Chapter 15: The Path to the Dark Side

Captain Ventor's comm chimed and he picked it up. "Captain Ventor," he stated.

"Captain Ventor," a rasping, growling voice that made Ventor's spine stiffen. "Prepare for our return. We will be bringing prisoners."

"You have had success then?" he asked. "Where is Lord Scorpious?"

"He is completing the task. But I have been asked to alert you to our return. And to pass on our compliments: these new Stormtroopers have done well."

"Ah, thank you. I will be sure to pass this on."

The comm died and Ventor stuffed his back in his shirt pocket. He didn't like working with the Inquisitors. They tended to be an arrogant bunch and were quite happy to upend any system of organization that had been established in order to get their own way. Ventor turned away from the viewport, looking down on Senrion, and observed the bridge of his Arquitens-class command cruiser. He was newly assigned to this cruiser and it made him feel proud, proud of how his efforts had been rewarded. Proud now that he had assisted in the Inquisitions work. With this on his record, who knew? A promotion to lead a Star Destroyer could be coming.

"Sir!" one of the techs called, and Ventor looked over at him. "We've got a fighter entering the scanners. Looks like...a Jedi fighter!"

Ventor smiled. "Well, we'll have to do something about that won't we?" This was perfect. Bringing down a Jedi would surely add to his merits. "Mobilise our fighters and bring turrets to bear," he ordered.

Maybe he'd be saying goodbye to his crew within the next few days?

Ahsoka grunted as she was roughly shoved to her knees. Beside her Calcian was dropped down as well, his hands bound in front of him, with two Stormtroopers, Second Brother had called them, either side of him. He looked distraught, staring at the ground. They'd been brought to the hangar where their transport ship was, as well as a newly arrived Lambada-class shuttle that Scorpious had presumably arrived in.

Ahsoka glanced around. Second Brother and the newly-promoted Second Sister were behind her, the latter with Ahsoka's lightsabres clipped to her belt. Aside from the two Stormtroopers, there were three more patrolling around the area. No sign of Scorpious though.

Ahsoka needed a plan. There had to be some way out of this. She worked her gag into her fangs and started moving her jaw back and forth, trying to serrate through the cloth. It wouldn't be much but it gave her something to do whilst she thought. If she could get her lightsabres back, she could cut her binders and attack. But between the two Inquisitors and the Stormtroopers and needing to protect Calcian...she wasn't sure if she could manage it.

A side door to the hangar, in front of them, opened and Ahsoka looked over and her eyes widened.

Scorpious was walking through. And walking with him, Scorpious' arm around her shoulder, was Barriss.

Barriss...is with him...no...that can't be... She focused on Barriss. She looked devastated, the fight all gone from her, stumbling as she walked. Ahsoka didn't know what Scorpious had done to her, but it had completely knocked her off balance whatever it was.

"Brrrisss!" she called and received a cuff on the head from Second Brother.

Barriss looked up at her. Her eyes flickered briefly, before shuttling back down.

Scorpious regarded her and then grinned. "Look at her," he whispered in Barriss' ear. Barriss glanced up at Ahsoka. "Isn't she everything you detested in the Jedi Order?"

Barriss shivered.

"Always eager to leap into battle, enjoying it, revelling in it. Never thinking of the consequences..."

Barriss looked at him and Scorpious grinned.

"That's why you targeted her, wasn't it?" Barriss flinched. "The one who most embodied the Order's corruption should be the one to take the fall?"

Barriss looked back at Ahsoka. Her eyes hardened and Ahsoka recoiled slightly.

"Here..." Scorpious passed Barriss one of her lightsabres. "Go finish what you started, all that time ago."

Barriss took the lightsabre and stared silently at it for a moment. Then her grip hardened on it and she walked forward, advancing towards Ahsoka.

The Inquisitors stepped back, Second Brother grinning, giving her room.

