Chapter Eighty: Free

Vader never got the chance to see what kind of fighting team he and Ahsoka would make when they were on the same side in combat. Certainly, he had fought with her when she was his student and against her when they sparred. But that wasn't the same as fighting with someone on equal footings. There'd been one short mission before the Council sought to split them apart. After his change in alliances and they became co-conspirators to remove Palpatine, they'd come across each other on the same side of a fight on precisely two occasions. Neither occasion involved them fighting an opponent in a lightsaber duel. Other than that, neither had gotten a chance to test how compatible they were in direct combat.

Back when Vader had called himself Anakin Skywalker, his partnership with his former Jedi master, one Obi-wan Kenobi, had frequently been sensationalized in media as the "dream team." Hating the media nearly as much as he hated politicians, Kenobi had frequently scowled or rolled his eyes at the sensationalist title when he heard it. Like he rolled his eyes at all the sensationalist titles given to them during the Clone Wars. The Negotiator and the Hero with no Fear being the most prominent.

Vader, on the other hand, had relished in the admiration of the public while simultaneously despising the names they put on them. What the public would have said if they realized that he'd practically lived in a constant state of fear and anxiety for the people he cared for. That the only reason he would rush so unhesitatingly into danger was because the alternative was unthinkable. What the public would also say if they knew that their so-called dream team was fractured, barely holding together at the seams.

But he and Kenobi had been able to set their differences aside, to repress all the resentment and pain toward the bigger goal of ending the war. And what a team they'd been. Even Vader could admit that. On his own, he hardly ever lost a battle. When he and Kenobi worked together, they'd been almost unstoppable. An extension of each other. Possessing a sync with each other borne of years fighting at each other's side.

He and Ahsoka didn't have that benefit.

Yet all the same, when his master's lightsaber lit and, quicker than one might expect given his feeble appearance, the Emperor moved to engage them, Vader felt the bond with Ahsoka vibrate to life between them. Even as Sidious sought to divide them, Vader fell into sync with Ahsoka in a way he hadn't fallen into sync with anyone else. Practically knowing her next move in the same way he knew his own as her white blades clashed with Sidious' red one and complimented his own red blade.

But even that wasn't going to be enough to overcome Sidious. Not on its own. Not when Sidious had the home turf advantage. Not when Vader—through his vibrating Force bond with Ahsoka—saw the depth of the darkness and rot that he'd become somewhat desensitized to. It was like Sidious' own personal locus. Everything about Coruscant and, especially, this planet fed Sidious' power. That, combined with the decades of experience more that the old Sith had on them was enough for him to be more than a match for even Vader's and Ahsoka's might in the Force combined. Not to mention that connected to Ahsoka as he was in that moment, the sense that something was amiss with her became a sense that something was downright wrong. And it would be so easy to pry a little further to investigate…

He mentally steadied himself. Even if there was something wrong with Ahsoka, there was nothing he could do about it now. Not engaged with his master. If anything, it was all the more reason to come up with a way to turn this fight to their favor.

Vader refocused himself, just in time to be just grazed on his right thigh by Sidious' saber. Ahsoka took the opportunity to use the Force to push Sidious across the garden and a good distance away from them. While Sidious fell backward into a bush with delicate white blossoms, Ahsoka grabbed his arm and led him back into the small amass of colorful blossoms from Felucia.

"This isn't going to work," Ahsoka managed between panting.

"I know," Vader replied, ignoring the sting in his thigh.

If only they'd been able to confront Sidious on their own terms. Even if Vader hadn't managed to find a way to kill Sidious without direct confrontation, they could have drawn him out. Drawn him away from the epicenter of his power, both political, military, and Force-wise. If Vader hadn't been so eager to confront his master, perhaps he could have managed that a few days ago, even after Sidious put out the call to arrest him for treason.

Vader forced himself not to dwell on the past. It was done now.

"We need…" Vader paused. An idea dawned on him. "Higher ground."

It was the tactic Kenobi had used on him all those years ago on Mustafar when he realized that he couldn't beat Vader in an outright confrontation. He'd gained the higher ground and might have won their duel had Ahsoka not intervened. Vader wasn't so young and prideful that he couldn't admit that now. That given the terrain and environment of their duel, he might have lost that fight. It wouldn't give them the same advantage here in this garden, but it was something.

"Where?" Ahsoka asked.

Vader didn't miss the way she winced and pressed a hand to her lower abdomen as she said this, but he once again filed it away for later.

