Chapter 38 - Rumors

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: I know I scared quite a few people in the previous chapter… which was kinda the point, so I'm quite proud. xD

And a special comment to the Guest who reviewed the last chapter: I'm honestly flattered that I nearly got a Vader reaction, but I'm not cruel. I don't like horrible endings. Besides, if Anakin dies, I won't be able to write a sequel. ;)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin stands on the landing platform, his hood pulled up over his head, watching as the ship lands. It's the middle of the night, but the initial report indicated the urgency of whatever information the clones had uncovered. Rex stands next to him silently as the ramp lowers. The two clones walk down the ramp saluting when they reach him.

"Gen – Lord Vader," the first nods respectfully.

"Let's go inside," Anakin suggests, turning and striding into the mansion. He reaches out with the Force sensing out any potential dangers or spies and finds none. His concern assuaged, he remains in the hall, turning to face the clone troopers.

"We did not find any reports of Sidious' location," the first clone explains, "But none of the Separatist troops have seen him with the possible exception of General Grievous. Wherever he is, he is located away from all the action."

"So, somewhere isolated most likely," muses Anakin quietly. It's been two weeks, and they still have yet to find something pointing to where the Sith Lord is hiding.

"Yes, sir," he agrees.

"Rumors suggest that Sidious has a new apprentice," the second clone adds gravely, "We did not actually see him, but I heard talk about a Zabrak with a red lightsaber having been seen on the planet. We have footage actually, but it may be fake. The source we obtained it from was not reliable."

"Let me see," demands Anakin, tensing. If Sidious has a new apprentice, the situation could easily become much more serious.

The first clone withdraws a holodisk and activates it. The hologram appears. Anakin studies it. It's slightly blurred and out of focus, but he can clearly see a hooded figure creeping into the line of sight. He stands there before pushing back his hood, a red lightsaber appearing in his hand. He attacks the people standing there striking them down with minimal resistance. Anakin can't stop the gasp the escapes. Unless that's a clone, it looks just like the first Sith he ever saw. Maul.

He clenches his fists, making a note to review the footage again with Obi-Wan and Dooku early in the morning, when it's actually a decent hour. Maul steps out of the line of sight, and everything becomes eerily quiet until a similar figure enters once more. The hood is raised, but the posture and movement are different. Somehow – Anakin's not sure exactly how or why – he think it's not Maul. After pausing and looking around, the figure turns and leaves. Though Anakin can't really see the man's face, he gets the impression that the facial tattoos are a different color. Savage?

A sinking feeling weighs him down. Just what are they getting themselves into? What is Sidious doing? One apprentice is expected, but two? Are there more? An involuntary shiver runs through his body. This is clearly much more serious than he's initially anticipated.

"Is there anything else?" he wants to know, looking at the clones.

"No, sir," the second replies immediately.

"Very well," he nods, turning and striding away, "You should get some rest." That's when he feels the surge of distress from his bond with Ahsoka. She doesn't seem to be in danger – she shouldn't be anyways. Nothing should have gotten past the security.

Shaking off his concern over Sidious, Anakin turns his attention to Ahsoka. She seems to be facing some sort of turmoil – a nightmare most likely. He can't explain the surge of concern that sweeps through him when he realizes that. He hurries upstairs to her bedroom, brow furrowed in concentration as he feels her emotions through their bond. Whatever it is, it's not good.

Pushing open her bedroom door, Anakin stops inside. Ahsoka is tossing and turning on her bed, pain entwining throughout her Force signature. "Ahsoka," he calls, stepping next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Ahsoka, wake up!"

Her eyes fly open, and she gasps quietly, blue eyes darting around the room. She seems terrified of something – he's not sure what. Then, her gaze lands on him. "Skyguy," she gasps out throwing herself at him so fast he hardly has the presence of mind to catch her. She clutches onto him and buries her face on his shoulder.

Anakin holds her protectively, waiting for her to calm down from whatever she'd seen in her dream. Or was it a vision? Her body trembles as tears soak through his tunic. "What's wrong, Snips?" he asks gently, concern lacing his words. She's his little sister; he hates seeing her so upset and scared.

"I s-saw –" she stammers out, her voice breaking, "You d-died, Master."

