Vader didn't slow down after exiting the council chambers, marching past a worried Ahsoka in a single-minded effort to get to the lift before he collapsed.
"Master, what happened?"
His old padawan's voice grated against his shields, and he scowled, ignoring her as he continued moving. The collapse was coming, and Vader would be damned if he was about to do it anywhere near the council. He felt weak – something which irritated him greatly – and the entirety of the Jedi Temple seemed to reject him. He could sense the horror that the building itself seemed to hold through the Force, drawing away from him and leaving him with almost nothing to bolster his strength in the light side. Like a youngling, he felt as though he was stumbling through his use of the Force, and drew it around himself viciously to make his legs hold him as he entered the turbolift.
The Force responded to him, but it was with reproach and hesitance – something that only further exacerbated his frustration. Kenobi slipped through the doors just before they closed, and then the lift was going down. "I'm glad you waited for me." He said, and Ahsoka gave the older Jedi an unimpressed look.
"What happened? What did the council say?"
Vader leaned heavily against the wall – away from both of the Jedi before him, and from their welcoming and worried signatures – watching warily as Kenobi responded. "The council has agreed to wait until Anakin has had a chance to heal before they inquire further about his vision."
"Well that's good, right?" Ahsoka's hope seemed false, and her voice was unnaturally bright. "Then we can go to the healers and figure out what's going on!"
Vader didn't immediately respond. He was still shocked at the Jedi council's acquiescence to Kenobi's request. He had expected them to insist that he tell them everything; he had expected their pride to be hurt by his refusal to elaborate on his "vision." Perhaps they had allowed him to leave due to their fear, he reflected – for indeed they had feared him, which wasn't altogether surprising. In fact, deep in the dark recesses of his mind, part of him had enjoyed it - the same part of him that scoffed now at his old Padawan's words, "The healers will have no more idea of what to do with me than the council did."
Kenobi's eyes had pinned Vader in a moment, and the once-Sith belatedly realized that the Jedi was also leaning tiredly against the wall of the lift. "You promised me that you would see them, Anakin."
Ahsoka's wide gaze oscillated between the two of them, an indescribable emotion on her face, but Vader was more concerned with Kenobi at that point. "A promise to see them is not congruent with a promise to enjoy the experience."
"Anakin-" Kenobi's voice was drained, and Vader cut him off without thinking,
"Do not call me by that-!" Halfway through his command, Vader halted, suddenly realizing what he had done. Both of the Jedi before him were now openly staring, and Ahsoka's voice was tentative.
"Skyguy?"
Anakin closed his eyes, regulating his breathing – which seemed to have sped up on its own. The lift had stopped, and the doors were opening, and he knew there wasn't really a way that he could come back from what he had just said. He had lost control, and he was certain that his mistake would haunt him in the future, but for now there wasn't time for an explanation. So after a moment of thought he forewent words, reaching a hesitant arm towards Ahsoka, and she responded immediately by tucking herself against his weaker left side.
When he pushed away from the wall, he did not collapse as he had expected to. Obi-Wan appeared under his right arm as his legs turned to jelly, and then they were silently making their way towards the Halls of Healing.
Vader made an effort to move his own legs, but they were wobbly at best; Ahsoka and Kenobi were the ones carrying most of his weight. Neither of the Jedi commented on his slip of the tongue, however, or attempted to make conversation – something that Anakin appreciated.
He stared at the ground and his feet as they moved through the temple, because that was far easier than looking up and acknowledging that half of the people that were walking past him were ones he had killed before. Murdered brutally. He could not afford to dwell on his past deeds, or he would succumb to panic once again - another weakness that irritated him.
They were nearing the Halls of Healing; Vader knew it just by listening. The temple had always been a fairly quiet place - to allow Jedi to better connect with the light side of the Force - but the Halls of Healing were practically silent in comparison.
Kenobi and Ahsoka had both stayed unnaturally quiet since they'd exited the turbolift, but Vader could feel their worry in the Force. A part of him - deep down - wished that he could assuage their fears; his earlier attempts had only seemed to exacerbate the problem, though, and so he stayed silent.
