A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well, thought I'd bring an update for your Sunday. I want to give a massive shoutout to GirlwithCurls98 and her story titled Forging in the Star Wars Clone Wars categry, you should definitely go check it out. It's a short short on how the bond between Masters and Padawans is made, this one specifically follows Anakin and Ahsoka. It is so well written, I absolutely loved it and wanted to incorporate her idea into my story. So with her permission, I reference it a little bit and use some of the elements that she had.

Quick guide below because there's a bunch of things to differentiate what's going on.

(Ahsoka talking)

(Vader/Anakin talking)

Just italics is memory.

Memory and present overlapping.

As always, thank you everyone for the support on this story! The school year is starting and more people going back to work, so do your best to stay safe during these times! And with that, on with the show.

Summary: The explosion of the Sith Temple places Darth Vader and Ahsoka in a situation neither of them imagined possible. Now in an unfamiliar place that is eerily similar to Mortis, Darth Vader and Ahsoka must face the echoes of their past and work together to find their way back home.

Chapter Nine: The Bind Is A Vast Place 1/1

The pair of former Jedi had spent the night out there in the field, neither quite willing to move from their spot in the grass, just staring up at the stars and the stray fireflies until sunlight began to peak above them. Sleep didn't come easily for either of them, this could have also been due to the fact that the hours in this world were off. It had been the middle of the afternoon when they found this field, only for the sky to darken and they remain out here for who knew how long and who knew what time it actually was.

As Ahsoka laid there, staring up at the sky, rays of light beginning to show from the sunrise, she considered how time might work here. When she had been on Mortis, they had been gone for days it seemed, but according to Rex it had only been a second. Would that be how this world worked? Ahsoka had a feeling that would be the case, that no matter how much time passed here, only a moment would have passed back on Malachor. Thinking of Malachor made her uneasy, she should have died then, would have died then.

The one called Bendu from the Rebels base had implied her death was coming, but skirted around it as if he wasn't certain. Had he sensed this would happen? When they made it back there, would Vader still kill her? Every part of her wanted to say no, that he wouldn't, but the man she knew as a brother wasn't the same man beside her anymore. Though she couldn't deny that he was Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in one body… she didn't want to think about it.

She let herself focus back on the beginning of a sunrise. She'd always been biased to sunrises, even if she wasn't completely thrilled with the early morning rises, she did enjoy waking with the morning light. It signified a new day, new beginnings, new possibilities. When she was younger, she remembered sneaking out the dorms to sit on the roof of the Temple so she could watch the sun rise over the city. It was so peaceful then, things had been so simple back then.

"Are you awake," asked Ana- Vader, he was still Vader.

Ahsoka turned to glance at him, he still looked like Anakin, "Never slept."

He didn't quite hum in agreement, but she could feel the acknowledgement and sensed that he hadn't slept as well. She took this moment to study him when she noticed something was... different about him, but she was sure. Vader still looked like Anakin, but there was something different, not a big difference, but she knew there was something there that had changed. A small bit of frustration went through her and she considered maybe she was imagining things, but she couldn't be. Something changed. His skin, it looked healthier than before. While she wouldn't have called his complexion pale in the past or even yesterday, now she saw a real difference that made how he looked yesterday almost sickly.

Realization reached her as the Force seemed to whisper softly in her montrals, the light side in him had grown to the point that she could almost see it in him and a physical change had occurred with it. A pulse of excitement went through her, did that mean he was turning or the darkness was loosening it's hold? Was there a possibility her older brother was going to come back? Before she could let her thoughts run rampant, she checked her shields to find they were still there, but so was he. Their bond, it was different too.

"Yeah," he said softly, still not looking at her, "That link is there, it's the same when we first established the bond."

It took a moment for the memory to return to her, but once it did the bond between them seemed to flare to life once more, warmth wrapped around the pair. The memory wrapped itself around her mind and around his own. While it caught Ahsoka off guard, it really caught Vader by surprise. He barely held back a gasp of surprise at the feeling and she couldn't blame him. For so long he was surrounded by the cold that came from the dark side, this rush of warmth was a shock, she hoped it was a welcome one. She remembered them establishing the bond, not quite like it was yesterday, but it no longer felt like such a lifetime ago. The entire process had taken hours, so the memory that played was more of an abridged version, but the emotions behind it remained the same.

