"Time is malleable, and so is reality. To bend it around your own will is a power none have had for thousands of years. But, who knows, maybe you'll do the impossible once again."

AGFAJ: MEANT TO BE

"Ahsoka," I started, smiling at my wife sitting next to me, "I'm going to try something."

Ahsoka smiled back at me, sighing softly with contentment as she draped her legs across my own, laying in my lap, "That sounds nice."

I shook my head, "Get your mind out of the gutter, woman. I was talking about the Dimension Flow."

At that, Ahsoka straightened her posture, "A new technique?"

Again, I shook my head, putting a hand to her chin and tapping it, "Not a new one. Kind of a rendition of one I've studied for years. I've tried it once before."

"Really?" Ahsoka inquired, her eyes flashing with curiosity. The same curiosity she had possessed since day one. "How does it work?"

I smirked, "Ready for my explanation? It's pretty good."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, raising a hand and cupping my chin gently, pushing my head away playfully, "Just tell me, dork."

I chuckled, then held my hand up, "Imagine that right here we have our dimension." I held my other hand up next to my hand, closed in a fist like my other hand, "And, here, we have another dimension."

"I'm following so far."

I nodded, "Now, imagine that in the other dimension, something was changed. A big change that someone had made the first time around that they didn't make this time. This dimension is made up of what events could've taken place had the decision been different. However, the timing is different. I normally can't control the time difference when I use the Walk."

"Time difference?" Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, "Like the time between years."

I snapped my fingers, "Exactly. When I've walked before, I've arrived in a different timeline than what we are in now. In this time, I'm thirty years old, have two children, and a beautiful wife as I live on this Force-filled planet." I passed Ahsoka a wink before continuing, a bit somber-like, "However, in the other dimension the I visited, I was twenty years old, technically I had died during the Clone Wars and I was thrown in an apocalyptical universe where the Sith were the main power but were led by a symbiotic-fused Palpatine."

"That sounds like hell." Ahsoka muttered under her breath, casting a look at the clock, then turned back to my waiting eyes, "But, you're gonna try something different this time?"

I nodded, holding my hands back up, "Yes. This time I'm going to try to control the time difference down to a 'T'. I'm going to Walk into a different universe at the exact time that it would be in this instance. But, I'm going to Dimension Walk, that's what I call it, into the dimension where I don't exist and see how that works out."

"How are you going to do that if you don't have someone to lock onto?" Ahsoka asked, taking one of her hands and overtaking the one I was using to represent the alternate dimension, "If in this universe you don't exist, then you can't replicate yourself in it."

I shrugged, "Normally, no. But, I'm going to focus on someone whose connection with me here would transpire enough to create my body in that universe."

"So," Ahsoka chuckled, "me."

I nodded, "Yes, you. If you can concentrate with me for a moment when I'm trying to walk, my body should appear in that universe just as clear as it is here."

Nodding, Ahsoka removed her hand, "And, if you're killed on the other side?"

I was about to respond when the words left me. In all honesty, I didn't know what would happen. I would guess it would be the same thing if I had died here, because my mind would be dead somewhere else even if my body was living here.

"I don't know." I said dismissively, "But, I've gotten far too powerful to die."

"That sounds like overconfidence at its best." Ahsoka scoffed, tapping my cheek a bit, "Something that you're proficient at."

"It's part of my charm." I grinned at her, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly as if it was just part of the normal routine.

"And, why exactly are you going to the other side?" Ahsoka asked.

For a moment, I thought about that. Then, I answered confidently, "Well, honestly, I just wanna know what it would be like! I have no idea what the other timeline might hold and I wanna fight whatever is on the other side, even if it's a Jedi. The good thing is that I'll appear to wherever you are in that timeline."

Quickly, I leaped up, placing Ahsoka on the couch and running to the bedroom, yelling, "That means I should be battle ready!"

I threw off my regular clothes, pulling out my combat suit a moment later. I slid the black spandex under suit on first, making sure that it ended right above my mid thig and the sleeves retracted till they were non-existent. Then, I pressed a button on my wrist watch and the other parts of my suit materialized, seemingly out of thin air. My gray wrappings appeared around my forearms as my thin, meta-plastoid chest piece and gray combat pants came into existence. My boots came about the same time as my belt did, but they fit snuggly just the same.

Smirking, I reached over to the right, my lightsaber and darksaber flying from my nightstand over into my waiting palms, only to be slapped into their respective waist connecters.

I walked back out, doing a 360, "Now, I'm ready."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "Of course you went with that outfit."

"Hey, this one is made of a material that is almost as strong as phyrik but it's like a fraction of weight." I said, swinging my arm around in a circle, "See? I feel like I'm naked. That's how light this stuff is."

Ahsoka gave me a once over, then nodded her head, "Well, that's good. Lightsabers are deadly, but that suit should protect you somewhat."

I took a seat, "Plus, if this dimension is strong, you'll be glad I wore this."

"Oh, that reminds me of another question." Ahsoka said, her gaze hardening, "The time you spend there, is that how long you'll be in your trance?"

I shook my head, holding up all five fingers on my right hand, "If I spend five hours there, only about ten minutes pass here. I shouldn't be gone more than like 24 hours but it would only be like forty-something minutes before I come back."

"And your presence in the Force?" The question was laced with warning. "I can feel your presence at all times, including when you're in pain. Will I be able to feel that same connection while you're in the trance?"

Smiling warmly, I placed my hand over hers, "It'll be a one-way connection. Whatever I am feeling, you won't be able to sense, but you will be able to see it through my emotions. The second time I did this, I recorded myself and played it back. It was interesting to say the least."

"But, most importantly, you'll be back so we can go get the kids?" Ahsoka winked at me, pushing her arm against mine before she pressed her lips against mine.

I kissed back, pressing my mouth harder against hers for a moment longer, drinking in her presence and soaking in her scent. Each kiss shared was a new experience altogether, but it was filled with similarities that completely consumed our thoughts, letting the flow of the moment live on.

A moment longer turned in many moments longer before I pulled back, breathless and all smiles. I tapped her on the nose, "I'll be back."

"I'll be here." Her hand found my shoulder and I felt the Force spark to life again, filling the entire room, as well as myself, with a chilly sensation. If I was a child, I would have compared it to cool water circulating through my body.

I closed my eyes, focusing deeply on the present, future, and past all at the same time. Then, time became nothing. It became a sentimentality to read its own story over and over again in a different way each time. It was a marvelous experience, but not an unfamiliar one.

Then, suddenly, I didn't care about the experience.

And when I felt everything black out, I knew I was no longer with the Ahsoka I knew.

No, I was somewhere else entirely.

When I opened my eyes, I was met by a pitch-black darkness. Only seconds later did I realize that I was face down in the dirt.

Gently, I got to my feet, holding my head as it pounded away in my skull, "I forgot about that side-effect."

Walking into another dimension itself wasn't the safest thing to do, but it wasn't necessarily dangerous to do. Unfortunately, just because it couldn't kill me on point like other things could, that didn't mean it didn't have its downsides. One of those downsides was unruly headaches in the beginning transition.

Then, I felt something trickle down my spine.

Fear. Anger. Hate.

Tentatively, I turned around, feeling the most powerful emotions emanating from that direction. Before me stood a huge, pyramid-like temple with a glowing red top. Even from such a distance from anything dangerous, it reeked of the Dark Side.

Then, I felt something even stranger. I felt Ahsoka, that much was certain, but she was different. The bond that existed between us in this dimension was one way. I could feel her emotions and spirit, but she could not feel mine. From her, I felt a hardness that I'd never known her to have. The sweet softness of her heart was gone, replaced by an iron ball of steely remorse.

