The Machinations of the Son - 5

A.N: Timeline setting: Both during the events of Mortis, and after 'To Take Down an Emperor'

"No… that's not true! That's impossible!"

Anakin wanted to move and support his former Jedi Master, to stand by him in his defiance of the truth. Fulcrum had just told them all the truth, about how Anakin had turned to the dark side, murdered thousands and enslaved millions as a Sith Lord, before ultimately falling to Fulcrum herself.

And all the while Obi-Wan denied it. Frankly, Anakin had never expected his Master to stick up for him in such a way. The fact that Obi-Wan thought so highly of him warmed his heart in a way he could not describe. Perhaps he really did care.

However, despite how much he wanted to embrace Obi-Wan and thank him for his support, Anakin's true concern at that moment lie entirely with his Padawan, or at least the younger version of his Padawan.

Ahsoka was seated on Fulcrum's couch, knees pulled up to her chin, arms tightly gripping her legs, a horrified look on her face. She looked ill, as if she had just seen a ghost, and was trembling significantly. Through the Force he could feel her fear, her dread, her terror. She was in denial, just as Obi-Wan was, but there was something more to it. Anakin could only imagine what effect Fulcrum's words had had upon her younger self. It wasn't everyday that you told yourself the future, the future where your teacher had become a mass murdering psychopath.

So as much as he wanted to thank his Master at that moment, Anakin knew that his Ahsoka needed him more, and whilst he would never admit it aloud, he needed her just as much.

"Snips? Are you…"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Ahsoka screamed… actually screamed at him, teeth barred in all their glory as she jumped from her seat, forcing him back just through sheer intimidation. It was clear that she was fuming with him, her signature in the Force radiating anger and hate, all things he had warned her against.

And now all directed towards him. He didn't blame her. He couldn't, not when he felt the same way himself.

"Ahsoka, I know it's bad, but we need to talk about this."

"NO! YOU'RE A MONSTER. YOU MURDERED CHILDREN! I… I HATE YOU! I WISH I'D NEVER MET YOU!"

And with that, Ahsoka stormed off, tears in her eyes. The young Togruta girl disappeared in a blur, leaving the room, slamming the door behind her in the process. Anakin made to follow in an instant, the thought of leaving his Padawan alone in a time like this the last thing on his mind.

That was until an orange hand gently grasped his wrist, pulling him back down into an open chair, forcing him to come face to face with a stoic looking Fulcrum. Despite the outburst of her younger self, Fulcrum did not seem fazed in the slightest. Anakin wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Let her be for now Anakin. We can't have me killing you too early. She just needs time. I know I did."

"But she needs me!" Anakin pleaded in reply, hesitant to leave Ahsoka alone in a time like this.

"I'll go speak to her? Make sure she is alright?" A soft voice, the one belonging to Kaeden, echoed across the room, drawing both Anakin and Fulcrum's attention in the process. Out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw the way Fulcrum's stoic expression softened in an instant, becoming warm and grateful, if only for a brief moment.

A moment of silence passed through the room, no one saying anything. Anakin wasn't sure if Kaeden was addressing him or Fulcrum, and honestly he didn't care. Right now his only concern was the small Togruta teenager who had left the room.

The silence lasted a few more seconds before Fulcrum nodded at Kaeden slowly, a small smile coming to her face as she watched the dark skinned woman move towards, and open the door Ahsoka had slammed shut. Anakin watched as Kaeden moved through the threshold of the door, closing it gently behind her.

A sense of relief flooded over Anakin suddenly. It may not have been him looking for Ahsoka right now, but at least it was someone who cared about her.

"I like her. She seems nice." Anakin whispered softly to Fulcrum, his own eyes now looking at her expression alone. Fulcrum made a soft noise in response, the warm smile still present on her face.

"She helped me through some difficult times. I'm lucky to have her."

The way Fulcrum spoke was different now. It was compassionate and caring, full of wistfulness, yet joy. In fact, if Anakin was being truthful with himself, it reminded him more of Ahsoka how he knew her, as opposed to the woman she had clearly become twenty years into the future.

He was glad to see that she was still the same kind hearted person that she had always been, even if he had utterly destroyed everything.

"I… I still can't believe this. Anakin… a Sith Lord?"

Obi-Wan's comment drew Anakin's attention once again. Unlike Ahsoka he could see that Obi-Wan was still somehow functioning with the information, running through every possible scenario in his head where Anakin might possibly turn.

"It's not an easy thing to consider I know, but you had a right to know why I was so hostile upon your unexpected arrival, and why it is paramount that we return the three of you to your correct place in time as soon as possible." Fulcrum's tone of voice changed again, all warmth and compassion that seemed to be reserved for Kaeden gone, replaced by one of authority and wisdom.

"Yes, we must return. Maybe then we can see about changing as few things." Obi-Wan replied, his head coming out of the palm of his hands for the first time since Fulcrum's bombshell.

"That's the problem Master Kenobi. What has happened must always happen for you to get to this place and receive this warning. Despite your knowledge of events they must not be changed, less you put the entirely of time and space at risk."

