𝗙𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 | anakin skywalker

✰ 67: the bridge

"Hey, Anakin?" a voice called, as the blast doors opened and Ahsoka walked through. Akya and Anakin turned their heads to face her, Akya smiling at the sight of the Togruta. "Akya," she said, walking up to them. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Akya stood up, and Anakin assisted by taking hold of her arm. "It's good to see you, Ahsoka," she said with relief. "I'm, uh... I'm glad you're not dead."

Ahsoka gave a short chuckle.

"What's wrong, Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "They just need you on the bridge." She pointed behind her to the blast doors.

Anakin nodded. "We'll be right there." Ahsoka nodded to them, then went back onto the bridge.

"Can you walk?" Anakin asked his wife, turning to face her.

Akya nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Anakin slowly let go of her arm and let her capture her balance before walking up to the bridge. They went through the blast doors, revealing the semi-circular room complete with control panels all around and two seats on either side. Obi-Wan sat in the pilot's seat, Ahsoka in the copilot's seat, and Rex stood just beside her. R2-D2 was in the corner by the data port, ready to set course. At the sight of his Padawan, Obi-Wan stood up and took a step toward her, smiling. "Akya," he said.

"Hi, Obi-Wan," she said, with a slight nod of her head.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I am," she replied. "Thank you." Then she turned to the clone captain. "I didn't expect to be seeing you for a little while, Rex," she said.

"Me neither," he said, with a slight smile.  It faded away in a moment as he continued speaking. "Listen, Commander, on behalf of my brothers... I'm sorry about the Jedi."

What did he have to do with the Jedi? On behalf of his brothers? Where were the rest of the clones, anyway? Why was it just him? 

"Sorry for what?" Akya asked, scrunching her brows.

Rex looked at Obi-Wan and Anakin.  "You... didn't tell her?"

Akya turned to them as well.  "Tell me what?"

Obi-Wan sighed, stepping forward.  "Akya," he began gravely, "when the Jedi were killed... it was only done so in such numbers and gravity because the clones serving under them turned on them."

Rex looked down, and Akya's confusion was only furthered. "What?  But the clones were loyal to the Jedi. To the Republic. That doesn't make any sense."

Ahsoka answered this time. "There was this chip in all their heads," she said. "Fives was right. Do you remember the incident, a couple months ago, where a clone killed their Jedi general?"

Akya nodded.

"It was a malfunction with the inhibitor chip," she explained. "The moment these chips are triggered, the clones turn on the Jedi they serve, whether they like it or not."

"Order 66 is what triggered it," Rex added. "The moment the chancellor said those words, something went wrong. Something changed. Those words were the only thing ringing through the clones' joint comm channel."

"How did..." Akya shook her head, taking a moment to get the words out. "Where did these chips come from?"

"They were there from the start," Ahsoka said. "We were destined to lose this war."

Akya sighed, and put her head down.

"We lost good men," Rex said. "Any clones that would have been willing to help can't anymore. Order 66 has turned them all mindless."

"Well, if anything," Akya said, looking up, "I'm glad we have you, Rex." Rex smiled shortly. "Is there anything else I missed?"

"Most likely," Obi-Wan replied. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There's something we'd like to run by you and Anakin."

"What is it?"

"Well, Rex and I were speaking, since we aren't really sure where to go, and Ahsoka agreed— we need to hide for a while."

Rex nodded. "We need fuel, food, new clothes, and weapons," he said. "And that's not something we can go back to Coruscant for, or any Republic storehouse."

"We thought the best place for us to go would be Tatooine," Obi-Wan finished.

Anakin finally spoke up, standing straight after leaning on the wall for a while.  "What?" he said, appalled.  "No way.  No way am I going back to Tatooine."

"There aren't any other options, Anakin.  We need someplace to go.  They're not in the Republic, so the chancellor has no discretion there.  We can hide in plain sight.  It's perfect."

"I'm not going." He shook his head.  "You're going to have to sack me and drag me.  Why can't we go to Dantooine, or something? Isn't that far enough into the outer rim?"

"We don't have enough fuel to get there," said Obi-Wan.  "Tatooine is the most convenient to us right now.  And you and Akya know the planet. It's good to go somewhere you're familiar with, someplace where we can stay comfortably for a couple rotations without being found by Palpatine's forces."

"I think it's a good idea," said Akya. 

"I can't go back there," Anakin mumbled.

"It's our only option right now," said Obi-Wan.

Anakin sighed, then shook his head again.  "Fine," he said.  "Fine.  Let's go.  But I'm not getting out of the ship."

"Of course," said Obi-Wan, doubt in his tone. He was going to have to come out eventually. "Artoo, set course for Tatooine," Obi-Wan said. The droid beeped in return, and inserted his arm into the computer port. Once the course came up on the navicomputer, Rex looked at it for a couple moments before pressing accept on the course.  Just before he began prepping to enter hyperspace, something began beeping near the other side of the control panel— a small red dot approached their ship, triggering the proximity sensors.

"Who—" But Akya's question was answered in another moment, when the scanners showed a Venator-class cruiser that had come out of hyperspace just on the other side of the moon. The big cruiser's scanners wouldn't be able to detect such a small ship from the other side of the moon, but their small cruiser's scanners picked up anything large coming their way.

"It's them," said Rex. "They're looking for the wreckage of the Tribunal. We've got to get out of here."

"But the hyperspace lane toward Tatooine is on the other side of this moon," said Ahsoka. 

"They're going to spot us," said Akya.  "This is a civilian ship.  It's got barely any shields, and it's not armed."

"Well, then we better be quick," said Obi-Wan.

"Right now, getting to Tatooine is our only priority," said Rex.  "If the ship gets damaged in the process, so be it.  We'll get a new one on Tatooine."

"I say brace yourselves," added Obi-Wan. "Because we've got to get out of here, now."

Akya sat in the chair just behind Obi-Wan, while Ahsoka and Anakin sat behind Rex.  They clasped on their restraints and Rex began steering them around the moon.  "May the Force be with us," said Akya hopefully.

a.n.:

they're going backkkkkk. eyup. im sending them to the sand planet.  

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