"Ahsoka." Her named passed through my lips, feeling ever so familiar, but also so strange. This was Ahsoka, but it wasn't my Ahsoka.

Another presence crept into my radar. This one was light, but it was strongly based on determination and caution. This one felt fearful though, and weary. Weary of what was the question in mind.

A third presence overtook mine, then a fourth, then a fifth, then a sixth, and finally a seventh. The third presence almost matched the second one, but there was a luring darkness inside. The fourth, fifth, and sixth all felt the same. They were purely dominated by hate, determination, and the Dark Side. The seventh, however, felt very familiar. No doubt it was of Dark Side origin, but the way it resonated its wild like fury, tamed only for the time being, was unnerving to say the least.

Cautiously, I took a step forward, reaching my hand out and touching the blackened Temple. Crimson streaks of light seemed to crack beneath my touch and the ground shook a bit, causing me to look upwards as the red streaks flashed across the side.

"Ominous." I said aloud before watching part of the Temple cave in to make a slit in the wall. After a closer look, I realized what it really was, "A lift. Handy."

I stepped onto the bottom slat, feeling the ground shift under me. The slat shot upwards at a moderate speed, proving my suspicious to be factual evidence now.

"This is obviously a Sith Temple, but what's strange is that there are so many people I don't recognize. You'd think that since I know everyone back home, I'd know everyone here too." I pondered to myself as the lift continued to make its way up, "That's kinda weird."

It wasn't long before I reached the top of the lift and I stepped off onto the next stone level. Almost directly in front of me was another lift, but I felt something strange about this one. Casting my gaze upward, I found that the very top of the temple, where the glowing red part was, was right there. The final section of the temple.

"So, let's look around here first." I said, unclipping my blue lightsaber, but holding it unignited.

A quick look around didn't yield any results.

Confused, I placed a hand on my hip, staring at the top, "Guess I'll head up."

As I took a step towards the lift, a sound caught my ears. The sound of a lightsaber spinning in the air.

Quickly, I turned around, saber flashing on, lighting up the ground around me in a soft blue glow. I had expected to see a saber flying at me, but was very surprised when I saw someone holding a spinning saber and flying upwards at me. In fact, there were three of them!

I leaped back as they made it to my level.

Immediately, I recognized them to be of the three identical Force signatures, but they couldn't have been more different in appearance.

The first one I laid eyes on had a helmet shaped like a commando, but all black and slightly adorned to Vader's style. He was the skinniest of the three, but I could tell there was some power behind the mask.

The second one was a woman. A Milarian to be exact. The same species that Offee was. This woman, however, wore eyes as yellow as sulfur and red tattoos on her face.

The third person was a male something. I had never come across anyone that looked like him. He could have been a reptile-like species, but he could've also been an amphibian.

Regardless of what they were, they were all dressed up in the same outfit: an all-black combat suit with special adjustments to the joint areas for extra cover and mobility. The imperial logo was strewn across the chest and shoulder of each combatant. If that didn't give indication of their allegiance, then their double bladed red lightsabers did.

"Sith." I muttered, holding my blade at the ready, then speaking aloud before any of them could, "So, I don't know you. And you don't know me. How about we get introductions out of the way first before we get down to it?"

The woman laughed, "Would you look at that? Another Jedi, only this time we get one that wants introductions first before he dies."

I scoffed, "Pretty confident in yourself, lady."

"I'm the Seventh Sister." She said proudly as her lightsaber spun in her hand around the circular hilt. The blades eventually stopped and she held a hand out to the big man, "This is the Fifth Brother." Then to the other one, "And this is the Eighth Brother."

I looked between all of them, "Sounds like a cult."

The Fifth Brother bared his sharp teeth in a snarl, "We are the Inquisitors. We are no cult. We serve the Emperor."

At that name, I frowned, "So, that's where I am. I'm in a dimension where Palpatine won and took over the galaxy."

"What are you talking about?" The Eighth Brother nearly shouted.

I turned my gaze to him, "It would go over your head, kid. Let's just say that I'm from somewhere that doesn't answer to your Emperor."

"All beings submit to the Emperor." The Fifth Brother said, "You are no different."

"That's not entirely true." The Seventh Sister laughed, her eyes flashing with malicious intent, "He is a Jedi. He won't submit, so he must be destroyed."

"And you think you'll be the ones to kill me?" I asked bluntly, giving them all the same look. One that didn't inspire confidence.

The Seventh Sister was about to respond when she turned her head suddenly. Then, she leaned over to the two brothers, "Deal with him. I have the child to go after."

Without another word, she leaped into the air, her blades spinning wildly and carrying her upwards as she found a subsection of the temple's side. She disappeared quickly, but her presence was still strong.

"Have errands to run?" I chuckled, brandishing my blade.

"She is after The Shadow and the boy." The Fifth Brother spoke, stalking forward, "But, you will not live long enough to see what becomes of them."

"Wrong." The one word felt like steel coming out.

The Eighth Brother groaned. Snarling, he charged, "Enough of this talk!"

He streaked across the air, his blade spinning on its hilt as it cascaded downward this time, giving him extra momentum to attack. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I felt the fight kick on in my head.

Here we go.

Without much effort, I crossed my blue blade across his red one, deflecting the strike downward. He wasn't expecting such a quick move and left his side wide open. I took advantage of that. While he was open, I kicked my leg out, sending him flying to the side, his saber falling out of his hand.

The kick momentarily caused me to fly off the ground. When I hit the ground again, I gave him a disappointed look, "Seriously, that's all you've got?"

A battle cry alerted me to the other Inquisitor that I had momentarily forgotten about. With the Force at my command, I flung myself upwards, missing a crimson energy blade by a large margin.

The Fifth Brother attacked again, this time with heavy strikes. But, each strike was solely based upon that: power. He was putting so much energy into his strikes to catch me off guard that he didn't realize he wouldn't ever get a good hit due to lack of restraint.

As his blade came down for a fourth time, I caught it with my own in a clash. He bared his teeth as he tried to push back on me. However, I had fought much worse than him.

Falling onto my back, but using the Force to cushion the fall, I kicked my leg upwards into his chest, sending him flying overhead to crash into the side of the stone wall. He slunk to his head before getting back to his feet, barely a scratch on him.

So, he's resilient. I thought, looking over to see the Eighth Brother flying toward me, his blade forward in a stabbing motion. I sidestepped the attack, grabbing his forearm and throwing him at the Fifth Brother.

The Inquisitor caught his ally before roughly throwing him to his feet.

"What's the matter?" I rolled my eyes, my smile big and wide, "Afraid you've bit off more than you could chew?"

"It is a simple game of strategy, Jedi." The Fifth Brother grinned.

"My name is Blaze." I said firmly. "Remember that name. It's the name of the Jedi who's gonna defeat you. Strategy or not."

The Eighth Brother laughed, his helmet augmenting his voice, "Do you realize you are not the first Jedi we've tangled with?"

"And I'm sure they let you off easy." I said, remembering that I felt Ahsoka before, "Like Ms. Tano."

"So, you are in league with her?" The Fifth Brother asked, holding his blade just a bit tighter at her name.

I cracked a smirk, "From a certain point of view."

The Eighth and Fifth Brother suddenly moved as one, slashing through the air, missing me by inches this time. Their power grew as they fought in unison. Each of their attacks missed, but by a smaller margin each time. If I didn't defend myself, it wouldn't be long before they actually landed a blow of any kind.

As the Fifth Brother came in from one side, the Eighth Brother came in from the other. One was going for my legs and the other was going for my torso. On pure instinct, I leaped high above both blades, gathering the Force into my hand before throwing it downwards, flinging them away like ragdolls, cracking the stone in the process.

