Chapter 1 – Through the Fabric of Reality

Plot: An ordinary battle in the Clone Wars becomes complicated when, out of nowhere, a group of Sith appear from an alternate reality. The Sith want only one thing, one person: Obi-Wan. And they will stop at nothing to get him for reasons that Anakin can only begin to guess at. Even if one of the Sith is another version of him, he can't trust their intentions.


Author's Note: This is a gift request for KaijuHunter02 on ao3. It'll probably be around 12 chapters when it's complete. ^-^ Updates will be every Tuesday. :)

To KaijuHunter02: I really hope you enjoy your gift! :D I'm not sure what all you had in mind, but well... this is how it turned out. Lol.

~ Amina Gila


Felucia is a death trap, and Anakin doesn't think they're any closer to winning this part of the battle on the planet than they were when they first came as reinforcements. The droids continue marching through the trees in seemingly endless numbers, and he cuts through them one after another, Ahsoka at his side.

Something doesn't feel right in the Force. It feels strangely turbulent and out of balance, but he doesn't have the time to focus on why. It doesn't have anything to do with approaching danger, or maybe the battle at all – of that Anakin is fairly certain – so he lets the distraction slip to the back of his mind as he keeps fighting. He can't afford a distraction.

A ripple runs through the Force, and it feels like the disturbance is spreading, intensifying. It suddenly surges violently, and the next thing he knows, he sees a group of people who were definitely not there a moment before standing a short distance away from them in the trees.

They just... appeared. Out of nowhere.

Anakin retreats a few steps, moving to slight cover behind some trees to get a better look.

The Force is still crashing violently around him, but he notices instantly that all of them feel dark, like Sith... not as though he couldn't tell as much with his eyes.

At the front of the group is someone who looks like him, except older. His eyes are a blazing yellow, and he feels like a black hole in the Force. He's clothed in black robes, and has a scar across the left side of his face, from his temple all the way down to his jaw, that Anakin is fairly certain is from a lightsaber.

The dark haired woman standing next to him bears an unmistakable resemblance to Padme, except for the yellow eyes and a lightsaber is clipped to her belt.

Next to them is a tall Togruta with very familiar white markings crossing her orange skin. Her only eye – the other one looks like it was lost to a lightsaber, from the scars across her lekku right next to the area – is also yellow.

Behind them, there's three children who look close to Ahsoka in age; a blonde-haired boy with blue eyes who looks disturbingly similar to Anakin himself, a dark haired girl who resembles Padme, and another girl, a little younger, with red hair and green eyes.

What?

Where did they come from? What are they doing here? How did they get here?!

Ahsoka ducks behind the tree next to Anakin, eyeing the others. "Who are you?!" she exclaims, eyes narrowed as she holds her lightsaber ready.

Anakin keeps his own blade out and poised though he knows if the... Sith – if that's what they are – are against them, this isn't a fight they can win. He can tell as much by the numbers.

The others look between Anakin, Ahsoka, and the battle around them. "I thought you said we were going to the past," says the older Togruta, who sounds so much like Ahsoka he nearly starts in surprise, "I don't remember any of this ever happening."

"It appears that we are in a different reality," the man who looks so much like Anakin – and sounds like him – says.

"They're Jedi," the boy observes, narrowing his eyes as he looks at them.

The man looks between the Padme and Ahsoka look-alikes. "I can sense... him close by," he says, his voice betraying little emotion, but Anakin can sense his relief mixed with longing. "Find him and bring him here. We will deal with... the others." He gives his surroundings a pointed look.

"Who are you?" Anakin echoes Ahsoka's previous question, taking a cautious step toward them. He doesn't know who these people are or what they want, but he doesn't have a good feeling about it.

"Darth Vader," he replies.

"You're Sith," Ahsoka accuses, eyes narrowed.

"Of course, we are, young one," the Sith says lightly.

"How did you get here?" Anakin asks. And where did the other two disappear to?

"How do you look just like my master?" Ahsoka demands, still shifted into her fighting stance – as though there's something she could do against a fully trained Sith Lord, and three... apprentices?

"Before I was trained in the Dark Side, my name was Anakin Skywalker," he replies, and it rings true in the Force. Judging from the first things they said to each other, it must be. It would help explain the turmoil the Force is in, though it makes no sense.

