Blurred Sides (COMPLETE)

7.7.3

Anakin and Obi-Wan's cruiser jumped out of hyperspace as soon as it had jumped in. The scene before them was a nightmare.

The two Republic cruisers with Windu were cornered by three Separatist cruisers, just like Obi-Wan had said. Vulture droids and starfighters were already flying around the cruisers, and as soon as Anakin tried to focus on the fight, he felt the Inquisitor somewhere in a fighter.

"She's already here," commented Obi-Wan. "We definitely lost the advantage."

"She's already cornered Windu," Anakin added, turning on his heel and making for the hangars. "If we want to get him out, we have to take out those cruisers. Get to the fighters!" He commanded, and his men scrambled into their battle positions.

He met up with R2-D2 and together they loaded into Anakin's yellow starfighter. Anakin powered up the engine and ran the checks, but he couldn't leave until the hangar door opened. He looked around at his troops, following his lead, when he noticed the empty space next to him.

Anakin sighed, and looked down at the controls. He knew the troopers, especially Rex and a few others, missed her almost as much as he did. When she didn't come back, no one talked about it, but somehow he knew anyways. Their sorrow was one of the reasons he tried to shield them from his frustration.

No one had pointed it out, but the spot for Ahsoka's burgundy fighter had been left alone. Anakin suspected Rex was responsible for the vacancy, but he loved it, just as much as he hated that it was necessary. Her fighter, which was actually still in the cruiser, had been put away and reserved for 'emergency scenarios'.  That, Anakin figured, was code for 'don't touch it', but he had taken a look at it a few months ago. It had been kept in pristine condition, other than the orange and blue spray paint. When examined more closely, Anakin had realized that they had left messages, goodbyes that hadn't been able to be given.

The hangar doors opened, and the sound of the all-clear snapped Anakin out of the past. He fired up the engines and took off. "All right," he spoke into the coma that linked him to the other fighters. "I want the bombers targeting the Separatist hangars. Everyone else, pick off the droids."

A chorus of affirmations rang through the cockpit. He took off and watched as his troops speed off in front of him. He waited until he was clear, then turned away and focused on the Inquisitor. He was the bait, so she was his responsibility. Obi-Wan could look after the others.

Her ship wasn't hard to pick out: It was the only Separatist ship that wasn't a droid. The Sister had shed part of her ship, losing the hyperdrive and the quarters that were normally attached. Now it was just the cockpit and a sleek engine.

It was much faster than the droids, too. Anakin was going to deplete his fuel reserves if he wasn't careful. He spotted her ship near the rear of one of their cruisers, and he started towards her.

"Alright, Artoo," He said, activated the weapons system. "You ready?"

He beeped back excitedly. Anakin knew he loved flying just as much as he did. The R2 unit activated his own weapons and locked on the Sister's ship. Anakin noticed and he called out to him.

"Careful, buddy," He said. Artoo responded inquisitively. "Why? Aren't we trying to hit the ship?"

Anakin didn't respond. Yes, he wanted to stop the Inquisitor, but he didn't want to kill her. Just in case. Just in case.

"Just try not to aim for the kill, buddy," he said finally, punching the thrusters. Time to go to work.

He advanced on the Inquisitor's ship. The Sister, who had been expecting the Jedi since the third cruiser had come, smiled. If the Jedi wanted to bait her into a fight, then they were going to get a fight. Her type of fight.