A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back, and I hope you enjoy the early chapter. I am so glad to be back! Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. I love you all.

MalirBly: Thanks! Glad to be back! I'm glad you like it! TheDarkPrince56: Nah you're fine, and that makes perfect sense. Enjoy! RyanSquad: I will say… what I have planned for her to ultimately completely accept him is not entirely… unlike that. As for the next gen, I am going my own direction with my own set of kids. Timelines are different, children are being born at different times and in different circumstances, and I'm not sure how far I will go into the future precisely. CoolCatGamesYT: Thanks! Han may have joined the military to get off Corellia, but that doesn't make his statement about the Empire wrecking the galaxy before he got to it any less true. Guest: Han has his own journey to go through, and hopefully he learns to be less of a piece of shit lol. Hope you keep reading! Kyuubi7: Yeah, Leia wasn't saying that he should have looked for them. She was asking why, if him joining the Emperor was "For them" he didn't immediately kill the Emperor and join the Rebellion once they were not in the picture TO help. Essentially accusing him of doing it for power. Courtesy Trefflin: Thank you for the kind words, and I am very glad that you are enjoying this fic so much. As far as Anisoka, I'm still deciding. A lot of people seem to really want it, including people very involved in the planning of future plot. Personally, I have long felt like you, but if I do do it I am confident that I can do so in a gradual, natural, non-gross fashion. And relationships do change sometimes. A friend of mine has a male friend she has known since second grade. She has always considered him her brother, to the point of them sleeping in the same bed and such, but now, in their thirties, they have developed feelings for each other and are now seriously dating. So, we'll see. I would say that if anyone feels super-strongly either way about Anisoka IN THIS CONTEXT AND ONLY THIS CONTEXT (Anisoka in the CW era or as cheating will literally never be okay) I encourage them to let me know. I do take readers' opinions and ideas into account :)
As for Leia, you'll see ;) Read on, all….

I do not own Star Wars or its characters. All rights to Lucasfilms and Disney.

Chapter 21

Anakin sat in his usual spot in the training room while the others worked, eyes closed, "meditating" by concentrating on his surroundings and the Force. A beautifully detailed small metal x-wing flew around the edges of the room, carefully out of the way of the training while a pack of gleeful children hotly pursued it. Ahsoka had never seen a toy like that around the Rebellion, and she had little doubt that Anakin had made it himself to play with them.
It wasn't a remote either. He was flying the small model with the Force while he worked. As she watched it zipped around a mannequin and did a continuous barrel roll as it tore back through the clustered children. They quickly reversed to resume the chase.

Ahsoka smiled, tears coming to her eyes. Up until recently he hadn't even been able to interact with these children because he was so afraid of hurting them. For so long his abilities had been used for nothing but destruction and death. Now he seemed relaxed, happy even, as he used them for such simple play. She could hardly believe the progress they had made.

Take that Palpatine, you jogun-faced traitor. We'll save his soul and there is nothing you can do about it.

Luke followed her gaze, echoing her smile as he saw the cause.

"He's doing better, isn't he?"

"He is." They were starting on the basics of duel-wielding, beginning with teaching Luke to fight with his left hand. As with many things, proficiency with one hand did not translate to the other, and she fully intended to introduce him to something flashy later to make up for the embarrassment and frustration of having to once again relearn easy forms. Maybe a "spinny thing;" that would please him.

"Luke, can I talk to you?"

The young man glanced casually back at her, "Sure." before focusing back on the probe he was fighting against.

"Hera told you about Ezra, correct?'

"Yes. He's missing, right?" He paused. "What's going on?"

"Things are in a pretty good place right now. Sabine and I were talking, and we think that now would be a good time to start looking for him. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to Lothal to talk to some contacts."

"Oh." Luke blocked the last shot in the program before leaning against a mannikin and focusing on her. "How long would we be gone?"

"A few days."

"What about Father? Would he be coming?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. He can't. Rex will have to stay with him. I haven't asked yet but I'm sure he wouldn't mind." The young man's hesitation was clear. "Luke, these people we are meeting with are very cautious about strangers. Anakin can not come, and you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about any of this."

"Why not? Who are they?"

