"In Need of Wings"

Chapter the Twenty-Fifth

"She goes by the name Barriss," Boba said.

"Barriss, huh? That wouldn't be…"

"Yeah. That one."

Bane had heard the story of Barriss Offee's betrayal to the Jedi Order. But of course, it wasn't until he was hired to look after Ahsoka that he learned the other side of the story. How Ahsoka was framed by her friend and put on trial. It had taken a few shots of tequila over a card game for Ahsoka to spill the story to him, before she passed out on the couch of his apartment, and Bane had no choice but to let her sleep there until they continued training the next day.

Betrayal violated something in you. It rejected your hope that someone could be trusted in. Killed the part of you that knew how to love. Unraveled years of threading together the best parts of you. Bane saw all of it in young Ahsoka's eyes as she cried her eyes out, lamenting what the Jedi Order had done. What Barriss had done. Stirred part of Bane's heart that had not been touched in decades.

It also him hold a grudge against Barriss, whom he never planned to meet, and hoped he never would. Not until now.

"She's working for the Empire?" Bane frowned.

Of course. Who isn't nowadays?

"You'll find her at the secondary facility on Mustafar…if what I heard about you a few years back is true, you should know where that is." Boba said the words as if they cut like a knife in his throat to say them.

He did. He remembered.

"Why Mustafar?"

"Does it matter?" Boba dusted himself off. "That's all I can tell you, Bane. You'll find her on Mustafar. And the sooner you get there, the better chance you have of stopping her."

"From doing what?" He realized the answer as soon as he asked the question. He felt a sinking feeling turn his blood cold as ice. "She…is going to kill Tano."

When Boba didn't answer, that was enough for Bane. He stepped back, still watching the younger bounty hunter carefully.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"If you don't believe me, feel free to put a tracking device on my ship. That should clear up any worry of being followed into a trap."

"Watch it." Bane sneered before walking off, sick with worry.

What is Ahsoka doing on Mustafar? Dammit. I shouldn't have left…

This is my fault. If she gets killed, it'll be on me.

But she's not dead yet, he reminded himself. Plenty of time for self-loathing later.

Mustafar, huh? Odd coincidence…no, not a coincidence at all. If Barriss plans to kill 'Soka, Vader must have sent her. The one who started this whole mess.

Mustafar. Bane recalled the last time he was there. Where he sent Force-sensitive infants to lose their lives forever. Took them from their families. Not that it mattered since the Jedi kept the children afterwards…Bane was just a step ahead of their plans. Mustafar, where a dark plan had been stopped thanks to Skywalker and his apprentice getting the better of Bane. Mustafar, where Sidious showed Bane what happens when he didn't finish the job. Bane could still feel the Force lightning through his nerves, if he closed his eyes.

Mustafar, where Ahsoka Tano would die if he didn't stop it first.

As he readied his ship and left for the only planet he could honestly describe as a 'living hell,' Bane realized a truth he had denied for far too long. A truth that had begun sinking into his subconscious long before he met Vader for the first time, long before he went from the best bounty hunter of his day to a fugitive constantly running to stay alive.

He did not care if he lost his life. Only that Ahsoka was spared.

No one would miss him when he died. He would just disappear from the galaxy without a trace, nothing to show for it, nothing to leave behind, no place he would want his physical shell to be laid to rest. Only a reputation slowly dying anyway, and a place somewhere in the stars he would have to look for to belong, eventually. A whole life spent living hand to hand, destroying to survive, killing to live, always looking over his shoulder and fighting to be at the top of the hill. Nobody would shed a tear when he got what was coming to him.

He had done what he had to do. That much was true. Justified some, but not nearly enough for him to be reconciled with his soul. For years he had become so used to loathing his entire being for what he had done that it seemed bizarre, almost frightening, to imagine a life worth living.

It would be easier to go out the way he had been cursed to be. And not even consider the man he could be.

In a word, if Mustafar meant his death, Bane was ready to say goodbye. He had been ready for as long as he could remember. At least he had given the galaxy his worst while he could.

Before he could change his mind, he commed the last person he wanted to talk to.

"Bane…? It's the middle of the night. There had better be a good reason for this."

"Ventress. I fucked up."

"Well, that's a first."

Bane bit his tongue. Even in these circumstances, he had to fight back the instinct to retort.

"The kid's in trouble. I have to go save her."

"And you need my help." Ventress' tone had suddenly changed. From annoyed apathy to hesitant concern. So Ventress had a soft spot for Ahsoka, too.

"You're still on my ship, aren't you? I hate doing this, but I'll have to trust you to fly her to the coordinates I'm about to send you."

"What are they?"

