Ahsoka decided after five minutes of being on the planet that she loathed Dathomir with every fiber of her being. As Ventress led them through the temple to where the survivors lived, they encountered dozens of think vines covered with long, sharp thorns and several creepy creatures that watched them from the shadows.
"How far is this place?" asked Ahsoka.
"You'll have to forgive us if we don't enjoy living close to the bodies of our fallen sisters," said Ventress. "But we're almost there."
Lux tapper Ahsoka on the shoulder. "You think we can trust her?" he whispered.
"I don't think we've got much of a choice," said Ahsoka. "But there's something here that is very strong with the Force, and the Nightsisters are probably our best chance at finding what it is and how to communicate with it."
"If you're sure," said Lux.
"We're here," announced Ventress, gesturing to a doorway covered in runes and ancient symbols that seemed to be burned into the door itself. Ventress pulled open the doors. "Whatever you do, don't go anywhere without me. My sisters aren't exactly friendly to outsiders."
Ahsoka nodded. "Understandable."
Once through the doors, Ahsoka found herself in a large cavern. The walls were made of a red rock and large stalactites and stalagmites protruded from the cavern floor and ceiling like giant red teeth. In the center of the cavern a small group of women, all dressed similarly to Ventress in red, sat in a circle around a large fire with green flames. The women's eyes were closed and they were chanting something under their breaths in a language that Ahsoka couldn't quite understand.
Ahsoka threw a glance towards Ventress. "What are they doing?"
"A ritual," said Ventress. "A way of trying to communicate with our dead sisters. But we haven't had much luck. Especially with most of the clan eliminated and Mother Talzin off in some corner of the galaxy. They'll finish up soon. We just have to be patient."
Sure enough, barely twenty minutes later the green flames died down and the women stopped chanting and opened their eyes. A moment of silence fell over the cavern, but it was not long lived as they quickly noticed the outsiders standing in their cavern.
Several women jumped up, drawing sharp blades from their belted and pointing them threateningly at Ahsoka, Barriss, and Lux. Ventress stepped in front of the three of them and raised her hands towards her sisters.
"Easy," said Ventress. "These are friends."
"Sister Asajj," said one of the Nightsisters. "You have brought…outsiders. They are not welcome here."
"These are allies," said Ventress. "They have felt a powerful Force presence within our Temple. They have come from far across the galaxy."
The Nightsisters eyed Ahsoka and Barriss's lightsabers.
"Jedi," said one of the untrustingly.
"Ex-Jedi," corrected Ahsoka.
"Ex-Jedi," said the Nightsister. "No matter what you call yourself, it was one of those weapons that cut down my sisters in cold blood." She pointed to Ahsoka's lightsaber.
"Not everyone with a lightsaber is a murderer," said Ahsoka. "There are those of us who still hold some morals."
"Sister Asajj," said the Nightsister. "A word, please?"
The Nightsister took Ventress over to the corner where they proceeded to have a whispered conversation with lots of arm waving and head shaking while the other Nightsisters whispered amongst themselves.
It wasn't long before Ventress and the other Nightsister returned.
"You are lucky," began the Nightsister, "that we trust Sister Asajj and her judgement. We will allow you to stay here for one night. In the morning, we will show you what we believe is the Force presence you sensed."
The Nightsisters dispersed across the cavern, mostly attempting to avoid the trio, although a few watched them curiously as they settled down in one corner of the cavern.
"You're lucky you had me to help you," said Ventress. "My sisters would not have been so generous had you been here alone."
"Thank you," said Ahsoka. She looked at Ventress and gave a slight laugh.
"What's so funny, Tano?" asked Ventress.
"I just never thought you'd be helping me," said Ahsoka, giving a slight shake of her head. "If someone told me this would be happening a year ago, I would have recommended that they see a mental doctor. It's just odd. My old enemy is helping me and my old allies are now hunting me across the galaxy."
Ventress looked at her with that sympathetic, understanding look again. "You were right about one thing. We are much more similar than I thought."
Ahsoka gave a small smile. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"We'll call it both," said Ventress.
"Thank you," said Ahsoka again. "I mean it, Ventress."
