The thinning canopy of dying trees did little to shelter her from the torrents of rain that fell in angry sheets, pelting against her weakening form. The winds battered against her, whipping her gray cloak and tugging on the lightweight hood that concealed her face. Her hooded cloak was doing little to keep her body heat in and she paused for a moment to squeeze some of the water out of the fringed hem of her cloak, her teeth chattering.

She had heard that the forest moon of Endor was often temperate and mild, but it must have been it's wet season due to the startling amount of rainfall. She would have to keep that in mind in case she decided to visit this place again. And she would make sure to wear a waterproof cloak next time.

She approached a thick, gurgling stream, clogged up with pieces of tree bark and chucks of mud. She sighed in exasperation, rubbing her temples. The last thing she wanted was to test how long her waterproof boots would hold up. Her feet were the only part of her that wasn't soaking wet, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Shrugging, she took a running start, crouching down until her calves were as taut as bowstrings. She tapped into the Force, feeling it course softly and gently through her veins as she leaped, surging upwards with incredible height. She easily cleared the stream, gravity yanking her back down to the unforgiving ground.

She pitched to the forest ground but managed to land gracefully on the balls of her feet before they gave out from under her, mud spitting up in her face as she tumbled to the ground. She groaned, spitting muddy rain water out of her mouth. Using that much momentum and then crashing down to a slippery ground wasn't her proudest moment. She was just thankful no one else had been here to witness it.

During her tumble, one of her lightsabers had popped off of her utility belt, bouncing until it came to rest in a rapidly-growing puddle. She pulled herself to her feet, checking to make sure her other lightsaber was still clipped to her belt before trudging forward, reaching down to retrieve her fallen lightsaber from the muck.

"These lightsabers are your life, Ahsoka." Her former master's voice rang through the recesses of her mind. He had often quoted that phrase when she was still a youngling and they would train together. She had the habit of easily losing them, much to the chagrin of her master. What had made it so ironic was the fact that he often misplaced his lightsabers as well.

"No," she whispered lowly to herself. She couldn't keep allowing the past to pull her back. She wasn't a Jedi and thinking about what could have been didn't change the present. She rubbed away soggy pine needles and mud that clung to the handle of her fallen lightsaber, staring back at her reflection in the hilt.

For a fleeting second, she thought the Togruta staring back at her was a stranger. Not only did the mud distort her appearance, but her facial features and expression caught her completely off-guard. She couldn't remember the last time she had surveyed herself, and time certainly had changed her.

It wasn't her physical appearance that changed, but the things that only one who had known her for a long time could have noticed. And there was no one who knew her better than herself.

Where there had once been a keen, patient, and alert glaze in her sapphire eyes, now they were hardened with resolve and clouded with something she couldn't place. Grief? Despair? Guilt? Perhaps all of them, rolling up into her expression. Her lips were twisted into a frown, slightly parted as she sighed, tucking the lightsaber back into her belt. She picked her way through the soggy terrain, her now-waterlogged boots squishing with every step she took.

Swiveling her head cautiously, careful to keep her face tucked behind her hood, she surveyed ewoks shuffling into their tree house huts for the night, rubbing their furry paws across their bear-like faces to stifle a yawn.

She smiled, remembering the days where she had once felt so safe and peaceful, so naive and innocent. But those days had come to an end so suddenly, and now she would be on the run for the rest of her life, making sure to stay one step ahead of the Empire. And perhaps the Jedi too, if there were even any left. She wasn't sure how the Jedi felt about her, but she was sure they blamed her for what happened.

Before she could continue on, a blaster bolt singed through the night, jerking her from her thoughts. The thought of keeping herself as dry as she could completely forgotten, she barrel-rolled to the side and ducked behind the trunk of an old, dying tree that looked like the slightest breeze would send it toppling over. Crouching, she could see a gray-striped ewok plummet off the side of the wooden bridge leading to a hut concealed in the foliage.

The other ewoks spun around in surprise, gnashing their tiny teeth and waving spears at the forest ground beneath them. Some even began rushing down the ramps towards the ground, picking up pebbles and chucking them into the rustling bushes. It was probably just a sniper, but just to be on the safe side, she crept forwards, one of her hands resting on the cold hilt of one of her lightsabers.

Before she could confront the sniper, the ewoks beat her to it, pouncing into the bushes and dragging out a stormtrooper, a sniper rifle falling from his grip as the ewoks began attacking him, stabbing him furiously through the chinks in his armor.