"Npph, Brrrsss!" Ahsoka shouted, trying to stand up. But Barriss crouched in front of her. She put one arm around her, pulled her close and pressed the lightsabre to Ahsoka's chest, and held that position.

Barriss smiled. "You know, you look really cute like this," she whispered.

"Hhh?" Ahsoka said, confused.

Barriss whipped around and ignited the green sabre throwing it at Scorpious, who ducked out of the way, at the same time as she held out her hand and summoned her other lightsabre from Scorpious' belt to her hand, igniting the blue lightsabre and cutting through Ahsoka's cuffs.

Instantly Ahsoka stretched out her hands and her lightsabres flew off Second Sisters belt and into her hands, and she leapt up igniting the white blades.

The two Stormtroopers pivoted to fire, but Calcian stuck out a leg, tripping one and snatched away the blaster shooting the other one and then the first one, before diving behind the shuttle as the other Stormtroopers advanced.

"Can you handle the Inquisitors?" Barriss asked.

Ahsoka tugged the gag out of her mouth and let it hang around her neck. "With pleasure," she growled, leaping towards the two Inquisitors, who ignited their circular sabres.

Barriss turned and charged at Scorpious, who had drawn both of his swords. He snarled as Barriss leapt overhead, blocking her strike. She landed and summoned the other sabre to her hand and then crashed both blades against Scorpious' steels. She grinned at him.

"Blast it!" he shouted, annoyed. "Where did that go wrong?"

"In a few ways," Barriss replied, launching into a series of fluid strikes that Scorpious just managed to repel. "The videos of Luminara were very convincing, but the more I thought about the last one the more I came to realise that it was just...a little too perfect. It was everything I'd ever wanted to hear her say, but it's also something I knew she would never say." They locked blades and Barriss smiled at him. "But it was a clever touch having her join your little gang. I wonder what you would have said if I'd joined and asked where she was?"

"Died on a mission," Scorpious spat, breaking the lock and lashing out at her.

Ahsoka leapt past the two Inquisitors, dancing out of the reach of their strikes, and fell into a battle crouch, both lightsabres held in her reverse grip. "I'll give you both one chance," she said. "Surrender and you can live."

Second Brother scoffed, bearing his teeth. "Why would we?" he growled. "We've already beaten you once."

"So you did. But on that occasion I was in a cramped space, as Scorpious no doubt planned, and was distracted by my friends being cut down. But thanks to you, that won't be happening again."

Second Brother snarled, but Second Sister shifted nervously.

"Talk!" Second Brother roared. "When I kill you, my place in the Inquisitorious will be secured!"

He charged forward, double-blades whirling and struck at Ahsoka. Ahsoka caught the blade on the downswing with her shoto sabre and then shifted her body to the side, lashing out with her main lightsabre, forcing Second Brother to pedal backwards, losing his balance slightly. Ahsoka struck again with the shoto sabre and then the main sabre, a flurry of attacks, that Second Brother struggled to knock away.

With a roar, he charged forward and slashed at Ahsoka with his claws. But Ahsoka slipped forward, between the attack, taking the opening and leaping up, lightsabres held out and slashed through Second Brother's wrists. She flipped around, kicking him in the jaw and Second Brother let out a muffled scream as he collapsed onto his knees.

Ahsoka advanced towards him. "That was for stamping on my lekku," she spat. Second Brother snarled and roared at her, reaching up with stumps of his arms. Ahsoka slammed her blade through his mouth, the silver-white cracking out the back of his skull. Second Brother's eyes widened and then his body went limp and he slumped to the side, the sabre idly cutting through his cheeks as he toppled. "And that was for twisting your foot," Ahsoka finished.

She looked at his body a moment, and then turned and glared at Second Sister, who was cowering away from her.

Calcian flinched as the blaster bolt sparked off the side of the shuttle. He twisted and fired, catching one of the Stormtroopers in the belly, the man going down with a scream. The other two kept advancing, laying down suppressing fire. Calcian growled, the binder cuffs making holding the blaster and firing it difficult.

