REVIEWS:

Shanverse fan 1: Glad you enjoy it! Also, you'll have to wait and see for future content. :)

CT7567Rules: Maybe, I'm still considering all of the clones that I know about, and their fates.

C.E.W: Perhaps, there definitely is plenty of room for stuff like this to be possible.

BraverSeeker3: Lol, definitely jammed. You got that reference? :3

Shadow Solaris: Things will definitely be tense. :O


Ahsoka POV...

I boarded the Knight Hawk when Jarik docked with the Ghost, ready to talk to him about what had happened, and confront him in order to find the truth. On the way towards the cockpit, R5 rolled by me with a beep, and I shook my head in exasperation. Always something to be said from that droid, honestly. I reached the cockpit and found Jarik sitting in his chair, staring out the viewport.

"Hey," I told him.

He glanced up at me, and then swiveled the chair around. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

'So much...' I thought, but kept that to myself. "Not much," I replied, sitting down in the other chair with a shrug. "You get Zenna back to Ahch-To just fine?"

"Yeah, I did," he told me. "How did the mission go? Were they successful? Because, the Empire was going really hard on you guys," he remarked, and I took notice of how he didn't mention Vader... there's no way he didn't know who was in the TIE Fighter, that I am certain of.

I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning back in my seat. "No. Unfortunately it was a trap, and Minister Tua was killed."

He widened his eyes in surprise before sighing. "Sorry to hear that," he says regretfully. "Things get more dangerous every day."

"They do," I confirmed with a nod. "Mara and the rest of the crew encountered Darth Vader."

He widened his eyes in alarm, and I observed his reaction. "W-what?!" he exclaimed.

"They had to fight him to escape," I added.

"Oh kriffing Force, is she okay? I gotta go see her!" he said in a panic, getting out of his seat, but I stopped him.

"Jarik, Jarik! Mara is fine," I told him firmly. "Nobody was hurt, and we're all here now. She's a little shaken from the experience, but she's just fine."

He collapsed back into his seat, bringing a hand to his head as his brow creased in worry. "Oh thank the Force... if he..." he muttered quietly to himself, and I narrowed my eyes. "I knew something like this would happen when we let her go to Lothal."

"We couldn't know what could have happened Jarik," I said with a frown.

"It was almost guaranteed that Vader was on Lothal, all the signs were there!" he argued.

"But everyone is fine now. What could have happened otherwise doesn't matter," I told him.

He was silent for a few moments, glancing out the window before sighing. "I guess you're right."

I eyed him for a while, gauging his reaction. He was definitely worried and afraid for Mara, that I could sense most of all, as well as worried about Vader, and what could happen in the future. How much more I wasn't sure, either because that was all there was too it, or he was hiding the rest. Either way, I had to confront him now about this. I need to know.

"Jarik," I said seriously, in a tone that he immediately noticed. "We need to talk."

He glanced at me. "About what?" he asked.

"Vader," I said simply, and he gave no reaction, other than a brief flicker of his eyes.

"Okay... what about him?" he asked in confusion.

I leaned forward, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "What do you really know about him? I need to know."

He stared back. "I... what? I don't get it-"

"Who is Vader really?" I said, voice slightly louder.

"I don't know! I've only fought him once before!" he said back.

"On Mustafar, with Obi-Wan. And, when you also fought Barriss, and where she died," I recalled with a nod. "But there's more you aren't saying. Where did Vader come from? And why does he have to where a suit like I keep hearing about?"

"Ahsoka, I honestly don't know, he just showed up, like a reserve to Palpatine for Dooku! He's always had that suit," Jarik said defensively, but I could tell there was more he wasn't telling, now that I knew what to look for.

"Fine," I said in frustration, leaning back in the chair. "Then tell me this: what really happened to Anakin?"

He froze in surprise, and looked up at me uneasily. I narrowed my eyes at his reaction.

"Anakin?" he asks hesitantly. "I don't know what happened to him, I told you that years ago. Besides, what does he have to do with Vader?"

No I was glaring at him, fed up with him hiding the full truth. "You're lying," I accused, and he widened his eyes in disbelief.

"What?!" he exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Maybe not completely, but you aren't giving the full truth. And he has everything to do with this!" I continued.

"Why would I lie about Anakin though?! I honestly don't know what happened to him!" he protested, but I wasn't finished.

I stood up from my chair, glaring down at him before crossing my arms, looking out the window. "Vader was the one in that TIE Fighter we just fought," I told him, and he remained silent.

"I felt him... and he felt me. And then it all made sense!" I said, with a small, humorless laugh. "Vader's flying tactics, I recognized them. He fought you and Obi-Wan on Mustafar, right after Order 66. And he also stormed the Jedi Temple, according to your word, and you have no idea where Anakin was during that battle, despite having talked to him less than an hour before."

I then turned around to stare down at him, and he was nervous, hesitant to speak, but most of all in his eyes, and across the bond, I could sense... guilt.