The Force around him was not oppressive, but it drew away like a bitten animal, and Vader was uncomfortably reminded of the look on his own son's face at Bespin. Luke had been more forgiving than Vader deserved, and he knew that if he wanted to prevent the future from repeating itself he would have to come to a peace with the Force in the temple.
It would be a daunting task, but necessary if he had any hope of distancing himself from what he had become. Necessary if he ever wished to work from the temple and avoid drawing suspicion. Vader also knew that it would only come from many healing meditations - like the one he had done earlier - not from the healers in the temple.
They had practically arrived when Vader felt something different in the Force. Right in the center of the calming light of the Halls, there was a seed of darkness.
It was easily recognizable to him, because it had all of the symptoms of a Jedi in the midst of turning to the dark side. Whoever was the source of it was doing their best to hide it, but it was like a raw wound in the Force, and it was drawing Vader towards it.
For years he had hunted the Jedi, and many of them had hated him. They had done their best to hide that hatred, but the dark side fed off of it, and ultimately Vader had always been stronger for it.
It was tempting for Vader. To see another person drawing on the darkness - however ineptly - was a reminder to him of the raw power that he had wielded as a Sith. He wished he could draw on it now without spitting on his son's memory; surely with the dark side he would have been able to walk on his own.
Vader's morose line of thought was broken when the doors to the Halls of Healing opened, and then they were stepping through. Soft voices greeted them, along with the shuffle of feet and the light hum of machinery. Vader brought his head up, seeking the source of the darkness - his gaze slid almost unseeingly across the large halls before him - only to meet the impossibly blue eyes of Barriss Offee.
The anger was instant and all consuming, leaving Vader peripherally relieved that he'd had the foresight to close himself off in the Force.
The only bond he had even partially open was the one with Kenobi. The old master had been pushing a thin stream of light and healing at him ever since he'd returned to the past, and as a result now felt the wave of Vader's fury. Vader blocked off the bond when Kenobi gave a soft gasp, his gaze still locked with that of Barriss. She looked just as he remembered her – pale olive-yellow skin with black tattoos and a dark robe; it made his anger difficult to curb. This was the young knight who had befriended and betrayed his padawan so long ago. This was the Jedi who had fallen and attempted to take Ahsoka with her. This was the girl who had put into motion the fiasco that had Ahsoka leaving the Order.
Leaving him.
Vader straightened himself, ignoring Kenobi's worried gaze as he stared down the Mirialan Jedi. She had neared them when they'd entered - no doubt to greet Ahsoka. He could sense his old padawan giving her "friend" an apologetic look from his left, but he allowed nothing to stop him as he spoke. "I received a vision that damaged me. I require healing. I would have Knight Offee be my healer."
"Anakin …" Kenobi spoke with caution, and Vader was reminded of his slip in the turbolift.
"I said that I would go to the healers, but mind healing is a very personal thing." Vader didn't look at Kenobi as he spoke, still staring at Barriss. "Therefore I should be able to choose my own healer."
"What is going on here?" Vokara Che was someone whom Vader had anticipated seeing - being the Chief Healer as she was - and still her sudden appearance struck him dumb. Blue eyes and skin, with lekku tied up and away from her face, her stern expression brought back many memories of Anakin's time as a Jedi.
"Anakin was given a vision in the Force." Kenobi's voice betrayed none of the horror that Vader had sensed before blocking his bond earlier. "It has greatly affected both him and everyone with whom he has a bond; we came at the behest of the Jedi Council to seek mind healing for all three of us."
"Seek healing? You?" Master Che gave Kenobi a questioning glance, a glimmer of humor lighting her eyes before she turned back to Vader with a serious look. "I can sense your pain, Skywalker."
"He wants me to be his healer, Master." Barriss said, and Vader felt another flash of anger upon hearing her voice.
"Knight Offee?" Master Che's brow furrowed, "Skywalker, if I can feel your pain with shields as strong as the ones you've got, I think it would be better to have someone more experienced with mind healing-"
"I am not willing to meditate with you." Vader cut her off. "I wish for Knight Offee to be my healer."
