Chapter 3 – Truths Unveiled

Author's Note: In which Vader reveals the truth, and an unexpected visitor arrives. :D

As a reminder, updates will be monthly. :)

~ Amina Gila

Maul clears his throat, effectively bringing the attention back to him. "I languished for years, thinking of nothing but you, Kenobi!" he spits. "Nothing but this moment! And now, the perfect path to vengeance is in front us. I never planned on killing you, but I will make you share my pain."

"And mine," snarls Vader, stalking to the Duchess where she dangles in the air.

Obi-Wan's eyes widen, and he tries to jerk away from the guards holding him. Ahsoka struggles as well, but in vain. The Death Watch warriors keep them still, forcing them down on their knees. Maul releases his grip, and the Duchess falls to the ground at Vader's feet.

With a flick of his hand, Vader yanks her up into the air, closing his left mechanical hand around her throat. She can still breathe with an effort, but the grip will leave painful bruises, which is the point. In his right hand, he ignites his lightsaber. He won't kill her, but he will guarantee that the experience is far from pleasant. If he wants her to understand that her pacifist ways are not the answer, her worldview needs to be entirely shattered.

Maul watches without a shred of revulsion as Vader nonchalantly lowers the blade burning the Duchess' right arm with it. The burn isn't deep, but it's painful. He thrives on her pain; it fills him with a twisted satisfaction only because he can feel Kenobi's horror, his desire to protect her, his anger that he's helpless. This is… not something he ever does, but he's making an exception this once. She cries out from the agony, swinging her left arm at him in an attempt to make him stop. Her hand hits the durasteel of his armor, and he can feel the pain reverberate through her hand.

"That was a mistake," he warns, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt and grabbing her left forearm, squeezing it tightly until he feels the bones give way beneath his grip. She screams, and he throws her to the ground in disgust. He turns to Maul, sensing that the Sith is satisfied by the performance, but he still craves more pain and suffering. He's a monster. Even Vader finds torture distasteful.

"Send out the guards," Vader instructs him. "Keep two here who won't talk, and have the others take the Duchess to a medic here in the palace." It's time for Obi-Wan to learn the truth.

Maul nods to his men, and they follow the orders without a word. Ahsoka lunges to her feet, obviously planning to try and attack now that there's only two guards behind her and her grandmaster.

"Do not test my patience, young one." The warning note in Vader's voice, filled with an undertone promising murder, halt her attempts to escape.

Vader paces a few steps before turning to look at his old master, crossing his arms. "Before I took the name Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, I had another name, another identity, another life." For some reason, this is harder than he thought it would be. He's worked so hard to completely dissociate this personage from the weak child he once used to be. To admit that he and Anakin are, and always have been, the same is… strange.

He pauses, and before he can continue, Obi-Wan interrupts, eyes narrowed. "The Sith Master is currently Darth Sidious, according to Dooku."

Vader chuckles darkly. "Not for long." At the bottom of the stairs leading up the throne, Maul smirks. In this, they both agree.

"Then if you are not the master and not the apprentice, what are you? A rogue Sith?" the Jedi demands.

"Neither. I am from the future." Disbelief fills the room, and Vader outright laughs at it. He's almost achieved his revenge – hopefully – and he's drunk on the feeling. "You destroyed my life, Obi-Wan, so I am here to destroy yours. You turned my family against me. You abandoned me, betrayed me. The Force saw fit to bring me here to correct those injustices."

No one speaks. No one moves. And Vader finally drops the bombshell. "There was a time," he begins shortly, and his voice is anything but wistful. He doesn't long for those days, not anymore. He thrives off anger, off hatred, off pain. That is all that matters. "When I was known as Anakin Skywalker." He spits the name with thinly veiled revulsion and contempt.

"What?" Kenobi whispers incredulously, shaking his head. "That's –"

Vader doesn't wait for him to finish. He doesn't look at Ahsoka's betrayed expression as he pulls down his shielding letting them feel the sheer power and darkness in the Force signature they recognize.

