Shroud of Darkness
Two and a half weeks after the incident at Geonosis and one of its moons, Errol, Kanan and Ezra travelled with Chopper to a world named Oosalon to see if they could find a place suitable for a permanent base for the Rebellion, however, they're currently dealing with a nuisance that has been a problem for months now.
With thunder rumbling, the trio were in the middle of a lightsaber fight with the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister. Kanan was dealing with the Brother while Errol was dealing with the Sister, Ezra being back up and providing cover fire with his blaster/saber.
"I'm thinking this planet's not gonna work out as a base after all." Ezra pointed out as he ignited his saber, helping out Errol with the Seventh Sister.
"You think?" Errol shot back as he blocked a swipe and then kicked the Sister, both him and Errol pushing her back.
"Seeing that the key part of secret base is the secret location, no, it will not work out. Where's Chopper?" Kanan snapped at his Padawan.
"I signalled him. He's either lost or ignoring us." Ezra answered as he and Errol were now on the defensive.
"I don't think that stupid trash can is lost." Errol told him.
"Cross!" Kanan barked at Ezra, who ran towards him, jumped up and Kanan Force Pushed him towards the Fifth Brother and struck him. He then did the same with Kanan towards the Seventh Sister, giving Errol a chance to catch his breath. Errol then helped out Ezra with the Brother.
"Such a handsome face." The sister said to Kanan, her faceplate peeling off to reveal her scarred face.
"I don't go for crazy… anymore." Kanan spat at her.
"That's alright, I prefer brains." She replied as one of her droids jumped off of her and onto Kanan's head, making him lose focus on her slightly as she used this to her advantage and force Kanan back towards the edge that led to a long drop.
"Help him!" Errol ordered Ezra, seeing this, knowing he can handle the Brother by himself. Ezra rolled past them and turned his saber back to a blaster and fired a couple of shots at the Sister, who used her spinning lightsaber to block the blaster bolts. Ezra made another shot, hitting the droid on Kanan's head, making it fall over the edge with a screech.
The Brother tried to take revenge on Errol for his legs but he flipped over him and joined up with Kanan. And then the Brother Force Pushed Ezra to throw him over the edge, but Kanan managed to grab his Padawan by the ankle.
"I got you! I got you!" He told him, struggling to hold on due to him using one hand. Errol was busy keeping his focus on the Inquisitors.
"Guys, hurry up!" Errol told them as the Dark Side users walked up to them with confidence.
"Hold on. I'm busy at the moment." Ezra told him as he started to use the Force to connect with the local creatures called tibidee to come to their aid. The Fifth Brother tried to strike them, but Errol defended them and kicked him back.
"Guys!" Errol shouted, wanting their help.
"Up on three?" Kanan asked Ezra.
"Fine! One…" Ezra started to count down.
"Two…"
"Three!" They both shouted in unison and Kanan pulled Ezra up into the air and he landed up on the cliffside and helped Errol deal with the Seventh Sister while Kanan got up on his feet while dealing with the Brother.
"I got us a ride. Come on!" Errol told his fellow Jedi and they ran away from the Inquisitors.
"I don't like this." Kanan voiced his thoughts.
"Just get ready to jump!" Ezra told them as they ran to the edge.
"Seriously?! You're crazy!" Errol shouted, getting tired of Ezra's ways.
"NOW!" Ezra shouted and the trio jumped off and they landed on a large tibidee, hanging onto it as it flew off.
"This was you?" Kanan asked, as it seemed Ezra had developed his connection with creatures again.
"Yeah, not bad, huh?" Ezra retorted. Errol looked back and saw the Chopper piloted Phantom following them and then flew in front of them. He then opened the hatch for them to enter.
"Let's get in." Errol said, jumping in first.
"Thanks for the lift." Ezra told the tibidee, patting it. It wailed in reply as he and Kanan jumped into the shuttle. Chopper then flew them off of the planet and jumped into Hyperspace.
"Phew, that was a close one." Ezra said, sounding relieved and with a smile. But Kanan and Errol frowned in thought.
"Yeah, another close one." Kanan said, grimly. Ezra picked up on this.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I speak for Kanan when I say this: No matter where we go, we seem to run into those Inquisitors, which isn't good. At this rate, we won't help the Rebels establish a base." Errol told him.
"At least, not as long as we're with them." Kanan added. Though Errol and his parents can hide their signatures from the Force, so much so that it would seem they didn't exist, Kanan and Ezra can't seem to do that.
