The Machinations of the Son - 1

A.N: Timeline setting: Both during the events of Mortis, and after 'To Take Down an Emperor'


"I have a gift for you."

Were those words to come from the mouths of one of his friends or comrades, Anakin Skywalker might have looked forward to such a gift. It was rare that anyone got him anything worthwhile. The main reasons for that was of course his position as a Knight of the Jedi Order, an order that didn't believe in attachment, or the possession of material items outside of one's own lightsaber.

That said, Anakin knew he had other other items that had been gifted to him, but they were all kept in his most secret of places, carefully guarded and hidden away from anyone aside from Padmé to see. It was only right that his wife was the one to keep them when he could not.

How he missed her.

"I have had enough of your trickery." Anakin spoke in return to the individual before him, the one called 'The Son'. Whatever gift this being of unquantifiable power was offering him was not something he wanted, especially considering the recent actions taken by him. The death of his sister, as well as the corruption of Anakin's own Padawan was more than enough reason to convince Anakin to run him through with his lightsaber here and now.

Except his lightsaber had been taken with minimal effort by the very being he had hoped to destroy. Obi-Wan would not be pleased if he found out.

So for now all he could do was talk, and wait. Surely this monster would present him with an opportunity to strike. He had overpowered him once with the Force after, no doubt he could do it again if need be, though he'd still prefer his lightsaber.

"Ohhh but you'll like this one, I promise." The Son spoke, his smooth voice seeping into Anakin's ears, its tone persuasive in a dark way. It reminded him of the way Dooku spoke, just a lot calmer. It must have been some sort of tenant of the darkside to have such a darkly alluring voice. As he spoke The Son approached, moving around and behind Anakin, circling him, as if trying to trap or hunt him. In a way it reminded Anakin of the apex predators of the galaxy, out looking for food.

"What if I could show you the future?" The Son finished, moving back to stand before Anakin, a dark smirk on his face, his eyes glowing a far brighter crimson than they had been before.

It was an interesting question, and one that Anakin had considered before, though not in any real sense of reality. Both he and Padmé, and he and Ahsoka had discussed the future before, and what they thought would become of them all. Both had come up with their own visions of the future, but in all they were happy, which is what Anakin sought for the most. As long as the people around him were happy, then so was he.

And frankly, he didn't need some Force demi-god to tell him what he already knew. He knew his future. It was one full of joy as he and Padmé came out of the shadows, their marriage accepted by everyone. It was one where he stood and watched as Ahsoka was knighted by the Council, becoming one of the best Jedi in the Order, all while he and Obi-Wan watched full of pride. It was one where the Clone War was over, the Sith defeated, and a new age of peace and prosperity covered and controlled the galaxy.

At least, that was his vision, and it was one he fully intended to make a reality.

"You have nothing to show me. My future is my own." Anakin spat, unable to control his disgust at the being before him.

But the Son only chuckled in response, his face remaining composed, as composed as a darkside user got that was. Whether or not he was expecting such a response from Anakin was unknown, but it was clear that he was not finished with him yet.

"Oh but come now my friend, consider it a gift from me, a way of showing you that I do not mean harm. We are natural allies after all." The Son continued, moving beside Anakin and slowly placing an arm around his shoulders. It was not a comforting embrace, that was for sure.

"We are nothing alike!" Anakin spat in return, shoving the being of great power off of his shoulder. He felt a small rush of satisfaction as he watched the demi-god stumble from the force of the push, before he regained his footing.

"Don't be so sure 'Chosen One'."

In that moment the Force seemed to shudder, as if something had ripped into the very fabric of its existence and torn a great hole in it. The Force screamed and shrieked, both the light and the dark and pierced into Anakin's skull, forcing him to grip his head in a pitiful attempt to ward of the agony it was inducing in his mind. He hoped that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka weren't feeling it too.

It was then that a high pitched sound echoed throughout the center of the volcano, the agonizing pain receding in the process, for which Anakin was grateful. Glancing up Anakin spotted the Son, now no longer looking at him, but rather at something behind him.

Against his better judgement, Anakin pivoted on his feet to look at whatever had captivated the attention of the Son. At first, Anakin could have sworn he was hallucinating. Before him was not the vast pools of lava and rock that made up the volcano he was in, but what appeared to be a room, or an apartment of some sort, one that was trapped behind a glass pane.

It was then that Anakin noticed the ripples on said glass plane, which only heightened his confusion. Glass didn't ripple… did it?

