This is a sequel to jedichic0105's A Visit to the Past. It is the story of Faith Tano, Ahsoka's sister, and her path from the side of the Emperor to the side of those she wishes to protect. Enjoy!

The New Rebels

Night had set over the vast city. A young girl stared out at the city as the lights of the town came on. She wasn't like the other girls of the city. She had orange skin with white birthmarks all over. Instead of hair she had two head-tails similar to those of the beings known as Twi'leks, with a third running down her neck. Unlike the older ones of her race, her head-tails were short and came to just below her shoulder line.

Despite all this, there was something else. The city knew nothing of her existence. She wore black clothing that hid her from the population. Whenever she was out, she had to sneak around town so no one would find her. For if anyone did, her master would be furious. She lived in the Imperial Palace. She was the apprentice of the Emperor.

She decided to go out into the palace and walk around for a few hours, to clear her mind of the day's events. She had snuck out to find her only city friend. Katsu, a young human male, had taken her to see the lower levels. She had been having fun with him before an Imperial stormtrooper accused them of stealing. They had taken off running. She managed to get away, but she saw Katsu get pulled aside by a man wearing a white long sleeve hooded tunic, black loose pants, and black boots.

She had needed to get back to the palace, so she had to leave him. She still hoped that he had been okay, but she remembered the missions where she had been forced into the reality of the world around her. The mission that had ended in failure on the ice planet Deltora and the slaughter she had to carry out on Kinlo. Still, she held hope for him.

"Lady Faith!" a voice called out behind her. She turned to see a female servant coming. It was Sari, her personal servant and only friend in the palace. Others acted like her friend here, but she was the only one to help her leave the palace and sneak some adventures out into the city.

"Hello Sari. How are you?" Faith asked.

The girl looked around and spoke in a low whisper. "I'm well, my lady. I found out about Katsu. He's safe and he asked me if I could deliver this message to you." She handed a small sheet of paper to her and bowed before walking over.

Faith returned to her room and activated a light near her study chair. She sat and opened the sheet of paper to read it.

Faith,

I hope you're the one reading this. First off, I'm fine so don't worry about me. Second I know you don't speak about anything outside of the palace to anyone but Sari, but please no matter what don't talk about the man that pulled me aside. He's a friend of mine and saw me in trouble.

Anyway, I wanted to warn you. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I fear for you Faith. Something is going to happen tonight. I can't say in case this lands in someone else's hands. But please, be careful tonight and don't…kill anyone. Please!

I hope I can see you soon.

Katsu

Faith sat there both happy and yet stunned by the letter. What does he mean? What would get him to be so afraid for my safety? She thought about everything she had ever done with him. All the adventures and conversations. Then it hit here. Every time she had noticed a second person following them. They wore the same outfit as the man who stopped Katsu, but each time it had been someone different and she couldn't ever actually track them.

A knock came to her door. "Come in."

An Imperial elite trooper stuck his head in. These troops had been trained by the last of the clone troopers before they died. "Mam, the palace sensors just went off. Something got through the security field. The Emperor has asked that you take command of the elite and perform a check on the entire palace."

"Very well. Take the men and perform sweeps from the first floors and send men into the sub-levels and up to the top floors." Faith ordered. She put the letter in her tunic pocket.

As she walked out into the hall, she had to grasp onto the armor of one of the troopers as the whole palace shook. After the first wave, several other ones went out. A trooper came running down the passage.

"Report!" Faith commanded.

"Mam, several explosions just went off in the palace. Several people have been seen slaying our elite troopers and the Emperors Royal Guard. The Emperor is safe and commands you to strike back at the insurgents."

Faith nodded and ordered the troops to head for the nearest fight. She took two men with her to go and check the areas that had been hit, but no insurgents had shown yet. They had just entered the first area when they ran into Sari.

"Lady Faith, what's going on?" Sari inquired. Fear clearly showed on her face.

"Insurgents. Go to your quarters and stay there. I'll see you when this is over with." Faith said. As the girl went off for her room, one of the troopers leaned down to her.

"You know the Emperor doesn't approve of you talking to the servants like that." he said.

Disregarding the man, she continued down the hallway and entered the large chamber that was on fire. She pulled out the metal cylinder that she had been given by her master. She looked around the room and was about to leave when something caught her eye. She motioned for the two troopers to go forward and check it.

