Anakin woke up, his head pounding in pain.

"Anakin Skywalker." A voice said. The voice sounded like…the Chancellor? Anakin looked up groggily.

"You." Anakin stared at the Chancellor. He couldn't believe it. Anakin struggled at the restraints suspending him in the air.

"I must say Skywalker, your strength seems…weaker than I last remembered." He paused. "A tragic waste of your power."

Anakin stayed silent. He'd do it again. In a heartbeat.

Sidious continued, "When I learned that you had left the Jedi Order, I was surprised. But perhaps it was for the best. Had you stayed, I'm quite certain you would have come to see what traitors the Jedi had become." He paused before adding, "Though I'm sure Miss Tano understands that this would not be the first time the Jedi turned their backs on someone."

Anakin stiffened at the sound of Ahsoka's name. He scowled at the Sith Lord.

Sidious shook his head, almost as if he's chastising Anakin. "You've known that the Jedi are wrong about the Force. They pretend to be peacekeepers, they forbid attachments, they forbid passion. But not the Sith. You've known for a long time. The Dark Side is your destiny."

Anakin broke his silence, "I'm not controlled by destiny, least of all by you. I have people by my side who will keep me headed down the right path."

"That you did, Skywalker. That you did." Sidious paused and feigned an empathetic look. "How unfortunate that she died at the hands of her own men." he said, his words like venom.

Sidious smiled with pride. The faithful Republic soldiers had crashed the Venator into the moon with Tano onboard, right after capturing Skywalker. A noble sacrifice.

No. "You lie." Anakin refused to believe that. But… he couldn't deny that he hadn't been able to sense Ahsoka's Force signature since he last saw her. No. It couldn't be. He tried desperately to suppress the heat behind his eyes.

"You lie!" he repeated.

Sidious almost looked sympathetic. "I'm afraid not." He approached Anakin. "I give you one last opportunity. Together, we can bring peace to the galaxy." He paused. "For her."

Anakin stared at him in disbelief. How dare he even suggest that.

"I would rather die than join you." Anakin glared at Sidious. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. She couldn't be gone.

Sidious just smiled, "So you will, Skywalker." He extended his palm a few inches from Anakin's face. "So… you… will." He cackled as he began his assault on Anakin's mind.

Anakin's screams drowned out the Sith Lord's laughter.

"We'll have to keep a low profile," Ahsoka said. She pulled her hood over her head. "It's not safe to be associated with the Jedi. Or even the Republic for that matter."

She and Rex had just landed on Raada, a farming planet in the Outer Rim.

They found what looked to be an abandoned farmhouse near the outskirts of a town. They did a walk-through of the house, examining to see if it was safe.

Rex finished his side. "Looks clear," Rex reported over his commlink.

Ahsoka was in another room, "Clear over here, too-"

Suddenly, she felt her head pounding, doubling over in pain. "Ah!"

"Anakin Skywalker," a raspy voice said. Was this a vision? Or was it happening right now?

"You." a familiar voice replied.

Ahsoka felt her heart speed up a little at the sound of his voice.

The raspy voice continued, "I must say Skywalker, your strength seems…weaker than I last remembered. A tragic waste of your power.

Ahsoka bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut. It was her fault.

"When I learned that you had left the Jedi Order, I was surprised. But perhaps it was for the best. Had you stayed, I'm quite certain you would have come to see what traitors the Jedi had become. Though I'm sure Miss Tano understands that this would not be the first time the Jedi turned their backs on someone.

A brief silence.

"You've known that the Jedi are wrong about the Force. They pretend to be peacekeepers, they forbid attachments, they forbid passion. But not the Sith. You've known for a long time. The Dark Side is your destiny."

No, Ahsoka thought. Maul was wrong.

Anakin replied, "I'm not controlled by destiny, least of all by you. I have people by my side who will keep me headed down the right path."

Ahsoka felt her heart lighten.

"That you did, Skywalker. That you did. How unfortunate that she died at the hands of her own men."

Ahsoka wanted to scream. No! He's lying, Anakin!

"You lie." A brief silence. "You lie!" Anakin yelled.

Ahsoka felt the heat behind her eyes again. His voice…it sounded so… heartbroken.

"I'm afraid not. I give you one last opportunity. Together, we can bring peace to the galaxy. For her."

Ahsoka was livid. She was balling her hands into fists so tightly she was afraid she would tear through her own skin.

"I would rather die than join you."

Ahsoka didn't even try to hold back her tears anymore.

"So you will, Skywalker. So…you…will."

The pain that followed was excruciating. It felt as though a shockwave was tearing at Ahsoka's mind. She screamed in pain. And the world went black.

Ahsoka woke with a start, sitting up a little too fast. She groaned in pain.

"Whoa, whoa, easy kid." Rex said.

Rex was sitting by her side and had been cleaning his gun. She was laying on a makeshift bed outside of the house.

"What… happened?" she asked, struggling to remember.

"You've been out for about three rotations. We were doing a sweep of the farmhouse when you yelled out. When I found you, you were… unconscious." Rex said. "I pulled you out here, in case it was something inside the house that did this." Rex rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Ahsoka had been crying. He didn't think he'd ever see her cry.

Ahsoka's eyes widened, suddenly remembering. She felt the tears threaten to come out again, but she took a deep breath and managed, "I had a vision. It was… Anakin."

She turned to look at Rex, who started to look hopeful. "How is he?"

"…Darth Sidious was…torturing him." Ahsoka could barely say the word.

After a long silence, Rex spoke up. "He wouldn't just kill him," Rex observed plainly.

Ahsoka nodded. "He wouldn't go to the trouble of capturing him, just to kill him."

"So, it's true? What Maul said?" Rex asked hesitantly.

Ahsoka sighed. "He wants Anakin's power. And Anakin is willing to die to keep that from happening."

Rex looked at Ahsoka as if he knew what she was thinking before she said it. "But we can't let him do that." She paused. "We need him if we are going to defeat Sidious." She needed him.

Rex also looked determined. "Did you get a location?"

Ahsoka nodded grimly. "Coruscant. The heart of the Republic."

Sidious was exhausted. Anakin's mental fortitude was impressive.

The Sith Lord smiled. But that didn't mean it was invincible.

The procedure had lasted three full rotations, though he had had to take a break for part of it to duel a certain Jedi Grandmaster. Even the poor old fool hadn't been strong enough to defeat him. His escape was unfortunate, but it didn't matter now. Now that he had Skywalker.

Sidious had dug into Skywalker's mind, preying upon every weakness he could find: Skywalker's disillusionment with the Jedi, the loss of Qui-Gon, the anguish for his late mother, his attachment to Tano.

Distrust, vengeance, guilt. Seeds of the Dark Side that Skywalker had long planted within himself.

Perhaps in another world, they could have grown naturally.

But in this world, one thing had been made clear: Skywalker would never join him. At least not willingly.

Sidious watched as the inhibitor chip was implanted into the brain.

Sidious smiled. The late Skywalker had chosen death, hoping to take his power to the grave. But Sidious was no fool. He would have that power.

Now, only Vader remained, only he would be far more powerful and loyal than Skywalker ever would.