Jaden stepped off the landing ramp of his ship. A knot of frustration tightened in his stomach, pulling his lips into a grim frown. His eyes swept across the scene. Anakin wasbattered but standing, and near his feet, was a young Padawan, defeated and mutilated, sprawled on the cold stone floor, barely clinging to consciousness.
Beyond them stood the Three Sith.
Jaden had always strived for balance, to see past the black and white of the Force, but the sight before him—of one side beating another into the dirt—made that neutrality a difficult and bitter philosophy to hold.
"Jaden Shan," a voice hissed. Ventress, twin red blades held in a predatory stance, fixed him with a cold stare. "Leave now. This is not your fight." The threat was a brittle promise, a desperate attempt to avoid more trouble. Ventress knew how dangerous the man before her was, the fight would change drastically if he were allowed to combine forces with Anakin.
Jaden allowed a short bark of laughter to escape him. He lifted his chin and delivered a low-blow jibe. "You look upset, you must realise that my presence here already means it's over for you."
Ventress's face twisted, the insult landing like a slap. Her eyes flared with cold anger.
Jaden ignored her, calling out to the Jedi Knight. "Anakin! You alright?"
"I'm fine, Jaden!" Anakin's voice was strained. "But Ahsoka... she needs a medical bay, now."
"Shouldn't be too much of an issue then." Jaden took a long stride off the ramp, his boots clanging on the hangar floor, drawing him closer to the fight.
Ventress didn't hesitate. "Kern! Ror! Finish him!"
The two Sith charged. Their lightsabers ignited, and they sprinted toward Jaden with a wordless snarl.
Jaden drew his weapon. A brilliant purple blade flared to life, casting a glow on his face. The first attacker, Kern drew his lightsaber up and was about to release a devastating strike, but Jaden didn't meet the charge with his lightsaber. Instead, he reached out with the Force, an invisible, crushing hand seizing Kern's chest. He yanked the Sith acolyte sideways, hard, slamming him into a stack of stacked cargo crates. The impact scattered the crates and knocked the wind from Kern.
The second Sith, Ror, arrived a heartbeat later, his red blade slashing down in a heavy, overhead chop. Jaden snapped his purple saber up, blocking the attack with a hissing crackle. Ror immediately pressed the attack, driving in a flurry of quick slashes. Jaden parried the first two, angling his blade to deflect the third. He then snapped his knee up to Ror's stomach, making the Sith grunt in pain and stumble back a step. Jaden spun on his heel, the hilt of his lightsaber whipping around in a tight circle and connecting with the back of Ror's head with a dull, sickening thud. Ror slumped, lightsaber flickering out as he fell unconscious.
Jaden barely had time to recover, before Ventress was lunging at him with both blades aiming for his chest. He didn't raise his saber. Instead, he performed a forward somersault. As his body spun past her, his leg shot out, heel hooking at the back of her head and driving her head down toward the deck. The momentum of the kick propelled him up and away from her into a leap that sent him soaring over the prone Ahsoka and landing lightly next to Anakin.
"You doing okay Anakin?" Jaden asked as he straightened himself up. "Got any injuries?"
Anakin shook his head, "I'm fine Jaden, but she's out of it," he said, his jaw clenched as he shielded his Padawan. "We have to get her to a medical station now."
"Don't worry about it," Jaden said calmly, already kneeling beside the young Togruta. He looked at Ahsoka. Her breathing was ragged, her small frame convulsing slightly as she fought against the pain. An ugly, deep cauterized wound marked her abdomen. Her left arm had been cleanly severed just above the elbow; the dismembered limb lay several feet away.
"Hey, Ahsoka," Jaden whispered softly.
She turned her head slowly, her blue eyes wide, unfocused, and glossy with tears. "It hurts," she choked out a desperate sound. "I can't... I can't breathe. I'm... I'm scared... I don't want to die."
The small admission was like a punch to the gut. The despair radiating from her was a palpable coldness in the Force.
"You're not going to die," Jaden promised, his hand hovering over her wound. "It's all going to be okay. I promise."
He gathered the Force, channeling a powerful, pure wave of energy into the girl. It was a torrent of life, pushing back against the njury and pain. The effect was instantaneous and staggering. The cauterized wound in her abdomen closed, the puckered, burned flesh smoothing out until it was unblemished skin. A rush of new life filled her veins, and her breathing normalized. Then, he focused on the greater injury. From the stump of her elbow, new flesh bloomed, growing rapidly, twisting tendons, bone, and skin into a perfect forearm and hand.