"Mustafar system."

"I'm not going to that hellhole, Bane. No chance."

"Vader is going to have Ahsoka killed there. If you want a shot at killing him, and possibly an Inquisitor, you'll be there. Otherwise, you'll be missing out on all the fun."

Bane wasn't even sure Vader would be there. But how else could he convince Ventress to help out?

"I'll think about it…" She finally said.

"Think faster than you usually tend to do." He rubbed his brow. "I couldn't care less what you choose, you know that. But if Ahsoka dies, it's on you. Oh, one more thing…if I don't make it back, give Todo an oil bath and see that he's taken good care of."

Hands shaking, he shut off his comm so Ventress wouldn't have the luxury of replying.

Boba Fett watched Bane's ship depart the planet. Sure enough, Bane had placed a tracking device on Boba's ship. As to be expected, Bane did not trust anybody in this galaxy. Boba understood that more than he would ever admit.

Too bad for Bane, a tracking device alone would not be enough.

Boba raised his comm to his lips and spoke softly. In case Bane had hidden any other devices that might record his voice if he raised it just enough.

"This is Fett. He is on his way to the secondary facility on Mustafar."

"Good work, bounty hunter. Your payment will be on its way," the Inquisitor answered. "Stay in position until you are told otherwise. Then Vader will need you for another job."

"And what will that be?"

"Disposing of evidence on Mustafar, mostly. There can be no trace that Bane was ever there. Vader has requested that we make his death as discreet as possible."

So Boba had sent him to his death after all.

"All right. I will stay on standby, then." Boba put on his helmet and walked away.

Guilt tugged at him like gravity. Not for lying to Bane, of course…Boba could easily accept that. But that he had taken the Galactic Empire's side. The Empire, in the young several months it had taken rise, had not hesitated to discriminate unfairly toward non-Humans, Force-sensitives, and anyone who expressed the smallest of anti-Imperial sympathies.

In his heart, Boba knew it was wrong. But in his mind, he justified that it was too late to change anything.

Asajj Ventress prepared Sleight of Hand for takeoff. The coordinates Bane sent her were in the holocomputer. All she had to do was enter them in and set the course for hyperspace.

She began pacing around. She had always despised this ship. Despised its filth, disorganization, chaotic reminders of its owner. Then, in the back room, Ahsoka had left almost all of her things. The note she left behind for Ventress was still propped up on the counter.

It did not take Ventress as long as she thought it would to make her decision.

"Todo 360, if I put the coordinates in for the ship, you'll be able to stay here and keep it on auto-pilot, won't you?"

"I've been programmed to do so many times, Miss Ventress."

"Good. Then you're going to take this ship to your master. And tell him I said Hi."

Todo almost looked as if he were sulking. He stepped back, tiny arms raised up in the air, as he kicked an empty beer can on the floor. Cigarette ashes were tossed around inside.

"Oh, so I suppose everyone is leaving nowadays, it seems?" the techno-service droid fussed. "First Mr. Bane goes off on his own little mission, then Miss Tano runs away for no apparent reason, and now you are going to leave us too."

"Wow, were you programmed to bitch about every little thing?" she muttered. Ventress only took what she needed, which wasn't much. Even considering everything else, it did not feel right to steal out of greed, only necessity. She took a couple extra weapons for good measure, deciding Bane could do without a small handful of them. And a bottle of vodka, because that counted as necessity to her these days. But when it came to Ahsoka's belongings, Ventress could not bring herself to disturb them.

Sorry, Tano…but I do best on my own. Where I can go by my own rules. Not worry about anyone getting in my way. It's better this way.

I'm sure you'll thank me later.

With a small sigh, she grabbed her lightsabers and pulled on her cloak.

"Where do these coordinates lead to, if I may ask?" Todo chirped.

"Mustafar system. You'll find Bane there. You'll be very useful to him."

"Oh, I'm not sure I'm not so useful to him as much these days…"

Did Todo sound…almost sad because of this? Ventress could relate to how he felt.

"I think you have lots of good use in you yet, little droid." With that, Ventress turned away from the little home she had found for a few months.

Dare she say, the last remnant of the family she had found, if only for a while.

Caverns of lava formed in the distance as Ahsoka began her descent onto Mustafar. Her heart pounded in her montrals. Almost immediately, the nightmares from before struck her consciousness, all the way from her stomach to her spine.

Vader's presence had never felt so strong. Whereas the voice in her head had been trickling, a small constant stream filling the cracks left behind by the deaths of so many Jedi, this…crashed down, wave upon wave, a strength she had missed for so long. Washing away every moment since they parted ways. Drowning out every part of the Light Side of the Force that screamed at her to run away from this place.