"What is that?" Anakin could help but question, his eyes continuing to study the vision before him, because that was what it had to be. A Force vision, most likely manipulated by the Son in order to tempt him.

Clearly he didn't know who he was dealing with.

"My gift to you. All you need do is step through the portal. Go on now, you deserve this after all you have done in this world. See what will become of it." The Son spoke, drawing Anakin's attention back to him. His face had not changed from the eerily serene calmness he was displaying previously. It was clear he was trying to persuade Anakin, rather than force him to enter this so called portal.

Something in the Force told Anakin that if he accepted willingly, then all would fall apart. He had to refuse, not that he was at all tempted. The future was the future, and the Force was always in motion.

"Like I said, you have nothing to show me."

This time round the Son's face did change from serene calmness to a look of deep frustration, bordering on barely concealed rage. The being before him began to snarl, razor sharp teeth being bared where there was once a smile. The Son took a single step towards Anakin, lowering his head down so he was face to face with the Jedi Knight, and spoke again.

"Oh, but I insist!"

As if a speeder had slammed into him at high speed Anakin suddenly found himself careening backwards, flying through the air and into whatever it was that was behind him, the cackling of the Son the only sound in his ears, and then… darkness.


Anakin awoke an unspecified amount of time later, the first thought in his head being that of the aching pain that pulsed through him. It wasn't as sharp as it had been before, but it was clear that the Force was screaming out to him for some reason.

Blinking his eyes several times, Anakin moved his arms forward, slowly propping himself up as he surveyed the room he was in in surprise.

This was most certainly not Mortis, and certainly not the volcano he had been in not too long ago. In fact, the room looked an awful lot like the one he had seen through whatever it was that the Son had shown him.

Narrowing his eyes in confusion, be began to mentally retrace his steps. He remembered looking through what looked like a window plain, and then he remembered falling… or being pushed.

That was the answer he needed. He had been pushed, but the Son, and somehow he was now on the other side of whatever portal or window the being had conjured up. The Son had spoken about showing the future to him… was this what that was? The future?

The Force continued to pulse around him, an odd sense of familiarity about it, as well as what he would usually associated with a warning. It wasn't dark per say, but merely dimmed, as if something or someone nearby was distorting the Force. In a way he found it strangely comforting, which he knew was not a good sign. The dark side liked to draw you in maliciously before it corrupted you. Perhaps this was another attempt but the Son to turn someone.

It was then that the sound of someone groaning gained his attention, his head instantly jerking to the side to spot a familiar figure beside him, his beige robes contrasting with Anakin's darker ones.

"Obi-Wan? Are you alright?" Anakin was on his feet in an instant, moving next to his former Jedi Master as he came round, his own hands coming up to grip his head in pain, before locking eyes with Anakin.

"Where the blazes are we now?!" Obi-Wan questioned as he too looked around the room, eyeing the various pieces of furniture and ornaments. It was clear that someone rather well off lived here… wherever here was.

"No idea, but how did you get here? Did the Son come find you as well?" Anakin questioned, confusion in his tone. Last he checked he was the only one the Son was currently interested him. Had he gone after Obi-Wan after him… and what about Ahsoka? Was she currently trapped on Mortis without them?

Another groan filled the air answering Anakin's question, to which he responded by moving over to where he young Padawan was struggling to sit up, clearly in her own pain from whatever was wrong with the Force.

"Snips? You ok? Did he hurt you?" Anakin asked, desperation in his voice as he checked the young Togruta over for any wounds or marks. The last time the Son had gotten near her… he didn't want to think about it.

"Did who hurt me Master? And where are we?"

"The Son?"

"I didn't see him. I was busy fixing the ship and then felt some sort of disturbance in the Force. Next thing I know I'm waking up here." Ahsoka replied, hands rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Same here. Something was wrong and then… well." Obi-Wan chimed in, now standing beside Anakin surveying the room, his eyes studying and analyzing for anything that might give them a hint of where they were.

Now Anakin was really confused. Neither Obi-Wan nor Ahsoka seemed to have any idea what had happened, and had no memory of the Son showing up to them either. Had he just abducted them through some sort of Force power and placed them with him?

That thought unsettled him. The last thing he wanted was to have his friends lives tamped with bby some sort of Force god. He'd rather it be him alone.

"What happened Anakin? I get the feeling you might know more about where we are, and why the Force feels so unpredictable and out of balance." Obi-Wan asked, crouching down beside Anakin and Ahsoka.

