Chapter 26

I'M LATE! F*CK! I'M SORRY! I guess life just got in the way. Work has started again. And yesterday my colleague broke her ankle real bad while we were at the school. We had to call an ambulance and everything. So much happened. But here it is, finally.

reviews:

littlesky33by: I really hope so too! But hey, I can't tell you anything ;) And isn't Ahsoka always careful? (Who am I kidding. She's very self destructive).

MalirBly: Thank You! Nightmares always are the worst. But I don't exactly know who you mean with *new character*?

Guest: I know you probably won't read this, but I get selfconcious very quickly and I felt the need to explain myself. From a certain point of view you're right. I also believe it's fair. Palpatine can go fuck himself honestly and the Council was right in not totally giving in to him. BUT I didn't write this with my point of view in mind. This is Ahsoka - a girl who has quite the good reason to not like the Council and who knows Anakin and his ambitions. She didn't think it was fair to him. As for Obi-Wan, he just feels guilty about everything that has happened before Anakin's Fall and has thought about everything that probably went wrong in Anakin's head. This was one of them.


Ahsoka was summoned the next day. Vaneé came to collect her and led her through the vast castle. Once again Ahsoka plotted their entire route in her head like a map. Because she was sure she would get lost in this place if she didn't. From the outside it looked like a very strange structure, but it had become obvious to Ahsoka real quick that the inside was just like any other imperial building she'd ever been in.

Everything was grey and every room and hallway looked the same.

Without the Force Ahsoka would sure get lost here. Ergo, route mapping. She followed Vaneé closely to what she believed were some of the upper levels. They had used a turbolift to get up, so… logical conclusion, really.

Ahsoka was led inside a large room. Once again, everything was grey. The ground held a certain pattern that made it obvious to her they could be opened. There were droids in the corners. It wasn't hard to figure out that this was a training room.

Vaneé left her without saying a word. Ahsoka figured she just had to wait here. She looked around. One wall appeared to consist of blast doors, which were currently closed. She looked for a way to open them. She just wanted to see the planet below. Wanted to feel its essence. The place where it had all gone wrong several years ago.

Ahsoka found the lever and pulled it. Without further action needed, the doors started to open with quite a lot of sound. Due to this, Ahsoka didn't notice a door open on the opposite side of the room. Or the heavy footsteps that followed when a certain Dark Lord of the Sith walked in.

Slowly the orange planet came into view and Ahsoka stood and stared. Once again, her thoughts wandered to what had transpired here. She took a step forward, imagining the scene playing out in front of her. When suddenly, the sound of a respirator pulled her out of it.

Ahsoka didn't turn around when she addressed him. She only slightly tilted her head to the side.

"Nice place you got here. It seems to fit your aesthetic. Tall building, black and grey, placed on a very dark planet," Ahsoka said, cynicism lacing every word.

It stayed silent. A few cycles from the respirator were heard. Ahsoka still didn't look back at him. She was bold in her statement. She didn't want to see him react. Not that she could, in fact, see him react due to that stupidly terrifying mask.

"Why are you here?" suddenly came the question. It sounded so deep and dark.

Ahsoka stepped back with her right foot, turning her body halfway so she was now facing him partly. "You took me here," she said with an unreadable expression. Yes, she understood he probably meant it in a deeper way. But she wasn't going to give up her story when his intentions weren't clear yet. Some part of her was still afraid of him.

"Don't test me, Ahsoka," Vader growled. He stared her down. Ahsoka turned away again.

"You want my story? Fine. When I left the Jedi Order seven years ago, I was alone. For about 8 months I roamed the levels of Coruscant looking for a purpose. Then suddenly I got pulled into criminal activities and before I knew it, I ended up with Bo-Katan. She showed me a purpose, and when it was time to act, I got pulled back towards you. That brief moment back with you and Obi-Wan made me realize how much I missed having someone who understood me."

If Ahsoka could feel the Force at this moment. She would've felt Vader's fury at the mention of Obi-Wan Kenobi. But alas, she does not currently have the Force, so she just continued on with the story.

"We were supposed to catch up after Mandalore because we couldn't before. And then suddenly the clones attacked. I escaped, but I was alone again. For five years I roamed the galaxy, hiding from the Empire. From you. But as you might know, Togruta's aren't meant to be alone. I had enough. Then I met this small group of what you might call 'insurgents' or 'rebels'. They welcomed me, and I joined them."

Ahsoka turned back towards Vader then, facing him once again. "I won't lie to you. I have no love for the Empire. Neither do I for the rebels. I have learned that loyalty is a fragile thing. I trust in people, not in an organization. I was happy with my friends, who just happened to be rebels. But then I learned of you, and your identity. I won't deny that I was hurt, at first, when I learned of what you had become and what you'd done. But when you asked me to join you and the Empire, it made me think. What do I really want for myself?

"I wanted to stop running. I was tired of being alone. Of not being understood. And I know that Anakin Skywalker is dead, I do."