The Fifth Brother, learning from his past mistake, reflected his body off of the stone wall before he came into contact with it. He flung himself right back at my landing form, his lightsaber spinning like the Seventh Sister's blade. He quickly turned the spinning blade to me, to which I had to block the blades as the hit mine continuously, each one seeming to be stronger than the last.

The lightsaber is doing all the work. I thought sourly before crossing blades with him yet again.

The Force tapped my mind and I felt the Eighth Brother coming up behind me, his presence softened, but not hidden. I broke the lock with the Fifth Brother, driving my knee into his stomach a second later, using the Force to enhance the blow, causing the Inquisitor to spit up saliva onto the ground.

I pushed his weakened form off of me before turning around to meet the Eighth Brother in a close duel.

Each strike we made was matched perfectly. In fact, it was as if he was learning as he was fighting. Silently, I wonder if he actually was doing just that, or taking into account that new techniques would have to be used to fight me.

His blade stabbed forward, but I sidestepped the attack, chopping my free hand at his throat. Choking, he fell to his knees, gasping for air as he clutched at his throat.

I smirked, "Didn't even need the Force to choke you."

Out of the shine of the Eighth Brother's helmet, I saw the Fifth Brother swing his blade at me. I ducked under the strike, finally taking a swing at the Inquisitor with intent to kill. He blocked the blow, but nearly lost his footing in the process.

"Pathetic." I scoffed, throwing my hand forward and pushing him against the wall of the temple once again. I turned back to the Eighth Brother, only to deactivate my lightsaber and clock him over the head, rendering him unconscious.

I then walked over to where I was holding the Fifth Brother, "So, still think you can win?"

"Jedi filth." He snarled, "My master will deal with you soon."

"Palpatine is coming here?" I chuckled. "I doubt that."

"Not the Emperor." He almost smiled, "Lord Vader."

Anakin.

"If Vader is your trump card, then I'm afraid you've got your work cut out for you." I said, igniting my lightsaber, "I can defeat him. I've done it once before."

"You lie." The Fifth Brother snarled, "Lord Vader has never been beaten."

"You'll be real disappointed then to watch him fall to me." I said in an icy tone before coating my forehead with the Force and bashing it forward against his, knocking him out instantly but leaving me undamaged.

Seconds later, I heard three sabers ignite, but two of them were high pitched. It was an ignition I had not heard before.

Carefully, I turned around, finally seeing the person whose soul was able to bring me here.

Ahsoka Tano.

She looked almost exactly the same as did in my dimension, but her outfit was different, as was the way she felt in the Force. Her lightsabers were white too, rather than her traditional blue color. Her face was still as beautiful as ever, but there was no smile on it.

The other person next to her was obviously a Jedi. He was a tall human with dark brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He wore clothes that looked like commoner mixed in with its own flare, like the armored plating along his right arm. His blue lightsaber was a design I had seen once before. It was the same design as Depa Bilaba's lightsaber.

"Finally, you guys get here." I started out with a smile, then cast a look towards the unconscious Inquisitors, "These guys shouldn't give you any more trouble."

"Who are you?" Ahsoka spoke.

I blinked at her for a moment before shaking my head. I forgot. I don't exist in this timeline.

I shut off my lightsaber and attached it to my belt. From there, I walked over to where the two Jedi stood as they shut off their blades and extended my hand to Ahsoka first, "Blaze Marko." I said cordially.

She shook the hand, giving a grateful smile that seemed to come from years of maturing on the run, "Ahsoka Tano."

I smiled a bit too warmly before turning to the other Jedi, "Blaze Marko."

"Kanan Jarrus." He said, giving my hand a firm shake. Then, he jumped right into things, "You handled the Inquisitors alone?"

I nodded, pointing a thumb back over my shoulder, "Yeah, but I can see why these guys could give you trouble, but I've faced and beaten worse than them."

"Really?" Ahsoka asked, curiousness in her voice. "Could you give an example of such a foe?"

I thought for a second, "Well, out of all the people I've fought, I'd have to say that they were close to the level of some Sith grunts I faced back where I'm from."

"Where you're from?" Kanan echoed. "What does that exactly mean?"

"I'll explain that later, but first I have to know something." I said, staring right at him, "You're a Jedi, right? Survived Order 66?"

Startled, Kanan nodded, "Yes. Exactly that."

"Was your master Depa Bilaba by any chance?" I asked.

Even more startled, Kanan nodded, "She was. How did you know that?"

Wow, so, he goes by Kanan here. He looks a lot different than the Caleb Dume I know. I gave a nod towards the saber on his belt, "Your lightsaber. It's exactly like hers was. You can even detach the top to conceal it if you needed to."

"That's exactly what I do when I'm on runs with the team." Kanan said, his eyes sparking in recognition of what he had actually said. In his excitement, if he knew it or not, he had let out information that would've been bad for others to hear.

"So, there's more of you?" I asked. "More Jedi I mean. You already have Ahsoka."

Ahsoka was quick to answer, but it wasn't rushed, "I am no longer a Jedi. Long ago, yes. Now, no."

"You still hold true to their beliefs though." I said softly, locking my gaze with hers, trying to find the woman I loved in there, but only found someone who had been afraid and hurt for the last decade of her life, maybe more.

Ahsoka's eyes shifted, "To a degree. There are things that the Jedi were misguided on, and for that they fell. They can, however, rise again."

"Is that what you're doing at this temple?" I pressed for more info. The more I know, the better I can understand why you're so different. Obviously you left the Order, but what happened after that, my darling?

Ahsoka opened her mouth, then her eyes turned harder, "Before we give you any more information on our objective, I must know who you really are. Forgive me, Blaze, but just because you wield a Jedi's weapon and have bested these two doesn't mean you don't have malicious intent."

That threw me for a loop. It was a statement that I had never imagined would pass through her lips. At least, not when it was directed at me. At someone else, probably, but with good reason.

But, I understood her cautious attitude, "I understand, Ahsoka." I cleared my throat, "My name is Blaze Marko, I'm a Jedi Master from a different dimension."

"That's impossible." Kanan blurted out, "Inter-dimensional crossings aren't possible."

"Well, I'm here when I'm not supposed to be." I said, "In this dimension, I don't exist. The only reason I am here is because I've learned an ability to walk into the body of my younger or older self within a given dimension based on the choices that were made that would determine the grand future. However, since I didn't exist here, I had to lock onto someone who's soul would bring me here and create a body." Without missing a beat, I cast my hand at the Togruta in question, "You."

"Why me?" She asked.

I cracked a smile, "In my dimension, at this exact moment in time, we are married and have two children, Max and Lexiah."

Ahsoka's eyes widened and her presence in the Force resonated with shock and awe, as well as confusion. It was if pieces were starting to form in her mind, while other ones were crumbling. Thousands of things ran through her brain, that I could feel, but only one passed through her lips. A question, "Is that so?"

I nodded, "I know it's a bit hard to swallow, but that's how it is."

"Ahsoka." Kanan spoke, "I think he's telling the truth. I can't sense the lie."

"Because there is none." She responded back without looking at the Jedi.

"Together, we've crushed the Sith from taking over the galaxy for the second time. The first time was when a Sith named Maltus killed Palpatine to try to take over, but I killed him on Mustafar at the end of the Clone Wars. That's how the war ended in my time." I explained. "Years later the Sith returned, but the Jedi defeated them again. I actually died."

"Died?" Kanan sounded horrified, "Then, how–."