"You're welcome, Tano," said Ventress. "Now get some rest." She glanced to where Lux and Barriss were talking a few feet away. "You and your friends will need some rest if you're to face whatever's emitting that Force presence you're following."
Ventress returned to her sisters and Ahsoka joined Lux and Barriss and settled down on the hard stone floor.
Sleep didn't come easily to Ahsoka that night. Between anxiety about the Nightsisters on the other side of the cavern, who could kill Ahsoka and her friends in an instant, and anticipation about what the next day would hold, Ahsoka was awake hours after her friends had fallen asleep and she only managed to fall asleep by using the Force to silence her thoughts and help her relax.
Ahsoka awoke to Ventress shaking her. "Get up," she said. "It's time to go."
Ahsoka checked time make sure her lightsabers were still at her belt and the Holocron was still in her pocket before getting to her feet and stretching out her back, which was sore from sleeping on the hard rock all night.
Next to her, Lux and Barriss looked just as tired and disheveled as Ahsoka felt. It seemed like it hadn't been a good night of sleep for any of them.
Ventress gestured for the three of them to follow her. She was standing in front of a dark tunnel which Ahsoka hadn't noticed the night before. She could sense the Force presence emitting from deep within that tunnel. They were close now. Ventress led them to the tunnel entrance and stood aside.
"Good luck," she said. "Try not to die."
"You're not coming with us?" asked Ahsoka.
Ventress snorted. "No Nightsister other than Mother Talzin has entered that tunnel in years. They say a malevolent spirit lives within the tunnels that can drive someone insane by just looking into their eyes. It's said that sometimes, if you're quiet enough, you can hear it whispering to it's victims."
Ahsoka looked deep into the dark tunnel. "Great," she said. "Malevolent spirits are exactly what we need right now." She took a deep breath and stepped into the tunnel, activating her lightsaber to give a light source.
Barriss turned her lightsaber on and plunged it into the wall.
"What are you doing?" asked Lux.
"I'm marking the way so we know how to get out," said Barriss. "I don't know how far this thing goes or how fast we'll have to get out, so this'll make it easier to find out way back."
"Good thinking," he said.
The tunnels were extremely dark and so narrow that they had to walk in single file. Ahsoka walked in the lead so she could light the way with her lightsabers, Lux walked in the middle and Barriss walked behind both of them, marking the wall with her lightsaber. The tunnels twisted and turned and they came across several dead ends.
The system of tunnels soon opened up into a massive cavern. The roof stretched up so high that Ahsoka could barely see it anymore. In the center of the cavern, Ahsoka could make out a black, pyramid shaped structure. Statues were placed here and there around the cavern, and as Ahsoka approached one of them, she discovered that they were meant to be Jedi. The statues had lightsabers in their hands and their bodies were contorted one unnatural ways, their faces grotesque masks with horrifying expressions.
"What is that?" Lux asked, pointing to the pyramid. "I've never seen anything like it."
"That," said Ahsoka. "Is a Sith temple. I didn't think that there was on Dathomir. At least not one that the Jedi know about."
"The Force presence is definitely coming from inside," said Barriss. "Should we keep following it?"
"What do we have to lose?" asked Ahsoka.
"You mean other than our lives?" said Lux.
"If you don't want to go inside," Ahsoka said, "be my guest, but I'm going in. If you want, you can wait outside."
Lux sighed and adjusted his blaster at his belt. "If you're going, I'm going, but I'm going to be pissed if we die."
"I can deal with that," Ahsoka said. "Barriss?"
"I'm coming too," she said.
"Let's go." Ahsoka led the other two towards the temple, holding her lightsabers defensively in front of her. She'd never actually been inside a Sith temple before, but she assumed it couldn't be a friendly place.
Once inside, they encountered nothing excepts for a few horrifying decorations, such as carvings of dead Jedi and ancient statues that seemed to be of Sith lords. Once she saw that there were no immediate threats, Ahsoka turned off her lightsabers and gestured for Barriss to do the same. There was enough light on the inside of the temple that they didn't need another light source.
The interior of the temple was a maze of passageways and room filled with ancient artifacts and deadly weapons. With every step she took, Ahsoka felt the Force presence growing stronger in the pit of her stomach until she finally stopped in front of one room.