Kenobi pales, closing his eyes, a rush of hopelessness and pain bleeding into the Force around him. "What happened? How did this happen to you? Anakin –" He chokes on the name, and Vader feels a twisted satisfaction, focusing solely on the Dark Side to cover any misgivings he might be having as well as the first stirrings of guilt.

Ahsoka, unlike her grandmaster, reacts completely differently. The betrayal is quickly replaced by distrust and anger. "How could you do something like this?" she yells at him, taking a step forward before the guard pulls her back. "You're better than this! You loved Obi-Wan! I know you did! So why? This is madness, Master!"

"Because he did not care!" roars Vader, blinding fury overtaking him. "Because I would be dead if not for Sidious who rescued me when he left me to die! And you have no room to talk, Ahsoka. You left me, and you never once looked back!"

Vader can feel Maul's smugness in the background, and he feels momentarily sick at the knowledge that the Sith is feeding off their drama. "You can take them to a cell and leave them to stew in their knowledge," he tells Vader.

Vader scarcely registers the words. Everything is raw right now, and it's as though every old wound he's ever had has been ripped open again. And it hurts so much. He closes his eyes, drawing on the pain, letting it fuel him. He wants to keep them both here, keep them where they'll never be able to leave, never be able to hurt him again. But doing that would be selfish. He would never want to hurt Anakin that way.

Whether he likes to admit it or not, Anakin's biggest weakness was people. At this point in time, he's not able to rely on Obi-Wan as his emotional anchor, so he needs Ahsoka. Some time apart from his former master would probably do him some good as well. What they – especially Anakin – need is time to sort out their thoughts and feelings without being pressured into doing something or acting in a certain way. After the whole Hardeen debacle, Anakin needs time to heal. He needs time to find his balance after having his trust in Obi-Wan shattered so thoroughly. Perhaps later, Vader can seek him out and offer him guidance, but for now, he'll focus on what he has.

Clenching his fists to ground himself, he prepares to order the guards to have them taken away when he senses a jolt in the Force as a brilliant, all-too-familiar Force signatures appears. Instantly, Vader slams down his shields though not before his younger counterpart senses him. This is all wrong. Skywalker shouldn't be here.

"We must prepare to leave," he informs Maul. "Skywalker has just arrived." He spits the name as though it's a curse. "I will take Kenobi with me. Ahsoka can remain here. She serves no purpose to me."

"She knows the truth," Maul observes, narrowing his eyes.

"And she will forget," Vader assures him, whirling, cape swirling around him. He stalks to Ahsoka, and she stands her ground, glaring furiously at him. She tries to pull back when he reaches towards her head, but the guard behind her, pushes her forward.

He presses his fingers on her temple, grip hard but not bruising, as he reaches through their bond – it apparently travelled with him or maybe her bond with her master transferred partially to him, he doesn't know – pushing against her shields. She struggles to hold him out, but he forces his way through her mental defenses as she thrashes in his grip, struggling to pull away.

If she would stop fighting it wouldn't hurt so much. "It is useless to resist," he snarls in her mind, well aware that mentally he'll sound like her master.

Ahsoka stills at the sound, obviously taken by surprise. He leaps on the opportunity, digging up her most recent memory and burying it in her subconsciousness. When she awakens, she'll last remember being knocked unconscious on the Twilight with no recollection of how she ended up in the palace. Perfect.

When he withdraws from her mind, she's limp and unconscious. He drops her unceremoniously on the floor, looking up in time to see Kenobi's pained expression. "How could you do that do her?" he asks, horror and despair audible in his voice.

"It is for the best if she does not remember this. I will not give you the same luxury," he snaps, grabbing his old master's arm and yanking him closer. "After everything I have suffered at your hands, you deserve no less than the truth."

Turning, he approaches Maul. "I am uncertain as to what transpired after Kenobi escaped from Mandalore, but I know your brother was killed. I suspect that Sidious was involved. For both your sakes, you should leave from here temporarily."

