Chapter 13 - Rays of Darkness

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: In which Ahsoka has to deal with her capture. :P

If there's a fic you'd like us to write, I have a SW fic request form which you can fill out. We'll gift write all the requests we get… eventually. :D The link is as follows, but with no spaces: forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6

We also made a tribute for Anakin on our new YT channel. Check it out if you're interested. :P Again, no spaces in the link: youtu . be / T9hdVkokQa4

~ Amina Gila

Anakin hastily backs out of the way to avoid impaling Ahsoka as she collapses to the ground, unconscious. Her lightsabers roll out of her hands, falling to the landing platform below with a clang. He can hardly believe it. He knew the time would come eventually, but it seems like he's been waiting forever. Suddenly, he finds himself worrying at what the Council will decide to do with her. He's not sure they'd make a fair decision about this, but he can only hope Obi-Wan will be able to persuade them to.

Her expression is still fearful, even though she's unconscious. Staring down at her, Anakin can't help but think she's so young. Far too young to have deserved any of this. She's – what, fifteen? And to think he wasn't even sent on a solo mission until he was nineteen, and that mission wasn't anything nearly as dangerous as what she's been forced to do. He finds himself suddenly wanting to comfort her, which he tells himself is from his Jedi training to be compassionate, but somehow seems to be something more than that. If the Council won't take care of her, then he will. And so will Obi-Wan. He knows it.

Anakin can't help but feel angry at Dooku for what he's done. He knows Jedi aren't supposed to be angry, but what can he say? It's wrong. He was using her as a slave all these years, like Sith always do. The faint sound of battle breaks his out of his thoughts.

"Take her to the ship and put her in Force-restraints," Anakin orders, jumping to the ground, "Let me know when she wakes up."

As the clones move forwards to take her, he picks up her lightsabers. He never paid much attention to them before, but he would have thought they'd be curved or at least have some resemblance to Dooku's and Ventress'; they don't. They're very much like ordinary Jedi lightsabers. Shaking the strange realization from mind, Anakin heads off to find Obi-Wan. He finds him a few minutes later, fighting off the few remaining droids on the opposite side of the facility.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan calls when he sees him, "Did you get there on time?"

"More than on time," Anakin calls back, cutting through one of the droids as the one next to it goes down from a deflected blaster bolt, "We captured Ahsoka."

"That's good news," Obi-Wan replies before adding, "Grievous got away. He ran like the coward he is." Yes, of course he did. But they have Ahsoka. That's what really matters. There's no way to know what she knows, but she might have information which could help end the war itself.

"I'm going to talk to her," Anakin blurts out as they reduce the last few droids to rubble.

"Just be careful," he cautions. "She is a Dark Sider. We don't know if we can fully trust her."

"Aren't I always careful?" he protests.

"Maybe once in a lifetime," Obi-Wan smirks.

Anakin can't suppress a grin. "Well at least I'm careful when dealing with Separatists."

"Except in battle," he retorts.

"Well, we won't be having a battle in a prison cell."

"Point," he concedes, "But be careful anyway."

"I think it would be better if I spoke to her alone," Anakin remarks after a pause. "I get the feeling she'd be more willing to talk if there was just one person there." He'd rather talk to her himself. Ahsoka would probably trust Anakin more, given that Obi-Wan is a Council member, and Anakin has spent more time with her than he has, anyway. Regardless, the battle is over. It's time for them to get back to Coruscant.

**w**

Consciousness returns slowly, the world slowly materializing before Ahsoka's eyes. She's lying on a cold, hard floor, with a reddish glow illuminating the room. The next thing she realizes is that she can't feel the Force. Memories come pouring back to her in a rush, and she bolts upright. Or at least as fast as she can with her wrists cuffed together. A ray shield is sealing the cell door shut.

No. Icy fear grips her. This is her worst nightmare. She'll be falling right into Sidious's hands, and considering how she failed the last mission, not to mention that her capture would be putting him in danger, she has no delusions as to what this means. She's going to die. And there's nothing she can do about it. Unless she can get out of here, but there's no way to escape. She can't turn off the ray shield if she can't access the Force.

