Jedi hearing.

"....aaaargh! Die die die die diediediediedieeeeee!" I cried, shooting my new laser blaster at the encroaching mass of tentacles and mandibles, holding the bottle of an aquamarine tinted clear liquid close to my chest.

And I ran. I ran so far away, but the tentacles didn't halt in their pursuit, doggedly keeping to my tail.

Thankfully, I had made some distance from it dodging and ducking through rocky underbrush and overhangs.

Taking this chance I pulled out my portal gun with a flick and opened a portal back to the Saraswati, leaping in just as the tentacles reached me.

One of them latched onto my leg, dragging me to the floor, almost shattering the bottle in my hands.

"Learn when to fuck off, you elder dickwads!" I shouted at the tentacles, closing the portal, severing it at it's root.

"Fuck!" I cried, as I pulled off the teeth that had dug into my thighs and calves, revealing gaping tears in the flesh.

"Tsss! Fucking Chthulu assholes. All I wanted was a couple'a drops. Not like I was gonna kill it!" I bitched at the empty room, taking out the healing blood and injecting it into my veins, closing up the wounds on my legs.

I looked down at the bottle in my hand, idly noticing specks of dirty green amidst the pristine aquamarine liquid, waiting for my leg to heal.

This was the last of the materials needed for my body modification plans.

Tears of a baby Chthulu.

Why did I need these?

Well the answer to that was simple.

Science!

Or to be more accurate, for the scifi version of a fit-bit.

I needed the tears to crystallize a receptor quartz that could take in signals across dimensions, meaning that if I died in a future world hopping adventure, at least I would have a back up ready.

The receptor would recieve the signal from my internal fit-bit upon my death and revive me back in my ship.

A respawn point in essence.

Though, I had yet to decide if I was going to make it, at all.

After all, Rick himself had decommissioned the Project Phoenix system in the later seasons, and I suspect he had his reasons. Pretty good reasons too, ones I will find out once I improve my brain capacity to match his, and become able to contain all his memories.

But until then, it was reassurance to have the materials on hand, in case I ever decided I needed a respawn button.

Putting the tears on ice, I rubbed my eyes, the adrenaline from my gather quest taking it's toll.

How long has it been since I last took a break?

I checked my watch, and found out that it had taken nearly two days to gather all the ingredients, and I had nearly died a whole eighteen times, having only survive thanks to the miracle brain juice from Claire that brought me back from the brink of death more times than I was comfortable with.

"Haaarh!" I broke down on the floor, groaning.

My whole body hurts like hell from exhaustion even as the healing blood was working it's wonders at easing it.

People aren't meant to have so many near death encounters in one day!

I ran my hand through my hair, greasy and dirt filled, and sighed.

"Let's take a bath. And then....some sleep." I said, getting back up, as I dragged myself to the bath, soaking in the warm water, planning out a schedule for my body mods.

I have to modify the medical droids to perform the surgery too.

Another thing on an already long list of tasks.

I sighed for the millionth time today.

"I'm gonna work myself to death at this rate." I said, spotting the heavy set bags under my eyes.

I really need some sleep.

My head lolled and my eyes began to droop even in the bath or maybe because of it. Warm baths really are the best.

I giggled.

Just then my transceiver beamed in my pants, lying by the bath.

"Haanh! Not again! What now?" I snapped, grabbing it out of my pocket.

"Commander Walker your presence is requested on Coruscant." Anakin said, in official-speak, "The investigation into the sith infestation has begun. Your testimony is ve-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there." I interrupted him, wagging a finger at him, and continued, "Firstly, no. My testimony is not important, in the least bit. You've got a dozen troopers who saw me and master Windu talk about it. You yourself and your padawan witnessed and participated in it all. I left the evidence with master Windu. You don't need me there.

And I am fucking tired.

I'm lying here, half dead and exhausted. I need my beauty sleep, Annie! I needs it!"

"But the jedi council-"

"Oh fuck the council. Those right tarts can sit on their fancy asses for one more day. Fucking fucks.

And if they're really that concerned then they can use those force visions of theirs to find out the truth. They trust in the 'will of the force' or whatever, don't they? Let them do their jobs right for once in their goddamn lives. Walker out!" I said, making a peace sign and threw the transceiver at the wall, going to sleep in the water.

When I woke up next, some nine hours later, my skin was pruned, the transceiver had blown up with calls and messages and I realized now just what I had done yesterday.

"Ugh!" I groaned, as a sobering realisation dawned on me.

"Alright. I'm stopping this speedrunning bullshit.

I don't care if it takes a whole three years to get this shit done. I can afford it. I'm still young. I have my whole life ahead of me. I don't wanna die on Florpulon-8 with a brain aneurysm at 20."

I walked out of the bath, and dried myself off, before checking up on the message backlog, almost all of them about the same thing.

Now I just have to sort through this situation. Everything else can wait.

I sighed one final time, and began going through the messages, and found out the date of the hearing had been postponed to today, in three hours.

