"If I might be able to finish, Masters," Leia spoke up over the voices of everyone in the council who was now in uproar and heated debates, "Project Krystal is the biggest threat in the galaxy but a full frontal assault is hardly the best course of action!"

The council, though mostly listening to the young Skywalker, still debated and talked amongst themselves. Luke was standing by his sister's side, trying to get people to listen up. Usually, Anakin was never shy to speak his mind and silence the council but he had been unusually quiet, his bloodshot eyes staring, unblinkingly at Obi-Wan's absent seat.

Anakin had barely said a word since he vowed revenge on Maul after learning of his old master's death. Maul had killed Qui Gon, now he had killed Obi-Wan; for their sake, he would avenge them.

Anakin's only solace was his family; it had always been his family. From the Clone Wars to the present, Anakin had always felt the most at peace when he was with Ahsoka, Padmé, Luke, Leia... And Obi-Wan.

Now Obi-Wan was gone. Padmé had been forced away to the Senate to deliver the news about Project Krystal. Ahsoka had been told what had happened but she was regrettably under bed rest at the moment; being eight months pregnant will do that to anyone.

But at least Luke and Leia's presence in front of him was soothing. Anakin had never denied that during the war, his methods had been a little rash for the Jedi, boardering on the dark side; it had been efficient and got the job done, but ever since the twins came into his life, he promised himself to set a better example. He burried his turmoil of emotions and stayed silent for their sake.

"We must destroy this super weapon before lasting damage is done to the galaxy-" Mace Windu continued, all but ignoring the Skywalkers in the middle of the room.

"Listen to young, Leia," Plo Koon objected, "An all out attack is not the right course of action!"

"It's a fool's errande!"

"Maul cannot be allowed to roam the galaxy with a weapon of such magnitude!"

"We must mobilise troops immediately!"

"Bring a swift end to this infernal war!"

"Master Kenobi will not have died in vain!"

"This squabbling is pointless!"

The debating and arguing continued for a while, Luke and Leia having given up trying to silence the council members. It was then that Anakin finally spoke up, the room around him turning cold at his words, all the council now forced to listen.

"A weapon like that would take up an enormous amount of power, correct?"

"Correct you are, Master Skywalker," Yoda replied, regarding him curiously.

"A cruiser of that size can't sustain power like that indefinitely, correct?"

"Going with this, where are you?"

"A weapon that needs a lot of power on a ship that can't meet that power demand, it would theoretically take hours, if not days to recharge itself, yes?" Anakin continued, undettered by Yoda's question.

"Theoretically yes but-" Master Windu tried to interject but Anakin's voice cut through the air, not even caring what the elder Jedi had to say.

"It's been less than a day since the initial use of the weapon, according to Leia. Therefore, if we act quickly and mobilise our ships, Maul's War Cruiser should still be beyond Mandalore's orbit; our time to strike is now, delaying any longer gives Maul the chance to regain optimal power and jump to hyperspace to who knows where."

All in the council room seemed to consider this, they couldn't deny that Anakin's logic was sound. If they took their fastest ships within the hour to Mandalore, Maul's Cruiser would be right there for the taking.

It had taken them so long to learn of Maul's whereabouts before, who knows how long it could take them to find Maul again? But they had the chance now, not a big chance but a chance nonetheless.

"We might never get a chance to engage Maul headfirst again." Anakin finished, looking around at each council member in turn, "Obi-Wan died so that Luke and Leia could get away and deliver this information to us; he knew the deviation this new weapon could enact. What good will his sacrifice be if we took this information and did nothing with it, let Maul slip through our fingers once again?"

Leia didn't necessarily agree with her father on this matter as she had been the only true witness to Maul's weapon, but like all others in the council chambers, she was stunned into silence by the icey tone to her father's words.

***

The Jedi Council had announced soon after that they planned to do as Anakin had advised. All stations in the temple were alert as clone troopers readied their fighters to aboard the Jedi Cruisers.

Anakin, Luke and Leia were with the 501st company, Commander Rex all too mindful about how much this mission meant to his general.

Of course, Tex had seen Anakin at his best and his worse before; Rex had always admired Anakin in that way, he was different to most Jedi. During the war, Anakin was one of the best generals amongst the Jedi, for many reasons.

As much as the Jedi prided themselves on being peaceful and sophisticated, there had been the occasion Jedi who barely paid attention to their clone troopers; they saw themselves as above that. Anakin was nothing like those Jedi, the 501st didn't just consider Anakin their general, they considered him their friend because he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when it came to war.

Anakin had been great at the art of war and so related more the soldiers of the 501st. Not as their superior but as their equal, Anakin had been through so much with his clone company, especially Rex.

As such, Rex had seen him rode the highs and lows over the years but this was the first time Rex saw pure rage in his general's eyes. Sure, he had seen Anakin angry before, he was about the only Jedi who openly exhibited that emotion during the war, bit this was different.

Even in the most serious of situations, Anakin had always been able to bring a touch of lightheartedness to his company, the odd joke or a sarcastic comment, either way, Anakin had never been too strict with his troops.

But now, as they readied to leave, Anakin was barking orders and shouting louder than he usually would. Luke and Leia, ever the more reasonable, trailed behind their father, quietly apologising to any clone Anakin had been particularly harsh to.

Even with this abrupt change of tone, none of the clones took it personally, they were just as devistated by Master Kenobi's death as their general was.

Even a holocall from Padmé wasn't enough to calm him which was worrying for the 501st because their general usually sobered considerably when he was close to his family, another reason why they admired him so; he wasn't as detached as some Jedi.

The mood only changed when a small sleek-looking ship docked at the end of the landing platform where Anakin's company was posted. Anakin recognised it immediately and though he still couldn't manage a smile yet, he allowed himself a small glimmer of joy.

Ahsoka.

From the moment she had walked into his life, down the ramp of that transport ship at the beginning of the ear, Anakin had taught Ahsoka all he had learnt. And all he knew, he had learnt from Obi-Wan.

After loosing his big brother, Anakin needed his little sister.

Hurrying towards the ship, he waited in anticipation as the doors opened and out stepped his no-longer-young padawan, even though she was technically not his padawan anymore; she had excelled in her training years ago.

She was in red silk baddy clothes as though she had just recently gotten out of bed, indeed, she had a cream coloured blanket wrapped round her shoulders and simple skip on shoes as well. Her hands rested delicately on her baby bump and her smile was warm, if even still a little sad.

"I thought you were on bed rest, snips?" Anakin tried to sound like his usual self but he fell a little short, sounding as though he was trying to hide his emotions which he was.

"You know Ahsoka," her husband, Lux, promoted from where he was leant against the doorframe of the ship, "Stubborn as ever, even more so now it would seem."

"I heard what happened..." She sighed, looking down sorrowfully, "Padmé said she's worried about you and well, I came running."

Mindful of her stomach, Ahsoka wrapped her arms around her former master, hugging Anakin in a familiar aura of sadness at Obi-Wan's passing. Ahsoka knee how much Obi-Wan meant to Anakin, so as much as she was also in mourning for his loss, she knew that Anakin must have been feeling worse.

Semi-breaking the hug, Ahsoka gestured to Luke and Leia to  one closer. Before they could protest, they were pulled in as well.

"Obi-Wan's never gone, Anakin," Ahsoka finally said after a few tender moments, "He lives on in the living force, in the stories we tell each other, and in our hearts."

"This mission we're planning, I will avenge him. Maul is going to pay for what he did."

Ahsoka seemed to consider this for a moment, not knowing how to respond to Anakin's declaration of vengeance, but after a few seconds of thought, she smiled again.

"Send Maul my regards."

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