Master Che seemed shocked, but to her credit she moved on smoothly and swiftly, turning to Knight Offee with brows raised, "Are you willing to help heal Knight Skywalker?"
Offee's expression gave away none of the emotions that Vader could sense swirling around her, and after sparing him a flickering glance she nodded. "I am willing, Master."
"Very well." Master Che gave Vader a look so familiar that it almost made the past two decades of his life disappear entirely. "Follow me and we'll find an empty meditation room."
An empty room … Vader had almost forgotten how full the Halls of Healing had become during the Clone Wars. He ignored Kenobi and Ahsoka as they communicated with each other over his head, now allowing himself to pay attention to his surroundings. He could see different healers moving quietly about the halls, along with Jedi that had to have been visiting the sick and wounded.
Vader's last memory of the Halls was splattered with blood and screams, and he was only too glad to turn away when Master Che spoke. "Knight Offee, Skywalker; this will be your meditation room for the examination." Barriss nodded and gave a slight bow that made Vader curl his lip. "You will discover the extent of the damage that needs healing, but don't go too deep. Afterwards, report to me and we will lay out a plan for his recovery."
"Yes, Master." Barriss entered the room with another bow, and Vader followed with the help of Ahsoka and Kenobi.
There were two round meditation chairs in the center of the room, and two others that had backs on them against the far wall. Vader was surprised when Obi-Wan put up his hand, switching a round chair for one that had a back to it. At Master Che's look of confusion he merely shrugged, "Anakin's vision seems to have given him trouble with motor-control. This will make it easier for him to balance."
They placed him in the chair, and Anakin was grateful that he didn't have to sit cross-legged as he turned to sit in it sideways, gripping the back of it with his good hand. Ahsoka gave him a pat on the knee and a wan smile, while Obi-Wan spoke again.
"Just call if you need anything."
"That goes for you too, Offee." Master Che was the last one out the door after the traitor thanked her.
Vader remained silent for a long minute after the door closed, and in a moment of decision he knew exactly what he was going to do. It only took a few seconds to place a shield around the room - one that would only be found if looked for, but would also keep any actions taken through the Force from being sensed on the outside.
Now he could take care of Offee.
Barriss turned to him with a blank look on her face. "All right, Knight Skywalker, before we look at the damage that the vision caused it will be necessary to know the content of the vision." Her bland tone hid her confusion well, but Vader could still sense it. Years and years of breaking through Jedi's defenses made it rather easy to hear everything that they didn't want you to know – especially ones that were young and more emotive like Knight Offee. She was likely confused as to why he had asked for her specifically, and she had every right to be. He decided to begin by addressing the emotions that she was so carefully hiding.
"I can sense the dark side in you. You hate the Jedi."
The young Knight's shock echoed through the Force, along with a thread of panic, "What? How could you possibly-?"
"You have talent in hiding your true thoughts and feelings from those attuned to the light, but to those with any training in the dark side, you are pitifully obvious."
Knight Offee's face almost immediately contorted, and the darkness swelled. "You know nothing! The Jedi are corrupt – they have lost sight of their duties as peacekeepers, and have long since become warmongers-!" She stopped talking when he shoved her against the wall with the Force, immobilizing her.
"You will be silent."
He stood as he let her go, and she immediately collapsed away from the wall, the look on her face disbelieving as she reached warily for her lightsaber.
"You have not encountered true darkness if you believe the Jedi to exemplify it, even at this stage of their stagnancy."
"You- … you've changed …" She sounded incredulous, but Vader wasted no time on her shock.
"I brought you here on false pretenses. I do not require the assistance of a mind healer after my vision, but your fledgling use of the dark side poses a threat to my plans and my padawan."
"The Jedi know nothing of the dark side!"
"Then we agree on something."