What could Anakin say? That they had quite possibly been sent into the future by the Son, all for the purpose of showing him something? It was beyond unbelievable, even for him. Still, he could think of nothing better to say, so he told them what he knew.

Ahsoka's response was exactly what he expected it to be.

"The future… but that's impossible!"

"Tell me about it." Anakin replied as he helped his Padawan to her feet, steadying her as she stumbled slightly, to which she nodded gratefully to him.

"Did the Son specify whose future this was… or when in the future this was?" Obi-Wan asked, moving around the large open room that was evidently used for rest and relaxation. A comfortable looking couch rested in the centre of the room opposite of a holoscreen, one that had evidently seen use the night before judging by the mess left on a nearby caff table.

It surprised Anakin that Obi-Wan was so willing to accept his explanation of what had happened, but then again he was no¶ doubt use to the strange happening around him. Some days Anakin wished he had had a different teacher, just so Obi-Wan didn't have to cope with everything that came with being Master to Anakin Skywalker. His old Master deserved a peaceful life after all.

"He didn't say, though he kept speaking about a gift for me, as if he was going to show me my future." Anakin replied, allowing Ahsoka to leave his grip as she too began to inspect the room. Her eyes were drawn to several glass pane windows that overlooked a modest sized garden, one that could barely be seen under the slowly rising sun in the distance. It was clearly early morning, wherever they were.

"Well Master…" Ahsoka spoke, her eyes locking onto his with humour in them, "If this is your future I gotta say you've done well for yourself. I'd love an apartment like this if I wasn't a Jedi."

Anakin couldn't repress a chuckle at his Padawan's awe filled tone. Even if she was a Commander in a powerful military fighting in an all out war, she still retained some of her youthful enthusiasm. Whenever it did manage to manifest, if only for a short amount of time, Anakin was reminded what he was fighting, and what for. It was for people like Ahsoka, and Padmé, who deserved better. Ahsoka should have grown up a normal Jedi Padawan, away from danger and war. When all this was over, he'd teach her the way Obi-Wan had taught him.

He just hoped she would never lose what made her unique.

Moving around the sizable room, something caught Anakin's eye. It was a large frame, one mounted on a wall and containing what looked like a large holophoto. Approaching it he began to make out the images in the photo. It showed a large group of assembled people of various species and genders, all gathered outside in the sun in thick grass plains, with a ship that resembled a heavily modified freighter behind them. The group of individuals all stood out in their own ways, be it from the smiles on their faces to the poses they were striking, but it was clear that they were all close knit friends.

His eyes moved over the figures of the people in the photo, a smile coming to his face as he saw how happy they all were together. There was a Twi-lek woman standing side by side with a tall man who wore a mask on his eyes, who in turn stood next to a younger man with a buzz cut head, bright smiles all on their faces.

Next to them were what looked like a group of three Mandalorian warriors, two of which seemed like normal Mandalorian warriors. The third however wore heavily customized and painted armour, as well as bright pink hair. Anakin had never expected to see something like that.

Continuing to survey the photo, Anakin nearly laughed at the sight of a human man standing back to back with a tall purple alien, both seemingly striking heroic poses whilst a third individual, one that resembled a Weequay snuck something out the pockets of the human male.

Moving back along the line of people in the photo, Anakin's eyes locked onto a man of average height, one with fuzzy white facial hair who wore beige robes, robes that looked an awful lot like…

"Hey, Obi-Wan? Come over here a second."

Obi-Wan did as instructed, moving over the join Anakin by the holophoto, his own eyes glancing over each figure until he came to rest on the one Anakin wanted his opinion on. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan's brow tightened in confusion, before his eyes widened to almost comical levels.

"It's me!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, his face turning back and forth between the photo and Anakin as he came to the realization, his mouth opening and closing with no sound escaping in surprise.

"Yeah, but look how old you look!" Anakin replied, pointing to the white bearded image of his former Master. Just how old was in this picture?

For his part Obi-Wan continued to study the people in the photo, before his eyes spotted another familiar face.

"And look… its Quinlan Vos too!"

Unlike Obi-Wan, Vos appeared to have aged well. His face still possessed the trademark yellow stripe he was famous for, and white tempered by age still retained the cockiness he was well known for.

"What's Master Vos doing in the photo?" Ahsoka's voice chimed in now as she too joined her two Masters, her own eyes analysing the figures in the photo.

"No idea." Anakin replied. This was getting weirder and weirder by the moment. Who could own such a photo? Most likely someone in the photo itself… but who?