There's no way out, and even if she could get out, where would she go? She can't go back to Dooku, and she can't go to the Jedi. There's no one she can go to, no one who could help her. It's wishful thinking to consider returning to her home planet and find her family. They probably don't even remember her anymore, and even if they did, she'd never be fully accepted there. Not anymore. It's been too long. Besides, there's no guarantee they're still alive.

She's left alone, abandoned to her fate, just like she was in her vision not that long ago. It already feels like a lifetime in the past.

Ahsoka sinks back against the floor as despair overwhelms her. The silence hangs around her oppressively, every passing second feeling like it's ticking down to her doom. A sudden sound makes her look up. Someone's coming. Seconds later, Anakin appears on the other side of the ray shield, pausing a few feet away as he studies her.

Mixed emotions run through her. They're still as confusing as before, but the first thought that crosses her mind is that the mess she's in is his fault. If he hadn't captured her, at least she wouldn't be heading straight to execution. Why couldn't he have listened to her?

He raises a hand, deactivating the ray shield and stepping inside. She stands up, instantly tensing. What does he want? "If you're here to interrogate me, you're wasting time," Ahsoka snaps, glaring at him.

"That isn't why I'm here so you can calm down, Snips," he replies. Anakin moves towards her slowly. His expression is one of sympathy, somehow almost understanding. Oh, great. She doesn't need sympathy from a Jedi.

"Don't call me that!" she yells angrily. "I hate it when you call me that!" How can he think she won't mind if he acts like he did nothing wrong at all? He's going to get her killed!

"Calm down," Anakin says forcefully.

"Calm down?" Ahsoka shouts. "You're only going to tell me to calm down? There's a lot more going on here than you realize, and I don't happen to be ready to die yet."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why do you think you're going to die? The Jedi don't execute people." He's so clueless.

"Jedi, no," she shoots back, "But they're not in control of anything that goes on. They're just being used, and they're too stupid to realize it."

"Oh, really? Do enlighten me." A fair amount of frustration is creeping into his voice. It's not until he says that that some of her anger starts fading, and she realizes everything she said. If she has any hopes of survive, she needs to watch her tongue. Sidious is going to have her killed by any means necessary if she starts talking. But then again, would it really matter? She doesn't have a reason to live anyway. She spins around to face the wall, struggling to calm herself, but her fear comes back in a rush, the hopelessness of the situation crashing back down around her.

**w**

Even through Ahsoka's fairly strong shields, Anakin can sense fear pouring off her in waves. He doesn't know why, but it seems she's fully convinced she's going to die, and she's blaming him for it. Great. Just how he wanted things to turn out. Not. He doesn't know what to do. It doesn't seem like she's under any condition to be reasoned with at the moment. She needs to calm down first, and he has no idea how to go about doing so.

"Ahsoka," Anakin states finally. She stiffens slightly but doesn't respond. "It's gonna be alright, okay? You're going to be the Jedi's responsibility, no one else;s." Ahsoka lowers her head, but still doesn't say anything for a long moment.

"The Sith have control over everything that happens," she says so quietly he barely hears her. Why does she keep saying that? He's beginning to get the feeling there's something much bigger that no one knows about, but what is it?

"What do you mean?" Anakin inquires at last.

She sighs, slowly turning around again, but still not meeting his gaze. "They control everything on both sides." What? Disbelief strikes him first, then confusion. It's impossible, but somehow the words ring true.

"That's impossible. How could they?" he demands. "Dooku's in control of the Separatists, but the Jedi and Republic control the other half... what do you mean?"

Ahsoka slowly raises her gaze to meet Anakin's, determination clear in her eyes, yet somehow radiating with a sense of resignation and defeat. "The Sith control everything." She shakes her head, frustration flitting through her bright blue eyes for a moment. "They are well skilled at hiding themselves. There's no way to avoid them. Not anymore."

A quiet sigh escapes him. She's not making sense, or maybe Anakin doesn't want to accept the implications of what she's telling him. How could the Sith have infiltrated the Republic enough to control the war from both sides? Who could the Sith Lord even be that he'd be able to influence matters so much internally? "Do you know who the other Sith is?"