He'd been to the gardens once or twice. Palpatine liked to spend time here to go over matters of the Empire between the two when he didn't want to be in the throne room or a conference room. Most of the time, Vader didn't focus on the scenery. But elaborate as this place was, there had to be some type of high ground somewhere.

Vader extended himself in the Force, using the Force like an echolocating sense. Not always a helpful power and one that usually took way too much time to use on a regular basis. But since he had just forgotten the terrain and was just refamiliarizing himself rather than learning it, the sense worked quicker. It helped him remember there was a stone stairway that led up to one of the many terraces in the garden.

"Come on," Vader directed, grabbing Ahsoka's arm. She resisted.

"Just give me a minute," she said quietly.

Before Vader could assess what was going on, the comm in his helmet began to beep.

"Vader," came Sabé's voice when he answered the call. "Where are you?"

"Trying to gain the upper hand against Palpatine."

"At the palace?"

"Where else?" Vader snapped.

Unmoved by his irritation, Sabé said, "We're coming for you."

"We?" Vader repeated. That was when he heard blaster bolts, explosions, and the general noise of battle in the background. "Sabé, where—?"

The line disconnected.

"Sabé?" Ahsoka asked.

Vader didn't get a chance to answer her. The Force rang a warning, and the trees that had been shielding them exploded and sent them both flying in opposite directions. The ringing in his ears hardly stopped before he got another urgent warning from the Force. There was no time to heed it. His nerves screamed in pain as lightning poured into him from Sidious' hands. He'd endured the fire of Sidious' lightning on multiple occasions, but Sidious had no desire to maim Vader any more than he was or kill him back then. Not unless it was necessary. Certainly not without an adequate replacement.

Apparently, Sidious found the necessity because the lightning was more intense and painful than anything he'd suffered at Sidious' hands. And though Vader sensed Sidious still didn't want to kill him, he certainly desired to incapacitate him. To remind him why, if Sidious had his way, he'd only be his Sith apprentice. A slave to his whims. Nothing more or less.

The intensity of the lightning would have been enough to fully compromise his suit in perfect working order. But compromised as it was, it wasn't long before he got the warning in his visor of the respirator failing.

Before he could gather the Force through his pain to push the lightning back at Sidious, the Sith Master stopped and whirled around in time to meet Ahsoka's blades with his own. The force sent Ahsoka backward, but she held her ground and shifted her stance to face Sidious down.

"Such a pity. For all your many talents, you inherited your master's weakness," Sidious said scornfully.

"I won't let him suffer under you anymore," Ahsoka breathed, pointing one of her sabers at Sidious.

"Isn't that what you do now?" Sidious said, gesturing to Vader. "This need not end in violence. This need not end in either one of your deaths. Join me, and his safety will be assured. As will be the safety of your children."

"You offered Vader that deal. Didn't turn out well. Not to mention you just injected him with lightning. Doesn't look like safety to me."

"Only because of his disobedience," Sidious stated. "You can stop this whenever you want. But continue to resist, and he will certainly die. And you with him."

Though Vader knew Sidious didn't know he wasn't wholly dependent on the suit and its capabilities, he wasn't necessarily wrong. Vader wasn't sure how long he'd last between the intensity of the fight and the harm by the lightning to his already compromised respiratory system. Neither was Ahsoka, judging by the way he felt her gaze shift to him.

Vader suddenly remembered what she'd admitted when she confessed the depth of her feelings for him. That she wasn't sure she wouldn't damn the galaxy for him. And in that moment, he understood why Padmé had been so desperate to get him to go away with her, even if it meant her death. Why Ahsoka had insisted on pretending their relationship was a complicated but firmly stagnant friendship for years out of fear of what he might do to protect her. Serving Sidious was nothing but suffering. Nothing but living under constant threat of everything and everyone he cared for being ripped away. And when it was ripped away, being convinced that it was his own fault because to blame it on the person truly responsible would mean to have no one. To be truly alone in the galaxy. He'd rather die than let Ahsoka be subjected to that.

Ahsoka proved stronger than he ever had, though, and turned her gaze from him and back to Sidious as she adjusted her stance.

"Guess we'll die then," she declared before attacking Sidious.

Vader would not let her fight alone though and flexed his hands, ignoring the twitch in his right arm. Then he reached up to take off his helmet and mask. It impaired his breathing more than it did anything to help when damaged. But his mechanical hand was too twitchy and couldn't press the release on the right side that had to be simultaneously pressed with the one on the left.

Resigning himself to make do, Vader forced himself onto one shaky knee, gathering the Force around him to give him the strength to get up. When he felt the vibrations of footsteps thundering towards him, he willed himself to move faster. No doubt, they were reinforcements for Sidious. Sure enough, blaster fire followed.

