The sound of lightsabers rattling reverberated throughout the monastery halls. Anakin had to admit he didn't think Depa could survive this long without the benefit of sight. She countered his attacks and even managed to score off his weak defensive stance. An issue the offensive minded Skywalker could never figure how to fix.
Anakin charges at Depa, who launches up to avoid his strike. He tries again, only to have her sidestep him and deliver a solid kick to his stomach before letting loose a Force push that sent him out into the courtyard.
"Sounds like you could use some help." Ahsoka stands above him smugly.
Skywalker growls. "You do not know what you're getting yourself into!" He tells Depa.
"I think I'm supposed to say that to you."
The Daughter appears hovering over them, eyeing her brother. "Is this the madness you seek?"
"It is your doing, sister. You shouldn't have gotten involved."
"It was a mistake to not get involved sooner." She pushes the Son back, knocking his head against the wall. He falls to his knees, clutching to his throbbing head.
"Okay then." He retaliates with the same attack. The Daughter getting the wind knocked out of her. "You're weak. The light is nothing more than restraints." He taunts. "My power is true. Is infinite."
"You're power lacks substance. You are seduced by flash." She strongly retorts. "You'll meet your end if you continue down this path. Father is ailing and his death will throw the universe into chaos."
"Sister, I live for chaos. I am chaos." Lightning explodes from his fingertips, the Daughter is able to repulse it. His strength overwhelms her and she jumps to avoid the blast. She is able to dodge the first strike, but the second catches her. The Son is merciless. Electrocuting her until her blood boiled and her icy blue veins showed on her graying skin.
He tried to withdraw the dagger, except the Daughter desperately attacked him and the weapon flung itself across the courtyard.
(Scene break)
Anakin and Ahsoka teamed up to take Depa down. "Listen to me!" She pleads. "The Son is twisting your minds. You can't believe him!"
They ignored her and proceeded to continue their relentless attack. She found herself worn down, they were simply too fast for her to take simultaneously. On shaky legs, Depa was able to counter Ahsoka's strike, and disarm her. When she tried to go hand-to-hand, Billapa pushed her back. Anakin leapt and nicking her shoulder, then her leg and she fell hunched over clutching her wounds. Skywalker raises his blade for the killing blow. A whistle disturbs his concentration. Turning around, his chin is greeted with a strong kick sending him crumbling backwards. Depa looks up to see her Padawan standing above her, extending his hand.
"Trouble always seems to find you, Master." He says innocently. "Can you fight?" He asks. Anakin and Ahsoka surrounded them, Kyle ignited his blade as did Depa.
"I can manage." She tells him. "You take Ahsoka, I'll handle Anakin." Though sore, she felt she could hold her own. Even if she couldn't, Depa was aware her Padawan didn't stand a chance against him. It baffled her Skywalker left himself vulnerable to a sneak attack. Guessing good fortune smiled down upon her.
"Back from the dead?" Ahsoka teases.
"Can't say I ever was dead." He comments. He wanted to plead for her to walk away, what he was sensing inside of her and Anakin was unnatural. More chaotic than Ventress, someone who gave themselves up fully to the dark side still having doubt. Nothing about their sudden turns sat right with Kyle. Yet, the stinging in his chest said otherwise.
Their sabers clash, her green against his blue. Kyle hasn't fought Ahsoka in over a year, but he knew a lot about how she fought. Jar'Kai is extremely one-sided, favoring offense. Ahsoka was athletic enough to keep the pressure on Kyle. Giving him no time to counter. He backpedals until he can't anymore, utilizing the wall as a springboard to turn the tables attack. Problem being, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. His slash was deliberately slow, allowing her to counter.
"You need to snap out of this Ahsoka." He told her. "I need you to listen to me." His mind searches for the correct words to say. "You're my friend, I can't kill you."
"Then you're weak!" She hisses, and kicks him in the gut. Kyle recovers and ducks an attempt to decapitate his head, rolling to the side he instilled the values of the defensive style of Makashi to parry her blows. Kyle and Depa found themselves backed up against each other in the center of the courtyard.
Ahsoka disarms Kyle, rotating his wrist so his grip would loosen. Her mistake was going to grab it, giving him a chance to side-step and kick her in the gut. Anakin again nicked Depa, this time in the other shoulder, once again eager to strike the killing blow. Thinking fast, the unarmed Padawan tries to kick Anakin again, only this time he ducks and inadvertently it hits Ahsoka knocking her out. "Kyle!" Depa sends him her lightsaber and he catches it, just in time to saber lock with Skywalker. It quickly became clear Skywalker was the stronger one of the two, bringing Kyle down to a knee.
"Enough!" The Father, having awakened from his slumber, brings about unspeakable thunder and fury to capture the attention of all combatants. Their bodies became unglued to the ground, it is as if a powerful earthquake shook the entire planet's foundation. Kyle flew ten feet into the air, before being slammed back down.
Kyle looked at Ahsoka, pieced by the dagger thanks to the Father's tremor. It sliced her hip and remained lodged in her body. He crawled over to her and pried it out, only to find there wasn't any wound. When she woke up Kyle fully expected to see yellow eyes. To his pleasant surprise, her blue orbs returned. "What happened?" She groggily asked.
"You don't remember?" Kyle was confused.
"No... I remember being inside the alter. Did we get the dagger?"
The dagger must've freed her from the Son's grip. Kyle thought. Looking at his opposite side, Depa wasn't in any better shape after the Father's episode. "Don't move." He told her. "I have supplies." He rushes to tend to her various wounds, rummaging through his pack pulling out a medpac. He didn't have any bacta spray, having to make due with kolto. Depa hisses as he applied the spray.
"So happy you decided to join the party, father!" The Son calls to the dagger. "Now I can finish what I started."