Maul's eyes flick to Savage, and he nods, a surprising gratitude radiating into the Force. "We will. I appreciate the warning."

No more words need to be said, so Vader motions to the guards to follow him, pausing only to direct one final comment to the other Sith. "As per our plan, I will take the Duchess with me as a means of controlling Kenobi."

"Of course," Maul agrees after a slight hesitation, eyes dancing with dark glee.

Vader strides from the room, tracking Anakin through the Force. Who knows what mishaps could occur should they meet? It's best not to tempt fate too much. He orders that the Duchess be sedated and transferred to the Twilight under heavy guard, while he follows behind with Obi-Wan.

He can feel the traitors – Bo-Katan, in particular – watching them leave, but no one moves to attack. By the time he's firing up the engines to leave the planet, he can feel Anakin's shuttle landing not too far away. Well, the boy will have a choice between his master and his apprentice. Vader already knows who he'll choose. By the time Ahsoka is safe, Vader and his prisoners will be long gone.

**w**

Anakin feels the panic clawing at him when he feels the dark Force presences on the planet. It was just as he'd feared. Obi-Wan was lured right into a trap, an unsuspecting Ahsoka with him. Reaching out with the Force, he realizes that Obi-Wan is being transported off the planet, while Ahsoka is unconscious elsewhere. He can try to save his master or Padawan. Not both. He doesn't even know if Obi-Wan needs saving; his former master might have tried to escape and call for help. No. He wouldn't leave Ahsoka behind.

Clenching his fists, Anakin lands the shuttle on a landing platform near the palace. Ahsoka is inside, and may the Force have mercy on anyone who tries to stop him. Leaving Artoo in charge of the shuttle, Anakin lowers the ramp, striding resolutely onto the platform.

"You are not authorized to land here," barks the security guard, who looks nothing like what Anakin remembers from his past trips to the planet.

"My friend is here on the planet, in the palace," Anakin hisses. "I want her back!"

The guard, naturally, is completely unimpressed, and Anakin doesn't have time for games. He needs to get Ahsoka and leave so he can find Obi-Wan before it's too late. Reaching out through the Force to his Padawan, he senses that she's still unconscious. "Ahsoka, wake up!" he urges telepathically, though he's uncertain if she even hears him.

"Let me through," he snaps, taking a step forward as the guard begins protesting and ordering him to leave immediately.

The guard raises his blaster. "For the last time, Jedi, you are not welcome here."

Anakin shuts up him by igniting his lightsaber. The guard opens fire, but Anakin throws him to the ground using the Force, crushing his windpipe so he can't call for help. After stabbing the man through the chest, Anakin drops the body and marches away towards the palace without looking back. He will find Ahsoka and bring her back, regardless of what he has to do to achieve that goal.

Thankfully, he doesn't encounter much resistance, though since he's using the Force to conceal himself, it's not too surprising. At that moment, he feels a jolt as Obi-Wan's presence disappears from the area. He's entered hyperspace, wherever he is and wherever he's going.

That realization fuels a surge of raw desperation, and Anakin sprints towards where he can feel Ahsoka. He might not know where his former master is, but there's no way he's going to lose his Padawan too.

He's heading towards the throne room; he's certain of it. What he doesn't know is why Ahsoka is there. Why isn't she awakening? As he rounds the final corner, he comes face to face with two guards, both of whom he's certain are Death Watch.

"Are you here for the little Jedi?" taunts one of them. "You'd better take her and get lost before the master changes his mind."

Anakin gives them a brusque nod before drawing on the Force and running through the doors to the throne room. It's completely empty now, scorch marks on the walls and floor evidence to a struggle, probably one involving a lightsaber. He doesn't take the time to try and discern what happened, especially not when his gaze falls on the crumpled figure in the middle of the room. Ahsoka.

He sucks in a breath, falling to his knees by her side and turns her over. She's limp – unconscious, but alive. Anakin feels the relief crash over him hard. She's uninjured. Gently, he lifts her into his arms, glancing around the room. He doesn't want to take any chances.