"We're going to enter a deep meditation here, almost like a trance," Anakin explained to her.

He was kneeling in front of her, she was kneeling in the same position almost vibrating in excitement. The pair had only been Master and Padawan for a few days, but she still couldn't believe how real this was. She was a Padawan learner now with her new master about to make a Force bond.

"I understand," Ahsoka said with a nod, she couldn't bite back the smile on her face.

Anakin sent her a grin, "Glad you're excited. Once we enter the trance, I'll start the process of weaving our signatures together. Follow my lead, the connection will be fragile at first, but it will become solid in time. No shielding, okay?"

"None at all," Ahsoka asked, it made sense, but she was still surprised and now more nervous.

Anakin shook his head, "Not even primaries."

The Forging was all about the trust, establishing a link between a Master and Padawan was essential for them to learn of the other, to properly gage how they were doing and what they needed in the moment. It was also most important in terms of being out on missions, now more so due to the war. With an established bond, they could sense if the other was alive no matter the distance.

Anakin watched as his Padawan hummed over his words. Shielding was the first things younglings learned, ingrained into their mind to always have a shield on and keep their emotions, their thoughts, all of it tightly guarded and hidden away. On the one hand it was meant to teach control, but it also served as a way for the Temple to not be overwhelmed with projecting thoughts and emotions. Those primary shields were second nature, along with the secondary ones. The third shields not so much and he could tell she didn't have any, he was going to change that.

"I trust you Master Skywalker," Ahsoka said sincerely.

Anakin nodded, internally beaming at that, "Come here."

Ahsoka did. She settled in front of her master, her back pressed against his chest. With his guiding, she wrapped her right arm around her waist and crossed her left arm over her chest to right shoulder. Anakin positioned his arm opposite of hers, right hand clasping her left shoulder and his left arm wrapped around her right arm. This was meant to ground her physical body so that her mind would feel safe as it went into a deeper star of mediation than she had before. Her mind would feel safe in the unknown depths they were diving in.

"Close your eyes, and breathe with me. The Forging begins."

The memory fizzled out for the both of them, that had been the beginning of the Forging when they had just become a pair. An ache grew in Ahsoka's chest as she let memory fade out, knowing that was it gone. Just a memory, a snippet of the past she couldn't get back. She looked at Anakin- at Vader, her chest hurt again, trying to see what he was feeling, but his face was a blank mask. An idea popped into her mind, she was feeling lucky or maybe just nostalgic, but it was worth a try.

Ahsoka shut her eyes, she focused on the remnants of their bond and was pleasantly surprised to see it was stronger than it had been, no longer a single pale thread connecting them. It looked like paracord, the rope used on parachutes that may not have looked strong, but looks were deceiving. She followed that link and in her mind's eye, she found his shields forming in front of her. Oftentimes the best way to learn to shield was to visual a wall of some kind, that was where she was now. As she took a 'look' at the walls she noticed they were solid, stone, but littered with cracks and dents, as if they had taken an onslaught of attacks in the past. She spoke through the bond.

(These have certainly seen better days)

(So have yours it would seem and you're better at communicating through the Force)

It shouldn't have surprised her that much that he spoken back through the bond, but she couldn't hide the shock that went through. Had this happened before the firefly incident, she was certain he would have tried to strangle her for even attempting it. Ahsoka let out a small breath at his words, the bond hummed between the pair of them, not quite in anticipation, but it was eager to see what they would do. Her mind flickered back to his words, she remembered how she struggled to communicate through the bond at first. It had taken a bit of work, she did get it.

She started to speak, "Well they-"

"Through the bond," he said, he refused to look at her as he continued, "Just talk through there."

Ahsoka raised an eyemark at that, curious as to why he only wanted to speak through the bond. Lightly, she probed his mind once again to get a reading on him, she came up to wall again, only it was a bit stronger than before. So he didn't want her to know the answer to the question she had. She pushed against the wall to test a theory, it was stronger when faced against the push, it was the same way it had been all those years ago. How he'd taught her to shield was like that.

(Let's see if you remember how to get through my shields)

Ahsoka made a face that was both amused and incredulous. Was he seriously trying to give her a lesson in penetrating shields? It was then she noticed something, his primaries were down and so were her own.

