Pain and suffering. Two of the most driving factors in tearing down anyone to the Dark Side, but especially in the case of Anakin Skywalker. Beginning with his Padawan leaving the Order to the nightmares that plagued him about his wife after. But what if Ahsoka came back when offered and was with Anakin through the remainder of the war. Or would the Dark forces continue their plans…..
"C'mon Master," Ahsoka pleaded.
The Chancellor had just been kidnapped by the army of General Grievous and there was a large space battle going on just above the atmosphere of Coruscant. The Jedi Council had dispatched Master Obi-Wan and Anakin along with the recently Knighted Ahsoka, to rescue Palpatine.
"For the last time Snips, no," Anakin said as they were walking towards the hangar. The Republic cruiser had gotten them as close to the battle as they could and they now had to take off in smaller ships to reach the CIS command ship.
"It would be much easier to take three separate, faster ships," Ahsoka said. "If the battle is as tough as you think it will be, we will need more maneuvering room."
"I agree with Ahsoka, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I can handle myself perfectly well and I am the worst pilot here."
"See," Ahsoka said. "He gets it."
"Oh fine," Anakin said. "But you have to stay on my ass at all times, no free flying from you. We need all the help getting the chancellor back."
Ahsoka was clearly excited, and she jumped up for joy when he gave in.
"Just admit it," she said. "You just don't like my flying."
"Snips, it's not that," Anakin said. "I just don't think that you can keep up with me."
"Hey," she said as he smiled. "What about Obi-Wan?"
"Thank you for degrading my flying skills," Obi-Wan said.
Ahsoka looked down at the floor but couldn't help the grin that was still on her face. They reached the hangar and walked over to where three Jedi Starfighters were waiting.
"Can I pilot the yellow one," Ahsoka asked eagerly.
"Absolutely not," Anakin said. "That is my color and will always be my color."
"Whatever you say master," Ahsoka said and walked over to a blue ship.
"She'll be fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan assured him. "It's me who you should be worried about."
"This is just going to be an intense battle," Anakin said. "I just want to make sure that she can handle it."
"She'll be just fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "You have taught her very well. She's one of the youngest to ever reach Knighthood. That is directly related to your teaching."
"Yeah I know," Anakin said. "I just still get worried sometimes.
"I was the same way," Obi-Wan said. "Still am. Just don't tell Ahsoka about that fact. She tends to get distracted like another student I know."
"I wonder who that could be," Anakin said.
Before Obi-Wan could reply, a voice on the intercom called all pilots to their ships. Anakin grinned at him and climbed into his yellow starfighter. Obi-Wan shook his head and walked over to his red starfighter.
"Comm check," Anakin said. "Secure line 7."
"Line secure," Ahsoka said.
"Line secure," Obi-Wan said.
"Alright guys," Anakin said. "Take my lead and let's go get the chancellor."
"May the force be with us," Obi-Wan said, getting a laugh out of Ahsoka.
The starfighters rose out of the hangar and took off into space. Outside their cruiser there was a very large battle going on. Vulture droids were flying everywhere and being combated with ARC-170s.
+++What If?+++
Aboard the Invisible Hand, Palpatine was sitting in a chair by himself, watching the battle rage outside. He sensed in the force that Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano were leaving the ship and starting to make their way here.
"You summoned, Lord Sidious," General Grievous said, entering the room.
"Give out an order to your droids to target Tano's starfighter first and foremost," Palpatine said. "Kenobi's after that. Skywalker is to be let through and Kenobi is fine, but Tano must die."
"Shall I alert Count Dooku to this?" Grievous asked.
"No," Palpatine said. "Lord Tyrannus' time has come to an end. Soon I will have a new apprentice, but there is work to be done on that."
Grievous bowed and left the room to give the order, while Sidious smiled evilly, watching out the window.
+++What If?+++
"Master," Ahsoka said into her comm. "The droid command ship through four droid fleets on our way there. There is one spot that is open, but we will have to break through this armada first."
"Well," Obi-Wan. "If it was easy, everyone could do it."
"Alright cut the chit chat," Anakin said, focusing on the mission. The chancellor was his very good friend, and one of the people he cared about most in his life. Him, Obi-Wan, Padme, and Ahsoka. That's why he was so hesitant on letting her come on the mission. There was a chance that he could lose two of those people, and now maybe three. "Lock S-Foils in attack position."
The wings of the starfighters opened up, as the Jedi flew towards the battle. The Vulture droids finally recognized them and broke off from their own formation. They began to fire at the Jedi relentlessly.
"Stay in formation," Anakin said sternly and began to fire at the droids.
"There are too many of them," Ahsoka yelled into her comm.
"Steady Ahsoka," Anakin said. "Just stay in the formation that I told you and you will be just fine."
The Jedi weaved in and out of the droids and took out as many as they could. A group of ARC-170s grouped up from behind them.
"We are on your tail General," a clone said through his intercom.
"Good to have you," Obi-Wan said.
"There is a droid frigate blocking our way," Ahsoka said. "We have to knock it out."
Suddenly a large mass of droid tri-fighters came from the hangar.
"Take evasive action!" Anakin yelled and all the ships broke off from formation.
Missiles and bombs began erupting around the group as the droids pounded into their squad. Anakin was weaving in and out of the droids, saving as many clones as he could. They were just plain outnumbered.
"Ahsoka," Anakin called. "You have a lot of dogs on your tail."
"I know, I know," she said as she spun into many different evasive actions.
It was so good that many of the droids crashed into each other. Ahsoka smiled at her own moves, showing Anakin how much she has improved her flying.
"How's that sky guy," she said.
"Good," Anakin said through gritted teeth, trying to dodge fighters. "Don't get too cocky."
