[ the hard sound of the armored man falling dead to the ground mimics the heavy drop of her heart. she can feel the fear that emits from the men, and they're right to be afraid. ahsoka is not. for that moment, in the silence that follows, she is absolutely hollow.
he is the key to everything.
maul didn't lie.
the men act on their fear - act on what they've witnessed - and begin firing. ahsoka snaps back to reality and starts deflecting the blasts, swinging to redirect the fire off to the sides. to not hurt them. ]
[While Ahsoka moves on the defensive, Anakin surges up the stairs to attack them directly, bolts of plasma bouncing off his saber.
With his free hand, he reaches behind him and thrusts it forward. The clone trooper with the scorched armor is hurtled overhead, knocking several of their attackers off balance on one side. He takes advantage of this opportunity by striking from the opposite end, brutally carving through two of the clones in rapid succession.
These men won't be the first to die by Anakin's blade tonight. They won't be the last.]
[ ahsoka watches him go, sees him carve through the clones without mercy, and races to catch up as the men start directing their fire toward him first. she gets in front of anakin and continues deflecting the fire of the remaining men firing, walking forward as she hastens the swings and rotations of her lightsabers.
once close enough she shoves her hands forward and watches the men lift and fall back from the weight of the psychic push. for a moment, no is firing at them. now's their chance. ]
Come on!
[ she then bolts for the large open doorway that leads into the temple corridors, expecting him to follow. but in the back of her mind, she doubts that instinct that tells her they will always follow each others lead. ]
[Anakin doesn't follow. The attack squad is neutralized for now, but he can't leave any witnesses alive. Ignoring the cries for mercy, he flings his lightsaber from his grasp lodging itself into one trooper's chestplate. The one who shot first now breathes his last.
He calls his lightsaber back to him as the trooper stumbles over, catching one last glimpse of Ahsoka as she makes her way inside the Temple. It's at this moment that his commlink sounds off once more - another request for a sitrep from his Lieutenant. Anakin sighs and closes his eyes.
Now it's Vader that speaks.]
All reinforcements in the courtyard have been killed. ...I couldn't stop her.
[Not the entire truth, but the truth nonetheless. The clone soldier on the other line warns him that the Togruta's advancing through the Temple.]
Execute the others, but leave this one alive. Tell your men to set their weapons to stun if she attacks. Understood?
["But sir - !"]
Understood, Lieutenant?
[There's a pause on the other end before the clone lieutenant reluctantly acquiesces.
[ ahsoka stops when she hears the sounds of the clone cry for mercy, then stop. she thinks to run back to anakin, ask what he's thinking.
she instead turns back and keeps going further in. something is very wrong with this situation. it isn't just the clones. there are virtually no jedi in an otherwise populated temple. the halls are devoid of life and the only sound that permeates is distant blaster fire and explosions. the clones are tearing through everything. why, and how many of them? it wasn't just rex and his company affected - how far does it go?
ahsoka stops at a junction and pauses, trying to think where to go next. then, a robust whistling calls out from the west. she turns bringing her lightsabers up, but lowers them when she sees who it is. ]
Artoo!
[ the droid chimes again, rolling out from the shadows to greet her with a whirl of its top. ahsoka smiles and takes a quick step forward, setting her hands down on his headpiece. ]
Oh, I'm so glad to see you. [ the droid chirps in agreement, and she carefully steps forward into the darkness of the hall. the lights have been blown out from the ceiling, shards of glass everywhere. her expression falls. ] Artoo, I need your help locating some data--
[ the droid whirls, stopping her mid-word, and begins frantically delivering information. ahsoka's eyes widen. ]
Wait, they're where? [ her breath catches, features hardening. oh no. ] Take me to them.
[ the data on fives will have to wait - this is urgent. artoo agrees and starts to roll down the hall as fast as he can, and ahsoka brings out her lightsabers for cover. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
he is the key to everything.
maul didn't lie.
the men act on their fear - act on what they've witnessed - and begin firing. ahsoka snaps back to reality and starts deflecting the blasts, swinging to redirect the fire off to the sides. to not hurt them. ]
no subject
With his free hand, he reaches behind him and thrusts it forward. The clone trooper with the scorched armor is hurtled overhead, knocking several of their attackers off balance on one side. He takes advantage of this opportunity by striking from the opposite end, brutally carving through two of the clones in rapid succession.
These men won't be the first to die by Anakin's blade tonight. They won't be the last.]
no subject
once close enough she shoves her hands forward and watches the men lift and fall back from the weight of the psychic push. for a moment, no is firing at them. now's their chance. ]
Come on!
[ she then bolts for the large open doorway that leads into the temple corridors, expecting him to follow. but in the back of her mind, she doubts that instinct that tells her they will always follow each others lead. ]
no subject
He calls his lightsaber back to him as the trooper stumbles over, catching one last glimpse of Ahsoka as she makes her way inside the Temple. It's at this moment that his commlink sounds off once more - another request for a sitrep from his Lieutenant. Anakin sighs and closes his eyes.
Now it's Vader that speaks.]
All reinforcements in the courtyard have been killed. ...I couldn't stop her.
[Not the entire truth, but the truth nonetheless. The clone soldier on the other line warns him that the Togruta's advancing through the Temple.]
Execute the others, but leave this one alive. Tell your men to set their weapons to stun if she attacks. Understood?
["But sir - !"]
Understood, Lieutenant?
[There's a pause on the other end before the clone lieutenant reluctantly acquiesces.
"Yes, my lord. Understood."]
no subject
she instead turns back and keeps going further in. something is very wrong with this situation. it isn't just the clones. there are virtually no jedi in an otherwise populated temple. the halls are devoid of life and the only sound that permeates is distant blaster fire and explosions. the clones are tearing through everything. why, and how many of them? it wasn't just rex and his company affected - how far does it go?
ahsoka stops at a junction and pauses, trying to think where to go next. then, a robust whistling calls out from the west. she turns bringing her lightsabers up, but lowers them when she sees who it is. ]
Artoo!
[ the droid chimes again, rolling out from the shadows to greet her with a whirl of its top. ahsoka smiles and takes a quick step forward, setting her hands down on his headpiece. ]
Oh, I'm so glad to see you. [ the droid chirps in agreement, and she carefully steps forward into the darkness of the hall. the lights have been blown out from the ceiling, shards of glass everywhere. her expression falls. ] Artoo, I need your help locating some data--
[ the droid whirls, stopping her mid-word, and begins frantically delivering information. ahsoka's eyes widen. ]
Wait, they're where? [ her breath catches, features hardening. oh no. ] Take me to them.
[ the data on fives will have to wait - this is urgent. artoo agrees and starts to roll down the hall as fast as he can, and ahsoka brings out her lightsabers for cover. ]