Kill the Son.
It seemed so logical, and for a time, so easy. Simple.
But Master Obi-Wan hadn't agreed.
"No," he'd said, stroking thoughtfully at his beard. "The sooner we get out of here, the better. I don't see the wisdom is engaging the Son any further. Unless you've already forgotten what happened last time?"
Ahsoka's shiver was involuntary. Of course, she hadn't forgotten. Who could forget such a suffocating feeling as that of the Darkside possessing every inch of one's body? Sure, she couldn't exactly remember what happened after that creepy little creature bit her arm, but she could recall with certain clarity the way the inky blackness had coursed through her veins.
And she didn't know if she would ever be able to shake the feeling, no matter how she might try.
Despite her Grandmaster's wise words, the urge to destroy the Son clung to her with sharp, unyielding claws. She had to do it, not only for herself, for the galaxy, but for Anakin.
Speeder bike engines pushed to the max, the two Jedi made their way towards the gloomy monastery, which still loomed far too great a distance away for Ahsoka's patience, despite their speed.
Neither said much to the other, both trapped in their own thoughts; both wondering the same thing: was it wise to leave Anakin alone with the ship, and was he more susceptible to an attack from the Son that way?
"Anakin had better have that ship repaired by the time we get back," Obi-Wan called over the roar of their combined engines.
"With the way he was bragging about his skills," Ahsoka returned, smirking, "I hope he will too, for his sake."
"And ours," her Grandmaster commented, his tone an unpleasant mix and dry concern.
Ahsoka fixed her eyes ahead and kept them there.
"I can't leave this planet without the Father's blessing."
Her Master's words reverberated in her head without pause. Obi-Wan had wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Anakin couldn't bring himself to do it without first seeing the Father again.
Oh, Master.
So, the Great Negotiator had brokered a deal: he and Ahsoka would visit the Father on Anakin's behalf if Anakin would get the ship up and running in less than an hour.
"Twenty-five minutes," Anakin had replied with an overconfident smirk. "Thirty, tops."
And that was that.
Only… it wasn't. As she rode away with Obi-Wan, she had sensed discord and confusion in her Master.
Or perhaps, the feelings came from her.
Or all of them.
If they felt anything like she did, then they knew they couldn't leave without destroying the Son once and for all.
Without the Daughter, everything was unbalanced; the Dark had a stronger presence than the Light.
And it was making her physically ill.
Yes, they would find the Son and see to it he couldn't cause any more damage. Not to this world, or the galaxy as a whole.
As it turns out, the Son found them first.
Ahsoka slammed on her breaks, bringing the vehicle to a screeching, sliding halt in front of the horrific monster before them. So swift had its arrival been that it seemed almost to materialize right in front of their eyes.
In an instant, Ahsoka was off her bike, lightsabers drawn and ignited. She didn't miss the way Obi-Wan strategically placed the bulk of his body between her and the now fully transformed Son.
"Welcome." His voice was like silk woven with strings of pure evil.
Ahsoka's lips twisted and she tightened her grip on the weapons.
"I think," the Son continued, slowly approaching them, hands folding behind his back, "that there has been a misunderstanding between us. We really don't have to be enemies."
"You murdered your own sister!" Ahsoka bit out. "I'm sorry, but I don't see how that can be classified as a simple misunderstanding."
The Son only grinned, never faltering in his advance across the dreary, blackened landscape.
"The Force is out of balance," she went on, waiting for either Obi-Wan or the Son to stop her tirade. "And we have to stop you before you go too far."
"Must you?" Was all the dark devil said, still grinning.
In reply, Ahsoka glances hopefully at Obi-Wan, who let a small sigh push past his lips.
"It's now or never," his determined blue eyes seemed to say as he shifted into a strong defensive position.
Ahsoka adjusted her classic backwards grip and readied herself for the first attack.
"Oh, there's no need for such crude implements here," the Son declared, ripping their weapons right out of their fingers with relative ease.
She shouldn't have been shocked—she was well aware of his immense strength in the Darkside of the Force—and yet she couldn't help the wave of surprise that washed over her, tingling her tendrils.
A shiver wracked her thin frame.
"I have a gift for you," the Son continued before they could even wrap their head around it all. His voice was oddly mesmerizing and Ahsoka found it suddenly difficult to concentrate on anything but him.
"I believe we've had quite enough of your trickery," Obi-Wan managed, his confident tone cutting through her confusion.