The Jedi kept moving forward, but were always pushed back by the frigate. The amount of droids that came through there was phenomenal.
"We have to knock out that ship," Obi-Wan yelled.
"The easiest way to do that is to destroy the bridge," Anakin said. "But to do that, we have to get through the defenses."
"We will create a hole for you," a clone said. "Just be ready to get through when I give the go."
"Excellent," Anakin said. "Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, form up."
Obi-Wan was almost there immediately but Ahsoka still hadn't turned up.
"Ahsoka? Ahsoka?"
Anakin looked all around for her blue starfighter but couldn't see it. They were running out of time and time was key. Every minute the chancellor sat in that droid ship was a minute sooner to Grievous's escape.
"Ahsoka report in," Anakin yelled.
"Master," Ahsoka said weakly.
"Ahsoka, where are you," Anakin yelled.
"I got hit," Ahsoka said and Anakin's heart dropped. "Droid came through and popped a laser through the side of my ship. R4 was able to patch the ship up, but I took the shot in the stomach."
Anakin pulled up the vital signs from the ship and found Ahsoka's wound.
"Alright Snips," Anakin said. "It's not too bad. Get back to our cruiser, you can get all patched up there."
"Not going to work," Ahsoka said. "The life support is down and my engines are failing."
Anakin looked at the scan of her ship and saw that this was true. For once he had no solution for her.
"Anakin," Ahsoka said. "You can't fail the mission. I can knock the frigate out with my ship. Get to the command ship and rescue the chancellor."
"NO," Anakin said. "I'm not leaving without you!"
"Anakin," Ahsoka said. "There is nothing that you can do. This is my choice. You have to trust me to do this. Rescue the chancellor."
"Ahsoka please," Anakin said, his heart tearing in two. "I can't lose you. You have so much left to do. If you leave, I will have failed as a Master."
"You were an excellent Master," Ahsoka said. "You have trained me better than anyone in the galaxy. You were also my best friend, and the closest thing to a father that I will ever have. Goodbye Anakin, and may the force be with you."
Ahsoka shut off her comm and made her way to the frigate. The clones opened up a hole, just like they said they would and Ahsoka's ship burst through. There was an unimpeded line to the bridge of the command. Ahsoka set a straight line towards the bridge and fired the engines at max speed. A tear fell from Ahsoka's face as she prepared to die. She took a deep breath as her ship was right near the bridge. As soon as she was about to hit it a male voice called out to her,
"You will see him again in time."
Then everything exploded around her as she hit the ship.
+++What If?+++
Anakin watched as his padawan's comm went static and the bridge exploded into a fiery eruption.
"No!" he cried out, tears streaming down his face.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said. He could tell that his old master was also holding back sorrow. "We have to go."
Anakin took one last look at the smoking remains of the frigate, and turned his ship to the ensuing battle. He and Obi-Wan flew around a Republic cruiser on the other side of the frigate and flew around it. They turned down into the ensuing battle and raced off.
"General Grievous's command ship is dead ahead," Anakin said, pushing his feelings deep down and focusing on not losing anyone else this mission.
+++What If?+++
Ahsoka snapped her eyes open quickly as she took a deep, gasping breath. The last thing that she remembered was crashing into the ship. She sat up and found herself in her room in the Jedi temple. Was that just a dream? Was she still alive? She had to find out the answers to her questions. She got out of the bed and stood up. She was no longer wearing her red battle suit, but a flowing pair of tan Jedi robes. She looked over to where her lightsabers usually sat, but they were gone. She walked out of her room and into the hallway of the temple. There was no one in the hallway, which was strange. She looked out the window to see the planet around here, but there was only white.
"You did a very noble thing there," the same male voice said.
Ahsoka spun to see a tale, male Jedi. He had long hair and facial hair similar to Master Kenobi's. He wore the same sort of robes, and a smile on his face.
"Where am I," Ahsoka said.
"You are with the force, Ahsoka," the man said.
"How do you know my name?" Ahsoka asked. "And what does one with the force mean?"
"One with the force means that when a Jedi lives up to the true code of the Jedi order, they reach immortality through the force," the man said. "By sacrificing yourself for your troopers and fellow Jedi, the force has deemed you worthy."
"So I did die," Ahsoka said. The man nodded and she looked downcast.
"Do not hang your head little one," the man said. "You have done something that only a few Jedi have ever done."
"Who are you," she asked.
"My name is Qui-Gon," he said.
Her eyes widened, Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan's old master.
"Yes I am who you think I am," he said. "I also brought the man you call master to the temple."
"Is he alright?" Ahsoka asked.
"He survives," Qui-Gon responds. "The future is told to us here, but we can experience it for ourselves. Take care young one, in returning to watch how life unfolds. You may not tell the future or alter anyone's destiny."
"I won't Master Qui-Gon," she said.
"Ahsoka," he said. "Through the force, everyone is equal. There are no titles. Please address me as Qui-Gon."
"Yes," Ahsoka said.
Ahsoka turned from the man in the hall and went back to the window. From there she could see any place in the world below. She smiled as she saw Anakin hug Padme after the battle, and she knew that everything would be okay.
Some things are bound to destiny. The loss of the Ahsoka to Anakin is almost universal certainly in one way or another. But in this universe, while Ahsoka is physically gone from Anakin's life, she may remain...
To Be Continued...
A/N
Hello everyone! There is the third of my tweaked but already mostly written one shots for this. I just want to preface that a lot of these will be continued with another chapter or so and I will preface what they are a sequel to at the top of each chapter. I do have a couple more ideas that I am going to write out the beginning chapter for first and then circle back, so keep an eye out and leave a review if you have an idea you want to see put in, and I'll see if it lines up.
Thanks!