One Wrong Step

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Chapter 36: Darkness Falls on Mortis

As Rey and Obi-Wan got the ship in the air so they could leave Mortis, Anakin was taking a break and sleeping. He began thrashing around, so Ahsoka woke him. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"Something like that," he answered.

"If you're done napping, we could use a little help here," Obi-Wan said dryly.

"I'm coming," Anakin huffed.

Grunts of struggle from behind him made Anakin turn as the cockpit doors slid shut. A few moments later, he slammed back into the cockpit, shoving Obi-Wan out of the pilot's seat. "What's going on?" he asked.

"The Son took Ahsoka."

"What in the blazes are you talking about?"

"Move. Let me fly." Anakin began piloting the ship through tall rock formations, deftly and yet recklessly, bringing back to Rey's memories of flying the Falcon through the downed Star Destroyer. Rey helped with a tight turn a few times, but she mostly let Anakin do the flying.

As the Son's odd flying form, Ahsoka gripped tightly in his claws, disappeared from view, Anakin froze, the ship drifting through fog. Suddenly, a glowing green orb appeared in from of them. Obi-Wan, who was standing behind Anakin, screamed, "Look out!" grappling for the controls for a split second, throwing Anakin off course. The ship crashed onto the ground. "I didn't think you saw it."

"It was a giant tower. Of course I saw it," Anakin snapped. They climbed out, glancing around. "Any sign of him?"

"No. But I think it's obvious where he's taken her," Obi-Wan murmured, staring at the tower they had narrowly dodged.

"Yep, pretty clear," Rey agreed. "Why else would there be a gigantic tower out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"We must hurry."

"Anakin, this wasn't a mistake. He brought us here for a reason. We must not get involved. Any conflict here could have dramatic repercussions for the universe at large," Obi-Wan urged.

"I don't care. He's too powerful for Ahsoka. I won't leave her alone."

"We are in the middle of something we don't truly understand. We'd be wise to confer with the Father first."

"There's no time."

"This is what he wants, to divide us."

"It's my fault he took her."

"You must feel how strong this part of the planet is with the Dark Side. The Father will know what to do."

"He can't help us."

"OK….wait. How is it your fault, Anakin?" He ignored her, walking off toward the tower. Rey glanced at Obi-Wan. "Want me to go with you or make sure he doesn't die of stupidity?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, despite the gravity of the situation. "You'd better keep an eye on him."

She nodded and took off running to catch up with Anakin. "Care for some company?" she asked as she finally came even with him.

He shrugged. "Why not."

"She'll be all right, Anakin. You've trained her well."

"She can't fight him."

"I never said that. But she can hold on until we get there."

"Maybe so."

They walked on in silence for a few more minutes. Finally, Rey asked, "So, do you still think that we should be wary of Palpatine?"

"Yes, I do. He's only gotten more suspicious and power-hungry recently. Or maybe he's always been like that. I might have just been blind to it. I…I don't know if you noticed this, but when I was younger, like when you first showed up, I was brash, arrogant, and reckless, not to mention stupid."

"No, not you," Rey drawled sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, and you know it. Anyway, since you came…I don't know. Something's different. I feel…calmer, I guess. More steady."

"Well, I don't know if it was me, but I'm glad to have helped if it was." She hesitated. "Anakin…"

"Yes?"

"I-" She stopped. "We're here."

"What were you going to say?"

"I-I don't-I'll tell you later. Come on; let's find that Padawan of yours." The two started climbing up the tower from the outside. They had just climbed onto the flat base when they spotted her, sitting in a meditative pose.

"Ahsoka. Ahsoka, it's me. You're safe now. Let's go."

"Are you proud of me, Master?" she asked.

Rey's brow furrowed. Something was wrong; she knew her. Her hand tightened around her lightsaber.

"What? Uh, of course, Snips. Course I'm proud of you. Now, let's get out of here."

"He's right, right about everything. You must join him. He only wants what's best for the universe." She stood and turned around. Her skin was shot through with black webbing, and her eyes were a brilliant yellow.

"Uh, Ahsoka?" Rey asked as Anakin said, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Always with the criticism, Master. Never really believing in me, trusting me. Well, I don't need you anymore." She had turned her back to them again.

"Ahsoka. Ahsoka, listen to me. He has done something to you. Snap out of it. This isn't you, Ahsoka."

"Isn't it? I feel more like myself than I ever have. He asked me to give you a message. He said if you don't join him, he will kill me." She let out a high-pitched, unnatural sounding laugh at that. Rey withdrew her lightsaber, fingering the ignition button.