"I-!" Barriss stopped short at his statement, then continued with slightly more trepidation. "The Jedi have forgotten their purpose, and they point at the dark side as the source of all evil, when they are just as complicit in the atrocities happening across the galaxy as the Sith are!" She took a breath before continuing with a sneer. "At least the Sith are honest about their intentions! I don't know what you saw in your vision, General Skywalker, but surely even you can see that the Jedi are corrupt!"
"What I see is a child playing with powers that are beyond her understanding." Vader snapped, his annoyance growing as he felt her drawing strength from her fear and hatred. It was a clumsy attempt, and Vader decided that she needed to learn just what she was dealing with.
"I am the only one who sees what is coming-!" She choked off, and Vader stepped forward, lifting her into the air slightly as he continued.
"My vision was of the future. I saw the destruction of the Republic and the Jedi, and you fell with them. You have even less understanding of the dark side than the Jedi, or you would know better than to tempt fate by using it so foolishly – the Jedi at least understand that it is something to be feared." He lifted her higher as he continued. "You are right that the Jedi have grown soft – they do not see the darkness that is under their noses because they refuse to acknowledge the fact that they might have ever mistaken it in the first place – but you are the one who has forgotten your purpose. You think to combat corruption with corruption, but I have tried it; it does not work." He dropped her, and Knight Offee collapsed to her knees, sucking in raspy breaths while grabbing her neck protectively. "Do not ever mistake the dark side as a force for good, child, for that is its favorite lie."
"What-" Barriss coughed painfully, "What are you going to do to me?"
Vader's response was immediate. "The Jedi Council wishes to know of my vision. I have no intention of telling them – I do not trust them. You will give me time to prevent the atrocities of the future by telling them that I need at least a month of recuperation to heal from my vision."
"You want me to lie to them?" Barriss didn't sound particularly surprised or shocked, but she did sound slightly critical. "If I do that then they'll expect me to follow through by helping heal you for that month."
"So be it." Vader had expected as much. "You will be my designated healer so that I can operate in relative solitude. But do not mistake my acquiescence for acceptance of your folly. If you become a liability to my plans, or attempt to inform anyone of what we have spoken of today, I will not hesitate to eliminate you."
Barriss was staring at him from her place on the floor, and when she finally responded it was in a rasp. "What did you really see in your vision?"
Vader didn't answer for a long moment – tempted to tell her that it wasn't a vision at all. At last he spoke. "I saw my own fall. Pray that you never see the same."
Hello, my Gremlins!
I know y'all weren't expecting me to post again so soon, but I recently got the new Lego Star Wars game and it inspired me. I love Vader so much! You can even play as Jabba the Hutt, which ... I mean- that's some game right there. Playing as Jabba the Hutt, guys! I know it's all you've ever wanted!
But in all seriousness, the game is amazing, and it's given me so many ideas and so much inspiration.
Now for those of you who don't know Barriss Offee, I will explain. Barriss was originally the padawan of Master Luminara Unduli, and a good friend to Ahsoka. She believed that the Jedi were meant to be peacekeepers, and that they had fallen away from that calling into hypocrisy during the war. She felt that they were corrupt, and upon falling to the darkness after her Knighting ceremony, she caused an explosion in the Jedi Temple that killed many people, then blamed it on Ahsoka.
Due to this, Ahsoka was put on trial, and was practically expelled from the Order, with perhaps a verdict of execution to follow. Just as our boi Palpy was about to give the verdict however, Anakin stormed in with Barriss in hand, and he made her confess to her dark deed.
As a direct result of the lack of faith that the majority of the Council had given Ahsoka, she left the Order entirely. Just one more straw on the camel's back - the camel being Anakin, of course, and we all know what ended up happening to HIM.
Master Che - on the other hand - is the blue twi'lek Chief Healer of the Jedi. She's pretty dope, and has worked a lot with Obi-Wan and Anakin (and even Padmé, lol). I highly suggest looking both of these characters up if you're curious (though I warn you that wookieepedia is a dark path, and if you begin walking down it it'll forever dominate your destiny, yo).
Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope that you all enjoy reading it as well. I love seeing your reviews and follows they seriously make my day, and shoutout to you guys for being so patient. :)