"Maybe this is all your future Obi-Wan. Or Vos'." Anakin suggested, nudging his Master with his elbow in jest. Obi-Wan said nothing in reply, his own eyes focused on the image of what looked like his future self.

Chuckling at the sight of his usually focused friend being so distracted, Anakin made to turn around away from the photo when Ahsoka grabbed his arm, her grip deathly strong. That concerned him.

"Snips? What's wrong?"

Ahsoka did not answer directly, instead she raised her free hand and pointed at the photo, drawing Anakin's attention to it again. Something had clearly spooked his Padawan, and as her Master it was his duty to help her through everything.

At first glance Anakin spotted nothing else odd that would concern someone such as Ahsoka… that was until Ahsoka pointed again at a pair of figures in the photo.

One was a human female of average height and dark skin, lighter than Master Windu's but still dark. The woman had a wide smile on her face, one that suggested she was enjoying the moment. Why that would spook Ahsoka he didn't know.

And then he saw the figure standing next to the dark skinned woman. She was a Togruta who was clearly in her adult years, one who stood relatively tall, if not as tall as him. Her skin tone was a familiar orange, and her facial marking were almost an exact replica of the ones found on his sixteen years old Padawan's face, only slightly altered due to age. She wore what seemed to be several pieces of armour also, covering her chest and arms mainly, as well as her legs.

Further examination revealed that the mysterious Togruta in the photo sported the same blue and white striped lekku and montrals, and upon closer inspection Anakin could see her eyes were a shade of blue that he associated with happiness and joy.

Or more precisely, associated with Ahsoka.

Gasping in realization, Anakin understood Ahsoka's reaction.

"Holy kriff! It's you Snips! All grown up!"

"Language Anakin!"

Ahsoka said nothing in return, her mouth only opening and closing in shock and horror as she stared at the holophoto mounted on the wall. Anakin could only imagine what she was feeling, seeing what was an image of her future self. No doubt Obi-Wan felt the same.

Though, Anakin did have one question. If both his former Master and Apprentice were in this photo… where was he?

"What the…? Who are you?!" A feminine voice echoed throughout the room, coming from behind the three distracted Jedi. Anakin had to refrain from brandishing his lightsaber in defence, only to realize that he no longer had it on him. The Son must have kept it!

Pivoting on his feet, Anakin looked across the room to spot the dark skinned woman from the photo staring back at the three of them, worry with a mix of dread on her face. No doubt she saw them as three intruders breaking into her home. This was not good.

Luckily, before Anakin could open his mouth and make the situation ten times worse, Obi-Wan stepped in to flex is skills in negotiation. If anyone could get them out of a situation such as this, it was Obi-Wan.

"Hello there!"

'Or maybe not.' Anakin thought as he fought the urge to plant his face into his palm. Why did Obi-Wan always open up with a line that sounded overly flirtatious?

The woman however appeared to not be receptive to Obi-Wan's 'charm', as her face scrunched up in confusion to begin with, before shifting to one of complete horror.

"Wait… Master Kenobi? Why do you look so young all of a sudden?"

Those words practically confirmed ever suspicion Anakin currently had. If this mysterious woman was claiming that Obi-Wan was suddenly young again, then the individual in the photo had to be his former Master, but older.

Obi-Wan seemed equally perplexed at the revelation, as no more words came from his mouth, and no attempt was made to explain the situation, not that any sane attempt could be that was.

The dark-skinned woman's eyes lingered on Obi-Wan for a moment longer before they moved on, locking onto Anakin's gaze with yet another look of confusion. However, this time there was no sign of any recognition in her eyes, or no questioning statement regarding his identity.

For some reason that sent chills down his spine. How could this woman know his Master, and by the looks of he holophoto his apprentice, but not know him?

Had something happened to him in the future to facilitate him not being around? A falling out perhaps?

Or worse?

It was then that the woman's eyes moved onto the third member of their out of time party, and the look of horror and confusion was replaced with something Anakin could not believe. The woman's eyes seemed to soften at the sight of Ahsoka, as if she was remembering something from the past, whilst simultaneously seeing it before her again. The woman took a step back in shock, her mind clearly reeling from what was no doubt a bizarre experience. Anakin could feel that she was not Force sensitive, and thus no doubt far more confused than she would have been otherwise.

That said, the Force did seem to swirl around what he assumed was the entire house in a rather peculiar way. It was familiar in a way, but not at the same time. Both comforting to him, yet a warning at the same time. No doubt it had something to do with the Son.

