A stormtrooper throws a thermal detonator at the Chiss who has recently betrayed the Empire. But Ahsoka force-pushes it back, causing it to blow up several stormtroopers instead. Deflecting blaster bolts as they went, Ahsoka and the Chiss took cover behind one of the many separatist tanks.

"Welcome to the Light Side," Ahsoka says, extending her hand. "What's your name?"

The Chiss accepts her handshake and answers, "Kadin."

As a showering of blaster bolts keeps Ahsoka and Kadin pinned behind the tank, a few stormtroopers help the Wookiee get to his feet and exit the room.

Kadin peeks his head out just enough to see that a few stormtroopers are searching for the Mon Calamari. "We can't let them take the other inquisitor. I know she doesn't let it show, but there's hope for her; just like me."

Ahsoka replies, "We won't let them keep her, but your Mon Calamari friend will need their medical attention."

"What happened to her?" Kadin asks, trying not to come across as angry with Ahsoka.

Ahsoka tells him, "Her legs were crushed. She might even need replacements if the damage is too much to heal."

Kadin looks to the floor before nodding to show his understanding.

Kadin sees a few stormtroopers carrying the Mon Calamari away and he can't stand knowing that the Empire will have to hold onto her, as well as the changeling, a little longer. "This is the last time," Kadin thinks. "This is the last time I let the Empire have its way with them."

The stormtroopers get the Mon Calamari safely out of the room. That's their cue. The stormtroopers keeps blaster bolts coming to the left and right of the tank, but that doesn't change anything. Kadin ignites both sides of his lightsaber and makes it spin. He leaps, lunching himself high above the tank where the troopers were not expecting him to be. He throws his lightsaber in midair and it moves in a curved sweep, cutting down the dozens of stormtroopers in its path. Kadin lands behind a different tank having avoided being hit and catches his lightsaber when it flies back to him.

Ahsoka force-moves a tank in front of a portion of the stormtroopers. She runs out of her cover and blocks the blaster bolts that come from the stormtroopers that still have her in their sights while other can't see her. Thanks to her tactic making it easier, she makes it to the horde of stormtroopers and starts cutting them down. In doing so, she keeps them distracted enough for Kadin to also make his way to the horde and they fight the stormtroopers together.


Kara unleashes her rage against Darth Vader. She swings and thrusts with all her strength and speed. It is not enough. If it weren't for his reasons to feel bad for her, Vader would have found her attempts amusing. He wishes things could have been different. He wishes she would have joined him in the light. Better yet, he wishes she never went to the darkness. Vader deflects her attack with such power that she stumbles away, just barely avoiding a fall. Their blades lock and Vader hits her head with his helmet. Kara turns around and runs up a wall. She jumps off that wall at a good height and swings at him as she falls. Vader responds to this by easily blocking her strike and punching her in the stomach. She lands less than gracefully and rolls on the floor, losing her grip on her lightsaber. Her weapon deactivates and lands far away. Kara reaches out and pulls the lightsaber toward her. It flies halfway to her . . . and then it stops in midair. The lightsaber is taken by a much stronger hold that leads it into the hand of Darth Vader.

Vader stands over her imposingly. He positions his lightsaber near one side of her neck and her own near the other side of her neck. She never stood a chance.

"Just do it," Kara says, defeated.

But Vader doesn't move.

"It is not fair," Vader thinks. "I was the one to send her to the Empire. Now, she will die at my hand while I pursue happiness? It is not fair." Darth Vader deactivates both the lightsabers.

Kara gives him a furious look as she stands up. "I already told you I won't join you!"

"I know," Vader says.

Kara force-pushes him, but he stays standing as he slides backward. Kara force-grabs a nearby droid and throws it at Vader who merely pushes it to the side. Vader does nothing to retaliate. She throws droid after droid at him. He pushes away three of them. But he changes his mind and lets the next two hit him. Even having taken two droids crashing into him, he remains standing and does not retaliate.

"FIGHT BACK!" Kara screams.

"No."

Kara reaches out and pulls her lightsaber out of Vader's hand. She couldn't have done that if he didn't let her. Kara wonders if Vader is really going to just stand there and take it. She activates both sides of her lightsaber and makes it spin. She throws it in Vader's direction. Kara doesn't know if Vader can call her bluff; because he isn't moving. The lightsaber flies over Vader's shoulder and slashes the side of his helmet, cracking it open. Vader lets out a yell as he falls to the floor.

Kara still isn't sure if he knew she was testing him. But it looks like Vader was going to let her take his head off.

Kara approaches Vader, holding her lightsaber with one side ignited.

"Don't let it be out of hatred," Vader pleads. "That leads to the Dark Side. If you must strike me down, do so thinking of your father."

Kara doesn't know how to reply to that. She raises her lightsaber and stares at him. Vader isn't fighting back.