Lies.

"But you are still the only one left that I know. Whether with a new name and personality or not. Someone who understands me because we both share the Force. At least with you, I don't have to run anymore. And I know that you understand my power. So, if you have doubts about my loyalty, just know that I am loyal to you, Lord Vader."

Ahsoka continued to stare at him, waiting for him to say something. She stared at the lenses in his helmet, somehow feeling that she was looking right into his eyes. But she couldn't see them.

The entire room was silent, except for Vader's breathing, that continued on eerily. He wasn't saying anything. With every second that passed, Ahsoka became more nervous. If he didn't agree with her or didn't believe her, she had no doubt he would strike her down right here and now. Ever after these several days in his custody, she still didn't trust that he wouldn't dispose of her if she did the wrong thing – if she got out of line. That feeling would probably only pass when Anakin had finally returned.

Finally, he broke the silence. "My identity has been one of the best kept secrets in this galaxy. There are only a select few who know of it. How did you find out?" he asked, his voice threatening. But, well, wasn't his voice just always threatening with his new voice modulator?

Yet, Ahsoka knew she'd been caught. She wasn't supposed to know. She couldn't tell him that she'd heard it from Obi-Wan. Then he would know that she knew where he was. And that would certainly get her a nice torture session. She quickly thought of any other excuse.

"Right before I faced Maul on Mandalore, he told me something. He said he'd had a vision. Of you, and how you were to become the Sith's apprentice. He told me he was so certain of your fate that he'd orchestrated that war to lure you and Obi-Wan to Mandalore. So he could end your life. He told me the Sith had been grooming you for a while now. I didn't believe him. How could I? Nobody wants to see the bad in their friends.

"But then, sometime after the Empire had risen, I learned of this being named Darth Vader. My friends told me of you. The inquisitors I've faced confirmed that you, Darth Vader, existed. And I started thinking of our bond. It had felt dark and empty, but when I thought about it, it wasn't gone like the bonds with all the other Jedi that were killed in the purge. It wasn't the same feeling. There was still something there, it was just masked by something else. Hidden. And given the fact that Palpatine is Darth Sidious and he always did show an interest in you, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. Maul had been right. You did become the Sith Apprentice."

Ahsoka thought it sounded quite plausible now that she'd said all that out loud. She had to admit that she had the information from the beginning. Maul had basically told her what would happen. But she'd had to wait for Obi-Wan to confirm it for her. Ahsoka carefully tried to keep her mind and emotions shielded, despite her lack of the Force. Vader was not to pick up on her sadness regarding the situations she'd just recalled in her head.

Vader, on the other hand, did not hide his emotions all that well. Ahsoka picked up on his anger rather quickly. His body language screamed of a lot of anger. But that wasn't a surprise. He was always angry, it seemed. Although, that shouldn't surprise her either. It was the way of the Sith, after all. He continued to stay silent, and Ahsoka guessed he was thinking.

"Very well," he suddenly ground out, startling Ahsoka a little. he waved his hand in a small gesture and suddenly a pillar rose from the ground. On it was… a lightsaber?! Vader took several steps back, leaving Ahsoka even more confused. She tried hard not to show it on her face.

"Let's see how well you'll do after six years in solitude then," Vader said. Ahsoka grew more confused. For a second fear overtook her. He didn't mean- she didn't know if she was ready to take him on just yet! And definitely not without the Force to guide her!

But with a swipe of Vader's hand, Ahsoka's collar fell off her neck. At the same time, several droids suddenly activated from the corner of the vast room. They were training droids, but Ahsoka got the strong feeling that Vader didn't use them in their normal training setting. There were five in total, and they all had an electrical staff that they activated at the same time. They hovered over towards her with an insane amount of speed.

Ahsoka shot a quick look towards Vader. If he wanted to test her, she would give him the best she could do.

The Force was flowing back into Ahsoka since the collar had come off, and it was an odd sensation. She suddenly felt complete again. But every energy she felt was dark. Mustafar and this castle in particular was made completely of darkness. But Ahsoka was prepared for that. She'd figure out a way to work with it. For now, she just had to fight.

Ahsoka used the Force to keep the droids back while reaching out with her other hand to call the lightsaber to her. The moment she lifted it in the air, the pillar sank back into the ground. The lightsaber shot towards Ahsoka. She immediately activated it and swung backwards towards the droids, who were now upon her. She parried the first attack from one of the droids and pushed it back.

With a shock Ahsoka realized that the lightsaber she held in her hand was green. She's fully expected it to be red. For it to be green meant that it had once belonged to a Jedi. And that could only mean that said Jedi had met their end by Vader himself. Ahsoka tried to push her disgust down and focus on the droids who were very obviously trying to kill her.

The droids appeared to be very well coordinated and Ahsoka had trouble parrying all their attacks. Let alone go on the offensive herself. She knew she had to. The whole point of this 'exercise' was to see how well she could hold her own. Ahsoka doubted Vader would be satisfied with defense only.