"Looks are deceiving," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in surprise at the brutality of the ewoks. How could something so cute and cuddly be so fierce?

A younger ewok, perhaps a cub, cocked his head to the side as he observed her curiously, his glassy eyes blinking. The other ewoks had finally stopped stabbing the stormtrooper, his limp form discarded on the ground. They turned towards her, growling softly as they brandished their spears in her direction.

Showing them she wasn't a threat, she held her palms out, offering a small smile. Obviously satisfied, the group of ewoks turned their attention to their fallen comrade that had taken a dive off the bridge after being struck with the sniper's blast. Not wanting to wear out her welcome, she gave them the privacy to mourn in peace and tucked her hands into her cloak as she trudged along.

She didn't make it far before the wails and war-cries of ewoks crashed through the foliage around her, faint blaster bolts singing as they whizzed through the air. It wasn't just a sniper this time—it sounded like a legion of stormtroopers.

She paused, considering her options. Her heart was screaming at her to go help the ewoks fend off their home, but her head was spouting out reasons why she shouldn't go. If the Empire was able to identify her, they would chase her down or send bounty hunters to fetch her.

No, he would want to take care of her. And no matter what, she could not face him again.

Nonetheless, she rotated on her heels, spinning back towards the direction she had just came from. She would be quick and silent, nothing more than a shadow. The Empire would be unable to identify her and she could save the ewoks.

She sprinted towards the onslaught, unlatching her lightsabers from her hips and clutching them tightly in her fists. She could hear the unmistakable roar of speeder bikes and she quickened her pace, slipping on the mud-slick ground. She could hear the distressed chatter of the ewoks getting louder, and she knew she was going in the right direction.

She broke through the bushes, leaves showering her as she dove behind the shelter of a tree trunk before anyone could get a clear glimpse of her. She bit back the impulse to rush headlong into battle, choosing to be calculating and weigh all of her options. She had the weakness of being too impulsive, and a weakness like that could easily get her killed.

She spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and acted, dashing towards another tree trunk and igniting her blades to slash at a stormtrooper along the way. She deactivated her lightsabers before anyone else could see the glow, leaving the smoking corpse of a stormtrooper in her wake.

Another legion of stormtroopers came crashing through the underbrush, blasters firing at the rapidly-decreasing amount of ewoks. She hadn't noticed it before, but the forest floor was covered in furry patches. She didn't want to look at them—knowing their velvet noses would never again breathe in the sweet aroma of pine needles and their innocent, glassy eyes would never blink so curiously.

They were being massacred, and she was doing nothing except watching. She could keep lurking in the shadows, swiping at a few stormtroopers, but there were too many of them. If she wanted to turn the tables, she would have to reveal herself. Was it something she was willing to risk?

She weighed the lightsabers in her hands, easing her eyelids closed. She hadn't been there to save her comrades during the Purge. She hadn't been there to save her master. She had turned her back on both of them, and she was done hiding. No more lives would be lost because of her.

She ignited her lightsabers, narrowing her eyes in determination. And then, she stepped out from the shadows, allowing the lightsabers to bathe her in light.

And then she unleashed chaos.


He does not feel the rain. The stormy clouds above him loom, jagged flashes of lightning splitting open the sky. The only indication to let him know that it is raining is the patter of rain against his helmet and the monitor warnings that scroll across the corners of his vision, letting him know that an abundant amount of moisture has come in contact with the outside of his suit.

He doesn't mind, of course. All of his thoughts are fixated on her. If he had known that his apprentice had survived, he would have taken care of her sooner. Her shielding must have been more advanced than he had previously thought considering she had survived for so long without him detecting her.

He could detect her now, however. Although her shielding was impressive, although not perfect, it was rapidly decreasing as the minutes ticked by. Wherever she was, her energy and focus were draining. He could only assume she had crossed a legion of stormtroopers and couldn't resist the urge at eliminating them. He had always known her confidence and impulsiveness would be the end of her.

As he marched purposefully through the forest, branches crunching underneath his boots, he smiled beneath his helmet, a sight that would probably give someone a heart-attack if they had seen it. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled, but the thought of terminating someone who still knew a part of his past made him smile wider. With her out of the way, the legend of Anakin Skywalker would crumble to ashes.

He hoped she would put up a fight. It would be a shame if she perished so quietly.


She had to give them credit where credit was due—the stormtroopers were putting up quite the fight. Not only did she have the ground troops to deal with, but there were speeder bikes that whizzed by, stealing shots at her and occasionally running over a stray ewok. There had been several thermal detonators that had been launched, exploding the ewok huts and uprooting trees.