"This is it," she said. "Whatever we find in here, it probably won't be good. Be on your guard. I don't want any of us to be killed."
She ignited both of her white blades and Barriss followed her lead. Lux pulled out his blasters and the trio burst into the room.
It was a very large room, with pillars lining the walls, but it was mostly empty except for one large sarcophagus in the center of the room. Ahsoka took a defensive position, but the room was completely empty of life except for her, Lux, and Barriss.
Ahsoka approached the sarcophagus. As soon as she got close, a howl cut through the air. Ahsoka and Barriss's lightsabers deactivates on their own and Lux's laster flew out of his hand.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Ahsoka.
A faint gust of wind blew through the room, and a column of red light shot up from the sarcophagus. A figure stepped out from the column, eyes glowing a sinister yellow.
"I have been expecting you," said the figure, it's voice echoing throughout the room. "Ahsoka Tano. Barriss Offee. And Lux Bonteri."
"How do you know out names?" Ahsoka asked. Of everything she'd been expecting, this was definitely an unexpected turn. "Who are you?"
"Who was I, you mean," said the figure.
"You mean you're dead?" asked Ahsoka. "That's not possible."
"Many things are possible, through the Force. The Dark Side is a gateway to many abilities, some considered to be…unnatural. As for who I was, they called me Darth Plagueis the Wise. I have foreseen your coming through the Force for many years."
"And now that we're here, what do want with us?" demanded Ahsoka.
Barriss laid a hand in her shoulder. "Do not anger him, Ahsoka," she whispered. "The last thing we want is for the dead Sith to be angry with us."
Darth Plagueis laughed. "Do not worry, Barriss Offee. It is not you I am angry with. I have called you here because I am angry with another, in fact. My apprentice, Darth Sidious. You may know him better as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Lux. "Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith?"
"Indeed he is," said Plagueis. "When I was his Master, I learned many things through the Force, including how to creat life itself. I taught me apprentice everything I knew, and once my usefulness to him had run out, he killed me and banished me here, to this dismal temple on this remote planet."
"And why are you telling us this?" asked Ahsoka. "Why not lure Master Yoda or some other Jedi here?"
"The Jedi and the Republic are under the influence of a Sith Lord. They have both become corrupt and filled with greed. And you are no longer affiliated with either, but you are still strong with the Force. And now you have a way of becoming even stronger." He pointed to the Holocron. "Unlocking that will be the final piece in the puzzle. I will finally have revenge upon my apprentice."
"You haven't even told us how you plan to get revenge yet," Barriss said.
"But of course," said Plagueis. "Darth Sidious plans to use the Grand Army of the Republic to destroy the Jedi once and for all. He also plans to corrupt the Chosen One to become his apprentice."
Ahsoka shuddered at the implications. The clones Turing in the Jedi would cause the Jedi Order to be completely obliterated. And though she didn't agree with the Jedi, their destruction would make the galaxy a much darker place. And a dark Anakin…she didn't want to even think about that.
"So what do we do about this?" asked Ahsoka. "We can't just match up to the Senate and claim that the Chancellor is a Sith. People would think we're crazy."
"First," said Plagueis, "you unlock that Holocron. Then, you return to Coruscant and you make Sidious attack you in a public place. That way there are witnesses."
"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Ahsoka. "I mean, you're a Sith. We've always been natural enemies."
"You can't," said Plagueis. "But my hatred for my traitorous apprentice is far stronger than my hatred of the Jedi. Besides, they don't call me Darth Plagueis the Wise for nothing. I know that sometimes you have to work with your enemies for a common goal. That goal, of course, being Sidious's death."
With that, the spirit of Darth Plagueis the Wise descended back into his sarcophagus, the column of light diminished, and the wind stopped. The Force presence no longer called out to Ahsoka. She could still sense Plagueis within the sarcophagus, but he was placid. He had said what he needed to. Now he would wait and see how things played out through the Force.
"We're done here," Ahsoka said. "Let's go."
They did not speak until they were back in the system of tunnels and the Sith temple was behind them.
"So," said Lux. "That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. I think I might have peed a little. Or a little more than a little."
"I can't believe it," said Barriss. "The entire time, a Sith Lord has been under the nose of the Jedi Council and they never saw it? I thought they were supposed to be the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy!"