"Oh, but you'll like this one." The Force devil grinned, red eyes gleaming. "I promise. What if I could show you the future?"
The future…?
Ahsoka shot her Grandmaster a wary glance as the Son let his words sink in. Obi-Wan's face was stone, unwavering in its determination to avoid another demonic detour from their adversary.
Whose future?
Hers? Obi-Wan's? The Galaxy's…?
Does he know how the war will end? If we could only know too… We could put a stop to the fighting once and for all—The minute she caught herself in the thought, she ended it. No! No, this is a trick! It's just a trick…
Mere seconds later, faint voices squirmed through her mind. Familiar, yet ominous. Thick clouds with rusty hues began to collect around her, and yet she didn't suffocate.
In an instant, she knew what was happening and she couldn't believe she'd actually wanted it.
No! Her hands flew to her head as if to squeeze out the voices; to quench them before they got too far.
Before they said anything crucial to her future…
Before she heard something that would change everything.
"Stop…" she moaned. "No! Stop it! Get out of my head!"
"What are you doing?" Obi-Wan's voice sounded distant, almost as if a wall of water hung between them. The fear lacing his tone, however, was quite clear.
Help me, Master! Help—!
"Stop this at once! What are you doing to her? Stop—!"
"Know yourself," the Son commanded, shoving Obi-Wan into the nearest rock formation with a heavy, invisible hand. "Know what will become of you! Of him! Of what your Master will become…"
"Ahsoka!" Someone called out to her, though it wasn't Obi-Wan.
Master?
Emotions she knew she hadn't ever felt swirled about her mind, clamping down on her present memories and replacing them with future scenarios.
Scenarios that felt too real, too solid.
Too etched in stone.
"Ahsoka!" The voice continued, only to be overlapped by another.
"You didn't even try to come and help me!"
"They wouldn't let me in to see you!"
"You could have if you tried!"
Her voice. It was her voice. And it wouldn't stop, shouting relentlessly at her for something she hadn't even done.
"It doesn't matter. She's gone."
"Stop this!"
"Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own…"
"This meeting is just a formality!"
Master…? "No… I won't look! I won't!"
"... without the Council…"
"It is the Council's opinion that Padawan Ahsoka Tano has committed sedition against the Republic…"
"... and with you."
"No…"
"... and thus, she will be expelled from the Jedi Order."
It was a future—her future—and it was one she didn't want to even hear. "No…"
"Execute Order 66–!"
"Stop!"
"Find him!"
Rex…? Her head spun.
"No!"
"Find him. Fives! Findhim!"
"It's impossible!" Her future voice came back once more; deeper now, matured, weathered.
And still, she couldn't look—wouldn't look.
"My Master would never be as vile as you!"
"Your Master was weak…" Tears pummeled her trembling lids. "So I killed him."
"Then I will avenge his death."
"No!" The agonizing scream tore from her throat and Ahsoka sunk to her knees, exhausted. "No… Please, no…"
She felt the Son's muted presence in front of her before she even opened her tear-soaked eyes.
"Will I really do something so terrible?" She forced her head up, seeing his hulking form through glassy lenses. "Sedition against the Republic?"
"And your Master will do far worse before this war comes to its true end. You will both desert the Order you hold so dear."
She choked on a sob.
"But," the Son went on, smooth as ever, "it doesn't have to be that way."
What?
"The choice is still yours to make, young one."
A sniffle escaped her and she rubbed a fist over her eyes. "How?"
"The future, by its nature, can be changed. Join me, and together we will destroy the Lord of the Sith your precious Order has been chasing since the start of tot all. We shall end war, corruption, and suffering throughout the galaxy!"
"Will… will we bring peace?"
He knelt down to her level, his eyes soft, enticing. Then, he held out her sabers, which nestled snuggly in his palm. "Of course, young one. Of course."
Before she knew what she was doing, before she could even stop herself, Ahsoka's fingers curled around the weapon. First one, then the other, and with the Son's aid, she rose to her feet.
Obi-Wan lay unconscious several feet off to the side. She would come back for him, and then she would help him.
She would help them all. By ending this war, she would save everyone she loved.
And no one would die.
No one would have to leave the Order—their home.
She gave Obi-Wan one final glance. I'm sorry, Master. I'll make you proud. I'll make you both proud.
I have what it takes now to win this.
You'll see.
You'll see…