"So, what are we gonna do about it?" Ezra asked.
"I don't know. But it's endangering the whole squadron. We're gonna need advice on this." Kanan finished off, referring to Errol's parents.
As they flew through Hyperspace, Errol asked Hera for his parents to discuss some matters, but to be away from the fleet, to Kanan's request.
Once they exited Hyperspace, they reached the Ghost and Chopper attached the Phantom back on the ship and then they climbed down the ladder into the common room where Hera and Zeb were. Zeb was busy working on his bo-rifle.
"Well, you three seem fine. How's the Phantom?" Hera asked, hugging and kissing Errol on the cheek.
"I don't know. Chopper was flying." Ezra said grumpily, walking past her.
"Oh, boy." She muttered.
"So, kid, you find us a base yet?" Zeb asked him.
"No, but we did find two Inquisitors." He replied.
"Oh, that's nothing new." Zeb said, bored.
"They're waiting for you." Hera told Errol about his parents. He nodded and followed after Ezra.
"Why did you have us meet you out here, away from the fleet?" She then asked Kanan.
"It's safer this way." Kanan cryptically told her.
The two young Jedi entered Kanan's quarters where they saw Dash and Ahsoka. Dash was sitting on the bottom bunk while Ahsoka sat on a seat on her knees, eyes closed and with a holocron activated, showing a hologram of her former Master, Anakin Skywalker.
"Keeping your saber moving is key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries. Fluid motion, one into the next, into the next, and so on. I've made some adjustments to the classic Form IV techniques that I think you'll find work well against droids and other ranged attackers. Here, I'll show you. One, two, three…." The hologram of Anakin instructed. Ezra sat opposite Ahsoka on another seat. Errol stood next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"He's amazing. I've watched these recordings to help me with my own saber training." Ezra admitted.
"You should've seen him in person. He was my Master, Anakin Skywalker." Ahsoka told him, opening her eyes. This revelation surprised Ezra.
"Your Master is the same one that became Darth Vader?" He asked. The family trio nodded.
"Kanan said he was the greatest warrior the Jedi had in the Clone Wars." Ezra then said, remembering when he asked Kanan about him shortly after their first encounter with Vader.
"He was so powerful he rarely lost a battle." Dash said, remembering when he fought side by side with him in many battles.
"But what would've surprised people was how kind he was. He cared deeply about his friends, and looked out for them until the end. Before he became Darth Vader." Ahsoka then explained sadly, remembering those times Anakin helped her and Dash out.
"Practice these exercises mindfully, and you'll see improvement, I promise." The recording then finished off before shutting off.
"What happened when you last saw him?" Ezra asked Dash and Ahsoka.
"The last time we saw him, he was rushing off to save Palpatine right before we went off to free Mandalore." Dash started off with.
"That's when everything changed. The war ended, Palpatime became Emperor and the Jedi were accused of treason. One by one, they were hunted down." Ahsoka continued.
"By the Inquisitors." Ezra said.
"Or worse." Ahsoka added.
"Like Vader." Errol said. Everyone nodded right as the door opened and Kanan entered.
"Speaking of Inquisitors…. Ahsoka, Dash, what do you think about us doing the hunting for a change?" Kanan asked, everyone standing up and gathered around each other.
"When you defeated one, two more came. We might end up multiplying our problems again." Dash pointed out a pattern.
"And there's Vader." Ezra reminded everyone.
"I don't disagree. But the fact remains, we can't protect our friends from Vader and his Inquisitors. I can barely protect you." Kanan said, the final part referring to Ezra.
"I don't need protecting." He said to seem tough.
"That kind of thinking can get you killed, kid." Dash cautioned him.
"It's times like these that Anakin, Dash and myself would turn to someone like Obi-Wan or Master Yoda. They always had the answer. Almost always." Ahsoka said.
"So what do we do?" Errol asked.
"Then maybe we should ask Master Yoda." Kanan suggested, causing Dash, Ahsoka and Errol to raise their eyebrows.
The five decided to take the Phantom and head to Lothal to the Jedi Temple on the planet for answers. They entered Hyperspace with Chopper accompanying them.
They entered Hyperspace and within minutes, they reached Lothal and Kanan piloted the shuttle to land in front of a giant rock. They all exited the shuttle and noticed that it seemed to be the winter season on Lothal due to the snow. Errol sensed the Force in front of them, clearly meaning the Temple was hiding in plain sight.
