Thanks to ISB, V, dovah117, DarthEzra, hellothere209, ComparedDread12 and Eznf98 for the feedback!
ISB: Revan's backstory, which is far too long for this chapter, is the basis of Star Wars: The Old Republic video games. Revan wears that mask because of an oath he made to a fallen Mandalorian. For this story, it's the reason his spirit is still around.
V: Oh man, I would love if Ahsoka found a way to make Rex young again. That would be beyond incredible. And, after introducing time travel, basically anything goes.
dovah117: Funnily enough, I ask myself the same questions. I have a plan for the Death Star, but the cliffhangers are what I do, and will continue to be part of this story.
DarthEzra: For Sabine, she has had, at this point, years of training with Ezra, so I expect she could at least hold her own. But remember, she's fighting with anger, and that can be a powerful tool. So long as you control it.
Hellothere209: Spoiler: I didn't reveal everything. Some things are still in the shadows, because it all boils down to memory. How often do you recall an incident that took place years ago with perfect clarity? Hopefully not often, or this is awkward. Point is, Ezra's memory of that moment is hazy, something he has tried to forget about.
ComparedDread12: I'm very excited for what happens next with Revan. It will be very interesting, to say the least.
Eznf98: Unfortunately, I don't really know the character of Revan well enough to make this a battle of will. I researched, but I don't have that firm a grasp to make a call like that.
Special Thanks to DarthBubbles for allowing me to use a section of this chapter that sounded...similar...to their story, Stay. I recommend you check it out, I very much enjoyed it.
So, this parts of this chapter may get confusing, and that is intentional. I'll try to clarify everything at the end. That is also why this chapter is later than I wanted, because I was busy making parts of this as confusing as possible!
Mwuhahahaha?
Enjoy!
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"I know that wasn't you." Sabine held Ezra's limp hand in her own. "So I don't blame you. And when you wake up, I'll still be right here."
A hand rested on her shoulder, and she flinched, whirling around to face Skywalker. "I'm busy."
Skywalker accepted that, and the hand was removed from her shoulder. "I am truly sorry." He murmured. "I never thought any of this would happen."
Sabine laughed bitterly. "Yeah, and I'm sure you never thought Vader would happen when you returned to Coruscant." She resisted the urge to smile at his confused stare. "Rex told us all about the last time he saw you."
Master Kenobi says there's no such thing as luck
Good thing I taught you otherwise
Anakin nodded stiffly, forcing old memories back into their cage. Finding Ahsoka's lightsaber in the wreckage of the Venator, hunting Cal Kestis and his team. The actions of Vader still impacted people, but that wasn't who he was anymore.
Even though he had changed, there would be some who would never truly be comfortable with him. Ezra and Cal had forgiven him, but much of that was due to the fact that they could sense his intentions in the Force, and knew him to be genuine. It was the same with Ahsoka. It had taken a little longer, but they had quickly returned to being the same team that had been unstoppable on so many Clone War battlegrounds.
Captain Rex had never truly stopped defending him, it seemed, calling him General even when in Vader's captivity. Anakin hadn't had the chance to speak to ARC Trooper Echo, but Rex assured him he shared his sentiment. Much of that was probably due to not being around for Anakin's fall.
Hera was still coming around, she was slowly trusting him more. She had adopted Rex's habit of calling him General, if only for a code.
The real problem, as far as Anakin could tell, was Sabine. He didn't need to reach into the Force to feel the waves of anger rolling off of her. And he didn't blame her. He had very nearly derailed Ezra's entire life at Hoth, something that the Jedi had forgiven him for, but Sabine was still bitter about that.
Maybe they could have avoided a confrontation before Exegol, but after The Mask, Anakin was sure that eventually, she would come at him with the darksaber. It had very nearly culminated a few days ago when Sabine had fired on him, but that was directly after The Mask had almost forced her to kill herself.
Realising he had never answered the question, Anakin scowled. "No, I didn't think I'd fall to the Dark Side when I returned to Coruscant! Are you happy?"
Sabine's eyes narrowed. "Your fall led to countless people's lives being ruined. Led to my world being destroyed." She folded her arms. "In a way, yes, I am happy. You're not a real Jedi. Not like Kanan or Ezra."
Anakin couldn't help it, he flinched. The reminder of the past brought back an old conversation he had with Obi-Wan, shortly after Ahsoka had left.
