When Writer's Block hits me, what do I do? Write one-shots to get my gears going again. So, I've been reading a lot of Star Wars and they ignited my love for them again, especially Ahsoka Tano. This is an AU of Revenge of the Sith, except the bombing never occurred. Everything else is self explanatory. I hope you like it, but really it's only a one-shot and piece to get my creative gears out of the cranny.
Note: Cover photo for this does not belong to me. It was drawn and belongs to KaelaCroftArt from DeviantArt. The ownership of this drawing belongs to her.
Véurr (Vey-urr) is Protector in Old Norse.
Enjoy.
"She is fearless."
("She is cruel.")
"No one has her kind of determination."
("Her ruthlessness knows no bounds.")
"My name… my name is- who am I?"
Year: 19 BBY…
Canon: Revenge of the Sith
(Scene: The Jedi Temple, Coruscant)
It was a late night at the Jedi Temple, most of the occupants say for a few guarding the halls, are asleep. The temple guards walk the corridors, some remaining Jedi Masters and Knights who haven't been assigned for war were finishing up their tasks to prepare for bed. All the Younglings and Jedi Padawans were sleeping soundly in their rooms. It is shameful that their peaceful sleep will end in death. Unbeknownst to them, the fall of the Jedi is near and it will start soon, and sooner than they think. Surprisingly, through the fault and stupidity of the temple guards, the front entrance of the temple remained unprotected, to be fair the entrance was always unprotected save for a couple of hidden surveillance cameras. From the distance, the sounds of a thousand men can be heard, walking in perfect unison, their blaster rifles ready for the signal needed by their leader. A black cloaked figure stood in front of them, walking in confidence and complete authority with the legion of the 501st Clone troopers, they remained here while their General went off to Utapau with the 212th to aid another General in arresting or ending General Grievous, the leader of the Separatist Droid Army. It was difficult to tell who the person is, as the sound of marching echoed the temple and seeping into the halls, all that could be seen under the hood were a pair of icy blue eyes that threatened to change colour; and glinting underneath, were a pair of lightsabers. A fellow Jedi, a turncoat, a traitor, what has caused this particular Jedi to turn against his own? By the time they reached the hall, the guards saw them and instantly knew they were under attack, igniting their double yellow-bladed lightsabers. They were given one warning to turn back or lay down their weapons and face the law, instead, the cloaked figure raised his hand and it was the signal the clones needed and opened fired.
The blaster fire woke everyone in the temple up, all dashing for their lightsabers, others being instructed to save the Younglings, the survival and fate of The Order was through them, should the Jedi Masters and Knights not make it. The two temple guards that attempted to stop them were shot dead and the 501st broke up into groups to take down the entire Jedi Order. Operation Knightfall has been initiated, as well as Order Sixty-six. Order Sixty-six, one of many orders encoded into the biochips inside the brain of every single Clone trooper and this order states that should the Jedi turn against the Republic, they are to be deemed traitors and killed on sight. Leaving the clones to their duty, the traitorous Jedi went off, sensing a group of Jedi hiding in one of the chambers, most likely where the pathetic Jedi Council sit. The figure easily located the room and entered, finding a Jedi Knight surrounded by six Padawans. To the figure, he recognised them, the used to be Younglings when they went on their Rite of Passage known as The Gathering, to retrieve their Kyber Crystal on the icy planet of Ilum, now they have all been assigned Masters, who won't live to see the sunrise. How they used to be friends, the cloaked Jedi was a role model to them, after everything they went through. The Jedi Knight is no stranger either, recognising Barriss Offee, former Padawan of Master Luminara Unduli. Barriss was knighted two or three weeks after Ahsoka. The two became fast friends since the events of Geonosis, almost dying after destroying the Droid Factory and the whole incident with the Geonosian Brain Worms. Jedi Knight Offee stood up, relieved to see another, Barriss was under the impression that the clones got to her; she was tasked by her old Master to stay with the Padawans until she returned. The Padawans did the same, glad to see a friendly face, or so they think. Despite her own strict training with Master Laminara, Ahsoka was her only true friend, even if her manners with her own Master were somewhat… improper or unconventional, not adhering to the Jedi Code. It was clear while under Master Skywalker's tutelage, Ahsoka was equally open minded as Anakin, questioning the rules, bending them if needs be and the situation called for it. What Barriss liked about the dynamic between Ahsoka and Anakin, was their brother-sisterly bond, though she felt their attachment was leaning towards familial boundaries; a father and his daughter and also the name calling, something The Council seemed to frown upon because of the informality. Anakin is Skyguy, a play or a pun on his surname and Ahsoka is Snips, because of her snippy attitude when they first met. Barris brought herself back to the here and now, just in time to hear one of the Younglings.