There was a tingling sensation in the back of her head and she acted on instinct, dodging to the left where the Force directed her. A crimson thunderbolt streaked by her face, catching her hood. She grumbled, the smoking hole in her hood sizzling as rain pelted it. That was way too close.

She swiveled her head, her lekku flapping over her shoulders as she scanned her surroundings, seeking out whoever had aimed that blaster bolt at her. The ground trembled beneath her feet, and her eyes snapped open in surprise as an AT-ST stomped towards the ewok village, it's blasters aimed in her direction.

The Empire was persistent. First troops, then speeder bikes, and now an AT-ST? They were quickly wearing out their welcome. She needed to take out that AT-ST, and quickly. This never-ending fight was sapping the strength out of her.

Summoning the Force and her remaining strength, she weaved in and out, ducking behind tree trunks and zigzagging, hoping that the constant change in direction would slow down the AT-ST. Red sparks blazed behind her, burning her backside and feeling hot against her heels. She didn't slow down, her sights tuned in on the AT-ST that was advancing to confront her, spitting out blaster bolts that barely missed her.

She briefly wondered what the AT-ST pilots were thinking as they watched her rush towards them, armed with two weapons that they probably thought were glow sticks. To almost anyone, it looked like she had a death wish.

But as she sprinted towards the AT-ST, her faithful lightsabers humming at her sides and the Force flowing through her, she felt so empowered, so unstoppable. So...free.

She hadn't felt like this since...well, since she had been a Padawan. She could almost imagine her master running beside her, spouting witty comments as he engaged the enemy. He was so integrated into every fiber of her being that she could hear him in her head.

She would give anything to have him by her side right now.

In the end, it was only one wrong misstep. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had overlooked the puddle of thick mud that stretched in front of her. She struggled to regain her balance, but it had been too late. Her feet gave out from under her, the rest of her body following as she face-planted.

The world spun around her and she blinked the mud from her eyes, springing back to her feet. The AT-ST loomed over her vulnerable form, it's durasteel paw lifting over her until it blotted out the sky. The Force blared at her and she rolled to the side as the paw came crashing down on the spot she had stood moments before.

She coughed up mud and water. In her haste to escape the AT-ST's finishing blow, she must have swallowed some of the mud and water that had splattered her after her face-plant. Lesson learned: next time she fell, she would make sure to keep her mouth closed.

When the AT-ST reared it's paw again, it's blasters trained on her, she somersaulted forwards, landing directly under the armored belly of the AT-ST. She bunched the Force around her, allowing it to surge her upwards. In one quick motion, she sliced the underbelly of the AT-ST, grinning at the way her lightsaber slid smoothly through the armor, leaving a clean gash behind. The smooth and powerful motions of her lightsabers never ceased to amaze her.

She tumbled to the forest floor, rising to her tiptoes in case she had to make a quick getaway. She was always more agile on her tiptoes, but one look at the AT-ST, and she knew it wouldn't be operational. The pilots were still trapped inside, but she had probably severed the wire than allowed the blasters to fire and the hunk of metal to move.

She was just about to leap up to the windshield, probably just to rub her victory in the faces of the AT-ST pilots, when cold tendrils wrapped themselves around her. Her muscles tensed, her gaze darting around at her surroundings. Even under her cloak, goosebumps rippled up her arms.

Her breath quickened, her keen eyes narrowing. Could it have just been her imagination? Granted, the rain had chilled her to the bone, but was something else at play?

And then she heard the heavy wheezing of a respirator—from what direction, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she had overstayed her visit on Endor and she had to leave immediately. Breath quickening, she sidestepped bodies of fallen ewoks and mounted a forgotten speeder bike, it's former rider sprawled out on the ground with a smoking chasm from a lightsaber embedded in his chest.

She swung one leg over the seat, straddling it. Making sure both of her lightsabers were still attached to her belt, she gunned the engine and steered the speeder bike away, jerking the handles forwards as she boosted. Away from the action, away from the burning ewok village, away from the smoking AT-ST.

Away from him.

She didn't make it very far before the engine sputtered and stalled. She gave it a few hearty kicks, muttering under her breath, "Bucket of bolts!" She just needed to reach the clearing where she had parked her ship, wherever that was. She knew it was foolish of her to wander too far away from the clearing, and now she was in a predicament because she had no idea where the clearing was. She had gotten herself into quite the mess.