"How would you feel if I turned into a major disappointment?"
"It's not the same-"
"It's precisely the same. You took me under your wing and practically raised me! I'm your Padawan, just like Ahsoka was mine. How well would you sleep knowing I failed you?"
"Not very well, I imagine. Luckily, that isn't true. And never will be."
Anakin watched Sabine stalk away, and leaned against the wall, focusing on the Force. Most days, he could ignore the past, focus on the future. Or, more precisely, focus on correcting the mistakes of the past, and try to create a better future.
But the memory Sabine had inadvertently brought to the surface, it stung. Because Obi-Wan had been so sure he would never fail him. Ahsoka had been the same way, Rex had said. Even entertained the idea of working with Maul to stop Sidious, before the former Sith had mentioned his desire to kill Anakin.
Mulling it over, Anakin didn't know what was worse; the fact that his former Padawan had been tempted to trust Maul of all people, or the fact that, had they joined forces, there might not have been a Darth Vader.
I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you.
I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!
Trying to shake the memories of the past, Anakin slipped into the Force, seeing if anything had changed with Ezra in the past few days. But, just like the other ten times he had checked in the past hour, there was nothing. So far, not even a hint of Ezra's Force Signature in his own body.
Then you are lost!
Anakin flinched again, then sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. Getting the Rebels to trust him wasn't nearly as hard as escaping the demons of his past.
Everything would have been so much simpler if Obi-Wan had killed him that day.
. . . . . . . . . .
Ezra gasped as he and Kanan were suddenly on an old LAAT Gunship, a relic of the Clone War. It had been provided by Rex, who apparently knew were a surplus of old Republic ordinance was hidden.
The Gunship shook as it dodged incoming fire, but Ezra frowned. The trip to Korda Six, the planet they had discovered the Empire had taken Luke and Han after interrogation was accurate, but they hadn't ridden into oncoming fire, had they?
Beside him, Kanan placed a hand on his shoulder. "Revan is blurring your memories together. He's trying to make it more difficult for you to escape."
Ezra nodded before frowning. Talking to Revan, even Kanan before, voices had echoed. Been distorted ever so slightly. Right now, there was none of that.
It was actually really-
"Commander Bridger!" One of his men, Farries, handed him a comlink. "We have Prime Minister Mekata on the comm."
Ezra sighed and accepted the transmission. "This is Commander Ezra Bridger of the Galactic Alliance. You have two of our Generals in your possession. I demand you return them to us at once."
Without answering, the Prime Minister disconnected, and Ezra sighed again. They had tracked Luke and Han to this planet to avoid Vader, for whatever reason, but they-
Wait. Not whatever reason. Anakin had told him that the Emperor had killed Luke while Vader was dealing with Han. In order to prevent him from being redeemed, but it had started him down the path of the Light.
Right?
Ezra searched his memory, trying to recall-
Karabast, Bridger.
Ezra flinched, recognizing what those words where. More importantly, when those words had been spoken.
Hey.
Not now, Sabine.
Ezra closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to avoid that memory. Really, that entire six month period was something he could live without thinking about.
Look, I know you blame yourself for what happened, but it isn't your fault.
Ezra could hear the bitter laugh he had released nearly nine years ago. "You're not the reason Kanan's blind. Why Ahsoka's dead."
Sabine, the Sabine from that memory, appeared beside him. "And you think you are?" She shook her head. "Maul blinded Kanan. Vader killed Ahsoka. None of that was your fault."
He could recall what happened next. Ezra turned away, facing the wilderness of nightime Atollon, where this particular conversation had taken place. "I'm sorry for keeping you up. I'll…try to be quieter."
Pain erupted in his arm as Sabine hit him. "It's not the noise that's been keeping me up, you nerf-herder!" Her voice quieted. "What happened on Malachor was not your fault, and I'm tired of it keeping you up at night." Her voice grew even softer, to a point where Ezra had to strain to listen. Or, would have, if this wasn't the exact same conversation they had after Malachor. "Let me help you."
Ezra blinked. That was how the conversation had gone years ago, but Sabine had responded to what he had said, not what the Ezra from the memory had said. "You're not real."
She shrugged. "Debating that isn't going to help you get out of this mess, is it?"
Ezra scowled. "You're just a memory."
Sabine nodded and smiled. "Your memory." She sat down beside him. "How do we fix this?"