"It's the Mandalorian resistance. I have worked with them before, and they don't want to draw the Rebellion's attention."

"We're all fighting for the same thing, aren't we? Destroying the Empire? Shouldn't we all be working together? I just don't understand. Why wouldn't they want us involved?"

Ahsoka sighed. This was going to take some explaining. It would also be best if Luke stopped thinking of the Rebellion as 'we,' but she didn't know how to effect that specific change. "It all really comes down to what happens after the war. The Mandalorians aren't fighting for the entire galaxy like the Rebellion is. They are fighting for themselves. For their survival and the survival of their culture.

You see, a few years ago they very nearly succeeded in driving the Empire off of their planet entirely. As retribution for that, the Empire stripped their resources, murdered thousands of people, and bombed the planet to an unlivable state. Since then they have been continuing that fight." She paused. "The galaxy will be different after the Empire falls, Luke. Everyone assumes the Rebellion will take Coruscant and reinstate the Republic, but apart from that no one quite knows what it will look like. It is quite likely that these fights will have to continue for quite a while afterward, and with the Republic trying to restore peace and order… things are bound to be messy."
"But couldn't they just appeal to the Senate? Leia says in the old days-"

"-Mandalorians are a proud people, Luke. They don't like asking for help. And they have never been a member of the Republic. Under their current management… I imagine they will be more stubborn about their independence than they even were before. And even less trustful of the Republic."

Luke had the look of a person just realizing exactly how much more complicated the world was than he had thought and who didn't much like it. "The Rebellion is the government, and they don't want the government involved in their business. Got it."

She didn't want to pile more on top, but he needed all the information. "There's more. This operation is vitally important to the Jedi – to us." Ahsoka corrected herself before continuing. "The Jedi and Mandalorians have been enemies for practically all of history. Thousands of years. In the last few decades we have slowly started to forge a shaky alliance, but it is vital that things continue to go well. This is the reason Anakin absolutely can not come with us. We both need to be on our absolute best behavior."

"We could end thousands of years of war and death, while finding a Jedi? Count me in."

They grinned at each other. At its current size, the Order needed to be an excellent team, and blast if they weren't that.

"When do we leave?" Luke asked.

"Sabine asked me to meet her in two days."

"Two days or two rotations?"

"Standard days."

"Sounds like a plan then."

Observing that work seemed to have reached a close, Anakin approached the pair.

"Ahsoka, Luke, there's someone I want you to meet." He turned to a green-haired five-year-old, sitting beside him fiddling with the x-wing. "He and another boy were fighting over it, and he took it from him from a few feet away."

Anakin's serious expression said more than his words, and Ahsoka immediately grasped his meaning. She sat down in front of the child, a pleasant, nonthreatening expression on her face as she tried to catch his eye. "That's incredible. How did you do that?"

The boy seemed suddenly bashful, lowering his gaze and kicking his legs awkwardly as his voice emerged barely audible. "I dunno."

"What's your name?"

"Mommy says I shouldn't talk to you."

"Why not?" Anakin asked.

"Because…" His voice became even softer. "…because you'll take me away."

If they had had any doubts about his Force-sensitivity, they were washed away by that tragic sentence.

"Well, why are you here if you're not supposed to talk to us?"

"Marzel wanted to come watch. And- and he said it was fun here, and- I was a baby not to come."

The adults exchanged amused smiles. No one was quite so good at social pressure as small children.

Luke thought of a new tack, crouching down to talk to the toddler. "Did you have fun today?"

He nodded slightly "Mm-hm."

"Would you like to come back and play some more?"

And even smaller nod. The child's head seemed to be trying to retreat into his shirt.

"Maybe I could talk to your mother about it. What's her name?"

That brightened him up. The boy still seemed shy, but he practically beamed with pride. "Her name is General Syndulla! She's the greatest pilot ever!"

"She is? Wow! I'll have to see that!"

The other two smiled. Children loved Luke.

"So, you wanna tell me your name now?"

He grinned and giggled a little. "Jacen!"

Ahsoka waited until the child was gone before turning her attention back to the others. "Well that explains a lot."

"What?"