The Stormtroopers were nearly upon him, would be able to get a clean shot off soon.

He sighed. Time to do something stupid...

He lay down and braced his feet against a nearby crate, gripping the blaster tight with both hands. And then he shoved with his feet and slid underneath the shuttle, the movement bringing him out just between the two Stormtroopers. They looked down at him in evident surprise.

"Special delivery!" Calcian said cheerfully as he shot them both.

"No-wait! Please!"

Second Sister threw away her lightsabre and fell onto her knees, scrambling back as Ahsoka advanced towards her. "Please, please don't!"

Ahsoka pointed her main blade at her.

Desperately Second Sister ripped off her helmet and Ahoska's eyes widened. The whimpering face of a Tholothian girl stared back at her. Ahsoka blinked and shook her head as the memories came to her. It wasn't her, it couldn't be, the age wasn't right, but the resemblance was striking. Striking enough to give her pause.

"Please..." Second Sister begged, holding out a warding palm. "They...they tortured me. They made me...It's no excuse I know, I've fallen, but please!" Ahsoka turned her eyes downwards. "It would be the Jedi way, to show mercy..."

Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabres. "You're right, it would be the Jedi way," she said, turning away and picking at the not on her gag, loosening it and then chucking it away.

Second Sister grinned and dropped her hand to her utility belt, a vibro knife snapping into it. She leapt forward and stabbed-

Into thin air.

Ahsoka had spun away, igniting her main lightsabre, expression hard-

"W-wait!"

Ahsoka slashed through Second Sisters torso, the two halves of the body collapsing to the ground.

"It's too bad there aren't any Jedi here," she said.

Barriss slashed at Scorpious, on the attack, the Inquisitor being forced back and struggling to defend himself. He was off-balance, having not got a chance to set up in his preferred stance, and Barriss had no intention of giving him the opportunity to do so.

"The first videos were genuine," Scorpious said, trying to throw her off but Barriss wasn't having it.

"I worked that out," she replied with a smile, as her blue blade came within inches of taking off Scorpious' jaw. "Not very good client confidentiality."

"I was set to make a lot of money off of those," Scorpious snarled. "But the third was genuine as well."

That did throw off Barriss timing slightly, which Scorpious noticed. He grinned. "Oh yes, you see we did capture Luminara, that's why I was able to make such a convincing fake." Barriss snarled and they crossed blades, going into a lock. Scorpious leered at her between the blades. "You should know, she suffered greatly at our hands before she died," he said. His lip twitched. "Though you know, by the fourth or fifth time, I think she was starting to enjoy it."

Barriss eyes widened. A white rage fuelled her and she screamed and slashed at Scorpious with venom. He stumbled back, on the defensive, but this was a recoverable position. Once again Barriss' rage was making her strikes sloppier as she sought to hit hard and was channelling a power she couldn't quite control.

They locked blades again, and Scorpious took his opportunity. Normally blade locking with lightsabres was fine, as the electromagnetism of the plasma held the blades together. But Scorpious was using swords.

He racked his long steel down Barriss' green blade, heading for her hilt and hand. Barriss spotted the danger in the nick of time, releasing her hand from the blade. The sword snapped through the hilt, destroying the sabre. Scorpious completed his attack by swinging across with the main sabre. Barriss snarled and ducked out of the way, before flipping back and kicking the steel out of Scorpious' hand, leaving him with only the short steel.

With a roar, seeing her opportunity, Barriss flung herself at him, ready to stab.

Scorpious grinned as she took the bait and spun out of the way and slammed the base of his short sword into her face, crunching and breaking her nose.

Barriss howled with pain and stumbled back and Scorpious grabbed her wrist, twisted it so she dropped her lightsabre and wrenched her arm behind her back and jabbed his short-sword to her throat, positioning her body in front of him.