Ezra looked away. "I can't." He shook his head. "Kanan says I have to go through my worst memory to escape, but I can't even remember how that goes!"
"Worst memory. So, Luke." At Ezra's inquisitive gaze, she smiled. "I know you pretty well, Kid."
Ezra rested his head against the wall. "I don't suppose you can help with this?"
"I was stuck in a closet at the time."
Ezra, without looking, reached over and gave Sabine a light shove. "But you're not Sabine. You're my memory of her, which means you do know what happened that day."
"So he can be taught."
Ezra looked up, seeing Kanan as he had looked before Malachor. He recognised this moment too. This was when he was going to the Lothal Jedi Temple for the first time. "As much as it's fun taking a trip down memory lane, this isn't helping."
Kanan knelt beside him. "Patience. Focus on the moment, and it will come."
Ezra closed his eyes and sighed, slipping into the Force. "Focus on the moment, and it will come."
"Surrender the boy to me or die, Jedi."
Ezra's eyes shot open, and he gasped as Vader loomed over him, lightsaber drawn. "I-I'm not afraid of you, Anakin."
Vader took a step closer. "That name no longer holds any meaning for me."
A hand grasped his shoulder, and Ezra jumped, turning to face Kanan. "Ezra, clear your mind!"
Ezra closed his eyes, and the hum of the lightsaber gradually disappeared. "Thanks, Kanan."
"Try again."
Ezra centred himself, and willed the memory to come. As unpleasant as it was to think about, Kanan was right, he was no help to Sabine and the others in this state.
He had to get free.
. . . . . . . . . .
Anakin caught Cal as he stumbled off the Mantis. "Easy." He watched as Cal placed a stabilizing hand on the ship. "How're you feeling?"
Anakin hadn't been there when Cal had been wounded defending Point Dawn on Mandalore, but he had seen Merrin work to help him. He also knew that the destruction of Mandalore would have compounded whatever problems there were, and had elected to leave Cal behind when going to Exegol, which had turned out to be a mistake.
Cal shook his head and resumed walking, slowly heading towards their Command Centre. "I'm more concerned about Ezra. Cere says something happened on Exegol?"
Anakin nodded, looking down. "A Sith Spirit got a hold of Ezra. We managed to destroy the vessel it lived in, now all that's left is for Ezra to get free."
"Skywalker." Sabine brushed past him. "Training Room. Now."
Anakin shrugged and gestured for Cal to continue to Ezra's room, before catching up with Sabine. "Why?" He noted the darksaber in her hand. "You want to fight me?"
She nodded tensely. "Figured if you were truly acting like a Jedi, you wouldn't Force-Choke me or something."
Anakin frowned in confusion, but let the comment pass. She was trying to provoke a reaction out of him, and as soon as he did that, she would be justified, in her own head at least, in being angry with him.
They stepped onto the makeshift arena, just an emptied building that once was a barracks, and Anakin activated his lightsaber, adopting the Form II Stance. He wanted to see what she was capable of.
Sabine ignited the darksaber, then slowly circled him. "I've been waiting for this chance for a long time."
Anakin nodded, turning his head slightly to keep her in his field of view. "I figured." He sighed. "I am truly sorry for what I did to Ezra. And to you."
She scoffed. "Sure you don't mean, what Vader did to us?"
Anakin shook his head. "No. As much as I'd like to, Darth Vader is a part of my past I can't forget. The best I can do is move on and try to make amends for the mistakes I made."
There was silence for a few moments, and Anakin closed his eyes, trying to get a feel on the situation.
And then Sabine attacked.
Anakin whirled, narrowly blocking the black blade. There were a series of quick thrusts, before Sabine used her repulser to push him back, then followed that up with a vertical slice she changed into a horizontal one at the last second. Anakin quickly rolled away, slipping into Form III. And re-examining Sabine.
Anakin had known Ezra had been training Sabine for years now, both for her skills and his own. He didn't know how far Sabine had come, not having the opportunity to observe.
Apparently, she was skilled.
Before Anakin could process everything, Sabine charged him again, rolling under his feet at the last possible moment. He turned to block, but was met with another repulser blast that sent him into the opposite wall.
Anakin stayed crouched, reaching out with the Force. From what he knew,-and had seen, a long time ago-Sabine Wren was not someone to wait for their opponent to attack. Most certainly was not someone to stand still, watching them with an unreadable expression. Something was off.