"Artoo, bring the shuttle over near the window of the throne room," he instructs over his commlink. The droid whistles affirmatively. Anakin hopes that the Death Watch will actually let them leave. Once Ahsoka is safe, he'll have to figure out what happened to Obi-Wan.

Anakin flicks his hand, smashing the glass of one of the windows using the Force; it was already badly cracked from something, or someone As Artoo flies the shuttle up, he leaps through the opening, landing on the ramp. He closes it, laying Ahsoka on a bench in the main hold as he dashes to the pilot's seat and guides the shuttle away from Mandalore. Hopefully Ahsoka has answers, because if she doesn't, he doesn't know who will.

**w**

Obi-Wan doesn't even know what to feel, and maybe that's part of the reason why he's feeling a curious numbness mingled with despair, betrayal, and resignation just beneath the surface. He doesn't resist when Vader – Anakin, he can't think of him as a Sith, even after what he did and probably has done – pushes him onto the Twilight and has Satine strapped down on a cot in the medbay.

He watches as the black-gloved hands move with familiarity over the controls as the shuttle blasts into the air away from Mandalore. This is not the end, Obi-Wan knows as much, but what he doesn't know is what he'll do now. How – how could Anakin have Fallen? How could he have become a Sith? It's completely unthinkable. Had he not been told the truth and felt it himself in the Force, he would never have believed it. Mortis was a fluke, or so he'd thought. A part of him is furious at Vader for willfully hurting Satine in such a manner, or at all, but at the same time, the thought of trying to take vengeance on her behalf makes something inside of him twist uncomfortably.

Much as Obi-Wan wishes to forget, he can still almost feel the darkness swirling around that Force signature, entwining it, staining it. Most of all, he simply doesn't understand. The hatred he'd sensed was real and tangible, and that fact cuts into him like a knife. What did his future-self do to warrant such animosity? It can't have simply been the Hardeen incident. It must have been something else, but what? What could have happened?

"Because he did not care! Because I would be dead if not for Sidious who rescued me when he left me to die!" Obi-Wan can't keep the furious words out of his mind. They reverberate around and around, shaking him to his core. He can't conceive the reality that he might have tried – and failed – to kill Anakin, his former Padawan, his child, his best friend, his brother.

But beneath the anger and hate, Obi-Wan knows lies pain. Anakin has always felt too much and too deeply, and if he's angry – like he was after the Hardeen incident – then it's because he's hurt. For what they had together, Obi-Wan owes it to Vader that he at least try to make things right. Only time will tell if it's already too late. Maybe he should treat Vader as an enemy, but he hasn't actually done anything beyond hurting Satine in the time since Obi-Wan has seen him. He should be angry at him – oh, he is – but he wants answers even more.

"Anakin," he ventures cautiously as the shuttle makes the jump to hyperspace.

"Do not call me that!" snarls Vader, helmet whipping towards him.

Obi-Wan holds up his hands placatingly. "Would you rather I call you Lord Vader?"

"Yes! It's my name!" hisses the Sith, and Obi-Wan suddenly feels the highly inappropriate urge to smile. Despite the vocoder which distorts the words, Obi-Wan is reminded of a certain teenage Padawan who sulked when scolded about reprogramming droids at the Temple. He banishes the thought as quickly as it came. He cannot afford to be distracted.

"I want to understand," Obi-Wan explains carefully, keeping his senses open for any sudden mood swings. As a Sith, Anakin is bound to be even more volatile than he would normally be. "You said you're from the future, which means that something went wrong. I thought –" His voice nearly catches, but he forces himself to continue, struggling to keep his tone steady as the grief catches up with him. "I thought we were close enough that you would talk to me." He thought they had put the whole Hardeen incident behind them, at least enough that Anakin would come to him if he really needs help.

Vader scoffs. "You presume too much."

Obi-Wan looks away, even if the swirling colors of hyperspace are practically dizzying. He blinks past the sudden blurriness in his eyes as a wave of sadness overwhelms him. How could this hate-filled, broken shell of a man have once been his beloved Padawan? It doesn't even make sense.