The speeder bike suddenly lurched to the side, barely missing a tree. She fumbled with the control sticks, trying to tug it in the opposite direction that the controls were pointing. The control sticks were stuck, stubbornly pointing in the direction of another tree that streamed towards her.

It was time to ditch this hunk of garbage. She would be better off on foot anyway. She prepared to dismount, the speed of the speeder bike climbing dangerously. She was just beginning to wrap the Force around herself to protect herself from the dangerous dismount she was about to take when her world came to a grinding halt.

That cold feeling was back, washing down her in icy torrents. It was colder than the wind and rain, and it chipped away at her spirits, trickling into her mind. The Force she had been about to use fled at the presence of the cold feeling. She knew exactly that this cold feeling was the Dark Side of the Force, but it had been years since she had felt it.

The speeder bike was frozen in midair, the engine still sputtering weakly. And then, it began to crumble in on itself, metal twisting grotesquely. She tried to flee, but her muscles wouldn't operate, frozen in place. It was him—he was after her.

And then the speeder bike was flung towards a nearby tree, and she managed to force out a choked scream before her world was turned upside-down.


She was still alive. He had hoped that she would have survived the collision with the tree, and she hadn't failed to disappoint. He hadn't been trying to kill her, because there was no fun in crushing her against a tree. He would much rather allow his lightsaber to land the killing blow.

Although she was alive, she was injured, based on the way he could feel her intense pain blare through the Force. She had completely given up on trying to shield herself, and now he could sense her movements and her state of mind. She seemed to be disoriented, and he almost regretted slamming her into the tree. He doubted she would put up much of a fight with her disoriented mind.

Nonetheless, she was still trying to flee, so she hadn't lost hope yet. As much as he didn't look forward to stomping through more puddles and brandishing his lightsaber to cut down branches that stood in his way, the end result would be worth it.

So he set forward, his cape snapping at his heels. He ignored the stormtroopers that asked him if he needed backup.

He could handle her alone. And then he would revel in the fact that he was the only one who would watch her fall.


She used the back of her palm to bat away thorny branches that scratched at her face as she stumbled blindly through the forest. Her breaths came out in labored gasps, her chest heaving as she scanned the terrain for any stream that might offer her water. Dehydration was beginning to set in, and she didn't need another thing weighing her down.

The collision with the tree had left her in rough shape. The speeder bike had exploded upon impact, showering her with minor burns. That was another reason why she was seeking out water. Even if it was just for a second, she wanted to soak her burns in the cleansing river water. The rain might have provided some relief, but it was falling at such a fast, heavy rate that it was aggravating her burns rather than soothing them.

But knowing how ambitious and restless he was, he was no doubt tracking her down right now. She tried to reconstruct her shields, but they flickered weakly and were extinguished like a dying candle. Now that her shields were down, he would be upon her at any time. She would just have to hold out until she reached her ship and was safely away. She wasn't coming back to this place any time soon.

Her scorched eyelids drooped, and she wished she had a canteen of water to splash over herself to keep her awake. After she drank some and applied it to her burns, of course. With water being in high demand right now, she had to set priorities in case she came across it.

She was quite accustomed to receiving burns. When you had devoted your whole life to become a Jedi, it kinda came in the job description. While she had been a Padawan, she had encountered numerous blaster bullets that had left behind scalding burns. But even those paled in comparison to a burn from a lightsaber.

She could probably count on her fingers the number of lightsaber wounds she had received, but the only one she remembered clearly was one that had been an accident. She had been training with her master when it happened. She had been sloppy and he had been a bit aggressive considering she was still learning the basics. She had been wearing arm guards but his lightsaber had knocked the guard off, lightly grazing her forearm. It had hurt, but nothing compared to the other wounds she had received. So why did she remember it like it was yesterday?

Perhaps it was because of his reaction. She could hear his lightsaber hilt ping to the marble floor of the training room. She could feel his arms around her shoulders as he led her to the infirmary. She could hear his heart-felt apologies as he bandaged her up. But the thing that stuck out to her the most was the look in his eyes.

Pure terror. She had never seen that look in his eyes before—but he had been terrified that he had hurt her. She had repeatedly told him that it wasn't a big deal and she was all right, but for a handful of training sessions that followed, he hadn't pushed her to her limits, probably out of fear that he would injure her again. He had always been so overprotective of her.

She paused, cringing as wetness soaked through her boots. She could stop labeling them as waterproof now. They had been unable to withstand the heavy rains on Endor.