Uncertainty flickers through her eyes. "Well, yes, but I'm not going to tell you that. Or anyone. I'm not going to pointlessly endanger your life." She walks a few feet away, sitting down on the cot in the corner.

"Everyone's lives are going to be pointlessly endangered the longer you wait," Anakin challenges.

Her gaze doesn't move from the ray shield, and he finds himself wondering what's going through her head. "Perhaps, but if I tell you, he'll kill you, too."

"Unlikely."

"Don't underestimate him. He has the entire Jedi Council fooled," she warns. The entire Jedi Council? He'll take that to mean it's someone they communicate with or at least who hears reports from them sometimes. But who?

Ahsoka falls silent, and Anakin steps over, sitting down next to her. She stiffens slightly but doesn't move away, so he can only hope she doesn't mind. He's not fully sure how to react to the news. Really, a Sith controlling the Republic? He supposes depending on who he is, the Sith could manipulate everything to a point. Which would explain why the war isn't going anywhere, instead intensifying and spreading to include more systems. It would only make sense for them to have an insider to feed information. He definitely has to do something about this, but there's not much he can do unless she tells him who it is, and she doesn't seem very willing to let him pry it out of her.

"How could he kill me if he doesn't know I know?" Anakin questions.

She glances sideways at him. "First off, I don't think you could keep it a secret. Secondly, he'd notice you weren't acting right, and one thing would lead to the next, and it wouldn't be hard for him to figure out." Ahsoka crosses her arms as best she can, resting them in her lap as she leans forwards, not looking at anything in particular.

Great. So apparently whoever it is, it's someone Anakin knows. But that still doesn't help much, because it could be any one of dozens of people. As much as it frustrates him, pressing her more about this right now isn't going to help. She's obviously determined not to say a word as to the Sith's identity. If he has any hopes of getting any other information out of her, he'll have to try a different approach. Silence settles over the pair for a few long moments as he ponders it.

"How did you end up with Dooku?" Anakin finally asks the question he's been wondering since they first met.

Surprisingly, she hesitates only a moment before launching into the story. "He – he found me. I'd been on Zygerria for years; I was captured when I went was at a – a gathering. We were on our way there from the Temple. I hadn't gotten my crystal yet. Zygerrians bought me from the pirates that attacked us. When I was on Zygerria, I tried to kill my... master." Anakin doesn't fail to notice the bitterness in her tone as she says the last word. "Dooku... he stopped me, and one of the guards attempted to attack me. I threw him over the balcony railing, and I think he probably died. Dooku got me out of there before they could execute me for it."

Anakin sits back, slightly overwhelmed. Master... she had a master before Dooku. On Zygerria. Which means she was once a slave. Just like him. For some reason, that gives him a new understanding of her. She's seen so much more than she should have.

"Would you still want to become a Jedi?" he asks at last. It's been years since that time, but he can't help but be curious, though he highly doubts the Council would ever agree to such a thing anyway. Right now, everything is uncertain. Whatever happens, Anakin hopes she gets the chance to start anew.

Ahsoka looks up at him, a flicker of surprise in her expression before it turns thoughtful. "I... don't know," she answers finally, hesitant. "They've long since lost their way, and aren't even doing what they're supposed to be, but if they were, yes I would."

"How so?" Anakin inquires. Hope blooms inside him, though it's ridiculous to think Ahsoka would actually end up becoming a Jedi. The Council would never allow it. Still, if she considered it, there's still hope. Even if she'll never be able to fully let go of her past – just like he couldn't and can't – she can move on.

"They were supposed to be helping the people, but instead they're serving the Senate, which was corrupted a long time ago." She looks away again, voice bitter. A sense of defeat settles over her once more, and he can tell she's thinking about the same thing she was earlier.

'There's a lot more going on here than you realize, and I don't happen to be ready to die yet.'

Ahsoka's words from earlier ring through his mind again. She seems completely convinced the Sith will kill her, which isn't surprising since she knows who he is. Of course, he'd try to make sure she couldn't talk. He feels guilty for putting her in this situation, but he couldn't leave her with Dooku anymore. At least temporarily, she'll be held prisoner by the Jedi. They'll – he'll watch over her. He won't let anything happen to her.