But the reinforcements weren't for Sidious.

Diya, Sabé, Rex, Obi-wan, and, off all people, Barriss Offee made their way into the garden. Behind them, Vader sensed another battle. Presumably their troops holding off the Imperial Center ones and the rest of the Imperial guard.

Sabe rushed over to him while the rest began to engage with Sidious, giving Ahsoka a much-needed break.

"The more I get to know you, the more I see what Padmé saw in you. You have the same propensity for stupidly walking into danger that she did. Worse even," Sabé snapped as she knelt in front of him.

"Yet here you are," Vader wheezed through the mask.

Sabé shrugged, looking him over. "You're a piece of work, but we had no intention of leaving you to this demon from the innermost Corellian hell. Now what happened?"

"Sith lightning. Help me get this kriffing mask off."

Sabé relented, pressing the release buttons to remove the helmet. She tossed it aside and removed the masked and hermetic collar. The relief to his breathing was instant, though his chest still ached from the lightning. He began to stand, but Sabé gestured for him to wait as she took something out of her pocket. One of his quick-acting steroid shots, usually taken in-between his regular treatments.

"Do you always carry one of those around?" he asked as Sabé took out a pair of scissors and cut the fabric over his arm.

"No. But I figured if you were facing the Emperor, you might need it," she said, jamming the shot into his arm.

She unceremoniously dropped it on the ground and picked up her blaster, while Vader recalled his lightsaber and got to his feet.

"Time to end this," Vader muttered.

"I wholeheartedly agree," Sabé said as they made their way back to the fight.

By the time they got there, Ahsoka and Obi-wan were facing off against Sidious while Rex was maintaining a perimeter around them to keep the Imperial Guard that managed to get through away off to the side. A little ways away, Barriss Offee was bent over Diya, who was missing her left leg from her knee down.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Obi-wan chirped.

"You know Anakin, Master Kenobi. He'd be late to his own funeral," Ahsoka quipped.

Vader rolled his eyes, not taking his eyes off Sidious.

"Well. It seems the depth of your betrayal knows no bounds, Lord Vader," Sidious spat.

"Learned from the best," Vader said.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Obi-wan nod to Ahsoka. Ahsoka only pursed her lips and raised her sabers. All three attacked Sidious from different sides. Sidious might have been overwhelmed if he hadn't retrieved another lightsaber, tilting the fight in his favor.

Frustration welled up in Vader, and the dark side rose up to beckon him further into its depths. Though Sidious benefitted from the exuberant power of the dark side that concentrated at the Imperial Palace, he was not the only one who could benefit from it. Vader could benefit from it too. But that meant delving into the depths of the dark side that not even he was sure he could control himself in. That he couldn't even ensure wouldn't drive him temporarily insane. He felt a beckoning from another part of the Force. One he hadn't touched in a decade, even as he inhabited and walked the shadows of the dark side that were close to it. The light. But that was liable to make him go mad for other reasons he didn't want to face right now.

But this couldn't last forever. They couldn't beat Sidious on his own turf like this. Not without…

An opening in Obi-wan's defense allowed Sidious to burn his shoulder and cause the Jedi to drop his blade. Distracted by Obi-wan's disarming, Ahsoka barely blocked Sidious' strike to one of her montrals. Then Sidious surprised her by grabbing her in a Force choke. Somewhat. Vader had taught her years ago how to use the Force to pry the invisible grip away, but Sidious was too powerful. Sidious' moment of focus on her would have been the opportune time to catch him by surprise and turn the fight in their favor. But Vader wouldn't do that with Ahsoka in his grip. So he extended his own abilities to help Ahsoka pry the invisible grip off her neck.

No sooner than Ahsoka was released, doubled over coughing and holding her lower abdomen yet again, Vader attacked Sidious. Sidious blocked and locked their blades.

"Foolish apprentice. Give up this foolhardy attempt now, and I will be lenient in my punishment of you."

Vader gritted his teeth, forcing his mechanical hand not to twitch as he pressed his blade against Sidious' two. The deepest depths of the dark side beckoned him to use it, promising to bend to his will over Sidious'. To make him the true Sith Master. But who knew what it would do to him? Force knew, though he'd admit it to no one, his sanity teetered on a precarious balance. Many would say that he wasn't sane at all. But he couldn't draw on the light. The light would not be enough for someone as far gone as he was. And though he loathed to do it, though he feared what the outcome would be, venturing to the depths of the dark side that he'd been careful not to explore was a risk he had to take.