"The short version is the Force had other plans for me." I said softly as to not stir up anything at the moment, "Plus, I wasn't ready to die. A woman named Claire Salcur saved me and I woke up from a sort of Force Sleep after two years. After I woke up, I battled a criminal organization, destroyed it, and then went back to live with my family."

"Amazing." Ahsoka whispered, then straightened, "Your time sounds a lot…more generous and forthcoming than mine has been."

"It can still be." I said gently, "I have a plan."

"A plan?" Ahsoka questioned, "What plan?"

"Vader will come." I said gravely, "He is powerful, but I have defeated him as well where I'm from."

"You're going to kill Vader?" Kanan asked, then scoffed, "He's a Sith Lord. There's no way you can take him alone."

"I can." I grinned, "You're looking at the Knight of the Force."

Suddenly, as if someone had cut the very air, a life was silenced. The Seventh Sister's life to be exact. The whole time I had been keeping tabs on her, but now she was dead. That presence in the Force that felt like Kanan was traveling with the other familiar wild Dark Sider.

It wasn't long before they appeared on the outcropping of the subsection of the temple's side. The light presence turned out to be a boy, while the other one was a Zabrak…

My mouth turned into a snarl, "Maul."

Kanan turned to me, then to where Maul was, then back to me, "So, there was one of him in your dimension too?"

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the Sith Lord, "Yeah."

"What happened to him?" Ahsoka asked.

Without turning, I answered flatly, "I killed him."

"You killed him?" Kanan sounded surprised.

I nodded, "He was the leader of that criminal organization I told you about when I woke up. In the end, it came down to a final duel and he lost."

"There are so many things that are different between our two dimensions." Ahsoka said somberly, "I hope you can fix this."

"Me too." I said honestly, no joke in my words, "First, Maul must go."

"He's actually been helping us." Ahsoka said, "But, I'm sure he has his own reason for that."

"And we can't let him do whatever he wants to do." I said just as Maul sent the boy away and then jumped down to our level, "But, he might have already done it."

"Another Jedi?" Maul almost laughed, his facial expressions holding what seemed to be relief, "We will need all the help we can get when we deal with Vader."

A single second later, my blue lightsaber flashed to life by my side, "You won't fight him."

Maul's face contorted to shock, "What is the meaning of this?"

"More importantly," Kanan said, looking around, "where's Ezra?"

"You mean, my apprentice?" Maul said, his double-bladed lightsaber extending into the air. For the first time, I actually realized he was holding it. Perhaps he had been disguising it.

Half a second later, his red blade came flying towards Kanan. Using the Force to Flow Walk slightly into the future, I could already see what was going to happen. Maul was going for a cheap shot. He was going to try to blind the Jedi survivor.

Another half second later, the strike was landed, but not on its original target. A black blade crossed an inch from Kanan's face. My left hand gripped the darksaber tightly as I held back the blow, golden light appearing from between the two weapons.

"Not this time, Maul." I growled out, kicking my leg to the side, striking his stomach and sending him flying backwards. I swung both black and blue energy blades around my body before pointing them forward, "No Jedi blood will be spilled today."

"I don't know who you are, but you will pay for this." Maul's eyes blazed yellow.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted, igniting his own blade once again. "Where is Ezra!?"

Maul grinned, "My apprentice is activating the temple, or more precisely this battle station, which I will use to exact my revenge on all my enemies!"

"Not gonna happen." I stabbed both sabers forward, but he blocked the attack and brought my blades up to lock with his. I knew that I was stronger than him, but he was still a Sith Lord, or former by the state he was in now, and was powerful. And, even though he was in his fifties by now, his power had only grown since the Clone Wars.

Quickly, I shoved him off of the lock and back a few steps. He was directly in front of the Fifth Brother's unconscious body when he gave a snarl, "You meddling child! I will not let you do this! The power will be mine! Ezra will be mine! And there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

I flipped my blades into reverse grip and fell into my battle-ready stance, "I beg to differ."

Maul leaped forward, stabbing his double-bladed saber at my midsection, but I just flipped over the attack, landing perfectly behind him. His leg suddenly flew through the air at my chest faster than I could blink. However, at the last second, I regained control of the confrontation by knocking the strike away with the butt of my hilt.

As his kick lost momentum, he spiraled his body around, regaining incredible power in the next strike as he swung downwards at me. I battered the slash away easily and swung with my own blue blade, but he broke off his initial recoil to block my attack.

It was obvious he wasn't a pushover.

The temple shook violently, almost throwing my footing off completely. The Dark Side erupted to life, its presence emanating from just above me. I cast a look upward to see a blast of pink energy explode from high atop the temple.

"Ezra." I muttered, turning back to Maul.

Maul smirked, "Soon. Oh, so soon. Soon he will be enthralled and he will be my tool to use."

Kanan's face contorted in anger and he threw his hand forward, blasting Maul off his feet and over to the wall of the Temple, but the ex-Sith Lord just bent his legs and repelled off the stone structure without so much as a bit of recoil. He landed on his feet and angled his saber, "You will have to do much more than that to get rid of me."

Hearing that, I smirked, knowing exactly what to do.

Black and blue fizzled out at my sides.

I dropped into my fighting stance: one hand out while the other was close to my side and my legs were a little more than a shoulder's width apart. The Force flowed to life around me as my sabers floated to my waist, clipping themselves in nicely.

Maul scoffed, "Hand-to-hand, eh? I will not be that gracious."

I did not respond with words.

He blinked once, and then I was there, driving my fist into his stomach. Spit expelled from his mouth and onto the ground as he lost his grip on the lightsaber. It clattered onto the stone, its metallic echo resonating through shared air with the humming blades behind me.

Maul gasped, reeling back from the strike and staggering on two legs. With his hands clutching his stomach, he took several steps backwards before looking up at me, his eyes burning with fury.

Fingers reached out and his saber flew back into his grip, two crimson blades firing out of each end.

He snarled, gnashing his yellow teeth together as perspiration dripped off his head.

Disappointing.

I straightened myself, letting my hands fall to my sides, "And here I thought you would be so much more of a challenge then you were in my time. But, it seems you're still the same, sad excuse for a warrior as ever."

Maul spit out a mouthful of blood onto the stone and smiled evilly as he gazed upwards, "Whether or not your boasts hold truth or not, the final piece of this puzzle has finally arrived."

Curiosity took hold of me and I followed his gaze above.

Directly above us was a TIE Bomber with a spotlight being directed right at the top of the temple. Atop of the fighter in question was a lone, black figure with a crimson saber. In the Force, there was hate, anger, and fear. Fear like no other. Anger like no other. Hate like no other.

None other than Anakin Skywalker.

There was no mistaking that fourth emotion.

Emptiness.

A loud hum directed my attention back to Maul. A red blade dove for my head, but I merely step sided the attack and punched forward, fist clench and ready to dish out some punishment. However, at the last second, Maul spun around me, slashing his blade for my head. Even with my speed, I couldn't dodge his strike.

In that instance, I let the Force surround me in one single point. From that point, I drove it up to my fist and then to my palm, white electricity circulating around my arm for a moment before I flung my hand out to the blade, catching it in my palm.

For a second, the blade burned my skin, but then it chilled out, becoming as hot as an ice pop out of the freezer.

Maul gaped at me, his confidence fleeting, "That's not possible…"

I smirked, "Oh, you have no idea."

Maul tried to pull back, but I did not let him. There was no question of who was winning this fight. In fact, there was no question to begin with, but only I knew that. The ex-Sith Lord let his ego get in the way of what really mattered: victory. Instead of trying as hard as he could from the get-go, he tried to go easy on me and now he was about to pay the ultimate price for it.