"Anakin!" Ahsoka screams, arriving on the scene with Kadin close behind her.

Ahsoka prepares to force-push Kara, but Vader tells her, "No! This is her decision."

Kara can't believe what she's hearing. Darth Vader is giving her the choice of whether or not he dies.

Darth Vader wouldn't have considered doing this if he thought that Ahsoka needed him. But he already helped her defeat or turn most of the inquisitors. Kadin is on her side now and a considerable percentage of the stormtroopers are dead. Vader thinks with bittersweet melancholy, "She will be alright without me now."

Ahsoka doesn't intervene for now. But she's not about to let Kara kill Vader. Ahsoka watches carefully, waiting for the moment of truth. If Kara tries anything, Ahsoka will force-push her as hard as she possibly can.

Kara keeps staring at Vader who lays propped up on his elbow. Kara actually thinks about what Vader said about her father. She remembers voices from long ago. She remembers her father telling her, "Remember, Kara, you must never kill out of anger. Revenge is not the Jedi way."

"But, father, the Empire does everyone so much harm. How can I not be mad at them?" She remembers asking him as a child.

"I'm not saying you'll never be angry. But you cannot become a slave to that anger. A Jedi must sometimes make hard decisions. But those decisions must be made for the sake of what's right; not what our anger tells us to do."

"But . . . how will I know when the right thing to do and what my anger wants me to do is and is not the same thing."

"If you ever have trouble figure that out, try setting your anger aside and seeing what feels right then."

Kara takes a deep breath. She exhales shakily as a tear runs down her face. Kara whispers, "This is for you, father."

Vader closes his eyes, awaiting the end. But he is surprised to hear the sound of Kara's lightsaber deactivating.

Kara steps away from Vader. She has chosen to spare him. Ahsoka ceases to be tense, dropping her preparation to take Kara down.

Ahsoka runs to Vader and helps him up. Though Vader doesn't put much of his weight on her. "How did you know she would do that?" Ahsoka whispers.

Vader replies, "I didn't."

"I was afraid of that," Ahsoka grumbles. "Anakin, I need you to take care of yourself! Don't just throw your life away like that!"

"I had the upmost confidence in your ability to complete the mission without me. You would have been alright."

Ahsoka has two very different reactions to that sentiment. Part of her is flattered. But she decides to voice the other feeling brought about by this. "So, you tried to kill yourself because you thought I would just be fine after that?!" Ahsoka asks aggressively. "Did you think it wouldn't hurt?"

"Ahsoka . . . you will never know the full extent of how much I appreciate the way you care for me. But she is my victim; better for her to decide my fate than someone who cares for me. And besides that, it caused the best result. Kara has turned away from the Empire. What do you wish I did instead?

Ahsoka immediately tells him, her eyes barely open and her arms akimbo, "I wish you would have pretended to do what you did, but be ready to defend yourself if she tried to strike you down." Ahsoka sighs and says, "Look, I don't agree with you letting her kill you, but I do understand. I think you and I are just operating with different ideas of why you're supposed to punish crimes."

"What do you mean?" Vader asks, confused.

"You think that punishing someone is done in service to the victims; that you do it to avenge what happen to them. I might be wrong, but I think the real reason to punish a criminal is to keep them from committing the same crime again."

Vader thinks for a second and says, "You're right." Ahsoka gives him a surprised look. Vader continues, "As you said, you might be wrong."

Ahsoka can't help but form a smile. She can tell he's messing with her. She wants to keep serious, especially since it wasn't even that good a joke, but it's good to see him being a little more playful. Ahsoka does her best to conceal her amusement. Not that Vader has already noticed.

Vader tells her more seriously, "Actually, we might both be right."

Ahsoka crosses her arms and says, "You know, Anakin, I can't help but remember how we already talked about how the real way to give your victims justice was to help defeat the Empire."

Vader remembers that conversation, too. He had remembered it when he almost let Kara kill him. Vader realizes something. The real reason he wanted to die was so that he wouldn't have to feel bad anymore. "You're right, Ahsoka."

"Huh?" Ahsoka says, surprised,

"I have a responsibility to live for. I should have acted based off of what you told me. You clearly know better than I do. I'm sorry, Ahsoka."

"It's alright, Anakin." Ahsoka puts a smirk on her face and says, "Hah! Back in the Clone Wars, I never imagined you would ever tell me that I clearly know better than you do."

"There is other business to attend to. What happened in the other room?" Vader asks, changing the subject.

"Kadin and I fought off most of the stormtroopers and barricaded the door," Ahsoka replies, not letting go of her smirk.

"Kadin; that is the Chiss?"

"Yes." Ahsoka finally loses her smirk and tells Vader, "But we had to let them take the Wookiee and Mon Calamari."