"We would never be Sith," Ahsoka retaliates, glaring at him.

Before any of the Sith can reply, the Force suddenly flares in warning, and a blast from one of the droid tanks flies through the air, straight towards them. Anakin darts out from behind the tree, swinging up his lightsaber to deflect the blast away from the clones – except the Force suddenly surges around it, deflecting it off course straight back at the oncoming droids.

His head snaps to Vader, to see him casually flick his hand, and several dozen of the droids right in front of them crumble to pieces. What the?!

"Jedi are weak," Vader says.

"We'll see!" Ahsoka snaps, incensed, and promptly charges the Sith.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin calls urgently, heart rate spiking. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid, because especially after seeing this Sith's power, he knows Vader could kill her without a second thought, and Anakin doubts he's strong enough to stop him. Ahsoka may have fought Ventress before, but Ventress could never do what Vader just did. He's never even seen Dooku do something with that level of power, and for a moment, he can far too distinctly remember the feel of the lightsaber slashing through his limb, and the electricity striking him. They could both die here. They would likely hardly stand a chance.

She ignores him, though, swinging right at the Sith, who ignites his red blade at the last moment, casually blocking her blow, looking a mixture of bored and amused.

Vader shoves her a step back, and she promptly swings at him again. Anakin runs to her side, right as he catches her wrist with his other hand, twisting her lightsaber out of it, letting it fall to the ground. She lets out a furious growl of frustration and tries to yank away, landing unceremoniously on the ground.

Anakin eyes him warily, moving to stand defensively over Ahsoka, but he doesn't attack.

"We need not be adversaries," Vader declares, deactivating his own blade, a distinct note of amusement still there, "I can teach you the true power of the Force."

Right. As if he's interested in learning 'power' from a Sith, even another version of himself. "Why are you here?" Anakin asks instead, stepping back and deactivating his lightsaber – hopefully,that will dispel unnecessary hostilities, though he isn't convinced this won't end in a fight – and then offers Ahsoka a hand to pull her back to her feet, still keeping himself positioned in front of her. She glares at the Sith, but doesn't move to attack them again.

"I came in search of something that is mine," he replies lazily.

Which answers absolutely nothing, and Anakin doesn't trust his intentions. He doesn't have the chance to ask anything further, because a sudden noise off in the trees catches his attention. Red lightsabers flash in the trees, and he can just make out the other two Sith returning, with someone else with them.

His blood runs cold, panic washing through him.

**w**

To put it simply, Darth Rapax has no idea what kind of reality they just landed in, but she can't imagine a world where everyone in her family were Jedi. That's frankly disgusting.

It doesn't matter, though. That isn't her concern. Her only focus is on finding who they've been looking for all these years.

She sprints away through the trees, alongside Darth Angelus, reaching out with the Force to feel for him. Yes, Vader was right. He is close by. Very close by. White armored figures are fighting off droids all over the place, so they do their best to stay out of view of both sides. This isn't a fight they need to get drug into. It's not important.

"There he is," Angelus observes, abruptly coming to a stop in between the trees, the wind rusting her dark hair.

Rapax pauses, turning to follow her gaze. With her one eye, she spots a flash of blue in between the branches and darts closer, to see Darth Athair – no, he's only Obi-Wan right now – fighting a short distance away, using a blue lightsaber, alongside a group of the troops.

He's a Jedi, just like the rest of them here.

Not that she expected any differently but seeing him with that color of lightsaber looks so wrong. He'll be different from the one they remember once they finish the ritual, but... all of them are different too. It's been so many years since that day.

"I don't think he's going to come with us willingly," she says bluntly.

"Then we take him by force," Angelus answers simply, "He'll understand."

Rapax nods. "Come on."

This won't be easy because first of all, attacking him feels... disrespectful to her master, and secondly, he was always a good duelist. But this Obi-Wan is a Jedi, so he can't be nearly as powerful.

Angelus is the first to move forwards, striding calmly out of the trees towards him, casually ducking a droid's blaster shot.

Obi-Wan instantly turns to face them, stepping out of the droid's line of fire for a moment. "Sith," he greets, coldly. "More of Dooku's pawns, I imagine?"