Then her expression turned to relief as she surveyed the knee-deep stream that she stood in. She wanted to be annoyed at her carelessness of not watching where she was going and getting her feet all wet, but the thirst for water overruled it.

She waded to the other side of the stream, intending to crouch down to take a quick drink, when she realized that the stream she had just waded through bordered a peaceful meadow. She could make out the fuzzy silhouette of her ship in the distance. She had almost reached the clearing.

She paused, listening for the telltale wheezing of her pursuer, but heard nothing. Figuring she had a few seconds to spare, she scooped a handful of water from the stream, raising it to her lips. And then she heard it.

"Ahsoka."

She let the water fall from her palm, her eyes snapping open wide. And then she ran.


He had to concede that his quarry was quite skillful considering that she had evaded him for this long, considering her conditions. At his stroll, he could still see the occasion flick of a leeku behind a tree or her heels weaving and darting through the underbrush. He hoped she wouldn't use up her remaining stamina at escaping him. It would be fruitless.

Since he had arrived on Endor, he had felt a twinge at the back of his mind, a bond that he had thought had been broken. But the moment he had reached out, the connection had snapped, leaving him wondering if the bond still existed at all. It had once, but that was then, and this was now. If the force bond still existed between them, it would be a relief to sever it permanently.

He ignited his lightsaber and slashed away a thorny branch that reached out to scratch his helmet. He quickened his pace, wanting to get this chase over with. She was agile and built for sprinting through the forest, although her movements were delayed and slowed due to her wounds from the speeder bike crash. He wasn't as quick as she was, but he was merciless. And sooner rather than later, she would be forced to face him.

He sloshed through a stream, the steady current doing nothing to slow him down. He was sure he could hear her ragged breathing and the snapping of branches. She had clearly abandoned the thought of stealth.

A good choice, on her part. He wasn't fond of stealth himself. Granted, the wheezing of his respirator made it difficult to be stealthy, but why should he have to be? Striding purposely and allowing the sound of his respirator to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies was a good tactic for him. He certainly wasn't about to sprint after her.

Stealth was for the weak and cowardly.

He stomped out of the stream and crested over a small knoll which led to a grassy clearing. In the distance, he could see the outline of a small cruiser—her ship, no doubt. And sitting cross-legged in the middle of the field was his quarry—a lithe, female Togruta.

She appeared to be mediating, but she looked anything but peaceful. Her eyelids were screwed shut, her lips quivered, and her shoulders were stiff. She must have heard his rasping breath or sensed his presence because she eased one eyelid open, surveying him silently.

She forced her features into an expression of nonchalance, but she wasn't deceiving him. He could feel her panic and terror blast through the Force. He wasn't sure how much time had slipped by as he observed her, and she returned his gaze.

He was assessing her weaknesses, analyzing her wounds that she had received from the speeder bike crash, taking note of the lightsabers that hung from her belt. She, on the other hand, was probably wondering how her master could turn into someone like him.

"It's been a long time," She finally spoke, shifting her posture and leaning back on her heels. "It's good to see you again, Anakin."

Vader allowed a few cycles of his respirator to wheeze before he hissed, "That name no longer has any meaning to me."

Ahsoka hummed thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow as if in mockery. "Oh yes, just like the name Ahsoka no longer has any meaning to me. I go by the name Fulcrum now."

Vader knew what she was getting at, and he wouldn't allow her to get the satisfaction of winning this verbal battle. "That is irrelevant. The master you used to know is gone." Vader paused for dramatic effect. "And he's never coming back."

"And maybe the Padawan you used to know is gone," Ahsoka countered slyly. "People change. Doesn't mean that you cease being you." She paused as a gust of wind whistled across the meadow, sweeping her hood away from her face. "It's like the wind. The winds are always changing, just like people. But no matter which direction it blows, it's still the wind. Just like when we make choices and decisions that change us, deep inside, we're still the same person."

Vader wanted to tell her that her analogy made no sense, but instead he unfastened his lightsaber from his belt, activating the bloody blade. It hummed hungrily, slicing through the darkness as he aimed it at the tangerine Togruta. "If you are quite done trying to turn me, I will end this now."

"I was just warming up." Ahsoka sighed, rocking back and forth. "So be it." She sprang nimbly to her feet, dancing back and forth on her tiptoes as she withdrew her lightsabers and activated them. The electric, white blades hummed through the still night, like twin beams of moonlight.