(Alright, I'll play along)

Anakin Skywalker had the regular reinforced shields, but he had a secret trick to keep people out of his mind that he had taught her shortly after they had made their bond. When a master and padawan make a Force bond, they have to lower all their shields to the other and completely open themselves to the other as a show of trust. Their primary shields, secondary shields, even the third level of shields. It's a very intimate and personal process to let someone have that much access to your mind and it wasn't made so that no secrets were kept between the pair. No, it was to establish the link so that they could always sense the other person, no matter the distance and to even talk from those distances. Their bond didn't have the time to get that far though since she left a little more than two years after it was made. Vader's were similar. His secondary shields had the standard walls in place, third shields not much different and she let her exasperation leak to him when she found he had four wall shields in total.

(Over the top and dramatic, as always)

(Some things never change)

Ahsoka couldn't even begin to unpack those words, everything had changed. She focused back on the task at hand. It took ages, maybe minutes or hours until she made it through his shields and he certainly wasn't making it easy on her. Not that she would have wanted him to, but by the Force was it harder than she thought. If not for the fragment of a bond they had, she probably wouldn't have made it through at all. Now that she had made it through three of his shields, she had come up to his final shield that most wouldn't realize was a shield if they weren't looking for it.

"The standard way to shield is by creating a wall, but let's say someone gets through those walls, then what do you do," Anakin had asked her.

Ahsoka had frowned, "Shove them out?"

Anakin made a face, it was almost amused, "If you couldn't block them out before, then having the strength to shove them out will take too much out of you. Weakening your defenses."

"So what do you do then," Ahsoka asked.

Anakin grinned, "I'm going to teach you the best shield possible, a technique I invented myself that has yet to fail me."

"Yet being the key word," Ahsoka remarked with a grin.

"Trust me on this, it's a great technique," Anakin said, "Let's see you get through my shields."

To shield his mind, he kept the walls ahead for show, but if someone got past those walls, they would have to navigate through a storm of sand. The landscape of his mind was Tattooine, since he had grown up there and so to keep the penetrator confused, he had a sandstorm swirling around so whoever was trying to get in his mind wouldn't be able to find anything. The trick was that the storm itself was a shield, only it was meant to look like the person trying to get in his mind had made it their to the unrestrained and uncontrolled thoughts when the reality was, they weren't. Ahsoka had thought it was coolest thing in the world, she still liked it and used it to this day. One of the many things he had taught her that she carried with her. Some things never change after all.

Now that she had made it through the walls, she needed to navigate the ravings storm storm of his mind. She knew she would have to be careful as he would easily get her swept away into a spiral of consciousness. Sending thoughts and memories in her path to distract her, making her feel the sand against her bare arms and face, making her eyes sting from the particles that weren't there. However before she could even start to navigate the area, he shoved her out without warning and she had been too caught off guard to push back. The Force of it gave her a headache.

"Ow," Ahsoka grimaced as she rubbed her forehead, "That-"

(Through the bond)

A flare of annoyance went through her.

(THAT WAS UNNECESSARY)

He winced next to her at the mental scream, she felt his irritation.

(And that was childish. You managed to get through the walls just fine, but left yourself open to be pushed out. Try again)

Ahsoka did. He made it harder for her to get through his walls this time, shoving against her with more force than she guessed he had, but she wasn't deterred. When she made it through the walls again, she was prepared for him to try and shove her out. Going into someone else's mind meant you were always at a disadvantage because they would know where you were the entire time, since you were the foreign object in their own head. So he was able to find her easily, to push against her, to annoy her.

Now that she was ready, she was able to keep herself grounded in his mind, she could stay on the path through the sandstorm around her, no longer bothered by the feeling of sand brushing against her bare arms or able to be distracted by the random memories he threw her way. Most of them were inconsequential memories to be sure, but there were a few that had caught her by surprise. One in particular of him fighting against a boy with red hair had struck out to her, she vaguely remembered him. The momentary distraction cost her and she was forced out of his mind again, back into her own. The headache came again.

(You'd have better luck if you were focused on finding something)

(I'm sure I would)

Ahsoka rubbed her forehead, the headache leaving a few moments later. At least she had gotten in again, but part of her had a feeling he was going easy against her which kind of annoyed her. Or perhaps she was better at probing than she thought, she spent majority of her time as Fulcrum probing people's minds for information, digging in their head without hurting them, without being detected. Granted she had a goal those times, she was looking for something, right now, she was literally just going in his mind. Maybe if she did try to search for something she'd have better luck, but there wasn't anything she really wanted to search for in his mind right now. Well that wasn't quite true, there some things she wanted to search for so that she could have answers, specifically why he fell in the first place, but now wasn't really the time and she was afraid of the answer.