Fulcrum's words, as convoluted as they were, made a certain amount of sense. They could indeed use this new information to change their own futures, but in doing so they would ensure that this meeting with Fulcrum never happened in the first place, denying them access to the revelations in the first place.

Was this all part of The Son's plan? Twist time and space and force Anakin to face what he had done… what he will do, and be utterly powerless to stop it?

Now more than ever he wanted to kill that so called 'God'!

Much of the day had passed without any real action. Whatever planet they were on, and wherever they were on said planet was isolated and quiet, with nothing but endless grass fields scattered around the small apartment that Fulcrum lived in. It was a nice retreat, one that suited her well, and one that Anakin could only ever dream of owning.

Though now, his future looked incredibly bleak.

He was a monster, one who slaughtered for fun. One who had no qualms about killing innocent children. It wouldn't be the first time, that Anakin could say, but to do so in such a scale was unforgivable.

Ahsoka… his Ahsoka still hadn't spoken to him. She had disappeared up into one of the spare bedrooms, alone. Kaeden had shown up not long after she had left to speak to her, simply suggesting what he already knew. Ahsoka needed time. Time away from him. Anakin had no choice but to comply.

So it was that he found himself outside the apartment, resting a fair distance away from the apartment, legs sprawled before him in the grass as he watched the sun set in the distance. The air around him was cool, a gentle breeze blowing through his hair, a sharp contrast to both how the day had gone so far, and how he was feeling.

Everything would go so wrong, and it would all be his fault.

And there was nothing he could to stop it. That was the worst part. Despite how much he wanted to, he couldn't. He was doomed to become a mass murdering psychopath.

"Hey."

The voice was soft and welcoming, distracting Anakin from the dark thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. At that moment, he couldn't be more grateful.

Glancing up towards the shadow of a person who stood before him, he blinked several times to clear his vision, recognizing the figure as Kaeden, who wore a small smile on her face, one of warmth and compassion.

"You doing ok?" The dark skinned woman asked, moving to sit next to him, her own legs stretching out before her as she reclined next to him, staring out across the grass fields before them. The company was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

"Best I can be all things considered." Anakin replied truthfully, hoping he wasn't still intimidating the woman the he had earlier at the mere mention of his name. Considering she was willing sitting beside him and inquiring about his well being, he figured she was safe with him now, or at least as safe as possible.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that. I don't know if I'd handle what your going through nearly as well as you have. Must be a Jedi thing." Kaeden responded, her gaze moving away from the sunset, eyes locking with Anakin's.

"I wish. Even Jedi struggle with this sort of thing, despite the public persona of us being unfeeling monks." Anakin replied, memories of every dark moment in his life so far coming back to him. It was true that the public perception of the Jedi was of near enough emptiness, ideas that the Jedi were not individual people, but a collection of mindless emotionless organic beings who pursued some inconceivable power for the apparent safety of the galaxy.

The truth however was that that persona could not be more wrong. The Jedi were people, each unique individuals who had their own opinions and their own styles of doing things. They weren't omnipotent. They made mistakes, just like everyone else. Why couldn't more people see that?

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you Anakin. I know the Jedi aren't unfeeling machines. You're a person like me." Kaeden's voice was quiet and remorseful, something that surprised Anakin. Did she really thing she had offended him?

"Nah, it's ok. I wasn't offended, and even if I was I'm used to it by now. So many people have their own preconceptions on what a Jedi is that things tend to get complicated when they actually meet one."

A light chuckle emanated from Kaeden in response to Anakin's statement, the air around her lightening in an instant now that she was certain she hadn't offended.

"Tell me about it. Ahsoka was so secluded when I first met her. It took forever to get her to open up at all about who she was, and even that was a lie to cover up who she really was."

"What do you mean?" Anakin questioned, unsure of Kaeden's words. Why had Ahsoka lied about who she was? Had she been ashamed of who she was?

Kaeden's expression seemed to fall into one of deep recollection, as if she was remembering some great tragedy of her life, something that haunted her. Had her first meeting with Ahsoka been that bad?

"I didn't know she was a Jedi at first. None of us did. She came to our home, a farming moon called Raada, and just sort of settled in. Pretty much became our town mechanic. Anytime some of our equipment broke we'd take it to Ashla. She'd be able to fix it right up in mere minutes, and nine times out of ten it worked better than before."

"I'm sorry… Ashla?"

"Oh… right, heh. That was the name she was going by. A disguise or something. Kept her hidden from the Empire."

Anakin understood the logic behind using a fake name. If what Fulcrum had told him about the Empire actively hunting former Jedi was true then it was best she remain hidden. No doubt the name 'Ahsoka Tano' would draw some unwanted attention.

"Anyways," Kaeden continued, fingers gently tapping against each other as she detailed the past, "Things were good for a while, then the Empire showed up. We tried to fight back, but got caught. Ahsoka busted us out, revealing herself as a Jedi in the process. I was so mad at first. She had all these crazy powers and she didn't do anything with them. But after a while I began to understand why she was hiding. This thing, this monster called an Inquisitor came after her. He murdered pretty much everyone on Raada, captured and tortured me… all to get to her."

