Previously, on the Legacy of Jarik Shan...


In the cockpit, Ahsoka, Mara and Kanan were focused on the Force as they reached out to their enemy in the TIE Fighter. On the comlink, Ezra started talking to them. "I think I know who it is!" he exclaimed. Ahsoka frowned, and Mara shivered.

Vader stared forwards at his target, determined to bring an end to the rebel ship.

"Back on Lothal I felt something. Kanan and Mara did too!" he continued. "The fear. The anger. The hate..."

With each word that Ezra said, Ahsoka grimaced, her expression becoming more unsure and fearful. Mara could recognize it too, and began to come to the conclusion that this was Vader. She, along with Ahsoka, pressed further into the Force... and received an answer.

In his TIE Fighter, Vader suddenly slowed down briefly, and glanced up to the side, feeling something familiar. He could sense Mara Jade on that ship trying to reach him, as well as the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. And then...

"It's the Sith Lord we faced!" Ezra exclaimed, and Mara pulled back with a gasp, recognizing the cold.

Ahsoka's face was now filled with horror, and she opened her eyes, terror gleaming from within her soul. She knew who it was! But... it, it couldn't be! I couldn't be him!

Underneath his mask, Darth Vader grinned to himself at this turn of events. "The apprentice lives," he stated.

Memories flushed through Ahsoka, ones full of happiness, then chaos, then sadness, then worry, then despair, horror...

Anakin...

She screamed out loud, her mind unable to handle it. The memories and feelings now flowed wrongly, tainted and taken by the dark side, and it was too much for her. She fell backwards, unconscious, and Kanan caught her in shock. Mara stared at her in terror.

"Ahsoka?!" Kanan exclaimed.

"MOM!" Mara yelled, rushing to her side and holding onto her desperately, not knowing what just happened, only that Vader was somehow responsible.


3rd person POV...

Without warning, Vader suddenly pulled off from his run on the command ship, his previous goal no longer important to him. He felt her, on that very ship, the Ghost. Now that he knows the apprentice lives... capturing her would be one of the most beneficial things for him now.

On the Ghost, Ahsoka was being propped up by Kanan while Mara was at her side, eyes wide in terror and worry as she shook her. "Mom? Mom, wake up!" she pleaded. Hera continued to glance back at them in concern, distracted.

"She's just unconscious Mara, stay focused!" Kanan replied sternly, although his worry was easily heard as well.

"Captain Syndulla, whatever you're doing, keep it up! The fleet can recover!" Commander Sato said over the coms joyfully. Mara glared angrily at the console.

"Is he serious?!" she demanded furiously, moving to get up, but Kanan quickly grabbed her wrist with one of his hands.

"Mara, calm down," he hissed to her before looking at the com-link. "Commandeer, you need to get the fleet out of here now!"

"I will not abandon our command ship!" Sato exclaimed angrily.

"If he doesn't-" Mara starts to yell before the ship shakes violently.

Behind the Ghost, Vader comes flying in at high speed and fires off a burst of lasers, taking out one of the A-Wings before they could react, and then focuses intently on the Ghost. He starts firing at essential systems of the Ghost.

"You don't have a choice, sir!" Hera tells him. "Without a hyperdrive, you must abandon ship!"

Just then, three large Imperial Star Destroyers appear out of hyperspace, closing in on the rebel fleet fast. At the helm of the lead Destroyer stood Kassius Konstantine, an admiral of the Imperial Navy. He was decent at his job, but his rank came through privileges and influence, not through actual leadership and skill. He was arrogant at times, and usually fought more for the glory of a battle than following the leadership of his superiors.

"Lord Vader, we have entered the system and await your orders," he states.

"Move your Destroyers to block their escape, but hold your fire. I want these rebels alive." Vader says coldly, firing his laser cannons at the Ghost again.

The Ghost shook, and the occupants inside struggled to keep from falling over. Mara continued to worry over Ahsoka, having practically taken her from Kanan at this point, who was now sitting in the co-pilot's seat again. "It's now or never, Commander," he said.

"We regretfully agree," Sato replies bitterly. "All hands, abandon ship! You'll have to keep that fighter occupied."

"Don't worry, sir. We seem to have his attention!" Hera replied, ending the transmission. She pilots the Ghost past the exploding rebel command ship, and Vader follows viciously, firing his green laser cannons and scoring hits on the Ghost, which fired back at him. He easily dodged the hail of red laser that came for him, continuing his pursuit.

"Suddenly, there's a lot to do back here!" Zeb exclaims in alarm, unable to hit Vader, who gets ever closer and more deadly.