"Wait, you're from Lothal?" Dash asked Ezra.
"Yeah, this place is my home." The teen replied as he led them all to a certain spot, with Chopper catching up to them.
"Here it is. If you two and Kanan stand here, you can use the Force to open the Temple." Ezra told Errol's parents.
"Ezra, they can't. They're technically not Jedi." Errol told him, which caused Ezra to frown.
"It was our choice, we left the Order because of Errol." Dash told Ezra.
"It's probably best if you, Kanan and Errol open it." Ahsoka said as she looked up at the rock.
"Alright then. Kanan, Errol?" He asked his fellow Jedi. The three grouped up, closed their eyes and held their hands out to the Force and then the rock twisted around, upwards, so much so that an entrance showed up but the Temple kept going.
"Hey, where's the door going?" Ezra asked, opening his eyes. He then closed his again and shortly after, a whole new entrance showed up.
"This is new." Ezra said.
"Well, new problem, new door." Kanan remarked.
"Chop, stay here. Keep an eye out." He then told the astromech, who saluted.
The five then walked in through the entrance and then found themselves in a large circular room. They stopped in the centre when they heard the entrance close up behind them.
"So how did you guys contact Master Yoda?" Errol asked.
"Well, he kind of contacted us." Kanan said.
"I thought I was dreaming when I first heard Master Yoda's voice." Ezra confessed.
"And I was meditating." Kanan revealed.
"We can start with that then." Dash told everyone and then they all got on their knees, starting to meditate. After a while, Kanan felt a pull and opened his eyes to see a white light coming from a doorway.
"I see a doorway." He said. This made everyone open their eyes and look around, only to see nothing.
"Where? I-I don't see anything." Ezra told him.
"Same here." Errol said.
"Neither do I." Ahsoka added.
"It must be his path. One he must go down, alone." Dash said, facing Kanan. He nodded and then walked up to where he saw the doorway, stopped for a second and then walked through, disappearing out of sight.
"Where'd he go? He just disappeared." Ezra said in confusion.
"As you know, these Temples can be tricky." Ahsoka replied.
"This tends to happen to Padawans. Taking a final trial to become a Jedi Knight." Dash explained as they all looked around. As they did, Dash looked and noticed something off.
"Errol?" He asked aloud, seeing that his son is no longer where he was. Ahsoka and Ezra noticed as well and were worried slightly.
Errol opened his eyes to find himself not with his parents and Ezra. Instead, he found himself in a hallway of some kind of base, built into a place on an ice planet or moon due to the white walls and floors.
"Hello?" He asked aloud, standing up and looking down the hallways. No one seemed to answer him as there was nothing but silence. It sent chills up his spine.
With caution, he walked down a hallway and as he made his way down, he started to hear a couple of muffled voices. He frowned as he recognized one of them. That was when two figures came out from around the corner. One was Leia in winter wear, and the other was a man wearing a black jacket and a white shirt underneath. He didn't know what they're arguing about as their voices were still muffled.
Errol was about to say something when suddenly, the place shook as though it was attacked. He looked back and then he started to run down the hallways, searching for answers. But then he saw a whole bunch of Stormtroopers charging through the hallways with Darth Vader in their company.
"Vader." Errol growled, not getting a response other than the mechanical breathing. Errol reached for his lightsaber when he got thrown through a doorway and then suddenly, he found himself in the middle of desert.
"What the….?" He asked himself in confusion. He got up on his feet and looked around to see that he's on a flat plain and then saw that he's at some outpost of some kind.
"Don't give up. He might still show up. Whoever it is you're both waiting for. I know all about waiting." A female voice said. Errol turned and saw that same young woman from the vision he had after he first encountered the Grand Inquisitor. She was next to a speeder with a droid that had a round white and orange body and a head attached. They were with two young men. One was older than the other with short green hair, blue eyes and facial hair. And the other looked a lot like Errol with the black hair and blue eyes.
"Waiting for what?" The green haired young man asked.
"For my family. They'll be back, one day. Come on." The young woman told all of them. The black haired one had a knowing look on his face.
Suddenly, Errol now found himself thrown back and blacked out.
Back in the circular room, Ezra, Dash and Ahsoka were meditating again.
"You both knew Master Yoda, right?" Ezra asked the two, opening his eyes.
"Yes. He taught almost all of the younglings in the Temple at one point or another." Ahsoka replied, opening her eyes.