I pushed the blade upward, bringing his arms with it as he hands were holding the hilt. With my other hand, I unclipped my black saber and swung it upwards through his side and up to his traps, cutting him in half in such a way he wouldn't be coming back.

His crimson blade deactivated and fell to the floor as the life burned in his eyes with the ultimate form of hatred. Even he knew this was the end. His eyes told me that he was cursing me, but he was losing the ability to do so.

Suddenly, his left hand gripped my free wrist and he gurgled, "N-No."

I raised my black blade again, "Yes." And, with one final slash downward, I cleaved through him the other way from his other trap down to his side. Life left him an instant later as his body fell into four different pieces, his eyes still wide open but holding no power.

I turned back up to the temple to see the Bomber flying upward, but Vader was gone.

"Damn it." I let the Force flow through my body once again and prepared to jump. However, at the second of launch, a hand latched onto my shoulder, propelling them upward as well.

When I landed, I saw that it was Ahsoka who had grabbed my shoulder. When her eyes locked with mine, I saw something inside her change. Something that I had seen before.

My attention was grabbed by the sound of Vader's voice.

"Perhaps I was wrong." He boomed, swinging his blade overhead for a finishing slash.

Ahsoka stepped in front of me, "Enough!"

Vader stopped dead where he was. Slowly, his blade came down to his side as he turned to face his old apprentice, his respiratory breathing echoing an ever familiar sound.

"So, you are here." Vader spoke, deactivating his lightsaber. "I knew you'd come."

"I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to." Ahsoka said, setting up her stance, but it wasn't an offensive one. The stance she took was one of normalcy.

"We don't have to be enemies, Ahsoka." Vader said, his voice sounding softer than what was the usual gruffness from the hardened Sith Lord, "The Emperor will show you mercy if you tell us where the remaining Jedi are."

Ahsoka frowned, "There are no Jedi! You and your Inquisitors have seen to that."

Vader, for the first time, acknowledged my existence, "And him?"

I stepped beside his ex-apprentice, "I'm a special exception."

Vader paused, then took a step forward in our direction, "I feel in you something I have not felt in a long time."

"What's that?" I asked, intrigued by his change of pace.

"Peace."

The temple quaked again, but no one was shaken by the vibrations. They were more shaken by what words exited Vader's mouth. Even I was taken aback by this.

I had expected words of discouragement and threats, but here he was saying he felt my peace.

Then, I realized something.

Perhaps, I can change this reality another way. Instead of killing Vader, perhaps I can turn him back. And, then, we destroy the Emperor and make way for the Rebellion to get ahead of this before it starts. I thought, eyeing the man in black in front of me and seeing the Anakin from my time flash before me.

"Anakin." I said, "It's not too late."

"How do you know that name?" Vader boomed, softness turning to anger in a click, "That man no longer exists!" A crimson blade appeared at his side.

"Please listen to him, Master!" Ahsoka pleaded, her voice firm but a slight twinge.

I shook my head, "Where I'm from, there is no Vader. And, that can be the case here too."

"You're a fool to think I would believe such a long-winded tale." Vader said, taking another step forward. His heavy steps clanked through the air, "That I would believe such a lie."

I took a step forward as well, taking my blue saber and igniting it at my side, "I can show you the future you wanna have."

Vader reached his arm forward, the Force blasting through him and at me. Just from the reach back, I could tell that he was legions above Maul. There was no way that Maul could have been able to defeat Vader alone, which might have accounted for why he was teamed up with Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra.

Without much effort all the same, I battered away his Force Push, directing the blast to the side, blasting a part of the temple's interior off. Stone broke apart as it flew through the air and down to the ravaged battleground below.

He threw another blast at me, but I did the same, throwing it to the side again.

Slowly, I put my hand down, "I was going to kill you, Anakin. But, now, I don't think I can." I cast a glance to Ahsoka, "Plus, she would hate me if there was a chance to save you and I didn't take it."

Vader took a few more steps forward until there was only about two feet between us. He looked down at me. From behind the mask, I saw the golden eyes looking back at me, "Die."

His blade came out of nowhere, but I ducked under it anyway, spinning my body around to take a slash at his head. He blocked the strike, bringing the crossing blades closer so that they were locked.

I grunted, "You're making a mistake, Anakin!"

Vader swept his free hand up, tossing me to the air. I summersaulted in the air to stop my momentum which allowed me to swing down and back onto my feet.

His cybernetics give him so much brute strength. I can't beat him the way I did Maul, but I don't wanna kill him either. I swung my blade outward, dropping into a ready stance. But, if I'm too careful about being gentle then he could very well kill me. And, I have no idea what that will do to my real body back home.

He charged, leaping through the air, his blade raised above his head.

I jumped up to meet him, clashing blades for a second time. This time, our strikes went back and forth until we hit the ground and broke apart. He threw another Force Push at me, but I leaped above it this time, cloaking myself in the Force and teleporting behind the Sith Lord and throwing a non-lethal slash at his legs.

The blue blade made contact with his cybernetics, cutting through the metal a bit and severing the secondary mechanical joints, sparks flying.

Vader groaned, then threw his free hand backwards, striking me across the face and busting open my lip as well as sending me into a spiral. One of which I was not able to recover from in time before I hit the ground, going into a roll.

Metal boots hit the ground and anger spiked, in both Vader and in me.

I got to my feet, wiping the blood off my lip and onto the ground. The crimson liquid, I realized, was very much real. The pain was real. Everything was real.

That means there is no dying. I thought, letting my restraints fall off a bit, crossing my blade at a different angle. Instead of a neutral start, it was offensive.

Suddenly, Ahsoka was in front of me, her white blades ignited and ready to strike, "Stop and listen! He comes from a world where none of this exists! He is telling you the truth!"

Vader chuckled, "Even if that were true, my old apprentice, what is true for him is not true for this time. Nothing he can do can bring back what I've lost. What left me."

"I won't leave you!" Ahsoka shouted, "Not this time! Not now!"

Darth Vader seemed to hesitate for a second, then he reignited his blade, "Then perish."

I frowned. There's only one shot left.

I threw my hands down, repulsing me off the ground and above Ahsoka's body. I landed right in front of her, hands up, "Fine! Then let me show you." I ran at him.

He stabbed at my chest, but I sidestepped the attack and slashed a Force-enhanced hand through his saber hand, severing it from his arm. His lightsaber deactivated in mid-air, but I grabbed it with my other hand and turned it on, only to slash the plasma shaft downward across his knee, burning the metal away with black leather burning in its wake.

Vader punched his other fist at me, nailing me in the face, but I didn't budge from my spot. The Force exploded around me in a Repulse, blowing Vader off his feet. He turned mid-air, but failed to land upright.

I threw the crimson saber to the side, letting it clatter against the ground just as Ezra finally got up and ran over to me, "I don't think we've met. And I'm sure I'll get to after this! What do we do!?"

I looked up at the obelisk in the center of the room. It was surrounded my pink energy that was crackling loudly with Dark Side energy. Pink streaks of electricity raced across the air and across the air while a sickly presence filled the air.

The power behind each streak of lightning was earth shattering.

I turned to Ahsoka, "Make sure he doesn't get up! I'm gonna go take care of this thing."

Ahsoka nodded firmly, standing over Vader with both blades poised at his respirator. The white from her blades reflected the glow from his eyes, and I felt her resolve crumble a bit.

Without a second thought, I shouted at her, "Don't let him up for any reason! If you let him up then he will never be your master again!"

"He will never be her master again."

My blood froze over.

Oh no. Not good.

I looked over just in time to bring my hands up to deflect a strong bolt of Force Lightning. The energy burned in my palms for a bit before I dissolved it into nothing but harmless light molecules that floated through the air without any care.