"This has gone far enough. I will not tell you again to stand down!" The Father walks towards him. "I will not hesitate to do what i must to preserve the universe." He threatens.
"Dealing in absolute, are we Father? Well two can play at this game." He grabs his sister and holds the dagger against her throat. "Come any closer and your favorite child gets it."
"You don't want to do that." Father advised.
"All I want is to leave." Son trembled. "You keep us here as prisoners. Am I supposed to live in captivity for eternity?"
The Father was unsure what was the best response. Deep down, he knew the answer was yes. "For a time I believed you and Daughter could be forces of good for the universe. I don't believe that anymore."
Enraged, the Son tosses his sister aside and charges at his father stabbing him through the heart. Through tear streaked cheeks and a clenched throat, the Son stares into the eyes of his betrayed elder. The things he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to. Merely withdrawing the dagger, never breaking and eye contact was enough.
"Father!" Daughter rushes to his side. Unlike last time, there was no words. No warmth in his body. The Father was cold and still. The pure light inside of Daughter dimmed.
His lip began to tremble, before composing himself. Turning back to Skywalker, he speaks with a raspy firmness. "Take me to the ship." He froze in place, a spark came from his forehead before falling face first. Skywalker followed, only his body fell like a child dropping their doll.
"Anakin!" Ahsoka cradles her master's head, trying to no avail to wake him up. "What did you do!"
"Please." She sobs, burying her head into Father's shoulder. "Just leave!"
"No! My master isn't moving. I need to know why." She responds firmly.
"My brother seduced your master to the dark side. When I ended him, it appears I did the same to your master. I apologize, little one."
"You're sorry?" Ahsoka had to be restrained from going any further challenging the Daughter. "Can you bring him back?"
"I don't know. My father rid the dark side from the birds. But I never did it. Let alone try it on a human."
"Please." She couldn't contemplate a reality without her master in it. "He can't die! There must be something i can do?" The Daughter approaches Anakin, placing her head on his chest.
"I hear a heartbeat." She said. "It is faint though."
"So there's hope?" Ahsoka asked.
"Some. Someone needs to go inside his mind and see what it is the Son triggered to switch your master's allegiances so quick." She informs Ahsoka.
"What?"
"Nobody turns away from the light without reason. Some merely seek powers. Others have a higher purpose."
"What can I do?"
"I can put you inside his head and you can rectify what my brother did to your master."
"Ahsoka, are you sure you can do this?"
Without hesitation, Ahsoka nods her head. "Yes."
(scene break)
They had so many questions to ask her. Skywalker still hasn't moved since the Son met his abrupt end. The Jedi helped Daughter bury her father. Depa asked if Father wished to be cremated. "Is that how your clan mourned the dead?" She asked. Depa responds, yes. "We are not your clan. We are... were our own. A simple burial will suffice." Daughter asked for them to help her bury two graves. "He was vile and conniving, but he was still my brother." Daughter looks at the Son one last time.
"If you ask me, he doesn't deserve a funeral." Kyle groans. His master tells him to hush. "He tried to kill us all. A mad man."
"That may be, but she lost everything. If she wants to pay her final respects this way, who are we to complain?"
"What about the Father?" Kyle questioned.
"What about him?"
"Wasn't he a harbinger of the light? He should get a Jedi funeral."
"He wasn't a Jedi, Kyle. He was... a Force wielder." She responds.
"He wasn't Sith, the difference?"
"They don't identify as Jedi. That's the difference. They have their own customs, we have to respect it."
The two continued to shovel. Depa's back aches, and Kyle was growing tired. "There's a river near here. How about I bring us back some water?" Depa offers. Kyle wasn't about to point out she couldn't see. She's fine enough to convince him it doesn't matter.
"I'm parched. So yes." He tells her.
Ahsoka returned from her talk with Daughter. Needing a minute to digest the information given to her. "What's wrong?" He asks. Ahsoka has her arms hugging her chest, resembling her occasional shy demeanor when she first became Skywalker's Padawan.
"The Daughter told me only I could bring my master back from the dark side." She starts.
"That's fine. You and him have a great bond." Kyle knew if a master didn't have a bond with their student the partnership likely wouldn't bear any fruit.
"But there's more. If I fail... if I alter a memory that isn't meant to be touch he could fall into a vegetative state." Ahsoka lays out the pitfalls waiting for her, should she accept this task.
"Well... what are you going to do?" Kyle ponders for an alternative. "Could I help?"
Ahsoka shakes her head. "The Daughter said the person needs to be someone Anakin trusts. Someone he knows. If it's you, he'll get frightened and won't accept help."
"I see." Kyle crosses his arms. "Ahsoka, I think your master is a good man. Poisoned by the dark side. If he won't listen to logic and reason, then this newfangled treatment is your only chance to set things right. It's worth a shot. We can't bring dark side Anakin back to Coruscant. He'll surely be thrown in prison."
"A republic jail cannot hold a Sith." Ahsoka tells him.
"What do the Jedi do with captured Sith?"
The Togruta shrugs. "It's been so long since the Jedi actually captured a Sith. From what I read, they would shut them off the Force before imprisoning them."
"Seems harsh. Robbing someone of their whole identity." Kyle mused.
"It is like disarming an unworthy soldier of their weapon." She explains.
"Sounds like it is exactly like that." Kyle points out.
"Quiet." She hushes hum. "But even so, I can't let that be my master's fate."
"No fate, but what we make." He calmly says.
"Where'd you hear that?"
"Back of a postcard." He answers.
"Thanks for the talk." Ahsoka begins to walk away. "I'm going to go through with it. Wish me luck."
"I'm right here ready to help." He reminds her. "And Ahsoka,"
She turns around. "Yeah?"
He smiles warmly. "May the Force be with you."