He lets out a breath, sitting down on the edge of her bed, keeping his arms firmly around her. She's never had a nightmare this bad before, so it makes him wonder. Was it really a nightmare? Perhaps it was actually a vision. A vision of his death. That thought doesn't bother him as much as he thought it might.

"What happened to me?" he inquires, sensing some underlying pain in her words. He didn't just die. Something else happened. Something… worse?

"I think it was Sidious," she chokes out, "He p-possessed you." She pulls back slightly, wiping her tears and peering up at him.

A chill creeps through him. He'll have to talk to Dooku. He doesn't know if Sith are capable of possessing, but it wouldn't surprise him. "Tell me what else happened," he murmurs, stroking her back comfortingly.

A sigh slips out of her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "You – I mean he – fought Obi-Wan in your body. And me too. We told you to fight him. You did. A-and then –" Her voice breaks again, the rest coming out in a shaky whisper, "Y-you k-killed yourself t-to stop him."

Anakin freezes, almost unable to accept the implications in her words. The Force nudges against him, pushing him to accept her words. It's a vision then. He closes his eyes, holding back any feelings of despair. Force, it's true. It could happen, maybe it will, and there's nothing he can do to stop it either. When he had visions of his mother, he couldn't stop those.

He closes his eyes, breathing in slowly. It won't help if he obsesses over it. He has to tell Obi-Wan and Dooku; they can help him. "We'll figure this out," he reassures his Padawan, sounding much more confident than he feels, "We'll discuss it in the morning. The Count should know if it's possible for a Sith to possess someone." He pauses, a smirk twisting up his lips. "I'm the Chosen One. It won't be easy for Sidious to take over my mind."

"I know," Ahsoka agrees, smiling slightly, the horrors from her vision slowly dissipating. The tension drains away from her, and she rests her head on Anakin's shoulder. "But I'm scared, Master," she murmurs, "I don't want something to happen to you."

Anakin stares down at her. He's not afraid of death. He's only afraid of not being able to protect everyone. It's become easier to admit his fears, something which has permitted him to control them. He sighs, rising from his place and tugging Ahsoka to her feet. "Let's get you something to drink. It's the middle of the night and –" he pauses, searching for the time, "And I would suggest getting more rest."

"'Kay," mumbles Ahsoka, yawning. He notices that she clips her lightsabers in place before following him into the hallway, but he doesn't comment. He doesn't doubt that she's shaken over the vision; it's not an easy thing to forget.

They walk in companionable silence down to the kitchen – only their footsteps breaking the quiet on the floor. "Let's see," murmurs Anakin, getting out two mugs and going in search of the ingredients he needs, "When I was a Padawan, I sometimes had trouble sleeping after nightmares, so Obi-Wan would make something warm for me to drink. And it worked." A faint smile hovers on his lips as he remembers.

Ahsoka slips onto a chair, watching, chin resting on her palm as she leans on the table. With a speed showing familiarity, Anakin sets about getting the drink ready. In a few minutes, he slides a mug over to Ahsoka and sits down across from her.

"Thanks, Skyguy," whispers Ahsoka, probably trying not to disturb the silence too much. She takes a sip. "I like this."

Anakin hums quietly, smiling down at his own drink. "Me too."

They drink without speaking. Anakin notices that Ahsoka seems a bit distracted, almost lost in thought. He can feel her worry through their bond, and as much as he wants to help her, he doesn't think repeating what Obi-Wan always told him will help. But perhaps he could try a different approach.

"Don't stress over it too much," he finally tells her, "It won't make it any more or less likely. If you focus on it excessively, you might act in a way to unintentionally bring it about."

"You don't sound like you believe it," Ahsoka muses, looking up at him, her expression clearer than it was a moment ago.

He leans back thoughtfully, crossing his arms. "I don't know," he admits, "It makes sense, but –" He breaks off with a shrug, picking up his mug and finishing his drink. "Are you ready to go back to your room?"

She hesitates for second before nodding firmly. "This helped. I think I can go back to sleep."

"Good," Anakin smiles, motioning for her to follow him. They've only stepped a few feet down the hallway when Anakin feels a surge of danger in the Force.