The ship suddenly jerks slightly, indicating that it came out of hyperspace. Anakin doesn't miss the fear that flashes across her face for a moment before she quickly hides it. "I guess we're here," he says, standing up. It's time to go.

**w**

A nearly crushing silence hangs over the dimly lit cell of the ship. The guards are standing motionless outside the cell. Ahsoka sits on a cot on one side of the room, leaning against the wall. Unless she can do something, there'll be no way out. She'll be stuck here until... well, she'd prefer not to think about what.

She wishes she could wrap her arms around herself as she shivers slightly. She's stuck here, alone. Trapped. Abandoned. Like in her vision, though the circumstances are different. She's hardly sure how to feel. She can't imagine Sidious would let her go like that. She has a mixture of feelings after the conversation with Anakin. Hope that maybe they'll be able to stop Sidious, however foolish it may be. Worry for herself, since if the Sith Master finds out she told them that much, it'll definitely doom her.

Ahsoka slowly stands up, pacing across the cell as she tries, in vain, to find something to distract herself. If only there was a way she could escape. The last thing she wants to do is go back to Dooku, especially after this whole mess. She doesn't even want to know the amount of trouble she'd be in, nut she certainly doesn't want to stay here either. And despite Anakin's reassurances, she's almost one hundred percent certain that everything will not be alright.

She approaches the ray shield, staring out into the hall for a long moment. It's wishful thinking to even consider that she'd be able to escape. Besides the ray shield, there's two armed clones right outside the door, and she can't even touch the Force. These stupid restraints. Unless she can get them off, there's nothing she can do.

But she's not going to sit here and await her fate. Before long, they're going to take her to a cell at the Jedi Temple, and then there'll definitely be no way to escape. The walls are lightsaber resistant there, and the cell will likely be blocked from the Force. No, if she's going to try something... it has to be before then. There's not anything she could do, though, is there?

If she waits until they open the door, Anakin, and likely Obi-Wan too, will be coming down here in case she tries something. They know full well the clones would never be able to stop her if she attacked them. Why? Why does this have to be her fate? At least with the information she gave Anakin about Sidious maybe they will be able to find him and stop him. Even if she does end up dead, that way it will have been worth it. And of course, Dooku won't put himself at risk to come find her. Like in her vision, she's left here, abandoned to fend for herself, even after everything she did for him.

Why did Dooku have to find her? Ahsoka almost wishes he hadn't now. At the very least, she wouldn't have been forced to take all the lives she did. She remembers all of them, and they'll never stop haunting her. She wishes she could escape from... everything. The memories, the present, and even what she's certain the future will hold. She wants to go somewhere and just... be. She hasn't been able to be the person she really is at heart – Ahsoka Tano – ever since that fateful day she left the Temple. She's been a slave, then an assassin, and now... a prisoner.

Not that Ahsoka cares to be remembered for something heroic. She wants to help people. Maybe – maybe Anakin's right. She would be a good Jedi – at least the kind they're supposed to be. She was never meant to be a Sith, she sees that now. Ahsoka has always wanted to help, which was part of the reason she tried to kill Miraj. She deserved it, and Ahsoka had the foolish hope the slaves might be able to rebel and escape in the chaos.

She wonders what things would have been like if she was raised as a Jedi. She wishes she was – almost. At least this way Ahsoka understands the truth about the galaxy. She pointlessly wonders who her master would have been. Would it be Plo? Or would it be Anakin? Or maybe even Obi-Wan? Or someone she doesn't know at all? She personally hopes the second option. There's something about him... He's so different from all the other Jedi. He's compassionate, in a way they've long since forgotten.

Just like before, when he was talking to her, she felt something stirring deep within her. He's right, in a way. There is still light in her. A lot more than she realizes. It's buried, suppressed by the many years of slavery, but it's still there.

Only minutes later, she hears footsteps approaching before Anakin and Obi-Wan walk up. Like she expected. Goodbye to any escape plans. Moments later, she's in a transport heading down to Coruscant. The large buildings loom across the never-ending skyline. But in between all of them, one stands out as the largest and most magnificent – the one they're heading towards. Ahsoka might appreciate being able to see it in person more if not for the situation. The Jedi Temple.