She was home…

The steps of the Jedi Temple echoed beneath her feet, each one, reminding her of what she lost. The dark, furious skies of the planet opened up like arms welcoming her in to an embrace. Fire greeted her with far more kindness than the Order ever did. She had fallen so far.

"Master…" She bit her lip. No. No more tears. She was done crying.

Hands trembling, she focused on landing her ship. When she touched ground, Ahsoka decided all she would need to bring with were her lightsabers. Nothing else needed anymore.

Her knees trembled as she rose and descended the ramp, making her way down a long bridge leading to the facility safe from the lava. Fumes of smoke choked the air, and even after a full minute of walking, Ahsoka found it growing difficult to breathe. The hot air made her skin itch.

"I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka…never.

"Trust me…"

There he stood, at the entrance to the building, a black hood shielding his face from her, gusts of wind pulling at his clothing. He almost seemed taller, now. The reek of the Dark Side, now a comforting sensation to Ahsoka that she felt hollow without, flowed through his blood and every thought. Slowly, he lifted his eyes towards her…they were no longer the color of the sky, but of the lava around them. A haunting, golden yellow. Yet, he still seemed exactly the same as when Ahsoka said goodbye over two years ago now. So much had changed and yet…she still saw no one but Anakin when she saw him.

An ache formed in her throat.

His lips didn't move, but she heard his voice clear as day.

"Snips…you've finally come home."

Unable to restrain herself, Ahsoka ran to him. The distance cleared between Master and Apprentice, she stared up at his face. Now up close, she saw the slight discolor in his complexion, the dark indigo circles under his eyes, his chapped lips. With a slight smile, whether of bliss or mischief, Vader removed his hood. His hair, now darker, had now grown nearly down to his elbows, and was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Loose strands hung around the sides of his face and over his eyes. When he spoke, his voice sounded exactly the same as when she last heard it.

"Ahsoka. Ready to become my apprentice again?"

For a moment, she could not speak.

This reunion had played itself out so many times in her mind…all those nights spent alone on Coruscant, then on the run with Cad and Asajj…it felt like a dream. Everything about it so surreal, she dreaded the moment she would awake from this world of fire.

"Yes…of course I am." Her voice cracked.

"I missed you. So much." Like the sky, Vader opened his arms.

Their embrace was better than Ahsoka ever could have imagined it would be. Then this wasn't a dream after all. Everything was real. The smoke. The kiss on the top of her head. The mechno hand against her back, cool and comforting, exactly how she remembered it. And for a second or two or three, all was right with the galaxy.

"I'm home…"

"Yes, you are, Snips," he said, voice as soothing as silk.

Abruptly, he pulled away, killing the moment before Ahsoka could accept it in full.

"Of course, not quite yet. You're not really my apprentice just by saying so." He smiled. His teeth were too white. His mouth too cheerful. A holofilm star sort of smile. It gave Ahsoka a chill.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Oh, I think you know what I mean, Ahsoka sweetie. I can't let you right back in, just like that." He snapped his fingers loudly. "It wouldn't be right. We've been so far apart, you can't build back that bridge without breaking a sweat. Can't earn the name without passing a test. Can't be pure again without a sacrifice. Those are just the rules of the stars, little one."

Break a sweat? Pass a test? A sacrifice? What was he getting at?

The Dark Side beckoned her to embrace him again. Or that is, do anything for that embrace once more. Anything so Vader would welcome her back as his apprentice fully, accept her completely.

Anything to get back what they used to have. Just Skyguy and Snips. Once saving the galaxy, now ruling it.

"I…I will do whatever it takes. Just make me your apprentice again."

"I knew you would!" Vader said happily. "Then you won't have a problem doing a little bit of cutting, a small task to win the title of Apprentice, a bit of blood on the altar?"

"What do you want me to do? I'm sorry, I don't understand…"

Not far off, Ahsoka heard the sound of a ship landing down on the planet. Something about it sounded faintly familiar, and her eyes narrowed a bit. But it did not distract her from what Vader said next. Vader had already become her whole world now.

"There's someone I need you to…to kill for me. He was useful before, helped keep you close. But now I worry he stands between you and me. And I don't like that his life tests your loyalty to me. No one is allowed to take you from me now." His lips curled up in a small snarl as he said this. "So, get rid of him, and you can become my apprentice again."

Once again, she heard his voice, but his lips did not move.

"I need you to kill Cad Bane."

A/N: I never get tired of Bane, for lack of a better term, "cockblocking" Vader and Ahsoka, and he doesn't even mean to!

Also can't believe this fic has been up for over a year now...and it's getting close to the finish line