"Stop!"

He looked up. Ahsoka was moving towards him, lightsabres at the ready.

Scorpious tutted. "I'm disappointed Ahsoka," he called. "I expected you to take care of those two much quicker."

"It was very clever of you to choose her for this assignment," Ahsoka replied. "You'd done your homework."

"I told Second Sister that her appearance would give her a slight advantage, but that she would have to pick her moment carefully. But she was arrogant." He shrugged helplessly. "The Sith, eh? What can one say?"

Ahsoka pointed her main lightsabre at him. "Let Barriss go," she said. "You've lost Scorpious."

"Me lost?" He laughed, jostling Barriss and sticking the blade closer to her jawline making her squirm. "I'm afraid not, my win conditions were either capturing or killing this one." He prodded at her with the steel, Barriss trying to twist her head away. "Capturing or killing you and breaking up this rebel group was just a bonus. So I'm afraid I'll be going onto that shuttle."

"Don't let him Ahsoka!" Barriss shouted. "Don't worry about-aggh!"

Scorpious twisted her arm. "You keep out of it!" he hissed.

"She's right though," Ahsoka said calmly. "I don't care about her. I reckon that if I stab her through the right shoulder that should hit your heart." She shrugged. "Might kill her, might not, but it would definitely kill you."

Scorpious glowered, licked his lips, tightened his grip.

Ahsoka's eyes flickered to the left-

Scorpious whirled and used the Force to hurl back Calcian, who had been sneaking towards him, preparing to fire-

Ahsoka charged forward, readying to strike-

"Back!" Scorpious shouted, flicking the steel against Barriss jaw, slicing open her flesh making her cry out-

"Stop!" Ahsoka skidded to a halt, holding her hands out. "Stop!"

Scorpious backed off slightly, staring from her to Barriss. "What is with you two?" he demanded, legitimately bewildered. "You," he glanced at Barriss, "try to frame her and nearly get her executed for a crime and are now being self-sacrificial, and you," he glared at Ahsoka, "talk one moment of not caring if she dies and are now backing off a cut to her chin. It doesn't make the slightest bit of-"

He paused. Saw the look of desperation in Ahsoka's eye, and the equal look in Barriss'. He blinked. It was like a supernova detonated in his brain. Because suddenly, maddeningly, impossibly, there was a way in which it made sense.

Scorpious chuckled. And then it turned into a full-blown laugh. After a moment he brought himself under control with a shake of his head. "I don't believe this," he said. He looked up at Ahsoka with a smile. "On your knees Tano."

"I don't think-"

"Now." He jabbed the sword into Barriss' wound drawing a pained scream.

"Okay! Okay!" Ahsoka held up her hands. She slipped down to her knees. "Just, don't hurt her."

"Sabres please."

Ahsoka put down her lightsabres and slid them towards Scorpious, and then put her hands back up. Scorpious smiled. "I can't believe my luck, I really can't," he chuckled again. "To think I came here with the height of my ambitious being to turn Barriss to our side, but now..." He laughed. "Now I have Ahsoka Tano as my pet."

Ahsoka snarled. "Keep dreaming."

"Oh, I'm afraid you will. Unless you want me to cut off one of your little girlfriends fingers?" He emphasised his point by twisting Barriss' arm further, bending her to the floor, hissing in pain. "And once I've broken both of you, I will be unmatched in the Inquisitorious. The Emperor will surely take note." He had thought that with Barriss converted, he'd be able to make a bid for the Grand Inquisitors position. But with both of them...well Lord Vader's position was beginning to look shaky.

"You won't break us," Ahsoka replied, defiant.

"Oh, Ahsoka." He shook his head and looked pityingly at her. "I could break you with five little words."

It wasn't that Ahsoka believed him per se. But the sheer confidence that radiated from him, that she could feel in the Force, made her pause. "What words?" she asked, mouth dry.