He caught Ahsoka out the corner of his eyes, not quite doubled over, but also not able to fully stand up straight from whatever injury she wasn't forthcoming about. She managed to catch his eye and then frowned.

What are you doing? she sent across the bond.

He sent all the depth of his feelings for her back across it. Frustration. Contentment. Long-suffering. Uncertainty. Trust. Gratitude. Hope. Love. The good, the bad, the ugly over the years. He let it all vibrate across the bond before sending, You'll be my anchor? You'll help me come back if I need it?

Grim determination vibrated back along with, Always.

Ahsoka was a lot of things. Good and bad. But a liar was not one of them. And with her reassurance, he gave in to the beckoning of the dark side and plunged himself into its depths. Vader hadn't felt this exhilarated and intoxicatingly high on the power of the dark since he pledged himself to Sidious and stopped ignoring it's beckoning. It had been liberating, making him feel unstoppable, like the galaxy should bend to his will. And if they hadn't, he'd use his power to make them or eliminate them. Like when he'd marched on the Jedi Temple and killed the Jedi. Gone to Mustafar to kill the Separatists. Grabbed Padmé in a Force choke to force her into compliance when he thought she'd betrayed him.

Liberating as it had been, he'd lost control. He'd done things that he regretted, though there were few he'd admit that to. He'd hardly admit it to himself.

But even as he finally unpacked and unleashed nearly a decade of careful restraint, of swallowing his frustration and anger and impatience, the years had also helped him gain a finer sense of control. A finesse with the dark side. A control he'd lacked a decade ago that caused him to unleash it on every unfortunate soul that dared to act like they opposed him. And with that control, though his festering dark emotions were unrestrained, though he went further into the dark side's depth than he ever had, Vader was able to funnel it all at Sidious.

Both Sidious and Vader called out to the dark side as the duel reached the fever pitch of an inevitable culmination. Vader's call was heeded, the darkness recognizing him as its new master.

Sidious was just too slow once, and Vader took the opportunity to stab Sidious through his stomach. Sidious wasn't quite dead yet, though, and moved his blade to take of Vader's remaining flesh arm. A blaster bolt pierced the Sith's shoulder, ruining his form halfway through the motion. And then Vader did what he should have done a decade ago when he learned of the man's true nature and took off his head with his lightsaber.

Suddenly the garden seemed incredibly silent. Not totally because their forces were still making work of the enemy outside the room trying to get to them. But silent because the Force had suddenly gone incredibly still before something like tentative relief along with disbelief began to sing in the Force.

Sidious was dead.

Sidious was dead.

And now Vader was faced with the full weight of having to figure out what to do now that he had no master to answer to. What next?

The dark side gave its eager suggestions. To exercise his dominance. To force everyone into compliance. To force those who would still reject the Empire to get in line or—

"Vader."

Vader snapped out his thoughts to look down at Ahsoka, who had come to stand in front of him but was still slightly hunched over.

"It's okay," she said, raising her free hand to touch his face. The other held Diya's blaster, and he put together that she was the one that shot Sidious in the shoulder. "You're free now."

For the first time in a very long time, Vader felt like he could breathe.

Free. That covered a broad scope of things, but in particular, free to walk away from the darkness. Or rather, free to distance himself from it. To not dwell in the icy depths that had been forced upon him for so long. But was that what he really wanted? He was the Sith Master now. The master of the dark side of the Force.

The thought was lost when Ahsoka's hand suddenly dropped, the blaster falling to the ground as she slumped sideways. Vader barely caught her before she hit the ground.

"Ahsoka," he said in alarm. "Ahsoka!"

She didn't answer, and Vader carefully knelt down and laid her on the ground.

"Come on," Vader said, grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a good shake.

"Don't do that!" Offee cried.

She pushed him out of the way, and given the circumstances, Vader allowed it.

"Milord, I'm trying to get a medical team here, but they aren't going to be able to get past all the fighting. You've got to send a message to the Imperial Center forces to cease fire," Sabé said. Because, of course, she was already way ahead of him. Forcesend that she was.

Vader wasn't exactly sure how to do that. They hadn't planned for this. They planned for everything up to it but not… Vader didn't know what to do. He'd always had Ahsoka to help him with logistics like this. And he hadn't been able to get a glimpse of her in his visions, but he never contemplated that it was because Ahsoka wasn't there.

"Vader," Sabé said, snapping him out of his panic.