She held up one lightsaber in a gesture that looked something like a salute, shrugging off her cloak. It fell to a muddled heap around her ankles, and Vader almost scoffed. The motion of removing their cloak before a battle was something the Jedi had often done.

Vader didn't wait for her to lower her lightsaber back to the defensive position before he went charging towards her. Towards his former apprentice. Towards the person he would be relieved to forget.


She was in trouble. That was the biggest understatement in the galaxy.

She had barely managed to fend off a flurry of Vader's attacks and already her biceps stung with overexertion. It had been a while since she had dueled someone in lightsaber combat, and she was sure it showed.

She needed to force Vader on the defense if she ever wanted to get out of this alive. She wasn't sure how much more heavy beatings she could fend off.

Another heavy blow from Vader sent her skidding backwards on her heels, tearing up grass as she flew along. Sinking the soles of her boots into the terrain, Ahsoka slowed to a halt, leveled her lightsabers at hip-level, and lunged.

Vader took up the defensive stance as she rushed upon him. She lashed out with both of her lightsabers, aiming a horizontal slash at his arm, which he was quick to block vertically. She pushed back to her heels, ready to roll to the side to escape Vader's counterattack. But the blow never came, Vader still engaged in the defensive position.

He was going easy on her. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. He was enjoying this and he wanted to press her to her limits before he landed the killing blow. In this scenario, she could finally find a parallel between the masked monster before her and her old master.

Anakin had always pushed her to her limits when they were sparring. In the same way, Vader was pushing her to her limits to see how long she could hold up against him.

Noting her hesitation, Vader landed a smooth strike against her lightsaber, locking the blades together. Her twin streams of moonlight clashed against his crimson blade that spat with rage and hatred.

Her arm muscles strained as she tried to wrench her lightsaber free, but Vader had them skillfully locked together.

"You disappoint me," Vader rumbled. "Your footwork is sloppy, your reverse grip on your lightsabers is faltering, and you favor using Shien over Djem So."

"And what's wrong with that?" Ahsoka clenched her teeth together, trying once again to jerk her lightsaber free. She knew it was a foolish question to ask. Shien was considered the classical variant of Form V and it was more adapt at blocking blaster bolts. Djem So, on the other hand, was developed later and was specifically intended for use in lightsaber combat. Anakin had mastered Form V and had taught her how to effectively use it, especially Djem So.

Rather than wrenching her lightsaber free from her grip, Vader unlocked the lightsaber blades and pushed her back with enough force to send her to her back foot.

Taking advantage of the distance between them, she reflected over his pointers, tightening her slipping grip on her lightsabers in her signature Ataru-Shien reverse grip. She even switched over to the Djem So stance, holding both of her lightsabers above her head, angled back and down at somewhere near forty-five degree angle. Djem So focused on powerful blows, so she would have to use her strength sparingly.

Vader mirrored her stance, and Ahsoka felt a flicker of pride that she had remembered the correct stance for Djem So. It wasn't a complicated stance, but she couldn't remember the last time she had used it. Vader's helmet was tilted slightly to the ground and Ahsoka followed his gaze.

So maybe she didn't totally remember everything about Djem So. She was standing on her tiptoes, bouncing back and forth. Based on Vader's stance, the dominate foot was supposed to be forward and standing on one's tiptoes was certainly not the correct form. But standing on her tiptoes allowed her to move quicker and execute higher jumps.

Offering a small shrug in Vader's direction, she grinned and said, "I like to mix-and-match."

Vader offered no reply, instead advancing forwards. He was quicker than she had previously thought, and she could hear the harsh hum and the blur of crimson as his lightsaber arced through the night. She felt a tingle at the back of her mind and threw herself to the side, using her shoulder to execute a few barrel rolls.

She had just sprang up to her feet when Vader came down on her again. She barely had enough time to block it, the impact almost forcing her to her knees. With a bolster of energy, she shoved Vader's blade away. Before he could collect himself, she surged towards him, launching into the air. She tried to aim a lightsaber blow at his chest, but he knocked it away, but not before it grazed his breastplate. Her boots pressed squarely against his shoulder armor and then her taut calf muscles released, momentum vaulting her into the air directly over Vader.

She performed a few aerial flips, gaining momentum as she came crashing down, her lightsabers aimed downwards. Vader shifted his stance, his lightsaber tipped diagonally over his head as Ahsoka's lightsabers clashed against it. She was light and that was one of the only ways she could land a semi-heavy blow. But even a blow like that didn't seem to dismantle Vader. In fact, it seemed to spur him on.