Scorpious wagged a finger. "Now, now, that would spoil the fun. But rest assured, when you're ready, I'll tell you." He shoved Barriss to her knees, bent her other arm behind her and snapped on the binder cuffs. Then he shoved his foot on her head and pressed her face into the ground, drawing a pained squeal and look of anger from Ahsoka.

"You see," he laughed. "This is why the Jedi Order forbid attachment. It makes you so vulnerable to the simplest strategic ploys."

He paused. For some reason, Ahsoka had started laughing. At him. He looked up, yellow eyes burning. "Is there something you want to say, Tano?" he inquired, keeping his voice neutral.

Ahsoka's laugh died to a chuckle. "No, it's nothing," she said. "It's just, I've finally realised why you failed the trials." Scorpious flinched. She looked up at him, smiling. "Given how poor your understanding of the code is."

Scorpious' smile was tight. "Enlighten me then."

"Attachment isn't forbidden because of some strategic nonsense, the Jedi don't think like that. Attachment is forbidden because if you are attached to something, then you fear losing it. And when you fear to lose something, you grow angry at the idea of losing it And then that anger turns into hatred, hatred at whatever it is that would take it away." Ahsoka's eyes narrowed. "And hatred leads to the Dark Side." She clenched her fist and Scorpious' eyes bugged as his throat constricted.

He staggered back, clenching his throat, struggling.

Barriss looked up from the ground, she flexed her fingers-

"Enough!" Scorpious screamed, throwing off Ahsoka's attempt at a choke. He stormed towards her, clenching his fist and Ahsoka gasped, airway constricted. "That was a good attempt Tano!" he shouted, releasing his fist just long enough for Ahsoka to wheeze in half-a-seconds worth of breath before clenching again.

She shaped her hand, feeling the whisper of cool metal on her palm-

"But did you really imagine, really!" He let Ahsoka go again, looming over her now before clenching again as she let out a pained, whispering cry. "That your miserable hatred would ever compare to mine?!"

Ahsoka struggled, gasped. "S-Scorpious..." she wheezed. "Your anger...has...blinded you..."

"What?" he demanded.

Then his body stiffened as a silver-white beam of plasma erupted through his chest. He turned his gaze towards it, almost confused, then looked over his shoulder-

Behind him, Barriss had one hand clutched as if around a lightsabre hilt. She'd floated Ahsoka's main sabre over to his back and ignited it.

His eyes widened-

Barriss twisted her hand and the blade slashed through his chest, and cut apart his heart. Scorpious crumpled to the floor.

"Barriss!" Ahsoka, freed from his hold, leapt over Scorpious body and slid towards Barriss, releasing the cuffs from her hands then holding her face and kissing her.

"Ow!" Barriss moaned. "My dose..."

"Oh, sorry!" Ahsoka pulled back, with an embarrassed look and then hugged her instead. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"That's a matter of opinion..."

Ahsoka laughed and helped her to her feet. She touched her forehead to Barriss'.

"Can I take this as being your answer?" Barriss asked.

Ahsoka pulled back and stroked her cheek, smiling. "Yes, I think you can."

Barriss smiled back at her.

"Uugghhh..."

They paused and then looked over. Calcian was standing nearby, staring at them. He couldn't have looked more horrified if he'd seen Sidious himself come charging through the doors; nor more disgusted if he'd come across Jabba the Hutt copulating.

Both women blushed.

"Sorry," Ahsoka said.

"We forgot there was an audience," Barriss said.

"I thought the Jedi code said some fairly specific things about attachment?" Calcian said, walking towards them.

"Oh it does, very specific," Ahsoka confirmed.

"It is, however, a little vaguer on individual acts," Barriss added, holding up a finger.

"Right. Well. That's grand." Calcian shook his head and held out his hands. Ahsoka ignited her shoto sabre and slashed through them, releasing his wrists.

