Chapter 28

It felt like the world was ending; it may as well be. Everything was crumbling down like decrepit ruins. Her life was crashing around her feet and with every pillar of her life that crumbled – with every little crack and chip in the foundations of her life - Ahsoka sunk further into the self-depreciating haze she'd immersed herself in.

Her cheek still stung. The pain had dimmed and was a mere tingling sting – a simple discomfort – but the shame and emotional hurt still rang true, and even more emotions were running through her: anger, humiliation, horror; but hurt and betrayal were the most prominent.

She'd told him everything; it had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. And, in return, he had lashed out at her, like she was nothing more than a petty insect. How could he blame her for being silent after that? Even before, she'd found it hard to talk to him…especially regarding issues that bothered her.

It was so hard to talk to him. Did he not know that? How could she speak of her weaknesses – of her troubles – to the 'oh-so-great' Anakin Skywalker? He did nothing but look down on the 'lesser beings' that struggled; she must look like a peasant to him! How could she possibly confide in him? He was distant from such problems, and above all this. She looked like a mere mortal in his godly shadow.

Ahsoka didn't know what to do now. She'd attempted to confide in her Master but…that didn't go as planned. Without his support she'd never be able to pull anything off, and her mind was too much of a mess to think up a proper plan.

Ahsoka snorted at the situation she had found herself in. She rose up and puffed her chest out in a cocky manner whilst frowning to herself; more that disgusted by her current thought pattern.

Why did she need him? Ahsoka found herself indignantly thinking. She was a strong, capable woman - why did she need Master to save her? Why couldn't she save herself? The way she had gone running to Master and whining was pitiful and unnecessary – she could defeat anyone. She was strong and powerful, and she needed no-one.

Anger boiled up in her; steaming like a kettle. He just wanted her to feel weak, he just wanted her to rely on him for everything – he wanted her to depend on him – she'd known it all along. He always sought to crush her independence!

She'd show him – she'd show everyone – just exactly what Ahsoka Tano could do. She'd either destroy these people or would die in the attempt.

And, if she was to die, then let there be fire – she'd take as many of those people down as she could.


She stopped at a door – it was seemingly unimportant, simply a shared dorm for those Padawans that chose not to room with their Masters; not everyone wanted to be stuck in a stuffy apartment with a Jedi that spouted regulation like a fountain. Ahsoka idly wondered about getting herself transferred into one of these rooms; better than sharing with Anakin. Things were never going to be the same with them, and Ahsoka didn't know if she'd be able to stand being in the same room as him, with his accusatory glare.

She shook her head, now was not the time to be contemplating her 'Master' issues; as her failing relationship with him seemed to be branded of as late. Mind on the here and now, Ahsoka. Her fist pummelled on the door in front of her

"Sharkey." She shouted. "Open the door." She waited for several more seconds before resuming her attempts to slap the door down. "Open. The. Door. Idiot."

It was safe to assume, Ahsoka had a rough relationship with Sharkey. He was a cocky boy with an overinflated sense of self worth and self-superiority. He waddled around, actually proclaiming how good he was. It took her all she had not to punch him; not to break his cocky nose.

She had tried once – when she was 13 - she'd only caught his jaw though. Luckily for her, Master Windu was close by to catch the action…her auditory senses still rang; that man could shout. Lucky lucky lucky.

She'd avoided the boy like the plague since then.

"Whaddya want?" The door slid open and said irritating boy was on the other side, leaning against the doorframe.

"I need to talk to you" Ahsoka looked around before leaning forwards slightly to half-whisper, half-growl. "In private."

"No thanks. The last time we talked was quite enough, thanks." Witt took a step back and made to press the button to shut the door but Ahsoka stormed straight in, ignoring his annoyed protest.

Taking a look around, she decreed the room was empty apart from themselves. So, in all her composure and maturity, Ahsoka slammed her hand into the wall panel, shutting the door.

"What are you doing?" He asked angrily, looming over the smaller teen.

"I told you, I need to talk with you." Ahsoka replied in a suspiciously calm tone. "About Vipera."

Witt paled and took several steps away from her, shaking his head in denial. How could she know? Kriffing hell, this was the last thing he needed, the little goody two shoes grassing him up to her Master, who would tell the council.

"Now you shut up?" She smiled in a taunting manner. "You're only tough when you've got your mates to back you up? No wonder you're working with them – I bet you're doing it for laughs."

Sharkey scowled at her jest, and levelled her with a dirty glare. "So what? You gonna snitch on me? You're your Master's girl through and through, gonna go running to him?" Witt put on a fake pout in jest.

"Shut up, moron." Ahsoka snapped. "I just need information, for me…not my Master."