"I won't let him."

"Then you will be forced to kill me." She leaped forward, one of her lightsabers lit and in her hand. They both slid backward, dodging her erratic swings and overzealous attacks as best they could, not wanting to hurt her.

"I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka."

"We don't want to fight you," Rey added. Not-Ahsoka suddenly lashed out at her with the Force, causing Rey to fly backward. I think he made her more powerful when he did…whatever it was that he did.

Anakin was on the ground, his lightsaber several feet away. "And now the student will kill the master."

She charged at him, but he managed to summon his lightsaber in time to block her strike. "You're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, Snips?"

"Don't call me that. I hate it when you call me that!" Rey picked herself up off the ground and ran to stand beside Anakin, just as Obi-Wan came out of the tower (Wait, when did he get here?) to join them. "Three Jedi. Finally, a challenge," not-Ahsoka sneered, igniting her other lightsaber and again wildly coming at them.

"Any suggestions? Anakin asked as he shoved her away.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, withdrawing some kind of knife. "We cut her free."

"What is that?"

"It can kill the Son."

Rey shrugged. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Where did you get that? Give it to me," not-Ahsoka called in a strange voice, almost seeming mixed with the Son's.

Suddenly, the Son and the Daughter came flying out of one of the tower's windows. All four of the Jedi darted away so they wouldn't be crushed. "So glad you could make it to our little party, Father," the Son said, as he started shooting red lightning (like what Dooku did, Rey's memory supplied) at the Father.

"You will stop this."

"You are too weak for me, old man. You mean nothing to me anymore." He stood over his father, his Force-lightning raining down on him.

"Anakin, now!" Obi-Wan called, throwing the knife toward him, but not-Ahsoka intercepted it, taking it straight to the Son. Even as he gloated, "Everything has transpired exactly as I planned," Rey was screaming, "You threw it, Obi-Wan? Really?"

"You showed them the altar?" the Father asked the Daughter.

"I am sorry, Father. I didn't know how else to stop him."

"Give it to me, child," the Son urged not-Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, no!" Anakin shouted as Rey ran to tackle her or at least do something.

Before she could, however, not-Ahsoka dropped the knife into the Son's hand. "Thank you," he purred. "Your usefulness has come to an end." He tapped her on the forehead, and she collapsed to the ground lifelessly.

"No!" Anakin screamed, as he joined Rey in the mad dash. The Son flung them back, saying to his father, "The Jedi have brought me the dagger, and you have brought yourself. Now, Father, you will die." As he lowered the knife, the Daughter ran in between them, crying, "Father!"

The Son stumbled backward in shock, shouting, "Why?" leaping up and flying off. All three Jedi ran to check on Ahsoka, who was showing no signs of being alive.

"My daughter. What have I done?" they heard the Father say.

"Do not hate him, Father. It is his nature."

"No. All is lost. The balance has been broken. I thought by bringing you here, I would-" He didn't finish. "But I have destroyed everything."

"Can you help her?" Anakin pleaded.

"There is no light. The evil has been unleashed, and the Dark Side shall consume her."

"You must help her," Anakin begged.

"I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope."

"Yes, there is. There's always hope," he cried in desperation.

The Daughter touched her father's face and pointed to Ahsoka. "Then let my daughter's last act be to breathe life into your friend." The Father stood in the space between the two dying women, Anakin kneeling in front of him, Rey and Obi-Wan standing by, watching. Anakin placed a finger on the Daughter's forehead and one on Ahsoka's. Rey gasped, covering her eyes and her mouth as pure light flooded from the Daughter, through Anakin, and into Ahsoka. For a few moments, nothing happened, and they all thought Ahsoka was gone. Then she sat up and started coughing. Anakin immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, Snips."

"What's going on?" she asked weakly.

"Uh, not much. It's good to see you." He helped her stand, and Obi-Wan handed her lightsaber to her.

"As the balance in this world crumbles, so shall war escalate in your galaxy. As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength."

"We will stop your son."

"No. You must go now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

"What about you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I shall mourn all that I have done and all that is yet to be."

"Well, that's not at all ominous," Rey muttered as the four of them walked away, leaving the mourning Father behind them. We're still not going to be able to get away, are we?

A/N: So…I'm gonna try to push myself to finish this before TLJ comes out. I might be able to do it…I dunno, but I want to get it done by then.