Ahsoka gasped. Her eyes snapped open as the haze disappeared. She raised her good hand and tentatively touched her abdomen. It was smooth, uninjured. The pain was gone. She stared at the spot, then looked down at her other arm—the newly regrown limb. She flexed the perfect, intact fingers, then glanced back toward the severed arm still lying on the ground. The shock cleared, replaced by an urgent memory. She pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Wait! Rotta! He's sick. We have to help him!"
Jaden gently reached out and stroked one of her montrals. A soothing warmth, a jolt of comforting pleasure, shot through her, instantly calming the last flicker of panic. "I know. Don't worry," he said, his eyes crinkling. "I already healed the little guy. He's fine. I need you to stay right here, though, and keep the little guy safe." Jaden stood up, igniting his purple blade with a fierce vwoom. He locked eyes with Ventress.
"We're going to take out the trash."
Jaden stood with his purple lightsaber. Beside him, Anakin's blue blade was already ignited. The three enemies glared at the them. While Jaden could only smile smugly. The tension didn't last for long as it soon snapped with the movement of the first attacker.
Ventress moved first, launching her attack with explosive speed. Her twin red blades executed a devastating split strike, one aimed low at Jaden, the other high at Anakin. Anakin took the high threat, his blue blade snapping up in a hard, crisp block against Ventress's left saber, the contact point showering sparks. Jaden responded to the low threat by dropping into a deep crouch, the red energy passing inches above his spine. As he straightened, he delivered a sudden, focused Force push that hit Ventress squarely in the sternum. She reeled back as she tumbled across the stone floor.
That was the signal for the two others. Kern and Ror charged, both of them targeting Jaden as Anakin had veered off to deal with Ventress. Both likely hoped to overwhelm him with sheer numbers and pure agression. Ror took the left, swinging his saber in overhead arc. Jaden met the attack, the purple and red blades grinding together, emitting a high-pitched, abrasive screech. Kern, meanwhile, took the right, driving a series of fast, close-range thrusts at Jaden's midsection.
Jaden shifted his weight, locking his purple blade against Ror's, turning the grind into a forceful push. He used his momentum to pivot slightly and shoving Ror beforebringing the hilt of his purple saber down and deflecting Kern's first thrust. He pulled his blade back and then immediately drove it forward in a quick, shallow thrust at Ror's chest. Ror flinched and pulled back a half-step to avoid the strike. This gave Jaden room. He spun away from Ror, using the turn to put Kern's thrusting attack on his left side. He parried Kern's second thrust with a quick wrist movement, redirecting the red blade upward and off-line.
Ror pressed his attack, recovering quickly. He swung his blade in a wide sweep aimed at Jaden's knees. Jaden leapt backward over the attack, landing three meters back, creating necessary distance. Ventress, having recovered from the Force push, instantly engaged Anakin, drawing his attention away from Jaden. Her twin sabers executed a dizzying array of figure-eight slashes, forcing Anakin to enter a defensive stance.
Jaden was now fully focused on Kern and Ror, who advanced together. Kern tried a high, aggressive chop, driving Jaden's purple blade down with sheer force. Ror exploited the lock, darting in with a sudden, powerful side kick aimed at Jaden's left hip. Jaden anticipated the move, planting his right foot and quickly transferring his weight, leaning backward to dodge the kick, which whisked past his belt. Using the leverage from the lean, Jaden delivered a minor Force push against Kern's knee. Kern's stance buckled, and his high chop lost its power.
Jaden broke the blade lock, his purple saber flashing in a downward block to intercept a sweep from Ror. The deflection sent Ror's blade scraping across the metal floor. Kern recovered and came in again, this time with a deep lunge and stab aimed at Jaden's throat. Jaden didn't use his blade. He side-stepped with letting Kern's arm and torso slide past him. As Kern overextended, Jaden reached out, seizing Kern's weapon arm. He delivered a powerful, open-hand strike to the kidney. Kern grunted in pain.
Jaden didn't release the grip. He spun Kern's body toward Ror, using him as a shield. Ror immediately checked his strike, freezing his high slash a foot above Kern's head.
"You coward!" Ror shouted.