Wait, Dooku? Wasn't he one of the only Jedi?! Rapax decides to not ask what in the world has happened to this reality.

"We aren't here to fight you," Angelus declares.

Obi-Wan scoffs, raising his lightsaber.

"And if you choose to fight, you will never win," she warns.

"We'll see," he retorts, with an infiriorating smirk.

"Jedi are weak. You'll lose," Rapax warns. He obviously won't back down. Then again, he wouldn't be Obi-Wan if he did.

He moves to push the button on his comm – probably to call in backup help form another Jedi, because apparently he might agree that he's actually weaker than a Sith – and Rapax doesn't waste a moment, just lunging at him. They don't have time for a drawn-out duel. The moment they've been waiting for all these years has finally come, and she doesn't want to wait any longer than she has to.

She knows how much this means to Vader.

Obi-Wan instantly brings his blade up to block hers, and Angelus springs forwards, attacking him. They trade blows in a furious blur of red and blue, though Rapax does her best to make sure that she doesn't actually injure him, or at least nothing that would be permanent. It doesn't seem like she needs to worry, though, because he is good at defense, and she thinks he could hold out against them a little longer than she initially expected. Good to see he didn't lose all of his touch by spending his life as a Jedi.

They just need to disarm him – not literally – and take him back to the others. All of the troops around them who aren't still trying to fight off the droids now have their blasters pointed at the Sith, ready to shoot at a moment's notice if they can without hitting Obi-Wan.

The fight is a little bit more enjoyable than Rapax cares to admit. It's been a while since she actually fought another who was a worthy opponent.

Finally, Rapax's twin blades clash into a saberlock with Obi-Wan's. Angelus throws up a hand, the Force slamming into him. He doesn't have a chance to block it, and flies backwards, hitting a tree behind him. He falls to the ground, lightsaber slipping from his hand. Rapax doesn't waste a second, flipping through the air and landing next to him, crossing her blades over his neck – ignoring how weird the move makes her feel, because in her time, he was her superior – right before he can call his weapon back to him.

Angelus is about to approach when several clones start shooting at her.

"Stop," Rapax warns, "Or I'll kill him." No, she won't, but they don't know that.

They immediately stop, but they don't lower their weapons. Angelus moves forwards, picking up Obi-Wan's lightsaber and clipping it to her belt, approaching the two

Now, they just need to bring the definitely very grumpy Obi-Wan back to the others.

**w**

He's been waiting for this day for so many years, and Vader can hardly believe it's happening. It's been so many years since he last saw his own Obi-Wan, and he knows the one in front of him now isn't his – not yet – but he still looks so much like him that his breath catches in his throat for a moment. He looks almost exactly the way he did before he was killed, except his eyes are blue instead of yellow, and he's wearing light Jedi robes, instead of the dark Sith robes he always wore in Vader's reality.

A nearly unbearable wave of longing crashes through him, and he doesn't think he's missed his former master this much in years. They were planning to bring him back from the moment he died, but it was a long time before they were able to figure out how to do it. He'd grown used to a world without him, even if he knew he would never be whole again until they brought him back.

But the moment is almost here, now. They've come this far; they just need to finish it.

Obi-Wan looks momentarily taken aback at the sight of him, but he quickly recollects himself.

"Master!" Anakin calls, sounding half-panicked, not that Vader can blame the boy for his alarm. If a bunch of Jedi were trying to forcibly take his master, he wouldn't be taking it in stride either. Actually, he would be slaughtering all of them already.

"I was beginning to wonder where you were," he remarks, "Since this place seems pretty popular with Sith today." There's an obvious disdain in his voice. It stings, but Vader expected no less. He is a Jedi, and nothing he says is what his master would have truly meant.

Angelus scoffs.

"Only the weak embrace the Dark Side," he continues mockingly. "You will always fail."

"I guess that means you're weak, Master," Vader retorts, forcing back the sting of it. He knows, logically, that his master would never say something of this nature when he raised Vader as a Sith, but it still hurts to hear in the voice he missed so deeply. Vader raises a hand, manipulating the Force around Obi-Wan so he slips into unconsciousness. He steps forwards, catching his master before he falls.