I held my arm out in front of the boy beside me, "Ezra, get behind me."

Ezra did as he was told, but he questioned all the same, "Who is that?"

I clenched my teeth together in sync with my fists, "Just stay behind me." Palpatine.

A black robed individual sauntered onto the field of battle, his arms as his side and his hood pulled up over his face. From the way he walked, you could tell that the years had not been very easy on his physical body, but the Dark Side resonated so strongly in him that I couldn't help but feel sweat drip down the side of my head.

He raised a hand up and I readied myself for another attack, but he merely snapped his gnarled fingers together. From behind him filed in about thirty Stormtroopers. Two of which were holding an unconscious Kanan by the arms.

"Kanan!" Ezra shouted in alarm.

The Emperor himself, Sheev Palpatine, laughed, "Is that what he is called? Kanan? It didn't take much for him to konk out did it?"

Ezra growled, "You evil bastard!"

I pushed my hand back against the boy's chest, "Stay back, Ezra. He's goading you into attacking him. Then you'll be dead before you take two steps." My eyes gleamed with disgust, "That's how he operates."

Palpatine smiled at me, yellow teeth and a deformed mouth being his signature in this instance, "You know so much about me already, yet my knowledge on who you are is lacking."

Suddenly, the ground shook again and some pink energy exploded around us, knocking several Stormtroopers off their feet and sent them flying off the temple grounds, falling to their deaths below.

I was also pretty sure one of them did the Wilhelm scream on their way down.

I let the Force flow through me as my restraints were taken off completely. Even though I needed to fight Palpatine, I had to stop the temple from exploding first. However, I knew that the Sith Lord in charge wasn't about to just let me take care of anything before that.

"Ezra." I whispered, keeping my focus on Palpatine, "Do you think you can do something for me?"

"If it gets Kanan away from this guy then yes." He whispered back.

I fought the urge to crack a smile, "When I say go, I'm gonna chuck you at the troopers holding Kanan and you'll take them out. But, after you're done with that, get out. This is gonna be a fight that you don't wanna be a part of."

"But-"

"No buts." I cut him off softly. It's the only way.

"Ok. Deal."

"Ready?"

"I'm ready."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

I threw one hand forward at Palpatine, putting a large amount of effort into the blast while my other hand flung Ezra over my shoulder and two the Stormtroopers. But, before he was thrown, he grabbed my blue saber and ignited it, leaving me with the darksaber.

Inwardly, I sighed at the loss of my saber, but I knew that Ezra probably lost his lightsaber to Vader so it was something he had to do if he was going to cut his master loose.

Palpatine took the blast head on, but misjudged the power by the look of it. His confident smile faded when the Force connected with his body. It blew him backwards off of his two feet, but he quickly righted himself once he realized that it wasn't your average Jedi he was going up against.

All in all, that whole ordeal took thirteen seconds.

But, those precious seconds were more than enough for Ezra to dispatch of the two Stormtroopers and get away with Kanan and me to run at the obelisk. Once I was at the center, I peered up and saw a Sith Holocron sparking and shining from within.

"So, that's what's doing it." I muttered, reaching my hand up but getting it shocked away. I frowned and cloaked my hand in darkness before reaching in and ripping the Holocron out of place.

The relic immediately shuddered and closed up, the glow leaving its body. I held it up to the light before tossing it to the side. The power build up above the temple was starting to come down so I reached my hands up and pushed the blast farther upward until it reached maximum capacity and let loose an explosion like never before.

Everyone, including Palpatine and myself, was blown away by the massive outburst of Force energy.

When the smoke cleared, everyone, excluding the Stormtroopers who were dead, were on their backs, groaning in some way, shape, or form.

I got to my knees, feeling pain flare up across my side. After a quick inspection, I found pieces of the obelisk stuck in my side. Gently, I pulled them out and formed a bubble of energy around them, cooling the wound and allowing me full motion.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, red light filled my vison.

I covered my hand with the Force and punched the stone floor, blasting me up in time to dodge a flying Sith Lord with blade poised to kill.

Landing on one foot, I reactivated my darksaber with a high-pitched emission sound.

Every ounce of my being wanted me to go and make sure Ahsoka was ok. It was natural. She was my wife. Even though in this universe she wasn't, she would always be in my heart.

But, I resisted that part of my mind and turned to a now rising Palpatine, "I'm not surprised you survived that."

"And I'm not surprised either." Palpatine replied back snidely, "What I am surprised about is how you've been able to become so powerful."

I smirked, "Lots of protein in my diet. Also, vegetables."

The Sith Lord didn't find it amusing, "You play games boy, but this is no game."

"You're right." I hardened my stare, "If this was a game, then I'd feel better because I always have extra lives. But, here, there is no such thing. Not for me. So, I'm gonna end this quickly."

"If you think you have a chance at defeating me, then you are more deranged then Lord Vader." Palpatine smirked, a second red blade falling into his other hand.

I cast a glance over to the right as a figure emerged from the rubble. It was Vader. He stood tall and damaged. His legs were damaged, his right hand was gone, and his mask was dented in several places. His breathing was quicker and raspier than normal, which meant he was fatigued. He couldn't fight well in that state, and he knew that.

My gaze shifted to his remaining hand, where an orange arm laid within. He yanked upward, pulling a bruised, cut, and dirty Ahsoka from below him. He shifted his hand from her arm to her throat in one quick move.

Ahsoka squirmed, looking at the mask of her one-time-master and clawed at his fingers, which seemed to tighten even more as she struggled.

"With her gone…" Vader rasped, his voice modulator failing several times, giving way to Anakin's voice, "…the last weakness is cut. Without her, I can't be controlled anymore."

Seeing Ahsoka in danger, my blood spiked and I felt my control start to slip. Even if she isn't my wife here, she's still the woman I love! I won't let her die! But, I did nothing but stand there, weapon ignited.

Palpatine laughed, making me turn to him. He deactivated his lightsaber, putting it into his robes and turning to Vader, "Kill her, Lord Vader. Do it and finally you'll be rid of all these petty attachments."

"If you do this, then you'll be everything Padme thought you weren't!" I shouted, pulling on the strings of the Sith Lord's hardened heart to try to get him to see reason, "Do not kill another person who loves you, Anakin!"

"Do it, Lord Vader. Strike her down. See the life leave her eyes."

Vader nodded at his master, then looked into Ahsoka's eyes, "With you gone, I win."

The gates broke.

Every ounce of power I had flooded my veins all at once, turning my body into a glowing inferno of pure Force energy, tapping into the power within the darksaber's Kyber Shard. My skin turned a shade lighter and my hair spiked up as I leaped forward, breaking the barrier of space and appearing at Vader's hand within half a second.

I reached back and drove my fist into his stomach, causing the Sith to double over in pain before grabbed under his armpits and chucked him to the side, the veins in my muscles bulging all at once from the strain of power I was putting out.

Lightning struck my backside seconds later, causing me to scream out in pain as my skin burned and popped. I clenched my fists and opened my eyes wide as I let loose a primal roar. The power inside my body doubled and I used it all for my physical aspect.

I stood up amidst the pain and glared at the Sith Lord, "You wanted to know how I was so powerful?!"

Palpatine took a step back and pushed even more power into his attack, straining even himself. I yelped out in pain, but continued to walk forward, smoke rising from my body now.

Once I was directly in front of him, I slammed my hands down on his wrists, shattering his bones in an instant. He shouted out, but I clamped him mouth shut with one of my hands while looking into his eyes.

"You also wanted to know who I am?"

Fear crept into Palpatine's soul.

I brought my other hand up to clamp onto his neck and I slowly squeezed until I was about to crush his windpipe, then I paused and smirked, "My name is Blaze Marko, and I'm the man that killed you."