"I think I knew his father. Hera had a Jedi traveling with her a few years ago, a survivor. Funny, I didn't know they were together. But a Force-sensitive half-human… there's no other possibility."

Luke broke in. "Together? But the code forbids attachments, doesn't it? Yoda said they lead to the dark side."

They both felt how uncomfortable Anakin suddenly became at the comment, but no one mentioned it.

Ahsoka continued the conversation. "I'll talk to Hera when we return. I have known her a long time, and I think she might open up to me."

"Good idea." Luke replied. "If she was so afraid that she didn't even want Jacen to talk to us, it might be best if we don't put too much pressure on her."

With everything discussed and determined, Luke eventually left to tell Leia and Han that he would be gone for a few days (vaguely, but they would not question that. Plenty of operations were secret in the Rebellion, and it wouldn't be the first time one of the trio couldn't tell the others his destination) and that left Ahsoka and Anakin to leave the training room together.

"Where are you two going?"

"Lothal." Ahsoka replied. "We'll be back in a few days."

Anakin nodded, but understood a shutdown when he heard it and did not enquire further.

She continued. "Keep working on your meditation. I think you're making progress."

Anakin grinned mischievously. "Of course, Master, whatever you say."

Ahsoka punched him in the arm for that, prompting a laugh.

He looked innocent, "What? I am… simply acknowledging your instructions. See how easy that is to say?"
"It's your own fault I wasn't more obedient; I was just following your example." She teased back. "I think Obi-Wan would have fainted from shock if you had ever said that to him."

She hadn't meant to mention Obi-Wan's name. Ahsoka hurriedly glanced at him to make sure he was alright, but Anakin seemed to have gained a rare moment of mercy from his tortured mind. He was still smiling, as if nothing at all had been said. "And I'm not your Master." She finished, quick to keep the conversation away from Obi-Wan.

"Aren't you?"

"Anakin," She stopped, waiting for him to look at her before continuing. "Can we… talk? I know that you have said that you don't want to talk about how you returned to the light-"

"Ahsoka-"

"-But it's important. Things keep progressing with the Jedi's return, and this information could be extremely valuable."

"It's not."

"It is." She paused. "I know it's a lot to ask, and if it turns out to be too much, we'll stop. I just… want to try."

Anakin was becoming visibly more stressed and anxious, shifting on his feet and eyeing their surroundings as if noting the escape routes in case of attack. "I don't want to talk about my fall."

She shook her head, regarding him compassionately. "You don't have to. Just your return to the light. Please."

He was quiet, thinking for a minute before responding. "If it's too much we'll stop?"

"I promise."

More silence. Finally he spoke. "Okay. Let's go to your quarters. No one should bother us there."

Once there they settled in. Anakin on the bed, Ahsoka in a chair taken from the small table by the wall.

"Ahsoka, if I tell you about this, you must promise not to ask any questions. There are things… related to this… related to my fall specifically… that I am not ready to talk about." He paused, his eyes moving to the floor. "That I can't talk about. Some things won't make sense without them, and you simply must be prepared to accept that."

She nodded, "I promise."

"And you're sure this is important?"

"This could reveal where our weaknesses are, to protect others from falling in the future. And maybe we could even bring people back if we know how to go about it."

"Okay." Anakin stopped again, trying to gear himself up for the discussion. "I, um… After- After… everything… happened… the Emperor told me that I… murdered… my pregnant wife and the… child… she was carrying." Anakin's voice dropped on the horrible words. He had never told another soul what Sidious said to him that day, and even now, so many years later, even knowing that whatever really happened that had to be a lie, he was still finding the words practically unutterable. "For reasons… that I won't discuss… I believed him."

Ahsoka was horrified. She couldn't even imagine how it would feel to be told such a thing. "Anakin, I'm so sorry." Her voice came out almost a whisper.

"Stop. No. Just… let me finish. I need to get through this." He paused again before haltingly resuming. "I was already… in very great pain and conflict… already in the suit… but that… broke me. I had no hope, no will left. I served him, did whatever he said, for many years. Luke told Leia and Han that He used mind control, but the truth is he didn't need it. I didn't have the will left to rebel. I didn't even have the will left to kill myself."