Anakin ignites his lightsaber, narrowing his eyes at him. "What do you want with him?" he demands.

"I would never harm him," he assures, though Anakin doesn't look remotely convinced. "You and your apprentice may come with us. I cannot explain here."

He looks visibly confused and wary. "Where are you going?"

"I will not explain here," Vader answers, shortly. He doesn't need the word getting out about their presence, especially not if there's an entire Jedi Order here. And seeing that they're going to be staying in this reality, he would prefer if they remained unknown... for now.

"Give me a moment," Anakin requests, and pulls his apprentice – or would that be padawan? – aside, talking to her quietly.

They're far enough away that Vader can't hear what they're saying, not that it matters. Even if the Jedi hear about them, they'll have no way of tracking them. "I will not let you stay around Sith, Ahsoka," Anakin says, a little louder.

She scowls, looking decidedly unhappy – the gesture abruptly reminding Vader of what his own apprentice was like as an immature teenager. It sometimes got... exhausting, though seeing her precisely the same way even as Jedi is... amusing.

"How is it any less dangerous for you to go?"

"I will not leave Obi-Wan alone with them," he replies, firmly. His determination to protect his master is so much like how Vader always felt – still does feel. And it's mildly surprising to see that it's the same even as a Jedi. Jedi don't believe in attachments, after all.

Anakin says something else he doesn't catch, something about a 'Master Plo', not a name he recognizes off-handedly before Anakin turns away, approaching them.

"I'll come," he says, simply.

Vader leaves Obi-Wan in one of the cabins of the shuttle they... borrowed and heads for the cockpit with Angelus and Rapax.

Vader settles into the pilot's seat, entering the coordinates to Mustafar. They'll be there before they know it, and then... he'll get to reunite with his Obi-Wan again after so long.

"I still don't see how we ended up in a universe like this instead of the past," Rapax remarks. "What if, next, Mustafar is a Light Side nexus instead of a Dark Side one?"

"Not likely," Vader says, dryly, but honestly, she has a point. This place is so different from their reality, and he can never imagine a universe where she would have chosen to be a Jedi. Or where Obi-Wan would be one.

"It appears I should have brought my dresses along after all," Angelus comments.

Seriously? "Is that really a pressing concern?" Vader asks.

"Considering that this reality's version of me is probably a Jedi too with nothing but Jedi robes –" she spits the word out with disgust.

"Then you can easily make more dresses, especially if you are going to be Empress," Vader interrupts.

"I don't believe this," Rapax drawls, "The unofficial head of the Sith Order misses her wardrobe."

Angelus glares at her.

"What?" the Togruta objects, "Shouldn't we be finding out more about this reality like who the Emperor is instead of worrying about your clothes?"

"If there is an Emperor," Vader objects.

"What do you mean?"

"With the Jedi in control, it is unlikely there's an Empire." Probably. They really need some answers before they can plan their next move.

"There may still be a Republic," Angelus agrees, "Although, there is obviously a war of some kind..."

"We will speak with Athair, once this is over. He'll know everything we need to," Vader decides. They were planning to stay back in the past, and probably have Athair and Sabe rule the galaxy again like they would have if Athair hadn't died when they were killing Sidious. But since this isn't their past, they could always return to their time. Though if they do choose to stay here, they will have to rebuild everything anew, if they intend to rule this galaxy.

**w**

"I didn't know we were going to a different reality!" Leia exclaims once they're alone.

"We weren't," Luke agrees, "We went to the wrong place. Father was never a Jedi!" He's beyond mind-blown at the possibility. It's against everything they've ever known. Their parents were raised as Sith!

"Of course, he wasn't," Mara adds, wrinkling her nose. "The Jedi are weak."

"He's so light," Leia murmurs. Luke has felt the Light Side before, of course, and it's so quiet and passive; everything that their father is the opposite of. He's powerful and aggressive and emotional. He is not weak.

"It's unnatural," Mara grumbles.

"Father says light is a natural part of life," Luke argues, "But the Light is weak, and we choose to be stronger."

"Rapax is a Jedi here too," Leia huffs. "She's insane."