The woman took another step back, her head tilting behind her past the threshold of a doorway, no doubt thinking about fleeing back the way she had came.

The she spoke, or more liked called out a name, one he was very familiar with, and one that only set him further on edge.

"Ahsoka?"

Beside him, his young Padawan looked up at him with fear in her eyes, no doubt as confused as the rest of them were. Seeing an image of what appeared to be her future self had set on edge. Now this woman was calling out her name.

If explanations weren't soon had, Anakin would have to intervene, even if that meant getting aggressive.

No one scared his Padawan!

"Ahsoka?" The woman called out again, glancing behind her, not towards where the Togruta was standing. For her part Ahsoka remained still, not saying a word. How was she supposed to react after all when some stranger just happened to know her name?

Just as Anakin was about to open his mouth to respond for his Padawan, another sound hit his ears, one that sounded a lot of someone running down a flight of stairs.

The Force swelled around him again suddenly, the lightside amplified dramatically, with a hint of darkness concealed within.

And then another individual entered the room behind the mysterious woman, one that elicited a loud gasp from his own mouth, as well as a sheepish squeak from his Padawan.

"Kaeden?! What's wrong?"

The woman by the name of Kaeden merely pointed at him, drawing the attention of the tall Togrutan woman that had just entered the room, a Togruta that looked exactly like the one in the holophoto…

And one that resembled his young Padawan, only fully grown up.

A grown up Padawan who was now staring directly at him with a very dark look in her eyes, one that chilled him to his very soul.


Author's thoughts

So, been a while since I posted one of these right? Hopefully you don't mind. But hey, at least I'm back with a sort of mind boggling bang.

The idea behind this series of one shots came about kinda naturally after seeing 'The World Between Worlds'. It's clear that the Mortis gods have some sort of connection to that place, and thus I wanted to use that in some respect. Out of all of the gods the Son makes the most sense to abuse such a power, especially if he was attempting to gain something for his own plans. Thus, I created the idea of him sending Anakin into the future, rather than just showing him that creepy Vader vision he has in the Clone wars episode. Put some added Ahsoka and Obi-Wan and we have the classic case of three best buds going on a crazy adventure. Though with Anakin this is probably about normal.

The only question was when to send them. As this is set in my rebels AU I decided to send them to after the Emperor has been assassinated by Ahsoka's team and thus have the future version of her self encounter not only her past, but the man she believed betrayed them all as well. Let's hope she doesn't outright kill him this time huh?

To be fair this idea has come out of left field, and if you lot don't like it I won't do more. Whether or not it is canon to my AU remains to be seen as I have only rough ideas on where to take this concept. Only time will tell I guess.

So yeah, for now I shall work on a second part and wait to hear your responses. I may do a few of these one shots for a while as I've grown a bit bored of my new story at the moment, not that I intended on abandoning it. I just need a break from that AU and thought I'd come back here for a while. :)

As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which I have some catching up to do don't I:

Mysterious Guest 1: I will keep writing as long as I am capable, and thank you for your kind words, even if I don't believe them. There are far better stories out there than mine. :)

LukeDude: I'm glad you enjoyed what you saw upon your return. It was hard work, but worth the effort.
The Kallus Bond stuff worked much better than I anticipated and it is certainly my favorite too. I've entertained the idea of doing a spin-off with more Kallus Bond stuff but I don't want to ruin it. Doing the same thing can make it all become a bit stale and removes the uniqueness of that one shot series.
As for what is to come with this series... who knows. It's an ongoing work after all.

Travis Middleton: I'm glad you enjoyed the reunion. It was interesting to write as I wanted Barriss to both apologize but believe she did the right thing at the same time.
Ahsoka may forgive her one day, but it is unlikely, much like how she views Anakin in this AU. Understanding of their actions, but not forgiving.

Mysterious Guest 2: I didn't want it to be heartwarming as that wouldn't fit the theme of this AU. That and there is no way everything would go back to normal if Barriss showed up to Ahsoka again.
But then again at least she is willing to try and redeem herself, unlike a certain Vader was. XD

Cranky Paws: I'm glad you liked all of it. The reunion had to be bittersweet and accepting at the same time. Back to normal is most likely out of the question, but a new path is always available.
Hopefully one day we'll see what happened with Barriss. She could well be alive, thought the chances of that are slim.

Chiara Polairix Edelstein: Glad you loved it. XD

jamese765: The outcome is most likely acceptance with a little bit of bitterness on Ahsoka's end. They'll never be back to normal, but maybe one day they'll be friends again.