It wasn't anger, wasn't hatred. Those emotions would have spurred her to plunge the darksaber into his chest at first opportunity, and she'd a few already. It was odd, having an opponent best him, even for something as small as underestimating them, and not take the opportunity to end the duel.
Anakin frowned, realising something. Charging, he swiped at her, but she nimbly dodged. Kicking against the wall, he used it as a springboard, aiming the next blow towards her midsection, which Sabine also evaded.
They circled around the room for several moments, Anakin never able to land a hit on her. "Is this what Ezra's been teaching you?" Anakin smiled to himself. "How to dance?"
Sabine visibly bristled at the mention of Ezra, but got it under control to roll away from a swipe. "Among other things."
Anakin glanced at the darksaber, which wasn't even ignited anymore. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."
Sabine nodded, ducking. "Your pride is yours."
Anakin shrugged, conceding the point. "Obi-Wan never really managed to drill the humble thing in, I guess."
"Yeah." Sabine pushed his hand to the side, creating room for her to manoeuvre. "He failed on multiple levels, it seems."
He shook his head, lowering his lightsaber. "What are you trying to do?"
Sabine stopped, staring at him. "You're not smart."
Anakin scowled. "What?"
"You lowered your defences."
With that, Sabine launched a vicious assault, that might have gotten Anakin, had she not given him heads up. And, finally, he caught on. She never wanted a spar. She never even wanted to see if she could kill him.
What Sabine wanted was to find out how much of Vader was still inside Anakin.
Anakin wanted to find that out too.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Commander Bridger."
The sound was whispered, and it was coming from the ground. Even knowing what was about to happen, fighting the urge to run to a memory of Kanan training him, or he and Sabine bickering together, Ezra knelt and picked a holoprojector up from off the duracrete. "Who is this?"
A image appeared. It was Luke, chained and sporting multiple wounds. "General Skywalker. I-"
Lightning engulfed his body, and a laugh Ezra still heard in his nightmares was heard. "Weak. Like your Father."
After the bout of lighting was done, Luke sagged, staring directly into the lens. "A defector gave this to me." He whispered. "The Emperor doesn't know about it. Please, you have to-"
More Force-Lightning, and Ezra turned away, tears slipping unbidden down his cheeks. Once was bad enough. To watch someone he had bonded to, could feel the pain of, suffer indescribable agony for the second time was…
Kanan's hand was on his shoulder. "Focus." He murmured. "He's one with the Force. This is just a memory."
Ezra screwed his eyes shut, listening to the screams of pain. Just like back then, he was powerless to stop it. Even if it was just a memory, it stung like nothing else. "H-Hurts."
Kanan's grip tightened, a silent plea to hold on. "There's always light at the end of the tunnel."
Ezra screamed.
. . . . . . . . . .
Anakin grunted as he held back Sabine's attacks, and smiled softly. Finally, she was attacking. Granted, it was less tactical than her dodging, suggesting now she was giving in to the anger, but it was better than her waiting for a slip-up.
At least now he knew she was trying to kill him.
Ahsoka had said, enough times to sound like a parrot of Obi-Wan, that he took unnecessary risks. Anakin grinned. At least she wasn't here to witness this.
Timing it with a repulser blast from Sabine, Anakin let go of his lightsaber, a hundred instances of Obi-Wan chastising 'this weapon is your life' flowing through his mind. Out of pure instinct, he almost caught it, but allowed Sabine's grappling line to snag it first.
Then she pounced.
Anakin couldn't help but think of Dooku as the darksaber and his lightsaber scissored his throat, and would have fought to keep from sharing his fate, but the door opened, and a familiar figure entered the arena.
Sabine sensed it as well, and turned, dropping both lightsabers. "Ezra?"
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Chapter Notes!
I). Memories, or mine at least, aren't entirely clear, especially when a Sith has invaded your body, intent on keeping it. So, everything's kinda fuzzy for Ezra.
II). I do wonder, if Anakin had survived, how would the actions of Vader followed him? It was something I was keen to see with Ben Solo, but that opportunity, sadly, never came.
III). So, the cliffhanger. Probably should ask yourself, how's Ezra's state of mind? Does he even know where he is? Could this be a case of amnesia? Maybe, in an effort to avoid the pain, parts of his personality split (which is actually a real life thing, and is very terrifying) Who knows?
Thanks for reading! (Embrace your anger! They give your reviews focus!)
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