Just as they were about to spring forward at her command, a blaster shot collided with the head of one of them. He collapsed instantly. Turning to face the shooter, the other trooper poured fire into the shadows. Five individuals jumped out from their hiding place. Two fired rifle rounds at them and the other three drew some strange swords out. She activated the weapon in her hand and a red blade of light sprung forth.

"It's a damn Sith!" one of the insurgents yelled. The three with the swords jumped forward. One ducked under the trooper's fire and brought the sword up into the man's chest. It actually went through the armor. The man fell down dead.

Faith brought her lightsaber up and went to strike the nearest insurgent. Just before she landed the blow, he blocked it with the sword. It actually blocked the lightsaber! The insurgent's eyes widened as he looked at her. He broke contact, turned with his back to her, and held his hands up for his comrades to stop.

Faith, with a clear chance to strike the man down, hesitated. Why is this guy protecting me? Wait, protecting me?! Faith watched as his friends stopped, but they didn't lower their weapons.

"What're you doing? We're supposed to be destroying the elite troopers, Royal Guards, and Sith apprentices. How dare you go against the orders of the General?" one of the men interrogated.

"Captain Derran, I can't let you do this. This person…she's my friend!" the man countered. Then it dawned on her. The way he acted, the warning letter, the attack on the palace…

"Katsu?" she asked. The man looked back at her and removed the hood of his tunic from his face. It was indeed Katsu. "You're alright! What's going on? Who are these guys? Why are you attacking the palace?"

"Easy Faith. I can explain…well almost everything." Katsu answered.

"Hang on. Did you say Faith? Faith Tano? Your friend in the palace?" the man, Derran, asked. He removed his hood as well and looked at her. Shock and pain showed on his face.

"Captain is something wrong?" a female insurgent asked.

"You look just like her. It's been so long. I knew she had a sister, but I thought she died in the purge. How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen." Faith answered. She switched off her lightsaber and put it on her belt. "Why are you asking me this? Who do I look like?"

"Did you know of your sister?"

"My master said I did have a sister at one time. She was the apprentice of Lord Vader, but she failed in a mission and died."

"Another lie. You look just like her you know. Just like Ahsoka."

"Wait, does this mean you knew my sister?"

"Only for awhile, but she was a great friend. The Emperor is lying to you. We know the truth."

Faith stood there shocked. This man was saying her world was wrong. They didn't know her, but they knew her sister and…the truth? What truth?

"What do you mean? He wouldn't lie! Not to me!"

"Faith, please listen." Katsu pleaded. He stood a head taller than her and he was staring down into her eyes. "The Emperor is lying to you. Remember how you felt after your mission on Kinlo. You didn't know why you had to kill all those innocent people. Do you really want to serve a man who orders the deaths of innocents?"

Faith backed away from him. "I…I don't know. You want me to trust you, but how can I when you and you friends are attacking my home?"

Katsu looked to Derran, who gave him a nod. He pulled out a comlink on his belt and spoke into it. "All squads, you are to pull out immediately. Cease the attacks! Regroup at Point Four!" He put the comlink back on his belt.

"There we're leaving. Please come with us. With this we can't stay on Coruscant anymore." Katsu pleaded.

Faith hesitated once more. A part of her actually wanted to go with them, but she still wasn't sure. Katsu noticed this and pulled a comlink from his tunic pocket.

"Here. When you finally make up your mind, use this to contact us. We'll still be here for thirty more hours. Please, come with us."

After that, Katsu, Derran, and the three others had vanished into the night. Elite troopers had shown up soon after to find her on her knees with the two dead troopers. They took the bodies and said that the Emperor wanted to see her in the morning.

Accepting it, she went to find Sari. The servant quarters were caught in a blast so she didn't find her there. Instead she found her at her own quarters. She told her to come inside. She fixed a place for Sari on her couch and relaxed on her bed. But it took her awhile to fall asleep and it was a fitful one at that.

Seven hours later

Faith woke up to Sari shaking her. "My lady, it's time for you to go see the Emperor."

Faith got up and thanked Sari. She left the room and made her way up to the Emperor's office. As she went, she saw the results of the attack last night. Entire wings had been burned and several parts of the palace were crumbling. She even passed a room were there were dead troopers being placed. There were several dozen lying in rows on the floor. A single man was recording their unit numbers.

Eventually, she made it to the Emperor's office. She went in and kneeled before him. She heard his breathing and felt his anger.