"Sorry to spoil your fun Zeb, but I'm ordering Chopper to divert all power to the hyperdrive. including cannons!" Hera replies over the com.

Chopper beeped in affirmative, but the others were appalled. "Hera, what are you doing?!" Sabine exclaimed in bewilderment.

"I think I know," Ezra replied nervously, and the ship began to angle towards the Star Destroyers.

"Don't worry Ghost, I've got your back," a voice over the coms said, and Mara perked up.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, a little bit more relieved.

The Knight Hawk suddenly appeared out of hyperspace not too far away from Vader and the Ghost, the Sith Lord immediately taking notice with a frown. Jarik then steered the ship towards the conflict, and opened fire with his laser cannons on the TIE Fighter, immediately knowing who it was. Vader weaved around the laser fire, using the Force to help him evade it while also staying targeted on the Ghost. However it was a lot more difficult with the Knight Hawk constantly firing at him.

From the exploding command ship, escape pods were launched towards the rest of the fleet. "Ghost crew, escape pods are secure. Fleet, Commence hyperspace jump!" he said into the com.

"Copy that commander, we'll meet you at safe haven!" Hera replied.

With that said, the fleet all angled away from the Star Destroyers, along with the two remaining A-Wing pilots. They then jumped into hyperspace, leaving just the Ghost and the Knight Hawk with Vader and the Imperial fleet.

"Fleet is away! Get us out of here!" Sabine exclaimed.

"Everybody, hang on!" Hera told them, moving faster towards the fleet. Vader followed, firing off green lasers at every random interval in an attempt to damage the ship further and prevent any escape. His primary target was the hyperdrive.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Jarik asked over the coms.

"Probably," she replied.

Behind Vader's ship, Jarik also continued the chase, with R5 plugged into the terminal and firing at the Sith Lord. A high barrage of red lasers followed, and one managed to graze Vader's ship, knocking him off course slightly. His advanced TIE's shields however held firm, leaving no damage.

The Sith Lord growled lowly in anger, quickly swiveling his ship around so that his laser cannons were aimed for the Knight Hawk. He immediately opened fire, green lasers peppering the front of the ship. Jarik quickly turned away in surprise, having not expected Vader to perform such a quick move. Unfortunately, the front of the ship was slightly damaged from the surprise attack, leaving small holes in the hull. Thankfully it wasn't serious damage, and could easily be prepared.

Satisfied, Vader swiveled his fighter around again and blasted off towards the Ghost, which was making a speedway directly through the middle of the Star Destroyer trio.

"Chopper, angle all deflectors astern!" Hera ordered, but Chopper beeped back in bewilderment.

"Those Star Destroyers aren't the ones firing at us!" she yelled back hotly. "Now do it! Fast!"

Onboard the bridge of the main Destroyer, Konstantine watched the pursuit as a technician approached him. "Target coming into range, the officer reported.

"Activate tractor beam on my signal," he stated, glancing at the Knight Hawk as it pursued after Vader. "And destroy that nuisance behind Lord Vader's ship. The rebel craft in front is our target."

The technician nodded and headed back to relay the order to the rest of the bridge. Moments later, the laser turrets of hios Star Destroyer swiveled around and took aim at the Knight Hawk, which Jarik noticed with alarm.

"Oh kriff," he muttered. R5 beeped in alarm.

The Star Destroyer opened fire with a hail of green lasers, and he quickly swiveled out of the way and continued to try following, but his pursuit of Vader was quickly cut off by the Destroyer. The crew of the Ghost all thought they were doomed, but realized with alarm that they were aiming for Jarik instead. Mara gasped in worry.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

Jarik continued to try and evade the laser blasts, but it was too much for him to handle, and when one laser slammed into the hull of his ship, he was forced to turn away. The green laser shook the ship violently, and sparks flew from the electrical outlets as they were overworked on the shields protecting the hull.

"I can't help you guys any longer, not with those Destroyer's on me," Jarik told the Ghost.

"Don't worry about it, we're almost through!" Hera replied. "Head back to the safe haven!"

With those words, Jarik angled the Knight Hawk away from the Imperial fleet and quickly made the jump to hyperspace, disappearing in a flash. That just left the Ghost crew and Vader now, the latter still in hot pursuit, although he was disappointed and frustrated that Shan turned away. He would have words with Konstantine later, but for now he needed to capture these rebels, and Tano.

"Hera!" Kanan exclaimed in alarm.

"Wait... wait!" she replied.