"So we'll get them back," says Kadin who over heard that last sentence.

"Why would you let them get away?" Kara demands.

"The Mon Calamari needs more medical attention than we can give her right now," Ahsoka explains. "But we're going to rescue her."

"We already needed to stage a rescue anyway," Vader reasons. "The Changeling is still with the imperials. He will need us to liberate him as well; that is, if you think he would join us."

Kadin tells him, "We can talk him into it now."

Vader turns to the Twi'lek and says to her, "Kara, you are the only one in this room who Valum believes to still be on his side. Can you trick them into releasing your friends after their medical needs are fulfilled?"

"Yes. I just wish they didn't need medical attention for their injuries in the first place," Kara says passive-aggressively, staring daggers at Vader.

"They wouldn't have been injured if you listened to him from the beginning!" Ahsoka counters.

Kadin puts himself between them and says, "We don't need to throw blame around. The thing to do is focus on solutions. Kara will go to retrieve our friends. I will go with her, dressed as a stormtrooper in case she needs help."

"What about the Wookiee?" Vader inquires. "Is there any hope?"

Kadin's shoulders droop. "I would call Korrfrotuk a wise wookiee if he wasn't so set in his ways. He might be persuaded, but it's too risky to try on this mission."

"I understand," Vader replies. "May the Force be with you."


As soon as the reformed inquisitors are gone, Ahsoka takes a good look at the cut in Vader's helmet. "Anakin, you're bleeding."

"It's nothing," says a man who is too used to pain for his own good.

"I don't have the equipment or experience for the Mon Calamari's injuries. But I'm sure I can patch up a simple cut."

"NO!" Vader shouts, not in anger; just fear. The thought of the woman he loves seeing his horrible face is terrifying. Vader predicts two possibilities; she might be disgusted by him or she might pity him. Vader doesn't want her to see him as something to be pitied; he wants her to be impressed by him. "It's just a cut. It does not require attention."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes. "You're going to get an infection, Skyguy! How many times do I need to tell you not to kill yourself?!"

"I should think seven more times should suffice," Vader jokes, picking up a little more of his old sense of humor.

Ahsoka perks up for a second, but then shakes her head, reminding herself that Vader is being stupid about his cut. She sighs and asks, "How long can you . . . survive without that helmet on?"

"Long enough," Vader hesitantly admits. "If it will put your mind at ease, I can attend to it myself."

"Anakin . . . why don't you want me to see your face?"

Vader freezes in place. He was hoping she wouldn't ask. "Because you would not like what you would see." His words are his honest opinion, but his delivery is deceptive. He wanted to make it sound like he's protecting her from being disturbed, when, really, he's trying to protect himself from humiliation.

Ahsoka argues softly, "I would see you."

Vader had more to argue against her with, but it all vanishes from his mind. "As you wish."


Vader sits down while Ahsoka sets a few medical supplies on a nearby counter. Ahsoka is suddenly set upon by remorse. "I realize now that I pressured you into this. If you would be more comfortable, you can do this yourself."

"'I would see you,'" Vader echoes. "That was not pressure; it was encouragement." Vader lifts his trembling hands to his helmet. He thinks that Ahsoka will not be able to love him after seeing his face. But he doesn't think she would have loved him anyway, so he questions how much it matters. Vader removes the top piece and becomes more nervous, realizing that this does matter because he is going to have to see her reaction. Vader sets the top part down and grabs the mask, slowly removing it from his face.

Ahsoka sees him. Vader's skin, if it even is skin, is a pale grey. Deep and protruding scars or perhaps series of scars are along his cheek and near the top of his bald head. Ahsoka tells him, "Honestly, I was expecting a lot worse."

"Really?" Vader asks, letting Ahsoka hear a slightly more mature version of the voice Anakin had during the Clone Wars.

"Well, with the way you were trying to hide it, yeah."

Ahsoka places her hand on his cheek; the cheek with the scars, showing she's not off put by them. In doing so, she encourages him to lock eyes with her. The last time Ahsoka saw one of his eyes, it had changed to a corrupted orange. But now they have regained their original blue. "At least your eyes are just like I remember," Ahsoka says, putting Vader at ease.

Vader's face is not the traditional sort of attractive. And yet, Ahsoka finds ways to see an appeal in it. It was clear that he was strong enough to survive something horrible; there's something respectable about that. And his scars are a haunting sight, but without any actual fear or disgust, Ahsoka can only enjoy them in the same way one would enjoy a painting of a beast.

The way Ahsoka is looking at him; it's better than Vader could have wished for. She's so calm. "Does this not bother you?"

"No, it doesn't."


Author's Note: Wow, Star Wars: The Unending is only on its tenth chapter and it already has over 100 follows. Thank you for reading. Please follow and review.

(This next part was added in later.)

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