Ahsoka sighed heavily, leaping to the ground and brandishing her lightsabers. It was now or never.


He was enjoying this.

It had been a while since he had battled a formidable opponent in a lightsaber duel. Granted, she was a bit rusty, but she had impressed him with the aerial attack she had just performed. The actual blow hadn't been what had caught him off-guard, but the leap before the blow.

She had managed to graze his breastplate, and although it wasn't a heavy blow, warning monitors were alerting him that his breastplate had been damaged. He normally wouldn't have minded, but the rain would eventually fry it. His breastplate held the controls for his life support system, which ensured that he received enough oxygen and nutrients. He would have to end this duel promptly before the rain forced him to withdraw.

Vader plowed in, saber slashing into an infinity loop as he forced Ahsoka back. Begrudgingly, she shifted into the defensive position, taking two quick backsteps. Vader followed through with four fast strikes, two aimed at her sides, one aimed at her face, and another aimed towards her knees.

She blocked the three blows effortlessly, but the forth one he aimed at her brushed her thigh before she caught it. He could feel the pain roil through her, her lightsabers lowering slightly as she stole a glance at the angry-looking wound. It was already blistering, her sizzling flesh peeling away.

She placed an unsteady palm against it, a choked cry escaping her lips as she flinched, withdrawing her hand. Vader took the time to readjust his tactic, zeroing in on her wound. He could see the bubbling burns that covered her body, lit by the scarlet glow of his lightsaber.

The lightsaber duel had come to a close. With her injured leg, she would be unable to hold out against him. But even though he was finished with the lightsaber duel, the fun was just beginning.

With the speed of a viper, Vader struck, hooking Ahsoka's blade against his, using strength against her rapidly-decreasing speed. With a vicious jerk, he snapped one of her lightsabers free from her grasp and watched as it clattered to his feet uselessly. Before she could raise her other lightsaber to parry, he reeled his fist back and struck her with enough force to send her sprawling backwards. Something snapped, and Vader could see a steady stream of carmine flow down from her obviously broken nose before she plummeted over the side of the hill.

He advanced forwards, his lightsaber buzzing and roaring as if in sadistic laughter.

This is where the fun begins.


Her spine crunched as her back was the first thing to hit the ground, rolling helplessly over a small hill until she finally halted at the edge of the stream. She groaned, a sticky sensation trickling down her face and into her mouth, leaving behind a metallic taste on her sandpaper-dry tongue.

She rolled over on her side, her backside facing the hill as she reached into the stream to fish out her other lightsaber that had taken a nose-dive into the water during her tumble. She wasn't sure where her other lightsaber had gone after Vader had wrenched it from her grip, but she could work with one lightsaber.

She retrieved her dripping-wet lightsaber, flicking the activation switch on. The blade sizzled and spat before it extinguished. Ahsoka sighed in exasperation. Without special modifications, a lightsaber that had been submerged underwater would short out. She would have to make some minor repairs to it before it would work again.

She clipped the now-worthless lightsaber to her belt, using the back of her hand to wipe away some warm blood that stained her cracked lips. So maybe she didn't have her lightsabers, but she had the Force.

A cold tendril whipped out from the shadows, closing around her throat. She tried to flee, but her legs, arms, her head—everything was frozen. And then she was dragged through the mud, up the hill, and straight into Vader's outstretched gloved hand.

Ahsoka's sharp gasp crunched in her throat as Vader tightened his grip, her feet leaving the ground as Vader hoisted her off the ground with one hand. She was high enough that she was above Vader and she could see his narrowed, yellow eyes glinting behind the tinted lenses of his mask.

"Please—" she sputtered weakly, black dots floating in her vision. Another word drifted up from her ruined vocal cords, but it shattered before it could pass her lips. Anakin.

She wasn't sure what had made her beg, or what she wanted him to do. He wouldn't let her escape, she knew that much. She only wished that he would end this quickly. Every shuddering breath she took, he would tighten his iron grasp and it felt like she was inhaling hot lava. She could feel her lungs collapsing, her vision going blurry.

She tried to use the Force to bat his force choke away, trying to create a barrier between her and Vader. Her connection with the Force snapped like a severed bowstring, her inability to focus leaving her without the aid of the Force.

Vader ignited his lightsaber and she whimpered. Vader's grip around her throat loosened as he leveled the lightsaber at her throat, not close enough to injure her but close enough for her to feel the intense heat roll off it. It crackled as if mocking her, and waves of terror washed down her.