"So," I said, leaning my head down. "About Anakin... is he Darth Vader?!" I demanded, voice breaking slightly at the thought as my eyes got watery, but I was also angry, and fed up now. I had to know the full truth, and I don't care what happened in order for me to learn this. Anakin was my master, so I have the right to know!"

Jarik struggles to formulate a response for a few moments, mouth opening and closing. Finally, he lets out a heavy sigh, guilt and sadness wreathing off of him in waves, in a way that took me off guard for a moment.

"Yes," he muttered quietly.

My breath caught in my throat.

"He is."

That was all that had to be said for me to understand the true meaning, and tears started to well in my eyes, and I collapsed back into the chair, holding my head in my hands. Anakin... the one who taught me, helped make me who I am, and who was such a positive influence in my life... was gone. Worse, now he's a Sith Lord, bent on bringing the galaxy under his rule! Tears welled up in my eyes, and I looked up at Jarik again, filled with grief, and a hint of betrayal.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why would you lie about that?"

He looks away, eyes also getting teary. "I didn't want to hurt you..."

"Oh kriff it all!" I yelled furiously. "Anakin was my master, I had every right to know! Why didn't you?!"

He flinched in response, holding his head before glancing up at me shamefully. "I don't know... I don't know. I- I didn't know how to tell you, and I didn't want you to think badly of him," he says, voice breaking. "I just wanted to protect you from the truth, so it wouldn't hurt."

"Hiding the truth doesn't work Jarik!" I exclaimed. "You can't just lie about these things, and it would have been so much easier for you to tell me! Not finding out from Ana- Vader... himself!"

My voice caught slightly as I said Anakin's name, correcting it to Vader. The fact that I had to do that broke me even more.

"Do you want to know what I saw him do?!" he suddenly says loudly, catching me by surprise as he suddenly stood up. "I had to watch as he stormed the Jedi Temple, killing everyone in his path! He was furious, full of hate and anger, it was awful!" he yelled, tears falling from his face. "I was helping Katooni, Petro and Boil to escape the Temple, the rest of their clan having been killed by the clones! But before we could make it, he was right in front of us!"

I was listening with wide eyes as he continued, tears falling from my eyes as well. "I had to watch as Petro was ripped from us before I could react, and stabbed through the heart by his lightsaber!"

I watched him, vision blurred slightly, and my heart broke even more at the thought of how Petro died... at Anakin... Vader's hands.

"i had suspected Palpatine for a while, but I never thought to much of it, sure that he couldn't be the Sith Lord hidden in the Senate!" he continued again. "But he was, and in a matter of minutes, he turned Anakin into a vicious, revenge seeking monster for something we never did! He choked Padmé to death on Mustafar! And I could only watch!"

He then collapsed into his chair, eyes bloodshot as his hidden pain from that time finally spilled out. I had a hand over my mouth to quiet my sobs, realizing that Anakin even went as far as to personally kill Padmé...

"I didn't want you to feel that same pain..." he said, his voice barely a whisper.

We were both silent, unconsciously sharing in our grief and horrifying sadness as what happened to Anakin. After about a minute, I finally spoke again.

"I... I- I'm sorry..." I whispered. "I'm so sorry that ever happened to you..."

He lowers his head.

"But you still kept the truth from me... even if it was heartbreaking, I should've learned the truth from you..." I added.

"I'm sorry too," he replied. "I shouldn't have ever kept it from you."

I slowly stood up from my chair, moving to exit the room. "I can't easily forgive you for lying to me about this Jarik," I said regretfully. "But I can at least understand why you did."

He doesn't say anything in response, so I move to leave the room. Before I could leave however, he stops me again.

"There's one more thing you deserve to know," he says quietly, and I stop, listening, but not looking at him. "Padmé died around an hour after he choked her... but before she did, she gave birth."

I widened my eyes in surprise, looking back at him.

"Luke and Leia... they're Padmé and Anakin's children," he said.

"Leia... as in Senator Organa's adopted daughter?" I asked, and he nodded his head. I took this in, before asking about the other. "And... what about Luke?"

"On Tatooine, with his stepfamily," he replied. "Obi-Wan is there in exile to watch over him."

I look down at the floor, surprised to learn this and also slightly curious to know what they are like. We've obviously met Luke, but we haven't met Leia either, and probably for this reason. Of course, Jarik probably had, but only when they were infants. At least he shared it with me, something that helps regain my trust in him a little bit more, at least in his effort to not lie about things I should know. I leave the room moments later, not knowing anything else to say.


Jarik POV...

I watch Ahsoka leave the cockpit, guilt-ridden for how I crushed her trust in me. I could sense it drop a bit after realizing I had lied to her this whole time about Anakin, and it was awful. I sighed heavily, wiping a few tears from my eyes and banging my head against the console. I grimaced slightly in pain, but I didn't care right now. I deserved far worse than a simple head bruise for lying to Ahsoka about such an important and sensitive topic.


I think, no words are required to describe this chapter.