Vader turned to Sidious's body and grabbed the wrist of the dead body. He snatched off the complex wrist comm and pulled up the holographic screen. The only one with access to this comm was Sidious. Any order sent through it would unquestionably be obeyed. He didn't have the codes to access all its capabilities nor the time to splice it. But all he needed to send was one order using the emergency signal. A signal that could be unlocked solely with Sidious' fingerprints. Vader grabbed a dead hand to activate the comm and send the signal. Once that was done, he turned his attention back to Ahsoka.

"She's hemorrhaging," Barriss said.

"She kept holding her stomach. Is that why?" Vader asked.

Barriss didn't answer as she worked on trying to get Ahsoka awake.

And then Vader felt the spot where he was connected to her, the vibrant bond that had only ever strengthened over the years, begin to dim.

Barriss cursed.

Vader didn't wait to find out why as he shoved her out of the way while stubbornly latching onto their bond. Ahsoka was not allowed to die on him. The Force wasn't allowed to take her away from him. Not when he'd finally overcome his final master. Not when they'd suffered for a decade trying to mitigate and right his sins. Not after all this suffering. Not after all the loss he'd already suffered.

And then, the bond slipped from his grasp, no longer where he'd always known it to be.

He put his hands on either side of her head, pushing aside the panic that threatened to overcome him when he noticed she wasn't breathing.

"Come on," he said, closing his eyes and searching.

Where was she? She wasn't allowed to leave him. She couldn't.

He reached out to where she usually resided in the Force, extending himself as far as he could while asking the Force to help him reach her. It remained stubbornly silent. Vader was just as stubborn, thrusting all his will and determination into the Force. Pleading. No. Demanding that it aid him. He would never be a saint, but it could never be said he hadn't played whatever galaxy forsaken role the Force had carved out for him. The Jedi were almost extinct, so were the Sith, and he'd done nothing but suffer under both. The Force owed him this. It owed him the one thing that made that suffering less.

And this time, when he called out for its help, the Force acquiesced to his demand, and Vader felt Ahsoka's presence spark to life again and weakly latch onto him in the Force. A choking sound came from her before her breathing resumed. Shallow, but there.

He nearly collapsed in relief, refusing to let go of her in the Force, dangerous as it was for him to continue holding onto her in this state.

The medical team came soon after. Cruisers full of them. Vader didn't even want to know how Sabé had mobilized so many that fast, nor did he honestly care as he stood overbearingly over the medical team while they worked to stabilize Ahsoka from whatever injury had seized her.

"He needs help too," Sabé directed.

"I'm fine," Vader dismissed.

"You haven't looked in the mirror. How do your lungs feel right now?" Sabé asked pointedly.

And now that she mentioned it, Vader's lungs did feel like he was breathing fire with every breath.

"The Empire," Vader protested, but that made the fire in his lungs feel worse.

"Will still stand long enough for you to get medical attention," Obi-wan said.

Clearly, Kenobi gave Vader's enemies and those who might try to take advantage of this chaos more credit than they deserved. Vader didn't have the breath to snap that at the Jedi.


AN: Okay. A lot of things.

1) I purposely saved the first time that Ahsoka and Vader are ever on the same side in a lightsaber fight in this story for this battle. Well... not at first. I kinda realized halfway the story that I had done that and realized that it made sense anyway because why would they? When would they other than this moment.

2) Very inadvertently, Ahsoka's demand that Vader learn restraint and control was the best training in the dark side that Vader could have ever gotten. Because even when he's forced to reach further to the dark side than he ever has, he's the one in control. Even when for a brief moment (right before Ahsoka collapses) it looks like he isn't, he is.

3) There is too much sadness in Star Wars. Even in this story, there's a lot of sadness but no. I wasn't going to kill Vader or Ahsoka. The tags say eventual happy ending. There was no way to deliver on that if I killed off the heroine and anti-hero. If I'd done that, I wouldn't be able to call this story a romance. The rule of romance is that the main pairing get a HEA, and I was sticking to it. The canon story of Ahsoka and Anakin is tragic enough. And other writers can make these two as tragic as they like. But you will likely never get that kind of tragic story with these two from me... in this era of my fanfic writing anyway. As far as my stories are concerned, they are immortal and will be together forever and ever, and I will die on that hill.

4) I'm not going to talk about my future fic plans until after this entire story is over. However, I am absolutely going to write a story about Vader and Sabé in this universe. Because they have become unlikely bros in this story. Sabé treats him as an exasperating little brother who she has to do everything for, and Vader treats her as the nagging older sister. That dynamic comes across a little in Sabé's interlude, but I'm going to write a little oneshot that explores that dynamic more.

Hope you enjoyed! Review, favorite, and follow. I appreciate the support and insights.