Another time crunch. I muttered dissatisfied, and shut off the transceiver, tucking it into my pockets and getting ready for the hearing, wearing my best clothes, jean jackets, a wine red shirt and a fine pair of perfectly creased chinos.

Odd choice for a jedi council hearing, but hey, can't fuck my position up any more than I already have.

I had no doubt they would try to shift the blame for Obi Wan's death onto me somehow, trying to maintain their already crumbling reputation.

The only way out now was to shock and awe, and most importantly unsettle and break their rythm.

It starts with subtle discord, like a plain but popping outfit amidst an ascetic block.

And just to fuck with them, I even added suede brown boots and a cowboy hat.

Everything has to be perfect.

And if not, I will make it so.

This is my time to be on the offensive. To play my cards I had so carefully prepared.

Offee, Ahsoka, Anakin, Palpatine and Grevious.

A royal flush if I say so myself!

I strapped on my taser armband, clipped my forcefield generator to my hip and picked up the portal gun, tucking it into a holster on my back.

Finally, I took out a flash drive from my computer and inserted it into my transciever.

It was an insurance I had prepared against the jedi in case I needed to turn the public opinion against them or if I needed some extra oomph to convince Ahsoka and Offee to my cause.

The great catalogue of the jedi's atrocities.

The final nail in their coffin once the war was over. Or so it was supposed to be.

But I wasn't against using it now either, given it's convenience.

I stretched in my new clothes and opened a portal to my car, driving back to Coruscant.

I landed outside the temple, now lined by reporters and media personnel hungry for a snippet of some juicy buzz.

As if the chancellor being a secretly evil sith lord wasn't enough news.

But, then again, maybe I can use them to my benefit.

A new plan brewed in my head. One that would result in no deaths while simultaneously getting me everything I ever wanted. And all I had to do was to take on the mantle of the worst profession on the planet, a politician!

Holding my rank patch in my hands, I walked up to the reporters, flashing it for everyone to see.

At first they pulled back, afraid that I was here to throw them out.

But I didn't.

Instead, I scanned their ranks, and pointed at two crews with good looking reporters, and called them over.

"I am commander Walker. As you might know already, I'm here to give my testimony on the scandal rocking the senate today.

And I can get you two in. The only question now is, are you brave enough? Do you want to snag the story of the century?!"

"Yes!" The crews replied, while others behind them protested and jeered.

"Hey! Hey!" I chastised, "You can get the footage from these guys layer so shut your pieholes. And you four, follow me. Make sure to livestream this."

I straightened my jacket and pinned my rank patch on the shoulder, as I walked to the entrance.

"I am commander Walker. You've heard of me?" I asked.

"Yes sir. You are cleared to enter." The two clone troopers replied.

"They will be entering with me." I said, pointing to the two crews.

"That is against protocol, sir." They replied.

"What is your rank soldier?" I aksed, bringing my face close to him, whispering.

"Junior ensign sir." They both replied.

"Then it would be safe to say, I outrank you?" I said, and they nodded.

"Then this is an order. Let these four pass with me. I have a hearing to attend and you wouldn't want the higher ups to start questioning why I was held up by two junior ensigns, would you?" I growled.

"N-no sir. But they have to undergo a full body check, at least." The other soldier insisted.

I groaned silently and gave him a stink eye, before nodding.

"Fine. Make it quick."

Once they were cleared, I led them up the temple, out of sight, which wasn't difficult given most people were at the hearing already.

Arriving before the grand auditorium, I found Anakin and Ahsoka waoting for me by the doors.

"Walker! Finally! You're here. I was afraid you won't make it!" Anakin said, relieved, "Why do you look like...."

"A kaminoan ballsack? Don't mention it. I fell asleep in the bath yesterday. Woke up like this. Nothing we can do now." I said, embarrassed.

"Hey! Master Anakin vouched for you, so you better behave!" Ahsoka humphed, still angry at me.

"Jeez, sorry Ahsoka. Is this about the other day? I was in a hurry. And you saw why too didn't you?"

Ahsoka's features softened and she gave in.

"Fine. You're right. But that doesn't mean I'm over it. We'll talk later." She insisted.

"Of course." I replied, when Anakin spotted the crew.

"What are they doing here?!" He asked, "They are not allowed in here."

"Anakin. Anakin." I said, holding him by the shoulders, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course but-"

"Then let them come. You won't regret it." I said, "And Anakin? I'll need you to trust me in there. Like really trust me. I'll reveal things in there that no one wants to hear. Things that need to be revealed for the future of the republic. And the people in power won't like their dirty laundry aired like that. So I need you to promise me. Promise to be patient, no matter how ugly the truth seems, okay?"

"I....I will try." He replied hesitantly.

"Thank you, Anakin. You are a good friend." I said, "Today, in there, heroes will be made and heroes will fall. And you will have to make a choice, Anakin.

Will you sink with the old or rise with the new?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Let me show you. Come, let's go!" I said, walking into the auditorium.