(My turn)

Ahsoka just barely caught his assault on her own mind, he had come full swing and if she reacted a heartbeat later, he would have destroyed her shields. Anakin had always been powerful, but this was different. He'd certainly learned some tricks over the years.

Vader was intrigued by her shields. Back when she had first visualized them, she had done them as steel or another kind of metal, this time however they were opaque glass. His 'hand' rested on them, there were no cracks in the shields, the fact that it appeared like glass was meant to give off the illusion that her shields weren't strong which would make a perpetrator cocky and in for a rude surprise. Some pride went through him at that.

If he went full power, he was certain he would be able to crack her glass if not shatter it. He made it through without doing any damage, while he kept up trying to force his way through that was more a distraction. Her attention was forcing him out, but he could do both. Forcing his mind against her shields, but slipping through them at the same time. He felt her irritation as he made it through the wall to see a forest.

That told him two things. The first being she didn't have a third layer of wall shields since he only had to get through her secondary ones. Both their primaries were down, so she only had one wall shield. The second thing he realized was that this forest was the same one he saw in the memory or vision he had of her being found by Master Koon. Landscapes of the mind were often based on where a person was from or the earliest place they remembered. The earliest place she remembered would have been that forest.

He 'walked' through the forest, but found himself almost getting lost as she adjusted the landscape often to confuse him. Instead of a raging storm, she had created a layout that would confuse and disorient whoever was in her mind. Had he still be Anakin Skywalker, he would have been full of pride. Only a small bit of pride made itself known. He wasn't quite searching for anything in her mind, she didn't send him any memories to be distracted by and focused on keeping the landscape difficult to move through. A different tactic than himself, but not a bad one. He added more pressure to his probing, he felt her grimace at the sudden pressure, but she did not back down or lighten her own pushes. He left her mind then, pleased.

(I can't believe I still couldn't push you out)

(No, but you did well)

(Want to tell me what this was about)

He didn't want to tell her what it had been about, on the one it had been out of curiosity, but on the other hand it was something that made him ashamed and angry. The only bond he had was with the Emperor who spent most of that bond taunting him, trying to break his shields and mind along with all other kinds of things that caused him pain. When he had first felt Ahsoka's bond with him, how it was gentle and warm, he found himself being drawn to it, wanting it. The light didn't burn him, it wasn't blinding, it was nice.

For the first time in years, he didn't feel darkness in a connection with someone. Vader didn't turn his head to look at her as he considered what he should do now. It seemed he was at a cross road of some kind, though he couldn't have been sure where either path would lead. He could tell her the answer he had, he could not answer at all, he could tell her to enter his mind and find out. That one seemed favorable since he didn't want to voice it. Not to mention, he could reinforce her own shields while she was distracted. If she ever came across the Emperor, he severely hoped she wouldn't, her shields wouldn't hold for long. A little training exercise never hurt anyone.

(Try to find it)

Ahsoka made a physical and mental expression that screamed, are you kidding me right now? He wasn't. After a moment of recentering herself, she went back to his first layer of shields to find they were even more reinforced than before. Some frustration leaked from her, she felt his amusement in response. She made her way through about the same speed as before. Now that she had a mission, she was having a better time of remaining focused and not being distracted by the landscape or the memories he put in her path.

As she did this, he brushed his presence against her own shields delicately so that she couldn't feel it. Once he was sure she hadn't and still getting through his walls, he reinforced her own shields. If she knew he was doing it, she didn't show it. Odds are she was too focused on her own task at hand. Something Vader learned in his years as a Sith Apprentice was how to use the mind to your advantage in multiple areas at a single time. By the time he felt a little better about her shields, he started to try and push her out of his mind, she only grounded herself in his mind, not giving up so easily. Determined and stubborn were things she didn't grow out of, he was almost happy about that.

It took her awhile and he could sense she was getting tired from searching and using the Force in this way, but eventually she found what she was looking for. She only had a second to register what it was before her when he threw all his power into his next mental attack which not only forced her out of his mind, but him into her own mind. Ahsoka had scrambled to get her defenses up, they only halted him for a few moments, it was too late, he had made it back to the forest, but instead of going through aimlessly, he wanted to find something. Moments later, he found it and she had been too surprised to stop him. The memory played for the both of them.