"What does a goody goody like you want to know about a group like them?" Witt leant casually against the wall, raising his eyebrows.

Ahsoka was too busy being worried to silently complain about him…again. "What do they want with Seraphium, what do they want with that rock?"

That got his attention. He pushed himself off the wall in a mere second and quickly stalked over to her, his eyes wide and astonished. "How do you know that?"

"You're not the only one they're using."

Witt's brow creased and he threw an arm back behind him in an aggravated manner. "And you were slandering me? You hypocrite."

"Time and place, Sharkey. Time and place." Ahsoka ground out before taking a deep shaky breath; letting her building anger out into the force. "They cannot get that stone."

"Don't you think I know that?" Witt turned around and pointed to a heap of scrap that could've once been a datapad, it sparked slightly as in testament to that. "I threw it when they called me…I panicked." He put his hands on his head and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. "It's a suicide mission – we have no chance. We'll be caught and exiled."

"Is that your only concern? Being caught? It's bigger than th…people could die." Ahsoka snapped at him, shaking her head in utter horrified disbelief. "You're so stuck up your own arse that you can't see the bigger picture. They could kill people with that stone; they could kill a lot of people. It creates an electrical field that can rip apart organic matter, if they found a way to control that thing then…we have no hope. They would decimate us. There wouldn't be any of us left."

"Hang on a second…" Sharkey walked back over to the distressed Togruta. "We haven't even found out how to control this thing, if we haven't figured it out then I doubt they'll do it."

Ahsoka couldn't help but agree with that. They – the Republic – had so many resources and people at their disposal. If anyone could figure out how to use this compound then it would be them. After all, what did the organisation have in their favour?

Ahsoka froze.

She took a deep breath.

And then another.

A bare whisper came from her mouth as she sounded her hypothesis, mostly to herself. "But…they had me take a man to them. I knew he was some technological guy but…I had to. He-he…what if he's someone who can help them control the thing? A researcher or something like that – what if, maybe, the Republic scientists had a breakthrough in figuring out how to manipulate it. And, what if he was one of the leading experts?"

If Witt was shocked or horrified by this announcement from the panicking Togruta, he didn't show it. He just watched her as she hyperventilated and grew paler by the second, her hand flying out to the cabinet beside her; as if that were all that was keeping her on her feet.

"What was his name?" Sharkey asked

"Lorenz. Lorenz. I…don't know his full name."

Witt let the newest revelation sink in before he nodded to himself and bit his lip a little, then he shook his head in a twitch like manner, as if he were attempting to shake the thoughts out of his head.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. They haven't got the rock yet. They can't do anything." He attempted to calm the horrified Togruta down.

Ahsoka couldn't believe it. Well, she could but…she…all this time she had been kept in the dark about the organisations habits and ulterior motives; they had told her the bare minimum. So, now she was beginning to piece things together it was a rush of fresh air – it was almost too much – it was like being like out of a dark cage that you'd been confined in for months, directly into the bright, harsh sunlight; you weren't adjusted to it yet.

Ahsoka frowned. "They tried to contact me earlier. I think they want me to get the stone."

"Me too, hence the crushed datapad." He jokingly motioned to the strange mechanical mess on the floor.

"Well…" Ahsoka laughed nervously, in the hopes she could relieve some of the tension. "…it's a good job we both ignored it."

Witt nodded, a smile spreading over his face slowly. "Yeah, who else are they gonna use?"

Kriff. Ahsoka's smile faltered, her brain sped at a million miles an hour and her mind struggled to keep up with its abruptly changing thought pattern. But it was all solely based on one thought – on one person. Briseis. Ahsoka could feel the blood rushing from around her body, back to her heart at the speed of light and she almost felt her heart stop as it dawned on her.


Anakin stood from his knelt position in front of the Chancellor, keeping his head bowed – though out of respect or shame, one couldn't be sure. He had sold his soul to the devil, and he'd gone against everything he'd been brought up to believe in.

But, it was worth it, right? He kept telling himself, it was his duty to protect Padme and his child and Ahsoka. All he needed to do was to get the Chancellor – Master, he corrected himself – to help him save them, then he could turn back to the Jedi – they'd forgive him, they were so naïve and trusting – he could rejoin them easily enough and then everything would be fine again. He just needed to gain access to this power first, then he'd go back – he would.

It'll all work out fine. It had to.

"I fear that this organisation have seeded themselves deep within the order." The Chancellor spoke a darker tone than Anakin had ever heard him use. "We do not know who to trust, they could all be working with them."

"I agree, Master." Anakin drawled in a dull tone, not knowing what else to do other than just mindlessly agree.

