Disclaimer this is a fanficion. I do not own Star Wars.
The skies of Coruscant opened as the transport arrived.
Once the customs officer made sure that the arrival was in the logs and at its correct time. The port assigned it a landing pad and the vehicle slowly made its way down, getting a couple looks from the bystanders and the crews working there before things got back to their usual buzzling.
The ship opened its door and a group of travelers exited before heading towards the checkpoint where a group of troopers waited to make sure that everything was in order; examining and profiling the passengers.
The group proceeded to the exit without anything going amiss. Only when the clones in charge of the checkpoint asked them to start lining up for a security check that a hooded figure moved its hand without drawing any attention, if any.
In an instant, the figure focused and closed its eyes, looking beyond itself, beyond the passengers, beyond the checkpoint to search for something small but noticeable, something that it could use.
Once it found that, it pushed out, giving a small nudge through the Force.
A split-second later, a cable snapped inside a trolley loaded with containers and its hover system failed, causing the Twilek using it to trip over himself as the contents spilled out on the floor, creating a mess of food, droid parts and smuggled ammunition.
As the owner cursed and tried to pick the things from the floor, he bumped and pushed others around him, causing them to, in turn, return the favor in kind, whether physically or verbally.
The reactions carried on and a small brawl started; people around the area tried to walk clear away from it but enough of them got involved that the nearby security responded to them, surrounding them with pointed weapons.
At first, things looked like they were about to calm down but then one of the people involved tried slapping away the rifle in front of her, causing the clone holding it to lash out and pull the trigger, stunning her.
Again, things escalated and the brawl resumed.
In the chaos, the figure slipped by the checkpoint and began heading deeper into the city, only looking back at the mess when it was far enough away.
Although her face was now visible, security was too busy to notice that Ahsoka slipped by them and to the rest of Coruscant, save for a couple people, she was no one but another traveler arriving in the capital to partake in the festivities due to the wars end.
The sudden flash of light, although blinding, was nothing compared to the burning sensation crawling along the Jedi masters back.
Aayla Secura, although awake, was still dazed and uncertain of where she was, all the while resisting the urge her body screamed at her to go back to the somewhat peaceful sleep that she was in before, though that would only be a slight improvement.
Again she closed her eyes and, for a couple seconds, she got flashes of what happened before. The assault on Felucia, the sudden feeling of cold that ran through her spine right before the clones shot her, the bubbling inside of the bacta tank, they all came to her before being suddenly replaced by the cold, tense feeling of metal around her wrists and ankles.
It wasnt until the cell door opened that she returned to the present, her attention switching from her surroundings to the figure standing in front of her. It took less than a second for her to recognize who it was.
"Skywalker?!"
Although the young mans expression barely changed, his next words had a small tinge of mockery in them.
"Master Secura." He greeted her as he stepped inside the cell. "Im impressed."
There was something about him that made her shiver. Despite his appearance still being mostly the same as the last time she had seen him, save for a couple new scars and slight burns, he was unnerving.
His presence now felt like a cold, black void ready to consume her. Looking back on her interactions with him she remembered sensing something similar during the war but this time it was much more overpowering than before, so much so that just being in his presence made her feel vulnerable, powerless.
"How did you…?" Master Secura asked, unconsciously moving so that she was as far away from Anakin as possible. "The clones…"
"I got the report. What they did was terrible. But it needed to be done." He said, taking a step towards her.
The certainty, the confidence with which he spoke made the Jedis eyes widen with fear and surprise. The Anakin Skywalker that she remembered was always somewhat skeptical of the orders teachings, but he also was willing to defend the Republic and what it stood for. There was no way that he would condone what happened.
"What needed to be done!?"
Again Skywalker took a step towards her and his presence, already unnerving, became terrifying.
"Order 66 was issued to punish the traitorous Jedi Order." He started explaining, each of his words chilling the atmosphere in the cell. "The clones did what needed to be done to safeguard the safety and security of the Empire."
The revelation that the Republic was no more paled in comparison to the realization that the Jedi had been exterminated. She let out a small gasp of surprise and despair; although he hadnt said it, Skywalkers voice made it abundantly clear that no one was spared.
"But, why…?" Aayla asked as soon as she had somewhat recovered from the news.
"The Jedi are traitors and are to be hunted and punished like so." Skywalker declared, crossing his arms and, for a split-second, a large, looming shadow seemed to form behind him although a second look. "The order states that no survivors are to be left alive."