It's okay. He thought to himself, feeling the memories starting to overwhelm him. It's okay, it's over. Just keep going. Just breath."

"When I saw you on Malachor, it was like a ray of light shone down into my cell. I came closer to the surface than I had in years. And he knew it. The things he did after…" Here Anakin stumbled to a halt, his face saying everything his voice didn't. He remembered well how utterly furious Sidious had been over the appearance of conflict in his previously almost perfect puppet. Ahsoka could never know the depths of torture he had endured for two words and a moment of hesitation. "– He erased my conflict, well and thoroughly, but he never trusted me again."

"Then a Force-sensitive boy destroyed the Death Star. I escaped and told the Emperor what I had seen. Imagine my shock when he summoned me a few years later to tell me that boy was my son. With the… timing… of what he told me about Padme's death, there was no way our child could have survived, so I knew at once that he must have lied. I carefully hid my true feelings while I laid my plans. I didn't really know what to do; I just knew that I could not allow him to hurt my son."

Ahsoka could tell that they were finally getting to the true meat of the story.

"I could not face him directly; the suit had a built in flaw to allow him to easily break it if I ever truly went against him. And all the previous plans I had laid across the decades had come to nothing. I had to be careful. So, I started by convincing him to let me turn Luke rather than kill him, and then set to work capturing him." Anakin paused. "That proved… more difficult than anticipated. In the end, we wound up on the second Death Star, in front of Sidious, with nothing. I had not had a chance to train him, brief him, or set anything in motion. So when he had us fight… I assumed it was over. I resolved to simply complete Luke's turn, then allow him to kill me, so that he could live and hopefully… hopefully the Emperor would not have too much reason to be angry with him going forward. The… the further into the darkness I could throw the boy, the safer he would be."

Anakin had trailed off, but the story was not yet done.

"So? What happened?" Ahsoka prompted him.

"Luke is… stubborn. More so than is good for him. He refused to turn. He even… he had me on the ground, my… right hand gone… my lightsaber missing… I was helpless… and he refused to kill me. He threw his own saber away, and… I'll never forget what he said. He said, 'Never. I will never turn to the dark side. You have failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me' Just like that, with that much pride, when I was lying beaten on the floor, a failure." Anakin paused to recover himself. "He had… already expressed his trust in me before we went to see the Emperor. It had been so long since I had felt any affection at all, especially so… unconditional. Sidious was enraged by his refusal, and started to… torture him. Luke was screaming, calling for me to help him, and Sidious just kept… striking him with lightning… again, and again… and again. Over and over."

"Something about that… all of it… something snapped. I… I think I had been waking up for a long time, but that… that ended it. It's like… a fog dissipated from my mind and I could think clearly for the first time in decades. I had no weapon, but Sidious regarded me as so little of a threat that he was ignoring me completely even while torturing my son, even though I was behind him. So, I had one opening. I grabbed him about the waist and hoisted him into the air. He electrocuted me, both punishing me and breaking the suit, but I pushed through the pain and kept going. There was an incomplete elevator shaft near us, so I carried him too it and threw him down. Then I… I watched him fall." Anakin paused, his face twisting, "His face was… awful… Shocked, like he never expected me to betray him, but so enraged that I wondered for a moment if he would find a way to kill us from the depths, despite it all. I was… ready to die, but Luke refused. He dragged my dying body onto a shuttle and brought us to the rebellion. And you know the rest." The story over, Anakin finally looked at his friend. "That's it."

She was silent for a few moments just processing it all, before finally speaking. "So… it was your attachments that allowed you to escape?"

Anakin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you were attached to Padme, and Palpatine lied about her to you, and then that, combined with your love for Luke and your desire to protect him, allowed you to escape."

"Ahsoka, I don't know. That sounds pretty far-fetched-"

"No, it's not!" In her excitement Ahsoka lunged across the small gap to throw her arms around his neck. "Don't you see what this means? If attachment and personal bonds are what brought you back, then that changes everything!"

"What are you talking about?"
The woman pulled back, smiling broadly, hands on his shoulders to look into her friend's tortured eyes. "It means everything we thought, was wrong. The Jedi were wrong!" She paused. "It means we need to change the Code."