Jaden ignored him and just smiled before pushing Kern fully into Ror. Ror had to use both arms to push Kern's reeling body away, allowing Jaden a free attack run. Jaden sprinted forward, driving a rapid series of thrusts with his purple blade at Ror's upper chest. Ror, off-balance from the shove, parried the first two with desperation, but the third thrust caught him in the left shoulder. Ror yelled and stumbled backward, clutching the wound.
Jaden immediately disengaged and swung his purple blade in a defensive arc to block a furious strike from Kern. The blades locked, Kern driving with raw aggression, his eyes alight with malice. Jaden held the block, then delivered a kick to Kern's thigh, making the Sith hiss. As Kern recoiled, Jaden threw his free hand out, not pushing, but pulling Ror toward him with a powerful Force grip. Ror, already injured, was yanked forward, his trajectory aimed directly at Kern.
Kern, still recovering from the knee strike, was slammed into by Ror. Both men went down in a tangle of limbs.
Jaden couldn't help but laugh in their face. "You know I've barely been practicing my lightsaber forms a year, how is it you two are so bad." Jaden pressed his advantage, leaping onto the prone bodies. He planted his foot firmly on Kern's chest, pinning him. He brought his purple blade down in a hammer-like blow toward Ror's head. Ror managed a desperate, upward block, his hilt narrowly stopping the blade.
"Watch out!" Jaden heard Anakin call ti him.
Jaden saw Ventress charging toward him. He pushed off Kern's chest with his foot, performing a backflip off the entangled pair, landing in a crouch a few meters away. Ventress arrived where Jaden had been, delivering a furious, dual-blade strike into the space between the downed Sith, deliberately forcing them apart. Kern scrambled away, rising quickly. Ror struggled, his leg trapped under his own weight and the pain in his shoulder slowing him down.
The fight fractured into two duels. Anakin intercepted Ventress, driving her back with a series of overwhelming, powerful slashes. Jaden locked eyes with Kern, who was now alone and focused on him.
Kern charged, his blade moving in a blur of slashes designed to break Jaden's guard. Jaden met each one with perfect economy of movement, deflecting the strikes without giving ground. Kern finished his sequence with a powerful, two-handed overhead chop. Jaden parried the strike, allowing the force of the blow to slide off his purple blade, pushing Kern to his left.
Jaden followed the deflection with a quick, horizontal stomach-level cut. Kern dropped into a crouch, letting the purple blade pass over his back. Kern then snapped up, his blade driving in an upward reverse slash aimed at Jaden's chin. Jaden performed a back-step, pulling his head out of the strike's path, then immediately followed up with a side-step to avoid the follow-up high horizontal slash.
As Kern completed his high sweep, Jaden used the Force to execute a precise localized Force pull on Kern's right ankle. Kern's foot slipped out from under him, and he pitched forward.
Before Kern could hit the floor, Ror, now on one knee and fueled by desperation, fired a Force blast at Jaden's back. Jaden felt the impact coming. He quickly raised his left arm and cancelled the blast using his own power. Though it gave Kern a precious half-second. Kern recovered his balance just as Ror's blast hit Jaden. Kern seized the chance, leaping high into the air and bringing his red saber down in a double-handed decisive blow.
Jaden, momentarily shaken by Ror's unexpected Force attack, was forced to execute a backward flip, landing near Anakin and Ventress, who were locked in a fierce exchange.
"Having fun?" Jaden asked Anakin.
"I could do with a better dance partner," he replied, referring to Ventress.
"You could always have dumb and dumber over here," Jaden replied.
"I said better," Anakin said before kicking Ventress backwards and lunging back at her.
Jaden chuckled before he broke away from the skirmish, drawing the two Sith's attention with a challenging gesture. Kern and Ror advanced on him together, their movement tighter, their coordination now a bit better than before. Kern took the lead, launching a sequence of alternating high and low feints. Ror stayed back, using his position to cut off Jaden's escape routes, positioning his blade to deliver a thrust if Jaden was pushed too far back.
Jaden met Kern's feints with minimal parries, keeping his purple blade close to his body. Kern drove a deep thrust at him. Jaden deflected it downward with a hard block, forcing Kern's blade into the floor, before Jaden could take advantage of the opening, Ror delivered a sweeping horizontal slash aimed at Jaden's legs.
