This is why I like writing one shots! I don't have to worry about keeping people waiting like this! I'm sorry, for the millionth time. :(

Chapter 8: Action Plan

"We're leaving. Now."

Carter glanced up from a datapad on which he was playing a virtual dejarik game with Barriss Offee- and losing miserably- to see Ahsoka storm through the apartment door.

"Where? Why?" he asked, confused. "Wait... What?"

"We gotta leave the system. Get somewhere safe." She was stonefaced, walking about the apartment driven by a single purpose that Carter didn't understand. Her thoughts were an emotionless wall that he couldn't penetrate.

"Ahsoka, what are you talking about?" Carter tossed the datapad aside. "What happened back there?"

"He's gone," she said bluntly, gathering things together, beginning to pack bare necessities as if she were running from something.

"Who's gone? Anakin? Where'd he go?"

"He's... gone, Carter," she stopped where she was, dropped the heat lamp she had taken from a shelf in the closet, and raised a hand to her face, covering her eyes. "He's fallen to the dark side." Her voice was barely a whisper, and her lip quivered. She was dangerously close to breaking down.

Carter was there in an instant, pulling her close and holding her tightly. His thoughts were a whirlwind, and he compensated for his unending confusion by tucking her head under his chin.

Anakin Skywalker. Hero of the Clone Wars. Pod Champion of Tatooine. The Chosen One.

Sith.

It was impossible.

Yet it had to be true. Never before had he seen so much conviction and pain in Ahsoka's eyes.

And it made him incomprehensibly angry.

Anakin Skywalker had hurt Ahsoka. Her heart was breaking at the betrayal of the man who was like a brother to her. And it made Carter sick to his stomach. There would be blood.

"We don't gotta leave. We gotta tell someone."

"It's too late," she whispered. "Master Fisto's dead. So is Master Tiin. And Master Kolar. Anakin killed Master Windu himself. All the other Council Masters are in the middle of War Zones, Carter. Who do you think we're gonna tell?"

Carter pulled back, genuinely in shock. He placed his fingers gently beneath her chin and pulled her head up to look at him. "Hey." He shook his head at her. "Don't think like that. You're Ahsoka Tano. You don't lose hope. You are hope- for everyone who has had the privilege to have you in their life. For those you protect, for those you fight for, for those who care about you. If you give up hope, we all give up hope. You can't do that. You have too much riding on your shoulders to think like that."

She sighed. "Yeah. I know. You're right. But this hurts. Bad."

"It's not your burden to bear. You're my wife. My best friend. You don't have to carry that weight alone."

She laughed sadly. "I'm sixteen years old and I already have years of combat experience. I'm sixteen and already married. I'm sixteen and I feel like I carry the weight of the galaxy. When I first was assigned as Anakin's apprentice, I wanted nothing more than to grow up. And now I can't go back."

"Stay positive."

"I'll try. I promise." She kissed him quickly on the cheek before pulling away. "Now, we really have to get out of here before things go south, which they will."

"We're running away?"

"I don't like the idea any more than you do, but at this point it's all we can do. We need to get as far from here as possible, maybe hide in Separatist space. I was thinking maybe we could call Lux and ask a favor or-"

"Lux Bonteri?" Carter asked, folding his arms. "No. No way. Not a chance."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Come on, you need to get over it."

"Get over it? He kissed you. While we were together!"

"I hadn't seen you for months at that point. We were on a mission. It wasn't even a real kiss-"

"Bet it was real to him," he grumbled.

"Well, it's not his ring I'm wearing on my finger, is it?" Carter was silent for a while, letting the tension die down as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "We need somewhere to go. Where Anakin and the Sith won't find us. And that means we need to leave Republic Space."

"What about the others? The ones fighting right now? Master Yoda, and Luminara, and Shaak Ti? And Kento? Are we just going to leave them?"

"No, of course not, but-" Ahsoka trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "How are we going to tell all of them? They're scattered all over the galaxy on secure military comm channels."

"Isn't there a channel for all Jedi? The one that the council uses to talk to us on missions?"

"Yeah, but that can only be accessed by one console, and that's in the Temple. I have a feeling that the Temple's gonna be Anakin's first target."

"We'll slip in and out before anyone notices, broadcast the message. It's simple enough." He shrugged.

"That's really risky, Carter," Ahsoka said dubiously.

"Since when has risk ever stopped you?" He smiled. "We live off risk."

"This is on a whole 'nother scale, though. But you're right. Again. We know danger's coming, it's our duty to warn people. Let's go."

He slipped his hand into hers. "I'm with you the whole way."

"We knew it was coming. Hell, we've known it was coming since we set foot in the Kaminoan training centers." Crash was loading his rifle with thermal clips. Niner sat on the ground a few meters away from him, motionless.

When his brother didn't respond, Crash put down the gun. "Niner, come on. It's not a fun job, but it's what we were born for."

"Not a fun job," Niner repeated. "That's probably the most watered down way to put it. We're about to kill commanders and generals who have risked their lives for us. And as for it being what we were born for, am I the only one of us who doesn't like the idea that we were born for a single murderous cause?"

"Nobody likes it. But we gotta do it." Crash pulled his helmet over his head, and Niner stared into the black visor, finding no solace.

"No, we don't."

"If you want the Chancellor after you, too, then be my guest."

Niner was silent, staring at the helmet in his hands.

Crash sighed, grabbing a rifle and handing it to his brother. "They're good leaders. I agree. But brothers stick by brothers." He stuck out his hand to help him up.

The doubtful soldier accepted the gesture reluctantly, pulling his helmet over his head.

At least he wouldn't have to look them in the eyes.

Kento marched through the woods, a company of his finest soldiers at his back. "Now, when we reach the droids' flank, I want Reaver to take the heavy cannon and split their forces. Grunt, I want you to..."

A sudden feeling of dread caused him to trail off. He sensed dark thoughts, close to him. Murderous thoughts. Some regretful, none relenting.

His lightsaber was out and sending the bullet back at Reaver before anyone could blink. The clone dropped to his knees and slumped over, motionless. The clones took half a second to register their fallen comrade before raising their rifles to kill the Jedi.

Kento propelled himself high into the air, coming down with his fist driving into the ground, the force sending tremors through the ground and knocking back the unsuspecting clones. With a quick flourish, his lightsaber cleaved through the chestplate of one clone and decapitated another on the upswing. Flashes of blue illuminated the undergrowth as blaster bolts and lightsaber impacted time and time again.

The Jedi Master paused a moment to catch his breath, eight bodies littering the landscape before him, before he leapt up into the trees, navigating his way through the jungle of Kashyyyk to warn Mallie.

Carter peeked around a pillar at the entryway of the Jedi Temple. "Oh, stang." He pulled his head back and turned to Ahsoka. He could still hear the sound of thousands of boots marching in unison. "Clones. Lots of 'em. We gotta move fast."

She sighed. "How could they turn on us like that? After everything we've done for them!"

Carter bit his lip and shrugged absentmindedly.

"Carter..." she said suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

When he didn't answer, Ahsoka shoved past him to peer around the pillar herself. Her gut twisted when she saw her former Master at the head of the assault. Taking a lightsaber in each hand and clutching it tightly, she turned back around, brushing past Carter. "You're right. We'd better hurry."

He couldn't help but fear that their mission had just gotten personal.