She cleared her throat, Vader's loosened grip allowing her to talk. "Please, why are doing this?" she croaked, her damaged throat burning with every word.

"You dare ask me that?" Vader hissed, drawing the blade closer to her throat. "You are a living relic of Anakin Skywalker's past and pose a threat to the Galactic Empire."

"No, I don't mean that," Ahsoka coughed, blood coating her mouth flecking across Vader's ebony armor. "How could you betray everything we believed in? You had a family—people who loved you, and you just betrayed us."

"You have no right to talk," Vader retorted, his voice rumbling like thunder. "If I recall correctly, you walked away from the Order, did you not?"

Ahsoka frowned. "I did. It was necessary. I needed time to sort things out on my own."

"So you've said," Vader quipped dryly.

He was right. She had always used that same excuse to justify her actions. The truth was, she had abandoned her friends, the Jedi Order. And she had abandoned him, just when he had needed her most. She hadn't known how much he needed her back then, but now she had seen just how much he had. And now it was too late.

"I know you're still in there," Ahsoka finally said, avoiding the sore topic that Vader had tried to resurface. She didn't want to think about how she had left the Order and him. "I don't know what the Emperor has done to you, but I know deep down, you're still Anakin."

"The Emperor revealed to me the heresy of the Jedi and showed me the power of the Dark Side." Rage thundered through the force and Vader backhanded her across the face, the impact snapping her head to the side. "And Anakin is gone."

"I must have stuck a nerve. My apologies." Ahsoka brought a hand to her stinging cheek, bracing for another attack due to her sarcastic comment. But no attack came. Instead, Vader allowed her to slip to the ground, his lightsaber hanging idly at his side.

She cocked her head in bafflement, wondering what it was she had said.

Then Vader finally spoke, and his words sent a pang through her heart. "You always were so...snippy."

Speechless, Ahsoka allowed her jaw to unhinge in surprise. For a brief second, she wasn't looking at the masked, monstrous Sith that loomed before her. She was looking at her master that had been like a brother to her.

But as swiftly as he had came, the remnants of Anakin faded as Vader ignited his lightsaber, pointing the blazing tip at Ahsoka's throat.

Ahsoka didn't resist. Instead, she lowered herself to the ground in a pitiful position, folding her legs under herself. Or at least as far as they would bend considering her charred leg, courtesy of Vader's lightsaber.

"You know, I always wondered how to move on when in your heart, you know there is no going back," She began, absently plucking up blades of grass and watching them drift away in the wind. "The winds of change have affected both of us."

She paused as she dragged her gaze over the forest that surrounded them. She could see the homely glow of the lanterns that framed the ewok village. She hoped the ewoks had been able to fend off the stormtroopers and now they could finally sleep in peace. She could hear the wind as it buffeted against her and the never-ceasing babbling of the placid stream below. She could smell the refreshing scent of rain.

Through everything around her, she could feel the presence of the Force as it wrapped around her like a hug, whispering in her mind that everything was going to be okay. She was so tired. Tired of running, tired of fighting. Tired of pretending that the past didn't control her any more.

She exhaled slowly, blinking up at him. "I always thought I could save you. I thought I could say the right thing and snap you out of it, wake you up." Her eyes moistened, tears rimming them. "But then I realized that maybe...after all this time...it was never my destiny to save you. Perhaps that destiny belongs to someone else."

She thought that was pretty good as far as last words went, but the blow never came, Vader spinning away on his heels as the sky opened up and buckets of rain began hammering them. Squinting, she could see it now—the sparks that sizzled as they shot out of his breastplate. She must have damaged it during her aerial attack.

She could see Vader analyze the damage his breastplate had taken with the increasing amount of rainfall. He swiveled his helmet in her direction, and she waited with baited breath. Finally, he raised his fist towards her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the pressure to clamp around her neck.

Something metal clinked to the grassy field and Ahsoka eased her scorched eyelids open. Her lightsaber laid in front of her, the same one Vader had wrestled away from her grasp during their duel. She leaned forward, running her fingers over the smooth metal hilt before clipping it back to her belt. She forced herself to her trembling feet, returning Vader's gaze.

A few moments passed, and then Vader darted his gaze over his shoulder towards the forest. And then he turned away.

And so did Ahsoka. But as she limped away in the opposite direction, she turned back and whispered, "Goodbye, master."

She wasn't sure if he heard her at first, but then, two words drifted towards her, carried by the wind.

"Goodbye, Snips."