"Kanan described him to me. Small, green, and wrinkly with pointy ears. But he didn't know what he was really like." Ezra explained.
"We're not really sure anyone did. He was nothing but wise, kind, though when the both of us were younger, he seemed like he was happy." Dash said, remembering his days as a youngling and seeing Yoda's smile.
"But as the Clone War dragged on, he carried a great burden, a deep sorrow, as if he knew before anyone else, that one time was ending, and another beginning." Ahsoka then explained. Her and Dash opened their eyes and were shocked to see that Ezra isn't there anymore.
"He must be going on his own path." Dash pointed out. He then had a look on his face that Ahsoka knew too well.
"Dash… you'll find out what happened to your father." She promised. This has been a dilemma for him ever since he learned who his mother was, during the Clone Wars.
"But what if I never know and never have closure?" Dash said, looking down at his knees in defeat.
"If the Force gave you visions warning you of the future, it just might tell you what happened to him." His wife said, holding his hand softly. He nodded.
"You're right." He said as he closed his eyes. But then as he opened them, he saw that Ahsoka was gone and that he was now somewhere else at night.
"Hello! Ahsoka! Where are you?!" He called out, standing up as rain started to fall and lightning rang.
"Shh. Don't worry, we're just about there." He heard a male voice behind him at the same time he heard a baby crying.
Dash turned around and to his surprise, he was in front of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He saw a figure walking up to the Temple and so he ran up to get a look at who it was.
Upon finally seeing his features, Dash could see that it was someone in their early twenties with a mullet of black hair and he was holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. Dash was shocked to see that it had a tuft of black hair and blue eyes. The same shade of blue as his own. This must be his father dropping him off at the temple.
"Don't worry, Dash, these people can look after you." His father told his baby self as they walked up the stairs to the Temple. Dash followed them until they stopped at the entrance where a Jedi stood.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The Jedi asked, hand hovering over his lightsaber hilt on his belt.
"Please, you need to take my son. He needs to be looked after." Dash's father begged the Jedi, holding him out to the Jedi.
"This isn't an orphanage, sir." The Jedi tried to decline.
"He has the Force! Why do you think I brought him here?!" His father barked at the Jedi, who now seemed serious and held his hand out, sensing the Force inside him, which caused Dash's baby self to cry again.
"Indeed. He's really powerful. You did the right thing bringing him here." The Jedi said.
"Can I say goodbye to him?" Dash's dad requested. The Jedi nodded.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, son. It's the only way to protect you. No matter what happens, I love you with my entire being." He told him, kissing his forehead and then handed him over to the Jedi before walking off from the Temple, leaving Dash to shed tears upon now knowing how he came to the Jedi Temple.
The whole environment now changed, as though it was sand being blown by the wind and it was now in some random jungle.
Dash now saw his father running for his life, this time he was wearing Mandalorian armour and a few blaster bolts fired past his head. There was also the sound of jetpacks in the air.
Upon reaching a clearing, Dash's father now found himself surrounded by Mandalorians, all wearing the same blue coloured armour. Death Watch.
"Where is the child?" One of them asked his father, blasters all pointed at him.
"Far from your terrorist hands, that's what!" He spat back.
"Last chance, where. Is. The child?!" Another asked, clearly wanting to shoot him.
"I'll never tell you. Not even Bo-Katan." He stood his ground and not even a second later, all of them fired their blasters and shot him at every part of his body, especially his head, killing him in cold blood.
"I told you he'd never tell us. He's just a father trying to protect his child." a male voice from the only red armoured Mandalorian. He took his helmet off to reveal a man with short light hair.
"What do we tell Bo-Katan?" One of them asked.
"That a creature killed him before we could get to him. She doesn't need to know we killed her lover." He suggested with a wicked smile.
"That might come back to bite you, Gar Saxon." Upon hearing that name, Dash grew furious. He encountered him during the Siege of Mandalore, and he might've killed his father's killer. Dash was going to roar in anger when he suddenly got thrown back and blacked out.
Back with Ahsoka, she was all by herself in the circular room. She was still meditating with one of her saber hilts placed in front of her.
"Ahsoka." She heard a voice call out to her, echoing. It sounded familiar. She opened her eyes to look around and she saw nothing. She then closed her eyes again.
"Ahsoka, why did you leave?" The voice asked again. This time clear, though sounding like it echoed still. Anakin. Behind her a ghostly image formed.
