Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

71

Caedus laughed, swinging his legs off the throne's arm to rest on the dais beneath him. He leaned forward on his forearms, tilting his head to the side.

"Lady Kryze here needs to defeat me in combat to rightfully claim the darksaber. But she has neither the skills nor the strength to best me." He paused, and explosions echoed from the town. Bo's eyes narrowed. Caedus chuckled, low and menacing. "But her people also need her."

Bo-Katan was seething. Ahsoka dared to cautiously place a hand on her arm. "Bo, take Rex and the clones. Secure Mandalore. If letting you publicly beat the kriff out of me upholds your traditions, so be it." Ahsoka muttered lowly. Bo gave her a sad look, then nodded. She sprinted out of the throne room after Rex.

Caedus laughed again, standing and walking leisurely towards her. Ahsoka held her ground, her heard rabbiting in her chest.

"I was hoping it would be you." His voice was scratchy through the modulation of the mask. She forced her lips into a sneer.

"Who gave you the orders to hurt Anakin?" Her voice was cold. It hid her fear. Caedus paused his advance, cocking his head to the side.

"So you know about that." He chuckled, reaching up to remove the mask. "Ahsoka, my orders aren't to hurt Anakin," the mask fell away. Ahsoka sucked in a breath. "My orders are to stop him."

His face was of somebody who had been in pain for far to long. Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. His beard was coarse and scraggly, doing nothing to hide his cracked lips. His eyes, while bloodshot, weren't bleeding. There was no trace of yellow in his clear blue irises.

They stood there, studying the other intently. Ahsoka took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Why Anakin? What's so special abo?" Her voice caught.

"My darkness feeds off of his. His grows with mine. We are a...cycle. One that cannot be broken." His voice was ragged, like the words took an effort to say. He turned his back on Ahsoka and retreated a few steps, staring out the window.

"Hard to believe as it is, I was never the queen on the chessboard." He leaned on a rail by the wall. "Only one more pawn for him to push around. To follow his orders is agony. To resist them is far worse. The only purpose I ever served was to drive Anakin further from the jedi. Kidnap his padawan and his closest ally. Let them suffer. Twist the mind of Barris Offee." He shuddered slightly, his next words so quiet she almost missed them.

"Kill Ahsoka."

He stood up quickly, turning around to face her. The faintest ring of gold now circled his pupil.

"I resisted. He was furious at my failure to kill you at the wretched pirate hideout, or that your husband took the penalty for you. Your leaving the order was a cheap substitute but he took it." The ring around his pupil flared.

"And now I must stop your master." His voice was a rasping snarl. Ahsoka placed a hand on her saber, taking a small step back. "He is to be the weapon that will bring down the jedi."

Ahsoka shook her head. "You can't stop the jedi. You can end the order, which I am all for, but what they stood for, the force itself... that will out live either of us for a millennium more."

Kenobi tilted his head. "Our views are remarkably similar. I have my orders." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. They opened to pure gold. "And Skywalker must fall. If you are not with me, you're against me." His voice was little more than a pained rasp.

Ahsoka drew her lightsabers. "And I have a warrant for your arrest." Caedus growled, drawing his red lightsaber and the darksaber.

His attacks were swift and brutal, coming from all sides. Ahsoka blocked the best she could, switching the length of her shoto mid right to help counteract his skill.