"Knight Tano! Please!" The young girl begged. "You have to help us!" So he is a she. Knight Tano, Ahsoka Tano, she was the once proud Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One. He was Skyguy and she was his Snips. She built up a reputation in the temple for being the youngest Padawan to be knighted, she is only seventeen. Ahsoka honestly did not want to kill Petro, Katooni, Byph, Ganodi, Zat and Gungi; a varied group in terms of their place of birth - a human, a Tholothian, an Ithorian, Rodian, Nautolan and a Wookiee. However, they are Padawans, they are Jedi, they are the enemy of the rising Empire, a threat and they must die. The girl that spoke to her was Katooni, she was suddenly stopped by Petro, who was shaking his head. Deep down inside him, through the Force, he wasn't sure if the others could sense it, but there was something… off, dark about Ahsoka and she has changed very much since they have last seen her. Ahsoka still stood, her hood covering her lekku, only revealing her montrals; with eerie silence as blasters were heard behind the door, the sounds of screaming guards, Knights, Masters, Padawans and possibly Younglings too, as they fell to the deaths. However, to the Jedi, there is no such thing as death, only the Force and they are now one with the Force. Still saying nothing, Ahsoka finally moved her hand, reaching down for her waist unclipping her standard lightsaber; her other hand caught her shorter weapon, her Lightsaber Shoto. It was a gift from her Master, Anakin, he felt there was something missing in her style. Ahsoka is a master, though not the only one, in the fighting style of Form IV - Ataru, then within that style is the advanced form Jar'Kai, the style primarily favoured duel wielding. She is infamous among her age group for her unconventional reverse grip, sacrificing power for speed and accuracy, and astonished Master Jedi with her ability and prowess with Form IV, if they thought Form III was hard, even Masters had a hard with time Ataru and combining that with Jar'Kai, never mind using it with a reverse grip and she had displayed outstanding mastery as a Padawan back then. Though if she finds herself in sticky situations, she took it upon herself with help from her former Master and some tips from Obi-wan Kenobi in two other styles: Form III - Soresu, the most difficult form and Master Kenobi has it nailed, Ahsoka could not grasp it very well, she didn't really like it. However, she does like Anakin's style: Form V - Shien/Djem So, it's the style they both shared and it made her feel closer to Anakin in a familial way. She is also adept in Form VI - Niman. Being a Togruta, aggressiveness is a part of her nature, that predatory side and she can't really help it. However, in her Youngling days, that aggressiveness did get her into trouble, sparring sessions would be abruptly ended, some other poor Youngling was close to losing a hand or an arm, had a Jedi Master not stopped her. Back then, before she met Anakin, the only Jedi Masters that could tame Ahsoka, somewhat were Master Plo Koon, Shaak Ti and Yoda. This time, right now, Ahsoka is literally hunting, hunting down every Jedi, the prey, till none stand and the temple burns to ashes.
The young Jedi Knight had one goal in mind for doing all this, she's making the galaxy a better place for the surrogate family that welcomed her with open arms. After Anakin opened up about his secret marriage with the brave and stubborn senator of Naboo: Padmé Amidala. Once she got closer, they began treating her like a daughter and in return, she saw them as a mother and father she wished she had, after being taken from her own family at three years old. It was something that she found cruel and unfair, Ahsoka knew nothing of her biological family, it made her angry, which was primarily the source of her aggression. Now, Anakin and Padmé are her family. Of course she even had the honour of learning about her surrogate mother's pregnancy and was so excited to be an older sister, the thought of having a young brother or sister. She was going to be a role model, someone their child can look up to, be the cool older sister and protect them. Then everything spiralled into confusion, stress and uncertainty; Ahsoka found herself plagued by nightmares… visions… premonitions seeing her mother-figure Padmé crying out in pain as she gave birth… her surrogate mom dies at childbirth and Anakin, it was uncertain. What she couldn't lose though, was Padmé and if she saw her dying, Anakin would no doubt die too and she wasn't having it. The Togrutan Jedi Knight has become attached to the Amidala-Skywalker couple and by the Force she was going to do everything in her power to keep them safe; premonitions be damned. The Jedi Code forbids attachment, because it leads them to the Dark Side, for Ahsoka, to hell with that, her Master is already a living example of that and he hasn't gone near the Dark Side. Their bond, their closeness was already being questioned and whispered among the obnoxious Council, even talks of assigning Tano to another Master after being with him for six months during their Master-Padawan days. Ahsoka ended up standing on hot coals with Master Aalya Secura when she saw that attachment, no doubt she let out those concerns after that event. Kriff! Even Master Luminara, behind Barriss' back was raising eyebrows at the closeness between the two and kriffing Mace Windu is being very… harshly critical towards them. Why should they be detached from emotion and those they love? Are they not a reason to keep fighting? A source of strength? When Chancellor Palpatine entered the picture and revealing himself as the Sith Lord, he opened a doorway that can help her become stronger, strong enough to keep her family safe. Ahsoka took her first step in turning to the Dark Side after saving Palpatine, who is Darth Sidious, from being killed by Mace Windu and the rest of The Order. It opened her eyes that the Jedi are wrong about a lot of things and now, their mistakes will be punished by extinction. Ahsoka Tano she is no more, that side of her died when she bent the knee, accepting her allegiance to her new Master and the new Order: the Imperial Empire. The Sith apprentice finally spoke her words, but they were simple and to the point.