"Rise my child." he said. She did so and faced him. "Did you have any questions before we begin?"

"My Lord and master, what happened last night? Who were those men, how bad were our losses, and did we manage to get any of them?"

"Last night, approximately fifty insurgents calling themselves soldiers of the O.W.K. placed several explosives inside the palace. They took out most of our power as well as our armory for the guards here. We lost nearly two hundred of our elite troopers and a dozen of my other apprentices. Obviously they were not as strong as you."

Faith listened to this shocked. Derran had said something about other Sith apprentices, but she thought she heard wrong. "Master, you mean there are more apprentices like me?"

"Yes, last night several of them ran into each other during the fight so I see no point in keeping the secret now. I have several apprentices. Or rather, I did have several. As of last night, you and four others are the only ones left alive at the palace. The rest that live are spread throughout my empire doing my bidding."

Faith didn't know how to react. She simply stayed silent.

"Now child, it is my turn. I have heard from the others of there accounts last night. I sense confusion in you. What happened last night when you went to confront the insurgents?"

Faith recounted the night's events, leaving out Derran and Katsu's names as well as her being the reason for the ceasefire and the comlink stashed away in her room. She felt that if the emperor was entitled to keep a few secrets from her, then she could do the same to him. She waited for his response as she finished.

"So they tried to use your sister to turn you? Yet you were smart of enough to see through the lie? Those are just the reasons you are my best apprentice. Go. You and my other apprentices will track down the insurgents and deal them a blow none will ever forget."

Faith bowed and made to leave the room. But she stopped. Without hesitating, she turned to face the emperor once more. "Master, just what was my sister like and how did she die?"

The emperor smiled. "It is natural for you to want to know of her. She was the best apprentice Lord Vader had ever trained. She was ruthless, cunning, and powerful. She sentenced those who deserved their punishment without hesitation. However on her last mission to Deltora, she hesitated. That was when she was shot down by rebels who wished to usurp our empire."

Faith listened to him and bowed when he finished. She left the office and headed for her room. All along the way back, she thought of the Emperor's story of her sister. He hadn't paid attention to her listening to Force. She was able to tell whether he was lying to her or not. And he was lying big time.

She returned to her room to find Sari cleaning what she could. Faith motioned for her to stop and come over to her. She told Sari the entire truth of what happened the night before as well as her meeting with the Emperor.

"What are you going to do?"

Faith reached down to pick up the comlink from the stand next to her bed. She paused before activating it. "I plan on doing what is right. What will you do?"

Sari stared at her before answering. "I will go wherever you decide. You are my friend and if you go I go."

Faith smiled and activated the comlink. A moment later, Katsu answered it. "Faith! What have….What have you decided?"

"I'm with you. But there are two other things. First, Sari knows about my decision and wishes to come as well."

"That's great! I finally get to meet the great Sari!"

Sari looked at Faith with a raised eyebrow. Smiling, Faith continued. "Yes, but there's more. I'm supposed to join four other Sith apprentices and track you down. What do we do?"

A moment passed before Katsu replied. "We have a plan. Here's what you should do…"

Nighttime

The group of five apprentices made their way down the empty streets of the sub levels. Ten of the best elite troopers were with them. They had received word from Intelligence of where several people wearing the outfit of the insurgents were hiding.

Faith looked at the other apprentices. All of them were men, three human and one Trandoshan. She had been put in command of the group and had tried to grasp some understanding of their abilities. The real threat from the other apprentices would be the dark haired human with the purple eyes. Something about him gave her the chills.

"We've arrived commander." the lead trooper said. She nodded and motioned for the troopers to prepare to enter the building. Before she moved into position to force blast the doors, the Trandoshan and one of the human males pushed her aside.

"We will do it." the man said. The Trandoshan grumbled an agreement. They took their positions and struck out with the force at the door. Then the first group of troopers went in with them. As soon as they did, they were engulfed in a huge explosion. Faith felt them die instantly.

"Now Zeth!" a voice called out. Suddenly, several individuals wearing the same white hooded tunic, black pants, and black boots as the ones that attacked the palace jumped out.

Before they could react, the insurgents were in their midst. The troopers were overwhelmed and beaten. The remaining apprentices drew their lightsabers and faced the attackers. The dark haired male stood back as the red headed male struck out. He was about to make contact with the man's flesh when he was blocked by a lightsaber. He looked to his left to see that it was Faith.