Jaden leapt high, spinning his body in mid-air. He landed directly on the hilt of Kern's lightsaber, which was still in the floor, using it as a temporary perch. Ror's sweep passed harmlessly beneath him.
Jaden jumped off the hilt, landing with a powerful Force push that hit Ror's center of mass. Ror flew backwards, the injury to his shoulder making it difficult to maintain balance.
Kern ripped his saber free and attacked Jaden's left side with a furious, uncoordinated series of slashes. Jaden deflected the attack with two quick parries, then delivered a sharp backhand Force slam that hit Kern's temple. Kern stumbled, momentarily dazed.
Jaden didn't follow up. He darted past Kern, who was reeling, and closed the distance with the retreating Ror. Ror lifted his blade in a frantic block against Jaden's incoming cut. Jaden locked his purple blade against Ror's, then gripped Ror's wrist. He twisted the wrist hard, forcing Ror to drop his red saber. The lightsaber clattered to the floor, instantly snuffed out.
Ror, now unarmed and injured, staggered back, hands uselessly raised.
Kern, recovering from the Force slam, saw Ror defenseless and charged Jaden from the side, trying to drive his blade into Jaden's back.
Jaden didn't turn to block. He kept his purple blade pointed at the retreating Ror. As Kern closed the gap, Jaden spun with impossible speed, ducking under Kern's high swing. In the same motion, he reached out with his free hand, grasping Ror's dropped lightsaber from the floor with the Force and igniting it mid-flight.
As Jaden completed his spin, he was now positioned inside Kern's defense. He drove the freshly ignited red blade he held in his left hand deep into Kern's lower abdomen.
Kern gasped, his attack collapsing. Jaden immediately ripped the red blade out, then delivered a Force push with his foot against Kern's chest, kicking him backward. Kern flew back, his body hitting the wall with a sickening impact before falling lifelessly to the floor.
Jaden faced Ror, who stood frozen, watching the demise of his companion. Ror lifted his hands in a futile gesture. Jaden showed no mercy. He slashed his purple blade at Ror's neck and severed it off his shoulders, before watching it roll across the ground.
He probably could've defeated them sooner but if he was honest he wanted to work out a bit of his frustration on them. He clipped the red lightsaber from Ror onto his belt before rejoining Anakin, who had relentlessly pressed Ventress toward the open bay, driving her into a corner.
Ventress fought a desperate, losing battle against Anakin's increasing aggression. She met his powerful, overhead cuts with frantic, cross-body parries, the twin red lightsabers rattling against the force of Anakin's strikes. Jaden arrived at her right flank, his purple blade flashing toward her side. Ventress instantly had to pivot, fully committing her defense to two fronts. She crossed her two red sabers into a tight 'X' block against Jaden's purple blade, locking herself into a static defensive posture.
Anakin immediately exploited the rigid defense. His blue blade came in a quick punishing thrust aimed directly at her hip. Ventress, unable to break the fixed 'X' lock against Jaden, arched her back and contorted her body in an extreme bend, pulling her hip out of the path of Anakin's blade by mere millimeters.
Jaden broke his parry with a powerful, upward slash, forcing Ventress to sacrifice her position and jump back a step to avoid being disarmed. As she landed, Anakin was already on her. He delivered a sudden, focused Force-enhanced kick to the side of her stomach. The impact was clean and clearly painful. Ventress gasped, the air punched from her lungs, and she stumbled backward two full steps toward the lip of the hangar bay. Her stance was broken, her defense shattered, replaced by raw survival instinct. With a raw cry, she threw both of her lightsabers wildly at the two Jedi, using the spinning blades as a shield for her retreat.
The force users moved in perfect coordination, not even needing to speak with one another. Anakin slammed his blue blade against the saber aimed at his head, deflecting it violently out of the hangar. Jaden simultaneously extended his arm, using a powerful Force grip to seize the second spinning red blade mid-flight, instantly slamming it into a nearby metal storage container. The blade hit with a searing CRACK, creating a deep gash and stopping the weapon dead.
Ventress used the brief seconds of distraction. She took two desperate sprinting steps. Her feet hit the platform's edge. With a final, explosive burst of the Force channeled through her legs, she launched herself off the platform, dropping into the jungle.
The me n Jedi stood at the edge of the hangar platform with their lightsabers lowered, watching the jungle where Ventress had vanished. "Think she's dead?" Jaden asked.