Promptly, his neck was snapped in my hand.

I dropped his lifeless body to the floor and stared at it for a moment before remembering something.

"Your soul will try to escape, so let me do this." I clenched my fists and let nothing but the Dark Side flood my system. Hate. Anger. Pain. So much pain. I cast my hands to the ground, a pool of darkness swallowing the dead man's body an instant later. It shriveled up until it was nothing, then I cut off the flood of power and fell to my knees, my breath gone and my energy levels low.

Suddenly, two boots clanked in front of me and I looked up, seeing Darth Vader above me. In a flash, he had my neck in his hand and I couldn't get free. It felt like I was being strangled in water. His leather gloved hand made the feeling all the more unpleasant.

"A-Anakin don't." I gasped, trying to pry his fingers off my throat, but he only tightened his grip. Shit.

"You've done the impossible." Vader said, his breathing still ragged. "The Emperor is dead."

A white lightsaber appeared before Vader's head just as my vision was starting to blur out.

"Release him." Ahsoka's voice was tight and deadly. "Now."

"And if I do not?" Vader dared to ask.

Ahsoka singed the edge of his mask, "Then I will avenge the death of every Jedi slain and kill you."

"That's not the Jedi way." Vader came back with, loosening his grip on my throat and allowing some air through.

Ahsoka didn't budge, "I am no Jedi."

With that, Vader released my completely, dropping me to my knees. I gasped for air, and once I had enough I got to my feet, reaching my hand out to pull the darksaber back to me. I ignited the blade and held it pointed to Vader's face, "Now, Palpatine is dead. That means you're the next person in charge. But, know this: whatever has been done to you can be undone. I can fix your burns, Skywalker. I can heal your lungs and organs. You can leave that suit."

As if none of that sounded good, Vader yelled, "Can you bring Padme back!?"

I shook my head sadly, "No. That I cannot do." I smiled softly, "But, can you settle for your children?"

"My children?" Vader asked. "My child died with its mother years ago."

I shook my head, "There is a lot that you don't know, Anakin. But, you don't get to know any of it yet."

Vader suddenly collapsed onto his knees in front of me, his voice breaking, "Is it alive?"

The darksaber shut off promptly and I nodded, "Your children are alive and well, Anakin. They were hidden from you so that they didn't turn out to be Sith. In fact, believe it or not, had I not intervened today, your son would have been the end of the Empire."

"My son." Vader echoed. "And the other?"

"Your daughter." I said, rubbing my throat with my hand. Damn that was a close one. I'm going out on a limb here. If I do this wrong, I could really fuck up this timeline. "But, for now, you don't get to know where either of them are. For their protection."

"Tell me." Vader pleaded.

I shook my head, "Not yet. First, I have to make sure that we are talking to Anakin Skywalker and not Darth Vader. But, even before that, we need to fix you." I raised my hilt and bashed him over the side of the head, putting enough force in it to knock him out cold.

He collapsed onto the ground in a heap and I finally took a deep breath, feeling the full extent of my overuse of power. I grabbed my arm as it twitched, "Damn it."

Ahsoka ducked down and held me upright, "You ok?"

With a pained smile, I nodded, "I'm fantastic. This was a lot easier than I thought."

Ahsoka gave a short laugh, "If this was easy, then I would hate to see what it would've been like if it was hard."

"Same." I muttered, "But, I'm sure that the only reason Palpatine was here was because he sensed me appear. Vader was the only one supposed to be here. I'm sure of that."

"But, had you not shown up, we wouldn't be here." She said softly, "Thank you."

I gave her a warm smile, "You know," I grabbed her hands and gently grazed my thumbs over her bruised knuckles, "what has happened here, today, can lay the foundation for something amazing. I can't stay here forever. In fact, I should probably get going pretty soon."

"I knew you would have to leave." Ahsoka whispered, "But, I don't want you to."

I brought a hand up to her cheek and caressed it softly, "I know you don't, my darling. But, there's a reason I don't exist here. If I did, the ending would always be good, but sometimes there has to be a shadow so that the light can pass through."

"Then why come here to begin with?" She asked.

I smiled, "I thought the shadow had lasted long enough."

"Well, thank you for bringing the light we so desperately needed." Ahsoka mumbled softly, leaning into my embrace. I opened my arms up and held her closely, marveling at how similar the two Ahsokas felt.

"You're welcome." I tilted her head up and pressed my lips to hers in a soft kiss that lasted for but a few seconds. But, in those few seconds, hope was reignited in her soul.

The fire in her eyes was there again.

I tipped her chin, "Keep your head up and always remember this: there is no dark that can ever snuff out your light. My mother used to tell me that when I was a child. And, up until she died, she always believed in me. The same way that I believe in you."

Back in the present timeline

Ahsoka Tano Marko watched her husband for only a couple of minutes before he twitched and his energy spiked in pain, then in relief. In fact, the couple of minutes she had observed visibly there was no change, but within it did nothing but change.

He was an vortex of emotions, pains, emotions, and struggles. It was a wonder as to how he hadn't woken up yet.

Then, she felt something come off of him.

Love.

For her.

The same love she felt every day of her life. The same love that she felt all those years ago when he was willing, as a child, to give his own life for her or risk his life for her. But, that was just like him. He was normally selfless.

But, this was pure love.

Inwardly, she felt something. His voice. It was whispering things to her.

"…there is no dark that can ever snuff out your light…"

She smiled at the words, knowing that he was speaking to her counterpart or to her as a whole.

"That's my Blaze."

Back in the Dark Future Timeline

About two hours later, I sat aboard the Ghost, a very nicely outfitted fighter that was far bigger than a conventional starfighter, but had the kick to make up for it. Especially since it had a second starfighter that could detach from it. That made for incredible results in battle.

The ship touched down on whatever planet we were headed to, but I did not leave. I was far too deep in thought trying to figure out how much time I had actually spent here.

It can't be more than six or so hours.

The door to the cabin I was in opened up and a green Twi'lek walked in. She was dressed in a sort of smugglers outfit and had a goggle's cap on with holes cut in it for her lekku. Her aura resonated with a powerful presence that I had sensed in a few people, but none stood out when comparing it to the woman in front of me.

Per being respectful, I stood up as she approached me.

She held out her hand, "Herra Syndulla. I'm the pilot of the Ghost."

The name made me smile, "Syndulla, huh? You're Cham Syndulla's little girl huh? That's funny. We've met in my universe. We interact on a regular basis, in fact. 1`"

Hera wasn't taken aback by it surprisingly, "Not very shocking considering everything. You are?"

I took the hand quickly, "Sorry. My name's Blaze Marko."

Hera nodded, "If what Kanan tells me is all true, you've had a pretty productive day. Did you really kill the Emperor himself?"

I nodded, giving a thumbs up, "It was no problem."

"Tell that to your burn marks, cuts, lacerations, and bruises." Hera put her hands on her hips, "No problem seems a bit farfetched."

I shrugged, "He was a bit tougher than I thought he would be, but it all worked out. I just had to make sure I used enough power to kill just him and not everyone. If I was to release that valve, well, I don't know what I could do."

"You don't know?"

"I've never tried it." I chuckled awkwardly, then I turned serious, "Do you have Vader in your base?"

Hera regarded me with stone eyes. She nodded, "He is. I don't know why you brought him here though. He single handedly killed all of the previous Phoenix Squadron and tried to kill us on multiple occasions."

I sighed, crossing my arms behind my back, "Because, Hera, he's a good man deep down."