"My name is Darth Véurr." Her voice was low, but loud enough for them to hear, as the Padawans gasped in shock. The other Jedi Knight, Barriss was unfazed as her lightsaber activated, revealing a blue blade, only hearing the word Darth. Inside her though, her heart weeped for her friend, the friend she once knew, as questions raced through her mind at a hundred miles per minute. Where did they go wrong? Why did her best friend turn? Who corrupted and manipulated her? They all heard the darkness and evil in her voice, she is not Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka Tano is gone and she ignited both her two lightsabers, a green and yellow-green blade, the six Padawans did the same, preparing themselves to fight to the bitter end. Ahso- Darth Véurr said her last sentence, knowing none of them are going to go down quietly; taking their actions as a sign of resistance: "Then you will die!" Such venom in her voice was foreign to her former friends, now threats of the Imperial Empire, for a split second they all swore they saw her eyes flash a sickening yellow-gold, but her eyes still remained blue, just only cold and emotionless ice, not warm and calm as the water. With her words, Barriss charged at Véurr and they clashed. Because of the chaos, no one could hear the ripple of sadness emitting from Ahsoka's lightsabers, her sabre with the green blade being more prominent than the other. No one could hear the ripple through the Force, as her green Kyber Crystal cried, forced to remember each one of the Padawans that fell to the blade. It mourned for its original wielder Ahsoka Tano, she would never stoop so low and kill innocent children no less, even her best friend Barriss who now lays motionless on the floor, with a scorching slash wound after being struck across the chest, the sound of sizzling, coagulating blood and the smell of burn filled the room. As each child fell, it was another memory being absorbed into the Kyber Crystal, such bloodshed it had to retain.
Operation Knightfall, Order Sixty-six was the darkest day in Jedi history, across the entire universe. The Jedi Purge being better known. It all started because a Togrutan Jedi Knight was manipulated into the Dark Side, in return, a promise to protect her family; such misguided and disillusioned meaning of protection. On this day, Darth Véurr brought the Jedi Order to its knees, destroying its foundations, they were no survivors. How easy it is for a single word to lose its meaning, Véurr meaning Protector, but the once Jedi Knight turned Sith Lady, is a protector for all the wrong reasons.
"Ahsoka Tano was weak, I destroyed her." Véurr finished, before slashing her sabre against a crying Katooni's chest. Her body limped to the floor. Those words, that much spoke true, Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan, the once proud Jedi Knight, has died.; killed by Darth Véurr. From that horrific day forward, few surviving Jedi who went into exile and hiding, swear they can hear a Kyber Crystal cry through the Force, if they risk connecting to it, and the wailing of the Younglings and Padawans, along with Jedi Masters and Knights who remained in the temple, as well as the pleas of Jedi Knight Barriss Offee; that went unheard or ignored because she was speaking to Darth Véurr, not Ahsoka Tano.
"My name is Darth Véurr. That is who I am."
Oh… wow, well… I hope I captured the sadness of the fall of the Jedi Temple right. It's been donkey's years since I watched Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and watched the scene of Operation Knightfall. I also had the random idea that the Kyber Crystal, while may not be sentient, but is capable of grasping emotion. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Searching For The Truth or Lullaby for a Soldier. They will come out of hiatus, just bear with me.
Bye!