"If we could be so lucky..." Anakin deactivated his blue blade with a hiss and clipped the hilt to his belt. He turned to Jaden, his expression a complex mixture of exhaustion, relief, and intense curiosity.
"What in the blazes are you doing here?" Anakin asked, his voice rough with strain from the fight. "Last I heard, you were out past the unknown regions."
Jaden deactivated his purple blade and clipped it to his own belt. He began walking toward the ramp of his ship, signaling they needed to move quickly. "It's a long story, Anakin, but I took a detour. My ship needed a repair and I returned to Coruscant for parts. That's where I picked up Padmé." He gestured toward his vessel. "Turns out, Ziro the Hutt is trying to stir up trouble, working with the Separatists to kill Rotta and start a full-blown war with the Republic. Padmé was investigating Ziro's activities and I helped her out of a sticky situation."
He explained the timing. "We were on our way to Tatooine to give proof to Jabba of Ziro's conspiracy when we caught your distress signalt."
Anakin's blue eyes narrowed in understanding. "Ziro. Figures. That slug is always looking to cause trouble and line his pockets. He's always been trouble." He ran a hand over his close-cropped hair, a small, genuine smile touching his lips. "Well, I appreciate the help, Jaden. We had our hands full down here. You saved me and Ahsoka's life, and that's something I won't forget."
A small, weak voice chimed in from the ramp where she was still resting. "Me too. Thank you, Master Jaden, for everything."
Jaden turned, "It's just Jaden, Ahsoka, I'm not a Jedi," he said while smiling down at her.
Her cheeks grew a little warm under his gaze. "I'm sorry... Jaden."
"That's better," Jaden said with a chuckle.
*BOOM*
Anakin immediately sobered, looking toward the structure above. The sound of approaching Separatist vehicles could now be heard over the wind. "Look, I owe you, but we've got to move. I can hear them. The Monastery is surrounded, and I heard the droids breach the walls moments before you arrived. They'll be on this ramp any second. We need to leave now."
Jaden nodded, walking briskly up the ramp and into the ship. "Agreed. And getting through the blockade in orbit isn't going to be easy. It's rough up there. You'd better still be a good pilot, Skywalker, because i can guess the separatists aren't going to be happy to see us up there."
"Don't you worry, Jaden," Anakin said, a familiar, confident spark returning to his tone. "I'm the best pilot in the galaxy. Trust me on this. Let's go."
They quickly moved through the ship's narrow accessway. As they entered the main cabin, Padmé was already there. She looked up, her relief upon seeing them safe and sound. "Anakin!" she rushed forward and embraced him tightly. "I was so worried when you sent the distress call."
Anakin held her for a brief moment. "I'm fine, Padmè. Thanks to Jaden." He then gently guided her attention to the young Togruta behind them, who was now moving slowly. "Padmé, this is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka, this is Senator Padmé Amidala, a good friend."
Ahsoka, still a bit shaky but clearly energized by Jaden's healing, gave a small nod and a respectful salute. "It's an honor to meet you, Senator. Thank you for rescuing us."
"You too, Ahsoka," Padmé replied warmly. "Just sit tight, we'll be out of here soon."
Jaden's voice cut through the introductions. "As much as I love watching people meet, we really do need to leave the greetings for later. The welcoming committee is about to turn into a firing squad."
Anakin immediately moved to the front. He and Jaden slipped into the pilot seats. Anakin's hands were instantly on the controls,. The ship's main lights flickered on, illuminating the worn controls.
"Padmé, Ahsoka, strap into the jump seats," Anakin commanded, his voice now crisp and focused on the task. "Jaden, warm up the thrusters and arm the shields. Let's see if this thing can take a punch."
Jaden grinned, powering up the ship's sublight engines. The hangar bay door was already retracting.
"Thrusters are hot," Jaden confirmed.
"Hold on tight!" Anakin yelled. The ship lurched violently, then shot out of the monastery complex and above the clouds in a dizzying vertical climb. "Buckle in!" Anakin shouted over the whine of the engines and the sudden jolt of the ship hitting the lower atmosphere.
(AN: So Anakin and Ahsoka have successfully been rescued, hooooray. Anyway next we will have the return of a familiar character. Someone who might even be considered a bit of a GOAT.)
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