Although his voice didnt change at all with his next words, the terrifying presence he emitted seemingly dimmed down, letting the former Jedi Master breathe just a little easier.
"So you being here is impressive." He declared. "You clinging to life after what the clones did, not everyone would be able to do so."
He was elusive, avoiding what he wanted to say, what he wanted out of her, as if he wanted his presence and words to batter her will down, to erode whatever defense she could have set up.
And in that he was successful, though Aayla wouldnt admit it.
"What do you want?" She finally asked. "Why are you here?"
"After what happened, Im sure that you want someone to answer for what they did to you." He answered, laying his intentions plain for her to see.
"The Order…" She started.
"The Jedi Order is a group of lying, traitorous zealots that threaten everything others have fought for." Skywalker interrupted her.
"Traitorous?"
"Master Windu and other members of the Council attempted to assassinate the Emperor in an effort to take over."
His words were like a punch in the gut to Aayla. How could that be the truth? The Master Windu she knew would never even think of planning something like that, nevermind actually going through with it. She took a moment to calm herself mentally and tried to look deeper.
She looked past the surface feeling of confidence that Skywalker projected, looking for some hint of what was really happening. As she expected, she had trouble getting into his head but, once she was in, she didnt find his thoughts clouded; they were darker in nature of course, but everything she sensed was coming from Anakin himself. Everything pointed to him saying the truth.
"Windu and the Council lied to you." He continued. "About their intentions, and their teachings. You paid for that, but Im giving you an opportunity."
He then waved his hand and the cuffs opened, falling to the floor.
"An opportunity to strike back at those who wronged you."
Again, the shadow behind him appeared and it was just as chilling as the first time, only now it had a strange allure to it that made it almost hypnotizing. Its owners words imbedded themselves deep within her mind, inviting her to accept his offer.
Visions of herself hunting those who wronged her flashed inside her mind, all the while colliding with every teaching she remembered. For a second, her mind was split between her rationality and her instincts.
The former warned her from accepting Anakins offer; the dread she felt as he made his presence known, the inherent cold and ruthlessness in his words, all of them indicators that he had given himself to the Dark Side and thus, could not be trusted. The latter however, reminded her that he wasnt lying, that Master Windu had indeed attacked Palpatine, that she only survived the clones backstab because, despite the pain and remorse, she held on to the anger she felt and her subconscious desire to get revenge on them and now, he was offering the same thing.
Ultimately, she took her decision and, carefully, she took a step towards Anakin.
"What do I have to do?"
His mouth then formed into a small grin and the yellow glow in his eyes intensified.
The following days were some of the most exhausting Anakin ever had.
He was in a constant state of focus, constantly working to polish his skills, whether it was long hours of dark meditation where he relentlessly snuffed out any trace of the former Anakin Skywalker within him or intense lightsaber sparring with Bariss and Aayla to both hone his martial prowess and eliminate any hesitation to embrace conflict the pair still had, it didnt matter.
He had to be brutal and efficient, not just to keep up appearances with the Emperor, but to also to ensure that everything was in place for when he made his move against him.
In the small fractions of time had to spare, he returned to Padmes home in the city, spending as much time with her as possible to ensure that she was safe and comfortable in her recovery process, though his duties often dragged him away from her side.
That day was exactly the same as the others before, with the difference being that his master sent word for him, effectively forcing him to ignore all other matters. However, Anakin didnt come alone to meet his master, opting to bring Aayla and Bariss with him, both as a demonstration of the progress he had made training them as Inquisitors and a subtle demonstration of power, though he was well aware that he was still far from ready for their confrontation.
"You called for me, Master?" He said as he entered Palpatines throne room, his followers mimicking his show of respect.
"Ah, Lord Vader. Already hard at work I see." The Emperor declared, showing neither concern nor care for the other two. "Good. I expected as much from you. I have a task for you, and your Inquisitors."
Although he didnt address either of the women personally, his voice, tone and presence was far more terrifying than Anakins and brought both a shiver of fear and respect unlike any other.
"What is it, Master?" Vader asked, seemingly unfazed by the Emperors presence.
"Not long after you arrived from your trip to Mustafar I sensed a presence, one that Im very interested in seeing how you deal with it."
"Who is it?" His apprentice asked, eager to know who he would be hunting and testing his skills on.
"Your former Padawan." Palpatine answered, his mouth contorting into an unsettling grin.
The Inquisitors raised their heads in surprise and looked at Vader from the corner of their eye, expecting, maybe hoping for a reaction from him but if he gave one, neither of them could tell.