"How did this happen to you?" he whispers, well aware that his voice is shaking, but he can't be bothered enough to care.

Vader is still, unmoving, and if not for the respirator, Obi-Wan would have thought him a statue. "The Jedi betrayed the Republic," he answers in a clipped tone, helmet still facing towards the viewport. "They attempted to assassinate the Chancellor because they wanted more power. I prevented it."

Obi-Wan blinks at him. It's not true, he knows it's not, but Vader clearly believes it is, at least to an extent. But what he's saying doesn't make sense. Why would the Jedi try to kill the Chancellor? There's no reason that he can think of – oh. Anakin stopped the Chancellor from being killed and became a Sith as a result. Oh. "Is Palpatine…?"

He can't even bring himself to finish the sentence, a flood of horror filling him and temporarily drowning the pain. He let Anakin spend time with the Chancellor, even if he thought it a little odd. He'd never fully trusted the man – especially not as Anakin grew increasingly close to him – but he'd never thought that…

"Yes, he was my master," Vader confirms blandly as if it truly means nothing to him.

This is his fault, whatever went wrong. Anakin was his Padawan, his responsibility, and he handed him over to be manipulated by a Sith Lord. "I'm sorry," he murmurs.

The helmet turns towards him. "What for?"

"For – for not realizing that Palpatine was manipulating you. For not helping you the way I should have. For failing you as a master." The more he thinks about it, the guiltier he feels. He might not have been able to help this future version of Anakin, but the present version is still out there, and it might not be too late for him. Not that there's much Obi-Wan can do about it anyway, because he's Vader's prisoner, and isn't that a ludicrous thought? "I don't quite know how everything fell apart," he admits, "But I do know that I probably harbor a lot of the responsibility for it." He probes gently, but Vader remains seemingly impassive.

"Are you quite done now?" the Sith Lord queries. Before Obi-Wan can ask what he means, Vader continues, "Your self-recrimination is tiring."

Obi-Wan has the odd impression that he was just chastised, but he doesn't know what for. "I'm… sorry?" he offers hesitantly. "I would have thought you'd agree with me."

There's a burst of anger, dark and violent. "Your apologies are pointless and meaningless to me," Vader snarls. "You cannot undo what you have done, even if you try until your last breath. I have no interest in listening to you talk."

That went well. Not. He doesn't know where he works up the courage to talk, though it's not as if he's scared of Vader. Not really. Anakin has often been prone to temper tantrums, and while Vader's will be more destructive, they don't actually scare him. "I have done nothing to deliberately harm you," Obi-Wan points out. "I am not the same Obi-Wan from your timeline. That I could have done the same thing, doesn't mean I have."

"And? You think to convince me that my anger is not justified." There's a warning note in the words, but Obi-Wan keeps pushing.

"No, that's not it," he insists. "I don't know what all you've been through, but I think I would be angry in your place. I'm saying that you need not view me as an enemy. I do not want or intend to harm you. You might be a Sith, but you're still –"

"Finish that sentence, and it will be the last one you ever speak," warns Vader, the hard metal of his right prosthetic gripping Obi-Wan's throat tightly enough to bruise it.

He nods silently in understanding and Vader releases him, turning away to look out the viewport once more. Vader could – and probably would – kill him without a second thought, but that realization brings no fear; it only brings pain. Anakin was – is the brightest light in the Force which Obi-Wan has ever felt. To see it so dimmed and darkened, to see him so badly hurt and broken, it's almost more than he can bear.

He's loved Anakin fiercely for years, striving to ensure that his erstwhile apprentice never realize just how deep that bond goes. Obi-Wan knows he would do anything for Anakin, and that is one attachment that he doesn't want revealed. Maybe loving others deeply is a good thing. Maybe attachments aren't always wrong, despite what the Jedi say, but he knows that the love he feels for his former Padawan would not be accepted. And it would give Anakin the wrong impressions if he knew. But now, Obi-Wan can't help but wonder how the future might have turned out had he told him the truth.