When deep enough into meditation, a Force user will be able to see their own Force signature in this dark place. It was a neutral space between minds, pitch black and infinite it seemed, but was in fact restricted. Physical forms could be taken in this place, but the amount of energy it would take was not what they were here for. A brilliant sapphire blue light with white streaks, the Force signature of Anakin Skywalker rested there and just in front of him was a fierce orange signature with specks of gold. The two were talking, but the voices were fading Sith the memory.

Ahsoka remembered this, she remembered this so well and she knew that Anakin, that Vader, no Anakin did to. She forced the memory back out, she was surprised to find he was as well. This was what he wanted to play out. Only this time, Ahsoka took control and he couldn't fight her for it. She directed the memory to the next part, where they shared their memories with each other in that neutral space. When the memory of them lowering their finals shields came forward, neither had been prepared to find that their own shields in the here and now lowered as well. Memories that they never shared after their bond had faded to silence. So many memories flooded their minds, flashes of images and conversations, their Force signatures flickering and pulsing with each word.

Don't get snippy with me, little one.

I'm fine too, thanks for asking.

I can't let you die Ahsoka.

Remember when I reminded you about the giant wall and you said 'Don't worry Snips, we won't be anywhere near that.'

Yoda feels only a young Padawan like you can get through to them.

Your ears are fine, it's Ahsoka's hearing that needs help.

When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me.

Ahsoka let's go. To disarm the bombs while Obi Wan negotiates.

You called for back up?

Remember what I told you about staying focused. Put your purpose ahead of your feelings.

Ahsoka felt Vader pull away slightly, the Force had wrapped around them more securely now, it was radiating warmth, but it was getting hotter and he couldn't quite take. However he wasn't alone here. Her presence gripped his. While in the past her presence had been a fiery orange with specks of gold, it was now more of a pale gold color with some orange streaks. Vader's or Anakin's was a crimson red color with specks and some streaks of sapphire blue that flickered in and out. There was a pulse of fear, he was afraid of this. Ahsoka pushed the echoes of the past forward, letting her words in the present over lap the ones of the past.

Anakin, you have to trust me now.

Vader flinched, physically and mentally, but Anakin pushed against him and the echoes continued on. The past coming to light in their eyes, these moments showed their last encounter before things went wrong and everything that happened after. The emotions of that time came with the words. There was fear, there was anger, there was sorrow, there hate, there was love.

With any luck, this will all be over soon.

Anakin, good luck.

Tell Anakin….

I can't live without her.

Rex, what's happening?

Yes, my master.

I'm not rooting for you.

If you're not with me, then you're my enemy.

Try Anakin's password, 8108.

I hate you!

You were my brother Anakin. I loved you

The Force reacted around them to that, the two Force signatures flickered our for a moment before glowing brighter. Ahsoka's presence latched onto Anakin's- Vader's, she latched onto his with all she had. He wanted to pull away, she could feel his fear and desire to leave, but she felt his desire to stay, she felt his longing to stay. Pale golden with orange specks reached out for him, an offer, a call that she wanted, needed him to answer. The crimson red signature with streaks of blue reached back. Tendrils of light gripped each other, weaving together.

Blue wrapped around orange, protective and encouraging. Orange spiraled around blue, accepting and eager.

Gold wrapped around the red, encouraging, reassuring, strong and safe. Red flickered to blue the red once more, letting good securely hold it. Accepting, pleading, frightened. Sorrow pierced their hearts in the physical world, pain and loss, the grief crushing.

(Ahsoka)

(It's okay, it's okay. Feel it, just feel it).

All the emotions washed over them, each what they felt, snippets of their time apart. Understanding, pain, regret, it all came to them as one realized what had gone wrong and the other saw what had happened to the other. The signatures wound together, the colors sharper than before and connected, bond together like a new link of master and Padawan. The connection was clear, strong, raw.

The first sensation that returned to Ahsoka as she exited the deep mental state she had been in with Anakin was a feeling of tears. Tears slipped down her cheeks, she realized, she felt them fall steadily and her breathing was uneven, not quite trembling or shaking, her unsteady. When she opened her eyes, she found she was sitting up instead of the laying down position she had been in before. Then she realized something else, she was in someone's arms.