"Unless they can prove otherwise, they are all traitors and working with these vile gangsters." The Chancellor appeared to ponder for a few seconds before deciding. "But taking them all into custody would be impossible; we would only lose many good people. We must destroy them – make a statement to the galaxy. We must purge the galaxy of their deception. I have continuity plans put in place should a situation like this ever arise; I loathe that I must use them."

Were Anakin a bit more astute he would realise that this was all a bit too well planned, it was all coming together a bit too easily and conveniently. These plans the Chancellor had should ring alarm bells in his head, the fact that he had so easily decided the Jedi were all working with the gangsters and against the Republic should've told him there was something wrong. But, Anakin Skywalker simply nodded mindlessly – not really hearing what the Chancellor had to say, this meaningless chatter was of no concern to him; he had bigger problems.

"They are all traitors." The Chancellor hissed in an almost gleeful tone. "We must end them. Now. You must end them, Lord Vader. It is your destiny. You will go and you will take the temple, send a message out to the Galaxy. Betrayal will not be tolerated in my Republic."

"What of those who had no part? What of the younglings?"

"They have all played their part, there is no such thing as an innocent Jedi." He snarled but, seeing Anakin's alarmed face, he said in a more sympathetic tone. "If you want any chance of saving your Padawan from these traitors, you must destroy every single one of them; even the ones who played a small part – even the younglings. You must destroy them from their foundations or she won't survive, they will kill her."

Anakin still looked unsure, his mind screamed at him to be logical. What could the Sith provide that the Jedi couldn't – other than pain, hate and suffering – how could they possibly help him and his family? However, Anakin's heart took the other side of the argument; telling him that it would all be worth it if he managed to save his Padawan and his wife. They'd saved his life just by coming into it. They needed him to save them!

"Think Anakin, how much you will regret letting this opportunity slip if anything were to happen to them." The Chancellor beseeched the young man who was frozen from his internal war; his heart vs. his head. "Think of the guilt you will shoulder and the pain you will live with, I only wish to save you from that, my boy. I fear their time is running out so we must act quickly Anakin. These vile monsters will kill your Padawan, and your wife will die in childbirth unless we act quickly."

Anakin shut his eyes for a few seconds. He had already sworn allegiance to this cause, he couldn't back out now; not when he was so close to that power - the power that would save them – and he knew that the Chancellor was right. They would die and he would live on, knowing that he could've saved them. He was the only one he trusted to take care of them – he certainly didn't trust them with their own lives – he knew he was the only one capable of protecting them.

"What are your orders, my Master?" That was it. It was all over.

It felt like the entire Universe shivered and trembled as Anakin Skywalker made his choice, and the bright light of hope and warmth that glowed in the force – the glow of the light side of the force – collapsed in upon itself and died, and every Jedi and every force sensitive – young and old – felt as their last hope was snuffed out. And, throughout the Universe infants and children's cried, younglings and Padawan shivered and hid from their fear, and Knights and Masters prepared themselves…they prepared to die, as they all knew that their time had come.

What's worse was that they all knew – the young and old alike – that the most tragic part of their tale, of their ending, was that they had brought this upon themselves; through their unwillingness to change. The Jedi Order would die – not because of the Sith – but because they were stuck in their traditions and rituals…and they could've stopped it and saved themselves.

"You will bring down the Order, Lord Vader." The Sith Lord couldn't suppress his malicious delight. "And you will show no mercy. End them all."

"What of my Ma-former Master, and my Padawan?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is a member of the Jedi council, and is almost certainly involved in the plot to take over with this group." The Chancellor looked directly at Anakin. "The punishment for treason is death."

Anakin frowned but he nodded. His Master might not be involved, and if Obi-Wan denounced the Jedi, Anakin would be able to save him. But, there was still one question left unanswered. "And Ahsoka?"

"The child's activity with Vipera will be overlooked - as my personal favour to you, my boy - as long as she condemns the Order and joins us. She is the only exception to the purge." The Chancellor put on an expression of sadness. "But this is the only chance I can give her, there will be calls amongst the public for her head, should they find a treasonous Jedi survived. If she goes against us, I don't think I'll be able to deny their cries for her execution. Do you understand me, Lord Vader?" The Chancellor's voice was cold and threatening now.

Yes, Anakin understood completely. The Chancellor was giving him a heads up; he was to keep a handle on Ahsoka – keep a leash on her so to speak – or else she would be killed. The Chancellor wouldn't give her a chance, not after this. He would lose her if he couldn't control her; it was as simple as that. It was his duty - as her Master - to protect her from all threats, including herself. If she wasn't going to lie down and obey the new regime, then he would make her. He wouldn't let her stubborn attitude and authority issues put her at risk, he wouldn't allow it.

"Go, Lord Vader. Destroy them all."


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