Vader narrowed his eyes and pressed the trigger on his fighter, scoring direct hits to the Ghost's engines.

"Gotcha!" Hera said joyfully, pulling the lever for hyperspace. They disappeared just as Konstantine had the tractor beam activated. Unfortunately for him, the ship that was caught was not the Ghost, but rather, Lord Vader's TIE Fighter. The Sith Lord looked around, brimming with silent fury and rage that his prize had escaped, no thanks to the meddling influence of the Admiral.

"Status report on the rebel craft," Konstantine said, a satisifed smirk on his face.

"Sir, we've locked onto a ship," the technician replied, although with a hint of fear. "But it's not the rebel craft... it's, Lord Vader's ship!"

Konstantine widened his eyes in terror, mouth gaping like a fish, and he glanced around the bridge in a panic. "Re-release him immediately!" he stuttered in terror. The technician did so, and he brushed off his shoulder with a sigh.

"It's, not your fault officer," he said, and the technician wiped his forehead in relief. "But Lord Vader, won't know that." Konstantine added, and the officer widened his eyes in terror.


Ahsoka POV...

I sat down in the co-ilot's seat of the Ghost as the ship drifted along with the rest of the fleet. Chopper was just outside the cockpit, fixing up the ship from the damage received during the battle. I had awoken from being sent unconscious, and Mara had been going crazy with relief, refusing to stay away from me. Right now she was sitting next to me in her own seat, constantly glancing at me with worry, and a hint of fear.

"Mom, are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I am Mara," I replied with a soft smile.

"Ok..." she replied, swallowing before talking. "It's just that... when you fell unconscious, I- I didn't know what had happened to you and... I was afraid you were somehow gone," she said quietly.

"Oh Mara," I sighed sadly. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you, just like your father will as well. You don't have to worry about that," I assured her with a smile. She smiled back in relief, looking back out the window.

However I was far from fine, and my gaze returned to where it was previously looking down, an impassive look on my face. What I felt from the Sith Lord... from Vader, it was terrifying. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew him. I know who he is... or at least knew. Despite what I can't believe, and even though it was much darker and hateful than it should ever be, I know that I felt Anakin. The door behind us then opened, Kanan and Ezra walking inside.

"Ahsoka, Hera said you wanted to speak with us," Ezra said.

"Please, come in," I replied.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, as they both sat down in the other two chairs.

"I am, thank you," I replied, swiveling around to face them and Mara at the same time. "I wanted to ask about the Sith Lord you encountered on Lothal."

"You know we've encountered Inquisitor's before, but this was nothing like that." Kanan said. "The fear, the anger, the hate. You felt it. I haven't sensed a presence like that since..."

"The Clone Wars," I finished with a grim expression.

"Yeah," he replied.

Mara crossed her arms hesitantly. "I'm guessing that I felt him the most on Lothal, since you guys seemed oblivious for most of it."

"In what way?" I asked her.

"When Minister Tua's shuttle was blown up, I saw him just watching us, and I could feel him too," she said, shivering as she recalled the feeling. "He was more focused on me than anyone else..."

That worried me, and probably means that Vader knows exactly who she is, and her connection with Jarik... and now me. "You are highly sensitive to the Force, more than most your age, and Jarik has taught you how to recognize the dark side," I pointed out.

"Wait, Jarik knows the dark side?" Kanan asked with surprise and wariness. "But the Jedi forbade that!"

"The sole reason why we never felt the Emperor's rise to power in the Senate," I reminded him. "We were taught to stay clear of the dark side at any cost, that to start down that path means our souls are doomed forever."

"Forever?" Ezra asks doubtfully. "I mean, that's a little much, right?"

"I think it's dumb," Mara deadpanned.

"The dark side in dangerous, and full of evil." Kanan insisted.

"The dark side is dangerous, but evil only comes from how it's used," I said, thinking about how Jarik, and partially, me interpret the dark side. "Light and Dark can't exist without the other. Even with no Sith there will still be darkness, somewhere."

"So what does that have to do with Jarik using it?" Kanan demanded with a frown.

"He doesn't, 'use' it, you could say," I reply. "But he can understand it, on a natural level, something not many Jedi could. It's this ignorance of the dark side that Palpatine used to destroy the Order during the Clone Wars. In order to defeat your enemy, you have to understand them, understand what the dark side truly is."

He looks down in thought, unsure and conflicted by what he learned, but he is considering the possibility. "I suppose," he finally says, albeit hesitantly.

"That's good enough for me," I tell him.

We were in silence for a little while longer before Ezra spoke up again.