"Arrogant," Luke corrects, shuddering at the memory. She's so tiny, and she looks weird in those colors. She's probably near their age. He can't believe she really thought she could defeat Father. "I wonder why Father asked them to come with us."

"He offered to teach them the Dark Side," points out Mara, "They might see the truth eventually."

"I want to go talk to him," Leia decides, standing, "And I don't know if we should leave him... unwatched."

Luke definitely concurs with the sentiment. It's strange to feel someone who's so light, but... It doesn't disgust him like he thought it might, even if he knows this younger version of his father needs to learn the Dark Side eventually. "Let's," he agrees, heading for the cabins where Father left the Jedi version of Athair. It's too weird to think of him as "Obi-Wan", even if that's his birth name and Jedi name.

They approach the door and it slides open. Anakin is sitting on the edge of Athair's bed, his expression immediately guarded and wary when he sees them standing there.

"We're only here to talk," Leia offers, stepping into the room first.

"Who are you?" he inquires, an obvious hint of curiosity there now.

"I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke offers, "And she's my twin sister –"

"Leia," she cuts in, giving him a pointed 'I can introduce myself' look.

"Mara Jade," Mara replies, an obviously distrustful look on her face. She seems the most wary of having a Jedi here, not that Luke is really surprised about that. The Jedi isn't another version of her father, after all.

"We're Sith in training," Leia continues, after a moment, "Our reality is nothing like yours."

"What is yourslike?" he asks.

"What is yours like?" Luke objects. He'd rather get answers before giving out information. "Are there any Sith here?"

His expression is very well controlled, but Luke can see that he's obviously unsettled with being here. "There are two left. Dooku is the head of the Separatists, and we do not know the identity of the other. Dooku has a... Sith assassin, but we do not believe she is a true Sith."

Wait –

There's only two Sith left?! What is wrong with this reality?! "How can there only be two Sith left?!" Mara demands.

"The Sith here follow the Rule of Two."

Luke blinks. "What's that?"

"There can only be two. A Master and an apprentice," Anakin explains, "But I can see that is... not true in your reality."

Luke just gapes at him. What kind of madness

"Who even got such a ridiculous notion?" Leia splutters.

"Most history of the Sith is lost, but the Sith Lord Darth Bane created the rule a thousand years ago, shortly before the Sith were thought to have been destroyed."

This reality is a nightmare. That's the only conclusion Luke can reach. He's always been surrounded by Sith, and he can't imagine a world that's not full of them."How were the Sith destroyed?" he demands.

"There was constant fighting between them and the Jedi," Anakin replies, and Luke is pretty sure this line of conversation is making him increasingly uncomfortable. So the Jedi destroyed the Sith here, then. Is this reality... basically the opposite of their own?

"What's your reality like?" Anakin inquires, again.

"There's a few Jedi left here and there," Leia replies, "But mostly the only Force users are Sith.

"Athair trained Father as one."

Anakin frowns. "Athair?"

Luke gestures to the still sleeping Obi-Wan lying behind Anakin. It's remarkable he's managed to sleep through all this. Unless Father is still keeping him unconscious, for some reason.

"Obi-Wan was a Sith?"

"I think everyone you know was," Luke informs him flatly, "From what I know, Dooku was one of the only remaining Jedi in our reality."

Anakin looks even more on edge than he did before. "What does your father want with my master?"

"That's not for us to answer," Mara replies stubbornly. Which is the truth. If Father is planning to tell him, he'll do it when the time is right.

He does not look happy by the answer, but he doesn't press. "Where are we going?"

Luke considers that. "Mustafar," he answers, finally. Since they're taking him there anyway, telling him as much shouldn't hurt.

"Why?"

Mara exchanges a glance with the others. "That's not for us to answer either."

A hint of frustration crosses his face. "Are you staying in this reality?"

"For right now, yes," Leia confirms, and Anakin relaxes ever so slightly. Maybe he was afraid they were planning to take Obi-Wan back to their own reality? Luke supposes that would be a legitimate concern.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what you're planning to do here?" Anakin asks.

"We don't even know that yet," Luke tells him cheerfully. At least, not specifically. They don't know enough about the galaxy to begin planning anything, but from the sound of it, it's in need of some serious help.

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