"Did it work?" Anakin questioned with trepidation, not sure if he wanted the answer to such a grim question.

"I wouldn't be sitting here if it hadn't Anakin. She was off world at the time, but she came back to save me. She killed the Inquisitor and saved everyone else. She got us out of thee safely that day. Me, my sister, my friends. We all owe her our lives, and she just acts like it was part of the job. She didn't have to come back for us. I honestly never expected her to."

"That's Ahsoka for you. She's loyal to those she cares about, and will always go above and beyond to ensure their safety, even at the cost of her own." Anakin replied, reaching a hand across to gently squeeze Kaeden's shoulder when it was clear she was struggling to tell the tale without falling into despair over the past. What had happened on Raada had evidently scared her for life.

"She certainly is. We lost contact with her not long after. She disappeared off the map to do rebel spy things I'd guess. Pretty much became public enemy number one for the Imperial Intelligence. Couple of years back we met up again by chance on a mission." Kaeden continued, her face brightening as she continued the tale.

"Well, at least you found each other again. That's the important part." Anakin replied, choosing to allow Kaeden to either continue her story or not. It was clear that parts of it brought up bad memories. If she didn't want to revisit them, he wouldn't make her.

"True. I can't you how grateful I am every single day of my life. She means a lot to me." Kaeden almost whispered, her tone calm and collected, dreamy in a way.

"Your good for her. She seems to be herself when around you." Anakin encouraged, shooting a small smile at Kaeden, one the dark skinned woman noticed, lowering her head to hide a small blush that had arisen.

"Ahem."

The sound of Obi-Wan clearly his voice distracted both individuals from their discussion, drawing both of their gazes. Anakin could see that Obi-Wan had both a serious, and seriously confused look on his face. What had happened to cause that?

"Sorry to interrupt but Fulcrum wants us for something. She said she's got an idea, but needs all of us there to help."

Author's thoughts

Oh hi! Thought I'd post the next bit of this for you lot. Not much happens really, but I wanted to keep it going for a bit longer but exploring the reactions of Obi-Wan and young Ahsoka to Anakin's future. Suffice to say one of them is less pleased than the other, but then again who came blame her?

I hope you also liked Anakin's conversation with Kaeden. I wanted to two to bond a bit, as it's always funny seeing Anakin around his friend's loved ones. I could have had Anakin go full on interrogation mode, but I doubt that'd be well received by Fulcrum all things considered. She did already kill him once after all.

Anyways, not much else to say really except for there will be more for this arc. It's not over yet. Kinda nice to have two stories I can flip between if I get bored of writing one of them. Should have done this from the start. :)

Next time round the gang tries out Fulcrum's plan with the help of a strange avian creatures that seems to really like Ahsoka. I wonder who that could be?

As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:

Erukat: Hey, glad you are all caught up. Hope t was worth the effort to read it all. :)
Morai is an awesome character as she is quite literally and animal with a mind of her own. Who knows what her true purpose is. We can only speculate.
This little arc started as some obscene experiment and frankly I've been surprised at how well it's been received. Hopefully you all like the way it eventually comes to a close.
Young Ahsoka is pretty much in awe of Fulcrum at the moment. Hopefully she aspires to be like her and not a certain Jedi Master of hers. XD

Travis Middleton: No problem for the response. I live to answer comments. :)
All of your questions will be answered in time. As it stands Fulcrum hasn't mentioned Sidious' true identity as she doesn't fully trust Anakin to believe her yet. Maybe in time she will tell him, if he earns her trust.
Ahsoka's speech wasn't meant to reference Revan in the slightest. Pure coincidence I assure you, but still an awesome one. :)

SWGoji2001: Fulcrum is the ultimate troll in this time era. After all she did learn from Yoda/Obi-Wan on how to be a troll. I'd be Kanan gets pretty pissed off with it at times. Kaeden too. :)
As I said in the comment above, any comparison to Revan is purely coincidental, but an awesome one at that. Ahsoka can sort of be seen either way really. I think a statue is a bit too far for anyone, but she's certainly not a villain. I tried to write her as a conflicted anti-hero who will do the right thing, but will sometimes break the rules if she needs to. She most likely learned that approach from Anakin.
And no problems for the rant. It was an good read. :)

Mysterious guest one: Anakin deserves all of the punishment for Vader in my eyes. He was the one that made the decision to fall, therefore he is to blame. But that's just me. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion and no ones is wrong. :)
Glad you enjoyed the humor with Skyguy and Snips.

SLE's fave guest: Yeah meeting your older self could go two ways. Let's hope Fulcrum make a good impression on herself, even if their modesty is somewhat different. Fulcrum's got nothing to be embarrassed for in her eyes. So what if she's seen someone in the nude. XD

jojobinks02: Oh you are certainly going to need the music at some point. XD