"The Jedi aren't what they used to be," Ahsoka reminded her. "But I don't think it's just them. No one saw the Chancellor as a major threat. Perhaps a minor inconvenience, but certainly not a Sith Lord. This does not bode well for the rest of the galaxy."
Emerging from the tunnels and back into the Nightsisters temple, they found the cavern that they had slept in the night before empty.
"That's odd," said Ahsoka. "Where would they have gone?"
"Perhaps they just went out to scavenge for food," suggested Barriss. "I didn't see a lot of it inside the temple."
Ahsoka shrugged at that but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It's probably just this planet, she thought to herself. It's messing with me. We should just get away from this place and focus on opening the Holocron.
The three of them walked back through the temple to where the Nebula was, taking particular care to cover their noses when they passed through the room full of rotting corpses.
Once they exited the temple, Ahsoka realized leaving Dathomir might not be so simple. Three Republic Venators hovered in the planet's atmosphere and several gunships had surrounded the Nebula.
"I have a bad feeling about this," said Barriss.
"Me too," said Ahsoka. She looked up to the sky. Anakin was on one of those Venators. She could sense it. What was he doing? And how did he find her?
"They must have put a tracker in our ship," said Ahsoka. She grunted in frustration. "Alright. I don't want to hurt any of the clones. We'll have to figure out a way to get to the ship without hurting anyone. And I think I know how. But we'll need Ventress's help."
It didn't take long to locate Ventress and the Nightsisters in the thick foliage of Dathomir. And it didn't take long to convince her to help them, either.
"As long as it gets them off of my planet, I'll help you," said Ventress.
"Thank you," said Ahsoka. "You won't regret it."
"I'd better not."
Less than twenty minutes later, Ahsoka, Barriss, and Lux were in position and ready.
"Now we just wait for the signal," said Ahsoka.
"You think this plan will work?" asked Barriss.
"I really hope so," said Ahsoka. "I don't want to deal with the Republic again for a while."
A ball of green Nightsisters magic was launched high into the sky above the clones and several Nightsisters burst out of the trees, casting spells and illusions towards the clones. These spells were harmless, of course, and they'd decided they did not want to hurt the clones, but the spells looked flashy and hopefully would lure the clones away from the Nebula.
It seemed to be working. The clones got in their gunships and flew off towards the Nightsisters, who then concealed themselves in the forest.
Ahsoka, Barriss, and Lux, ran towards the Nebula. Lux shot the tracking device off of its side and the three were about to go inside when they were stopped by a voice.
"I thought you might be behind that."
Ahsoka turned and found herself face to face with Rex. He pulled out his blasters and pointed them at Ahsoka. She assumed that they were on stun but the gesture still shocked her slightly.
"Get on the ship," she whispered to Barriss. "I'll handle this."
Barriss nodded and she and Lux boarded the Nebula.
"Listen, Rex, our those down," she said. "I can explain."
Her explanation was cut short as Rex fired to stun blasts and her world went dark.
She woke in a cell on what she assumed was one of the Republic Venators. Ahsoka was laying in the middle of the floor, her limbs splayed in different directions. She slowly sat up, massaging her stiff joints, when a shadow fell over her. Standing in the ray-shielded door was none other than her master, Anakin Skywalker. She groaned mentally. This would be fun.
"Ahsoka," said Anakin, his voice thick with disapproval. He shut off the ray shield and stepped inside. "I can't seem to figure out what exactly it is that you think you're doing. Blowing up part of a Republic ship? Abandoning your post in Ilum? And now you've gotten yourself arrested. What exactly is the purpose of this?"
"First if all," she said, standing up off the floor. "Don't call it my post. It was a death sentence. Second of all, you've done much worse than this before. I seek to recall an experience where you crashed an entire Venator."
Anakin scoffed. "That was in a battle in the name of the Republic."
Ahsoka tolled her eyes. "Yes, because when the Republic approves it makes it all okay."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know that exactly what it means!" said Ahsoka hotly.
"This is getting us nowhere," said Anakin. "I'll come back when you're calmed down and ready to talk. You've got plenty of time for that."
"Wait," said Ahsoka. "Let me just tell you one thing."
"What?"
"Never trust Palpatine."