Ahsoka didn't tense or freeze at the realization, instead she focused on her surroundings to find that her back was pressed against Anakin's chest, his left arm wrapped around her right, his right hand holding her hand that rested on her shoulder. His head was resting on the dip in her montrals. This was the same position they had been in when they first established their bond. Ahsoka felt a shuddering breath come from Anakin- from Vader- no, was he Vader? Was he her brother again? The bond sparked in her mind, an ocean of regret and sorrow.

His grip tightened around her slightly, she tugged at that bond to know the truth and nearly collapsed at the feeling. Anakin. Emotions of all kinds wrapped around her, the overwhelming amount of pain he had inside him, pain she wished she could take away. In turn he felt her pain and hope, the hope fueling that pain instead of keeping it away. His fault, all his fault. He'd hurt her, he'd never wanted to hurt her, but he had, he'd been hurting her, he always hurt the people he loved.

You were my brother Anakin, I loved you.

"Ahsoka," he whispered, so quietly that if she hadn't been right on her montrals, she wouldn't have heard him.

Ahsoka hesitated, her eyes burned, "Anakin?"

His grip tightened around her again, not painfully, but enough that she noticed. "I can't," he whispered, "I'm not, I'm not him anymore."

"I can feel you," Ahsoka replied sadly, more tears slipping down her cheeks, "Please, I can feel you there."

He said nothing, he took a deep breath of his own as her sorrow and pleading hit his chest harshly. His own eyes burned from the tears he didn't want to shed, but they fell anyway. Love, despite all the dark and hate in him, was at his very core. He loved so much and lost everything he loved, his mother, his sister, his brother, his wife, his son or daughter. All he loved, gone, but his sister had come back. His sister was back here in his arms, their bond restored, she was here. It gave him hope, it gave him light that Vader recoiled against, but that Anakin reached for. Longing, desperate, wanting to see again after so many years blind.

If it was possible for him to return home, he wanted to take that chance, but it wasn't. The Force around him had told him, she was not enough to keep the darkness away. However, for now in this place, it was enough. The light pulsed with the dark, he hugged her tighter again, remorse flowing through him. This woman, this girl, she was his family. He'd lost her so many times before, too many times he'd failed her. Not again, he couldn't fail her another time, but he couldn't be Anakin Skywalker again. He was too far gone, he couldn't be redeemed this way. The darkness still pulsed in his veins, she couldn't save him. Not fully, not now. But in this place, she was an anchor, a good reminder of who he was, of the love he had in him, the good he had in him that was never truly extinguished.

Ahsoka gripped him tighter, her heartbreaking as she felt his thoughts in her own mind. She had already known that she couldn't save him, but that didn't mean it hurt less. However there was still hope, the light had grown in him, he wasn't truly far gone, part of him was still here. Yes the darkness remained, yes, she wasn't enough to save him, but there was something there. This was something, her mind, her hope, screamed. It was something, it was possible, there was a chance.

"Yeah," Anakin said to her, his voice was hoarse, but it was really him, "It's something little one. It's something."

"Please don't go," Ahsoka whispered as she shut her eyes.

Now it was her turn to beg, to plead, with him to stay with her. For him not to leave her alone.

Anakin didn't say anything right away, he was thinking the same thing she was or perhaps he had just heard it from her mind. Regardless, he for the message and struggled to steady his breathing. If he could, he would never leave her again. Darth Vader was raging in the fragile cage Anakin had put him in, the two personalities and minds battling for dominance. Ever since he discovered Ahsoka was alive, Anakin had been fighting harder and stronger than ever before. He loved her, he had no hate for her, only love and pain.

It was then Anakin shoved Vader's cage in his mind, imprinting something onto the other personality with the Force on his side as he did so. That even if Anakin lost the battle to the dark, that even if he fell again, Darth Vader would not be the reason Ahsoka Tano died. He would protect her, he would ensure she lived. That if it was possible, he would ensure she stayed by his side or at least he could get her away from the Emperor's view. It wasn't enough or what either truly desired, but it was the best he could do in this war.

"I'll do my best," he whispered to her, "For you, I'll do my best."

He sent a wave of sleep suggestion at her, he caught her surprise and betrayal before the exhaustion took over her consciousness and she fell asleep against him. It was similar the first time around. He didn't let her go, instead, he just held her and continued his war against Vader. One way or another, his little sister would be safe.