"Commander! What are you doing?" he cried out. Faith knocked his saber aside, pushed him back, and sent a big force blast at the dark haired man. He went flying off into the burning building.

"Zario!" the red headed man cried out. He lunged at Faith. She batted aside his lightsaber. He swung at her feet, but she managed to somersault over his head and bring her lightsaber through his back and out through his chest. Shock showed on his face.

"Ratil, you should know not to fight me. I was the Emperor's best. But no more. I'm…sorry it had to be like this." Faith said. She pulled out her lightsaber and watched him fall. She turned not wanting to see him struggling. "I had hoped maybe one of the other apprentices would join me. But Aviro and the Trandoshan were arrogant. They wouldn't change. You might have, but you are too loyal to the Emperor."

"What about me, Commander?"

Faith froze. She turned to see Zario walking out of the building. His clothing was burnt in some places, but he seemed to be fine. The insurgents nearest him charged him, but he activated his lightsaber and cut them down. "What was your impression of me?" he asked in a bored voice.

Faith felt the insurgents gather to either side and directly behind her. None of them had brought blasters because they knew they would be facing Sith apprentices. Faith calmed her voice before answering. "I don't know. Your presence in the Force made it impossible to read. Their so much twisted feelings in you that you're impossible to read."

"Heh. So it's just as the master said. I can't be read. I wonder why that is." Zario knelt down next to Ratil and she felt something in the Force. He stood back up and faced her. "But with that aside, I must ask why do you betray us?"

"I'm not betraying anyone. I'm doing the right thing and taking my talents away from a man who would use them for evil purposes."

"You pledged an oath to the Emperor. You broke it. Now I suppose there's only one thing to do." He jumped at her. She jumped at him. Their lightsabers met and their fight began.

She had never faced someone as powerful as him before. She would lunge, swing, slice, and everything else at him, but he would block it easily. She was barely able to keep his blows off her. She heard an engine and looked up to see a shuttle bearing down. The ramp opened and the insurgents jumped up into the ramp. She saw Katsu come to the mouth of the ramp and motion for her to come on.

It was in that moment that Zario evaded her guard and cut her lightsaber in half. She was Force pushed into a wall. Zario smiled at her in victory, but stopped. He saw the fear on her face, but he felt it wasn't for him. It was for…

The lightsaber he cut in half exploded. It sent him flying into the wall of the burning building. The wall collapsed on him and buried half of his body. He struggled to look up at Faith who jumped to the ramp and was looking down.

"What-?"

"I lost my first lightsaber in the same way. To prevent anyone from taking me by surprise if it happened again, I built a small explosive into the hilt that would only go off if the link was severed. This is goodbye, Zario."

As the ramp closed, she heard him screaming at her. She followed Katsu up into the shuttle. It was bigger than she thought. She passed several of the soldiers in the hallways, but most were sitting on the ground. They reached the bridge and she was immediately jumped by Sari.

"Faith! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Sari said.

"Same to you Sari. It's good to know you were able to meet up with Katsu."

She got Sari to let her go and looked around the bridge. There were only five other people: the navigator, the communicator specialist, the pilot, the co-pilot, and Derran. He approached her with a smile.

"Glad to have you with us." he said, holding out his hand to shake.

She shook his hand, a little unsure of the gesture. No one had ever offered to shake her hand before. "So where're we going?"

"To the home base of the Order. Pilot, take us to Linor!"

Linor? Now were have I heard that name before? As she sat down in one of the chairs pondering this, the shuttle entered hyperspace.

Later, back at the Palace's Secret assembling area

The Emperor looked down at the small force kneeling before him. "You all know of the traitor. She has taken part in the murder of several of our own elite troopers and two of my apprentices. She has battled and left two others badly injured. I issue this order and expect it to be carried out. Hunt down and capture the traitor, Faith Tano. Commander, if you and your men are ready arise and state so."

The man closest to him rose and faced him. The purple eyes were full of anger. "I, Commander Zario, accept this mission." He turned to face the men behind him. "As do the rest of your loyal apprentices. Am I right?"

The apprentices rose to their feet and cried out. "We accept this great task the Emperor entrusts to us. All hail the Emperor!"

The Emperor smiled. You were my best Faith. I will have you back or you will die.

So what did you think? REVIEWS!