If Anakin had still Fallen, it may have been because of him. For all he knows, that could have been why Vader Fell in the first place. He's determined to find out, but not right now. Vader needs time to calm himself; Obi-Wan can feel his turmoil keenly. But – but if Anakin knew and still Fell, Obi-Wan thinks that he might just end up doing the same. That he isn't sure if he's scared at the prospect is disturbing in and of itself.

**w**

The ship is still in hyperspace when Anakin senses Ahsoka stirring. He immediately goes to check on her and finds her blinking in confusion at her surroundings. "Ahsoka, are you alright?" he asks worriedly.

She reaches up to rub the back of her head, wincing as she does, but nods. "I'm fine," she assures him. "I just have a headache is all. I'm sure it'll be gone before long."

"What – what happened?" he queries tentatively.

"Well, Master Obi-Wan and I landed, and he told me to wait with the Twilight until he returned with the Duchess," she explains, pausing and frowning. "Where is he?"

Anakin shakes his head slowly. "I'm not sure. I think he was captured and taken out of the system. When I arrived, you were unconscious and alone in the throne room of the palace." He might still be upset at Obi-Wan for the entire Hardeen incident, but that doesn't mean that he cares for his former master any less. Right now, he wants Obi-Wan back safe and sound at the Temple or wherever they'll go next.

Ahsoka's confusion echoes in the Force. "I don't know… I can't remember," she mumbles, looking up at him with a hint of fear in her blue eyes. "I was waiting when I heard a noise and sensed the Dark Side, so I left the cockpit and saw a tall, armored cyborg. I mean, it – he? – had a respirator and everything. He knocked me unconscious after proclaiming that the galaxy is changing around him. I – I think he was a Sith." She shudders. "I've never felt darkness like that before."

Anakin's mind flashes back to the mysterious, dark presence he'd sensed just over a week ago. He shouldn't rush to make assumptions, but he's certain the being Ahsoka encountered was the same one he'd felt. "And then what?" he asks slowly.

She shrugs. "I'm not sure. I woke up here." Something about that seems wrong for some reason. He doesn't know why the mysterious Sith would have taken the time to move Ahsoka into the throne room of the palace, leave her there unconscious and unharmed, and take the Twilight instead of another shuttle. It's too bad that the Twilight wasn't done being repaired; Anakin was planning to install a tracking beacon on it, just for the sake of safety.

"I don't understand," mumbles Anakin, pacing around in the hold. "We're missing some pieces of what happened, and I suppose that Obi-Wan is the only one who knows… and we have no way of contacting him."

Ahsoka leans forward. "How will we find him?"

Anakin closes his eyes and breathes out, a rush of desperation flooding him. "I don't know," he admits. "We don't even know who this Sith is right now, and I'm honestly not sure that the Council will let us spend resources searching."

Ahsoka's indignation echoes his own. "That's unfair!" she exclaims, "So, what? We're just supposed to forget about him when a Sith is doing Force knows what to him?"

"We're at war," Anakin points out wearily, slumping down next to her. Somehow, it seems that over the past few months, he's been being forced to get closer and closer with his Padawan, not that he minds, but it's hard to always try to be strong for someone else when he's on the verge of falling apart himself. Well, that's not true. He remembers the night after Obi-Wan's "death" when he had confided things in Ahsoka that he would never have told her otherwise.

Ahsoka sets her jaw. "We won't give up on him, will we, Master?" She sounds hopeful, but there's something simultaneously worried in her voice.

"No, of course not," Anakin answers instantly, "But I don't know how long we can keep it a top priority." He shuns the thought of giving up… but it's not going to be his choice in the end. Maybe if Obi-Wan hadn't hurt him so badly, he'd be responding to this differently, he doesn't know. Maybe…

"So, where do we start?" Ahsoka inquires, turning towards him.

Anakin musters a small smile. "We'll follow the trail."

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