"Ahsoka, about Vader... Mara said that Jarik knew, or at least fought him before," he says, and I frowned. "Do you know who, or what, Vader is?"

I glanced away unsure, thinking about what Jarik has said about Vader. I know he's the Emperor's right hand, and a Sith Lord, of course, but I've never met him. I don't know too much about him, actually... but Jarik does. Come to think of it, he has talked about fighting Vader with Obi-Wan... but he never said anything about that, or who he was otherwise.

And did he... did he really tell the truth about Anakin? Or did he avoid the question, all those years ago?

I turned away sadly. "No, I don't," I said, keeping any insight about how I felt hidden from Mara and the others. "But I do know that he will be coming... They'll all be coming now," I said grimly.

"Then we've gotta be ready to fight!" Ezra said determinedly.

"Against Vader, it's not the simple," Mara sighed.

"We must find the strength, to fight," Kanan added. "And greater courage is knowing when not to fight."

The door to the cockpit then opened, revealing the rest of the Ghost Crew. "And we'll be beside you, either way," Hera said encouragingly.

I turned around to look at them, giving them all a smile of gratitude. Mara gave the others, and Ezra a small grin as well, but then I turned away, a haunted look shadowing my face as I recalled feeling Vader's presence... so similar to Anakin... and yet so different at the same time. The crystal on my ring pulsed slightly, and I glanced at it before looking up as the Knight Hawk arrived out of hyperspace.

It was time to talk to Jarik. And this time, I'm going to get the full truth out of him, no matter what.


Darth Vader POV...

The doors to the bridge opened, and I strode through with purpose towards the holotable, where Kallus and Konstantine stood. They both stood straight at attention upon my arrival.

"With their command ship destroyed, the rebel fleet has been shattered. You have them on the run-" Kallus starts to say but I cut him off.

"Who fired the tractor beam?" I demanded coldly.

Kallus raised an eyebrow and glanced at Konstantine, who shuffled nervously, sweat running down his brow. "Lord Vader, it was an oversight. The officer firing the beam didn't-" he stammers in defense of himself, before stopping. I clenched my fist and he began to choke as I closed the Force around his throat.

"Your senseless actions not only stopped my advance against the rebel craft, but also chased away any chance of capturing Jarik Shan, who was in the second ship," I stated, my voice a low growl. He clutched desperately at his neck, Kallus watching warily in alarm before I released him. Konstantine collapsed against the holotable, gasping for breathe and looking up at me in fear.

"The next time you fail me, I will not be so merciful," I warned him with a deadly glare, that even he could feel through my mask.

"Y-yes, Lord Vader! O-of, course!" he stammered, voice at a higher pitch and still coughing.

"Now, clear the bridge," I ordered them, leaving no room for argument.

Kallus and Konstantine both glanced at each other in slight confusion, before they both inclined their heads, Konstantine quickly leaving first. Kallus walked after him, but before the doors closed, he glanced back with slightly narrowed eyes. I gave him no concern.

Once the door had closed, I pressed a button on the holotable requesting a transmission from Coruscant, and then kneeled as it glowed blue. I kept my head down as the hologram of my Master, Darth Sidious came into being. OH how I despised him now, for going back on his promise to save Padmé, but I would deal with him in time. For now, I was his servant.

"Lord, Vader. Have you dealt with the rebels in the Lothal system?" he demanded, gravely voice booming.

"Yes Master. They are broken," I replied.

"And yet I sense in you, something, more to your victory," he stated with a frown.

"I believe the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker lives, and is in league, with these rebels. And, with Jarik Shan," I told him.

There was a pause, his face intrigued before he replied. "Are you, certain?" he asks.

"It was her," I insisted, knowing that I could never forget her presence.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and his eyes gleamed yellow. "This, is an opportunity we cannot let pass. Skywalker's apprentice, and Jarik Shan could lead us to other lost Jedi."

"Such as Kenobi?" I suggested.

"Perhaps, if he lives," he replied. "Be patient, my old friend. For now, dispatch two more Inquisitor's to hunt down the rebels, along with Shan and Tano."

I scowled behind my mask but didn't protest. As much as I wanted to hunt down her and Shan myself, and possibly find Kenobi, I couldn't overrule the Emperor. Not now, or ever, until I finally defeat him. So I bowed my head in submission, if a little bitterly.

"As you wish, my Master," I told him.


The Siege of Lothal is now over, but the rest of the story is far from being finished! And now Jarik finally has to reveal the truth to Ahsoka... this can only go so well... O_o