Yet it was hard. Ahsoka favored Jar'Kai. She'd had two lightsabers for so long now. She was used to defending and attacking using her two hands and sabers separately. Now she had to remember what it was like to really only have one lightsaber and not being able to get her hands on another one.

Given the fact that she'd had to immediately jump into the fight, Ahsoka did not yet have the time to really switch styles. When a little breathing room appeared for her, Ahsoka took the chance right away. She centered herself and called upon her earlier training memories. All the younglings were trained in the basic stances of every basic lightsaber form. She focused on her first year with Anakin as her master, in which he'd focused teaching her Djem So, his preferred style. He had been proclaimed a master of the form, even. And he'd taught her all she needed to know before she'd switched to Jar'Kai.

Ahsoka pushed herself into the first Form V position. Then she attacked. She would have to admit that she was a quite rusty with Djem So, but she managed. She took on the five droids to the best of her abilities.

Two came at Ahsoka at the same time from different sides. At the last moment she ducked. The droids shocked each other with their staff and Ahsoka used that moment to lash out with her saber. They fell dead silent to the ground, their circuits fried.

The Force told Ahsoka to duck once again. And right after she did, a staff swung right over her head. She stumbled back as the droid pushed forward. From behind, she could feel the other two advancing as well. Ahsoka spun to parry the incoming attack, only to be shocked from behind. She let out a grunt. Electricity was never pleasant.

Ahsoka was quickly tiring. She'd been confined to rooms for days now, doing nothing but sitting still and thinking. The sudden adrenaline and action were a strain on her body. She kept attacking and attacking only for the droids to parry and block her. They were working together quite well and Ahsoka could not find an opening in their defense or attack

Finally, she'd managed to cut down another droid by stabbing it right through the middle. But Ahsoka had had enough. This one saber was not enough. And one of the staffs of the fallen droids would not do enough damage to make a difference. But she didn't have her own lightsabers with her. She didn't have anything else but this. And her frustration was growing because of that fact.

But then Ahsoka thought of something. This wasn't the only lightsaber in the room if she was correct. With one quick look at Vader, she knew he had it on him. And if she timed it right, she could get his lightsaber in her hand.

Ahsoka dove into the Force and let it guide her movements. She didn't attack anymore and evaded every strike the droids threw at her. Then, when she felt the moment was right, she suddenly reached out with the Force. And she was confident Vader could've stopped her if he wanted to, but she still ended up with his saber in her hand. She grinned as she activated it and turned it in a reverse grip, entering into a starting point of Jar'Kai.

And there Ahsoka stood, green and red saber at the ready. This felt familiar and safe and she immediately grew in her confidence that she could, in fact, win this. She waited for the droids to advance slowly. When they got close enough for her liking, she attacked. And it was lightning fast. Within seconds both droids were on the ground, having been cut clean through.

Ahsoka stood amongst the carnage of five destroyed droids, both lightsabers in reverse grip at her side, pointing upwards. She was breathing hard; the fight having taken a lot out of her.

Suddenly, the lightsabers moved and flew out of Ahsoka's hand. If it wasn't for her quick sidestep, they would've cut right through her abdomen. Ahsoka spun back around to see Vader advancing on her with both sabers. He stopped in front of her and stared her down.

Ahsoka wanted to shrink back but stood her ground. She'd done what he'd asked. She'd won. She'd shown skill and quick thinking. She'd played dirty. Ahsoka was proud of herself. She would not back down against Vader.

"Do not do that again," Vader said as he deactivated the sabers and held his towards her in indication. It was obvious what he meant. Ahsoka only nodded. He was having mercy on her right now. If he was truly and completely displeased, something would've happened. He was probably content with the way she'd dealt with the droids, so he wouldn't make more of a deal about the fact that she'd stolen his lightsaber.

Vader pressed a button on his wrist and within a few seconds, Vaneé entered the room. Ahsoka seriously wondered if he'd waited outside the door this whole time. How else did he get here so fast? She then wondered if he didn't have anything else to do.

Vaneé took Ahsoka back outside and towards her room. Ahsoka pretended to be unhappy, but in fact she was quite content. Because whether it was by accident or not, something wonderful had happened for her. The collar had been left in the training room. The Force was flowing through Ahsoka again and it was a great feeling.

If Vader didn't need her again soon Ahsoka would go exploring. She had a lot she wanted to find out about this place. Anything she could fight would help her in her mission.

So, Ahsoka stared out the window. Finally, fully focusing on the Force. And she realized she actually had been right in her assessment when she'd arrived here. This place reeked of the Dark Side. But it was fine. Ahsoka was prepared to sacrifice everything to save Anakin. Even her hold on the Light.


Another A/N yay.

I've officially run out of prewritten content. I now only rely on things I can write in the week itself. And I don't know how long I can keep that up. I'll try my best to keep the Wednesdays updates up, but I'm afraid I can't guarantee anything.

Thank you for understanding.