"Kanan told me he once was Anakin Skywalker." Hera said, "Anakin Skywalker liberated my home world of Ryloth during the Clone Wars. How is it possible that such a great man could become such an evil monster?"

There was no proper answer for such a question. The only reasonable one that came to mind was that Anakin did what he thought was right to save Padme, which ultimately ended up killing her indirectly. But, the more logical answer was that he tried to do whatever he had to in order to preserve what he cared about most, but ended up losing his way to the darkness along the way.

Then, there was my explanation.

"He was afraid." I said softly. "Afraid to lose everything he loved, so he made a choice. But, funny thing is, he lost everything anyway because he made that choice. It cost him his legs, his family, his soul. But, I'm gonna try to bring back Anakin and get rid of Vader for good."

"Is that even possible?" Hera asked.

I nodded, "Anything is possible."

"That's naïve to think." Hera replied, leaning against a wall. "There are some things that cannot be changed."

I gave her a look, then smirked, "I don't live by those rules. I make my own. That's why I'm even here."

Hera chuckled, "Right. You're from a universe where none of this stuff happened."

"Right." I said, "A lot of other things happened, but I got through them all. And, now, I'm living in peace with my family and my friends."

"And the Jedi?" Hera asked. "The Jedi are with you, aren't they?"

"I left the Order and formed the Rebirth." I explained, "We are still Jedi, but we do not adhere to the Senate. And no one knows where we reside anymore. We appear and disappear. They know who we are, but they do not know where from."

A buzzer signaled on Hera's wrist and she tapped the flashing button, "Hera here. Go ahead."

"Hey, Hera. It's Ezra. So, you know where Blaze is? I kinda still have his lightsaber and didn't have a chance to give it back to him."

I smirked, "I was wondering when you were gonna bring it up, saber-stealer."

"Hey I needed it! I was planning on giving it back! I promise!"

I chuckled, "I know, kid. Don't ink yourself. Just head to the medical bay and I'll get it there."

"Isn't that where Vader is? You sure he's not gonna go berserk and kill us all?"

"You're talking to the man that just killed the Emperor. You seriously gonna tell me that you don't feel safe?" I asked, cocking my brow at the transmission.

"Point taken. Ok. Will do. Ezra out!"

Hera shut the transmission down and then opened the door, "To the med bay?"

I nodded, "Lead the way, Hera."

Needless to say I found myself in the medical bay where Vader was being sedated.

I turned to the others, "Ok. Ahsoka stays. Everyone else needs to leave."

There was no argument. Everyone, including the doctors and assistants left the room. In an instant, there was just Ahsoka, Vader, and I. The silence that resonated through the small space was deafening.

I took a breath, "Ready?"

Ahsoka shook her head, "No, but I'll try anything."

"That's the spirit." I said, then held my hands out forward towards Vader, "We have to take his armor off, but he has to be in constant care in order for him to not die. So, while you take it off, piece by piece, I'm going to heal his organs so he can breathe normally again."

Ahsoka blew out a whistle, "Is that all?" She said sarcastically.

"Basically." I said, "This will also heal his skin and will probably let him grow out his hair gain considering it's all, you know, gone."

"I could never imagine my master bald." Ahsoka joked.

"Well, you're about to see just that." I said.

"Fantastic."

"Hey, I never did get a chance to say thank you for saving my ass back there." I smiled, "So, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So, let's begin."

"Which part should I take off first?"

"Try removing all of it at once."

"That's a lot of armor."

"Yeah but I'm sure you got this. Just don't drop it."

"Why?"

"Cuz you could break something of his or mess up my concentration and he could go berserk and kill us all."

"No pressure right?"

"Of course."

"Ok, then."

"Your move."

"Oh, right."

About another two hours later, we finished everything and laid the newly restored Anakin Skywalker down on the bed with a sheet covering him. There were minimal scars across his body and I was sure that his internal organs were completely restored as well. We laid a semi translucent bacta film over his body and covered him in a medical capsule.

Ahsoka took a seat next to the bed and ran a hand over her master's bald head, "You really did fix him."

I nodded, "With a lot of energy, yeah. But, now it is up to him." I pulled out a drive from the pouch on my waist and activated it with a simple touch of my finger. Quickly, a keyboard popped up and I quickly typed in all the information that she would need regarding her next steps and closed the drive.

I held it out to her, "Here. This is the key on what to do next." I said, "What I didn't include was that Obi Wan is on Tatooine. I feel like it's better if he sees him with his own two eyes. Also, Skywalker might not be able to walk very well considering the injuries he sustained on his cybernetics so you might have to help him. Other than that, you're all set to go."

Ahsoka got to her feet, "This mean your work is done?"

I gave a quick nod, "Yup. At first, I just came here to see what it was like, then it turned into a death mission, then into a redemption. I'd say that I've done what I was set out to do. The rest is up to you."

"The Rebellion?" Ahsoka inquired.

"It will become the Alliance, then the New Republic, but that is all dependent on what you do from here." I looked at Anakin, "And, now, him."

"And the Jedi?"

"Rebuild it." I said softly, cracking my knuckles, "Rebuild it better than ever, with love at its center and you'll be golden, Ahsoka. Also, take Skywalker's son as your apprentice. It is only fitting."

"What is his son's name?" Ahsoka asked, reaching out to me with her hand as I let the Force start to pull me away. My body was phasing in and out and I was becoming translucent.

"Luke." I said, disappearing farther.

"Hey!" Ahsoka's hand phased through me. "Am I ever gonna see you again?"

I smiled a warm smile, but it held a sad thought in it as well. I reached out my hand and caressed her cheek with the last part of my physical ability, "Probably not, no. But, you'll find me in something else, I promise. Trust in the Force, and trust your heart."

"I will. I promise." Her eyes streamed down tears, but she smiled nonetheless, "I'm glad I met you! Goodbye, Blaze!"

"Bye!"

Then, I was gone.

After a few seconds of feeling nothing but the chilling cold air that came with full circulation of the Force, I found myself on my couch yet again. My body felt no more pain and no more sadness, but I remembered all of it. It was as if it had happened, but it wasn't real.

But, I knew it was real.

It had to be real.

It was real.

I turned my head, seeing Ahsoka staring at me. This time though, it was my Ahsoka. She was dressed in a maroon dress with a diamond cut out over the top of her chest and some frills at the bottom of the fabric. It was exactly the same thing she had been wearing when I left, yet it felt like it was the first time I had seen it.

And her presence was bright again. It radiated with a sort of happiness that would melt even the hearts of stone.

She crawled over to my side and wrapped her slender arms around my neck while looking into my eyes, "So, how was your trip?"

"Good." I replied. "Saved the galaxy yet again, but this time in a different universe."

"Is there anything you can't do?" She asked, playfully, rubbing her nose against mine.

"I can't ever let you go." I whispered back, pressing her lips against mine in a passionate kiss.

She broke the kiss for a moment, "Then, never do."

I smirked, "I never intend to. Plus, if you die, I can just bring you back to life. Just have a body for me to use to bring you back, that's all I ask."

"But, I'm not gonna die." She responded, smirking a smirk of overconfidence.

"Oh," I chuckled, "now who's being overconfident?"

Ahsoka wasted no time in laying me down on my back as she straddled my waist. She leaned down to my lips and brushed hers upon my own, "Me. Guilty as charged."

She leaned back up and I grinned, "So, kids?"

Ahsoka chuckled, "It's only been like fifteen minutes, babe."

I broke out in laughter, in which Ahsoka joined in.

And all was right again.

And I prayed that the other Ahsoka followed my advice.

Yet, deep down, I knew she did.

"I love you." I said suddenly.

Ahsoka grinned at me, "I know. And I love you too."

This was where I was meant to be.