"I think it's time to get out of here," Ahsoka said. Barriss nodded, clutching her nose, and they started towards the transport ship.

"Wait!"

They looked back over. Calcian was looking at one of the repulsor crates. "The bombs are still here..." he said.

"Calcian..." Ahsoka stepped towards him. "It's dangerous, there's still Stormtroopers about."

"I know but..." He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "They're all dead Ahsoka. It's my fault." He raised a hand to ward off her protests. "I got them into this, I walked into this trap. And it has to mean something. It has to." He looked at her. "You can go if you want, but I need to stay. I need to do this."

Ahsoka nodded. "I understand." She looked over at Barriss, who had seated herself on another crate. "Barriss..."

"You go," she said immediately. "I'll stay here and keep this place clear. Besides I need to fix my nose."

Ahsoka smiled. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

Barriss smiled back. "Go. Go do your hero thing." She waggled her fingers.

Calcian drew in a shuddering breath. "Thank you," he said, softly. He grabbed the repulsor crate and pushed it towards the doors, Ahsoka walking alongside him.

"So you and Barriss, huh?" Calcian asked when they were a bit down the corridor.

"Yeah," Ahsoka said, blushing slightly.

"How did that happen? I thought you had issues?"

"Oh, we did. But we sorted through them."

"Mind telling me what they were?"

"Well..." She scratched at her cheek. "When we were back in the Order, Barriss bombed the Jedi Temple out of fear and desperation to protest the war, and she framed me for it. But that was just because she felt guilty over her feelings for me and was tempted by the Dark Side to try and get rid of them by getting rid of me. But we talked through it all and we're comfortable together." She turned to look at Calcian and found that she was looking at the opposite wall of the corridor. She twisted back slightly to see he'd stopped about a meter behind her and was stood blinking at her. "Uh...Calcian?"

He shook his head. "No...no nothing." He smiled and waved a hand. "There's a load of red flags all gently waving in the breeze there, but no matter." He walked up and slapped her on the back. "I'm happy for you." He walked by and breathed out. "Yeeeshhh... Jedi..."

Ahsoka stared after him. Then hurried to catch up. "Wait! What's a red flag?!"

Barriss finished fixing her nose. It was a simple matter of guiding the Force to realign the bone, then connecting up the cartilage, accelerating the healing process, and then taking care of the blood vessels to reduce the swelling. After a few minutes, it was good as new.

Seeing that no one was around, she allowed herself a small and undignified squeal.

She summoned her lightsabre to her hand and looked at it, with a soft smile. She couldn't believe it. It had really happened. Ahsoka had said yes. After all those years of dreaming, it had finally come true.

Barriss sighed with relief and happiness. For the first time in a long while, she felt at peace.

Then she raised her head, frowning. There was noise coming towards her, sounding like a low scream. And there was something else...some presence...like nothing she'd felt before.

She stood up and walked around the shuttle, looking out of the opening of the hangar. There was a shape moving against the setting sun, an arrow-like shadow heading towards the hangar and the screaming got louder and the presence got stronger as it came closer and closer.

Nervously, she held her ground, staring, trying to work out what it was.

A grey Jedi fighter flew into the hangar and set itself down.

Barriss stared at it, gripping her lightsabre tight.

The cockpit popped up, and a shadow emerged.

Tall, foreboding, it strode across the ship and then dropped to the ground, face a mask that reflected only the fears of the people who looked upon it, presence moving through the Force with all the power and slow terror of an oncoming wave of magma.

"Barriss Offee," Darth Vader rumbled. "We meet again at last."

A wild Vader has appeared...

I debated about whether to hint at Vader's involvement earlier in the story but decided against it on the grounds that might give the ending away and that it might undermine Scorpious as the villain. Poor old Scorpious...showed so much awareness of other people's faults and issues with arrogance but failed to spot his own. In the words of a wise man, "Ironic, really."

Needless to say, we're very much in the endgame now...