said.
“Excuse me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow but barely casting her a glance, rather watching where he was going.
“You mean your council,” she explained, shortly. “You put it together. You are in charge.”
Goodness. In charge. He could never; not with thousands under them. There was a reason there was a chain of command. A reason there was a Council; numerous Councils in fact. He could never have all that reasonability himself; not that he even wanted it. He didn’t even want the responsibility he had, really. This wasn’t his Council. It was a Council; to help them all survive the next day. “Neither of those statements are true and you know it. Some authority had to be put in place until we can regroup and stabilize with the others.”
“I thought you would have learned not to always listen to the Council,” she muttered out.
Obi-Wan stared at her, near blankly. He knew that she was frustrated, and he knew for a fact her bitterness was not nearly as potent as she was making it out to be. “You are upset, frustrated, young and lashing out so I am not going to react the way that you appear to desire me to.”
“Look, this Council doesn’t know me any more than the High Council did,” she added, as if trying to continue. Teenager, Obi-Wan reminded himself. Teenager going through an immense amount of stress.
“Your status will not change, Ahsoka. Not now. Good intentions or not, there are consequences to your actions and choices and behaviors. Yours are this. Once Master Feemor recovers, we can talk about your duties again.”
He did not let her continue the argument and started to move away. Ahsoka took the way out and worked her way in the opposite direction, but he could certainly know that her shoulders were bristling with frustration at not getting her way. This was a trial for all of them; Ahsoka no less. He couldn’t help but notice Alpha-17 staring at him and therefore after several lengths of a now awkward silence, Obi-Wan took a breath and spoke. “There is something on your mind, Captain,” he noted. “You know how I feel about what you think.”
“She…” Alpha-17 seemed almost vaguely uncomfortable as he started. It was so out of character that it almost startled the jedi but as the trooper continued to speak, Obi-Wan understood. All of the troopers were yet a bit uncomfortable in their newfound freedom and ability to make choices for themselves. It was slow work; even slower with the fact that they were on the run with not a whole lot of structure in authority, but it was surely coming. “Jedi personnel and oversight are none of my affair but, she could use some specific authority.”
“She is going through an…extremely uncertain and tough time,” he pointed out softly. Was he always like that? Reasoning and making excuses for people that he loved? He was, of course, correct, as she was going through a stressful stretch of time but all he could hear was excuses, excuses in his head. He swallowed uneasily.
“Aren’t they all?” Alpha-17 continued, his own voice softening uncharacteristically. He kept looking at Obi-Wan, eyes stern and near flat. He hadn’t been particularly impressed with Ahsoka, strange considering on how much others were but everyone was entitled to their feelings and opinions. “Sir, that kind of demand and attitude would never have been acceptable in my trainees and that kind of thought process and such questioning of authority, like that, is far more than should be allowed. Things like that get people killed.”
“I agree something needs to be done,” Obi-Wan agreed with a soft and quiet nod. Ahsoka used a lot of reasonings not to listen to authority; something she certainly had picked up from…from her master. She wasn’t as bad as him, for sure, but especially now, with what she was going through, with what all the jedi and troopers were going through, it wasn’t something he could afford. “I’m not entirely sure how to go about doing such a thing, however, considering that she still claims to not be a jedi and therefore, not beholden to our rules and authority,” he paused and bit his lip lightly. “Do you think that a trooper would be approachable to such a task?”
“I was going to suggest that sir,” Alpha-17 replied, slowly, carefully, still watching Obi-Wan’s reaction. “She says she’s not a jedi and she seems eager to go after troopers for rescue but she does it…recklessly. Without plan.”
“And last time she got to do that, she got people killed,” Obi-Wan finished.
“I’m not saying the boys don’t appreciate the sentiment, the fact that she wants to fight for them,” Alpha-17 added, his voice lowering back into his gruff and unbothered tone. “But the boys also know the importance of plans, tactical retreats, having strategies and coming back to fight another day. They could make the choices on whether to go after brainwashed brothers.”
Obi-Wan glanced at him. He had never heard Alpha call the troopers brothers before. His chest warmed a bit.
“They aren’t used to this kind of authority, I am…” Alpha-17 grimaced, certainly not liking the words he would have to use. “Uncertain how they would react, being asked to oversee a jedi.”
“They’ll get better, I think, as time goes on,” Obi-Wan hummed, his voice softening a bit. “Just two peoples, co-existing.”
Alpha-17 shrugged. “It’ll be something to look into, I suppose.”
Obi-Wan realized that they had nearly gotten to the other end of the ship. The cargo bay was near packed full of supplies with few individuals milling around. There was so much to do and so little time.
What was he -
*
“What?” Obi-Wan croaked as he woke up, his mind and body seemingly blurry. Everything kind of ached but it was a bit dull and not searing, so he would count that as a win. He glanced up at the white ceiling. All he could hear was the loud beeping of the machines next to him. Well. He was alive apparently. But he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on or what happened.
“Ah. General Kenobi, you’re awake. That’s very good sign,” a clone trooper hummed, pleased, with a few things in hand as he glanced towards the voice. Obi-Wan squinted but his vision was slightly blurry and his grasp on the force just a tad slippery so he couldn’t quite place the person.
“What?”
“You were unconscious for a bit and then we had to keep you under for a while. The bacta worked well. Your recovery is good. You’ll be sluggish and tired for a bit but you will be fine,” the trooper explained, watching him with concerned gaze.
“What…what happened?” Obi-Wan just mumbled.
“The Empire attacked,” the trooper responded, his frown deepening. They came out of nowhere and shot at us while we were leaving with the Fortitude.”
Obi-Wan’s heart nearly stopped. “Casualties?”
“Minimal,” the trooper added, reporting the information easily but Obi-Wan’s hearing wasn’t as bad as his sight apparently and he could hear the relief underlying in his voice. “Mostly just some injuries. We got away but they hit one of the cargo bays; we lost supplies which certainly left a message.”
“A message?” Obi-Wan questioned.
“They probably think that they hit harder than actually succeeded,” the trooper added. He started to hear better; Obi-Wan could probably start identifying him, although his ears were still ringing a bit. “I can’t be sure, but I heard the report about the damage and debris left behind. We certainly covered out tracks. The explosion seemed to have had the appearance of mass casualties. To the Empire, we may appear crippled.”
“But we escaped,” Obi-Wan affirmed, slowly.
He nodded.
“Like I said, the Empire probably thinks that a lot of us are dead.”
“It’s wayyyyy more than that,” a more familiar trooper called out and Obi-Wan looked towards the door where….Menace, yeah, Menace was coming in with a data pad, several other troopers and jedi following behind him.
“Menace?”
“Yes sir,” he nodded. Commander Cody and Rex were trailing right behind him, with Quinlan and Cin as well. They were certainly getting the audience. “Glad to see you’re alive.”
“I hear we escaped.”
“Yes.”
“You were saying there was more to about what happened?”
“Not so much about what happened but rather what the Empire thinks they achieved.”
“What do you mean?” Ca-Commander Rex asked, glancing over at the communications officer, his brow furrowed. Obi-Wan squinted at all of them, one after another, as he tried to discern something. Something.
Menace set the datapad on the table next to the bed and they all leaned over to look down at it. Obi-Wan blinked several times as he tried to clear his vision because honestly, he was not even sure what he was seeing was real.
BREAKING NEWS…FORMER GENERAL NOW JEDI TRAITOR OBI-WAN KENOBI DEAD!
“Sir,” Menace cleared his throat. “The Empire thinks you’re dead.”