"I had to. For my son, and because the Jedi were corrupt." Ahsoka reasoned, not feeling any guilt.
"Where were you when I needed you?" Anakin's ghostly form asked.
"I made a choice. I would never leave Dash and Errol. And even if I was there for you, I alone wouldn't have swayed you from turning to the Dark Side." She argued. Her husband and son are more important than anything else.
"You were selfish." Anakin scolded her.
"Don't talk to me about being selfish. You secretly married before I did. You blindly trusted Palpatine on false promises to protect Padme." She stood her ground.
"You abandoned me! You failed me!" Anakin barked at her.
"No! You failed yourself. You were supposed to bring balance to the Force! But you gave into temptation." She shot back.
"Do you know what I've become?" Anakin then asked before the ghostly image turned into Darth Vader, mechanically breathing.
"Dash saw your outcome long before it happened. I wouldn't have done anything to stop it. Now leave!" Ahsoka yelled at it, swinging her saber around, only to see nothing there. She sighed, realising that the Temple must've picked up on thoughts she had been thinking about after leaving the Jedi with Dash.
She deactivated her saber and went back to meditating.
Errol gained consciousness and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back on his knees in the circular room, with his mom and dad with him.
"Mom! Dad!" He said, glad to see them, hugging them. They hugged back, tightly.
"I'm glad you're alright." He told them. He then felt tears stain his shirt, and they were coming from his dad.
"Dad? What happened?" He then asked, parting from his parents to see his dad crying. Even Ahsoka was concerned.
"I know. My father was killed by Death Watch. By Gar Saxon." Dash said, voice cracking. Ahsoka gasped, knowing what he's talking about and hugged him tenderly as he held onto her like a child.
Then suddenly, the Temple started to shake and all three felt a familiar dark presence.
"The Inquisitors." Errol growled as they all stood up. Dash wiped the tears from his face.
"We need to find Kanan and Ezra." He told his wife and son. Ahsoka noticed a tunnel that wasn't there before.
"There's still a way. Come on." She told the two and they all ran through the tunnel and once they made it to the other side, they met up with Kanan and Ezra.
"Guys, you won't believe what I-"
"Tell us later! Come on!" Kanan interrupted his Padawan before they all started running their way through the Temple and into another tunnel.
"Up ahead! The way out!" Kanan told them all. Suddenly, Ahsoka and Dash stopped as they felt a familiar presence. They turned to see Master Yoda, sitting there with a smile, waving at them. The couple smiled back before they ran to catch up with their son and friends.
They all made it out of the Temple, the ground all red and saw that it was nighttime. Chopper then came in with the Phantom.
"Chopper!" Kanan called out. The astromech landed the shuttle and told them some news.
"He says Imperial forces are on their way." Ezra said as they entered the shuttle and Chopper took off before they could encounter the Imperial forces.
"I saw Master Yoda." Ezra confessed to everyone.
"Saw him? What did he say?" Kanan asked him.
"He said to find Malachor. Who's Malachor?" Ezra asked Dash and Ahsoka. They looked at each other with a frown.
"Malachor isn't a person. It's a place. A planet of the Sith." Ahsoka corrected Ezra.
"So, what did you each see?" Ezra then asked everyone.
"I saw two visions. The first was some kind of base on a planet with snow. It seemed to have been attacked by Vader. And the next was on a desert planet. I saw a group discuss stuff before they walked to an outpost. They must be predicting the future." Errol told everyone. This surprised Dash as it means that now his son is seeing the future.
"I found out that my father was killed by a Mandalorian named Gar Saxon." Dash said, though saddened, at least felt closure. He could move on fully.
"An image of Anakin appeared, trying to make me feel guilt for leaving. I didn't fall for it." Ahsoka said, which earned her a hug from her husband and son.
"Kanan?" Errol asked.
"I've just finished a trial. I'm now a Jedi Knight. But I also learned that the Grand Inquisitor was once a Jedi Temple Guard." He revealed.
"I knew it." Errol muttered, remembering when he first sensed the Grand Inquisitor.
All of this made all of them feel closure, confusion, stronger and firmer in their choices. They now just had to deal with whatever comes their way from now on.
Yeah, Ahsoka's interaction with Anakin's ghostly image was different than in the show, Dash has closure on his father, hinting at his arc in the Clone Wars story and Errol has more visions of the future. I'm sure you can take a good guess at who those two young men were in Errol's second vision.