Chapter 1: The Great Betrayer
Months Later…
"I must get stronger… stronger… Stronger! Something is stopping me… but what? Concentrate Ahsoka… The answers are here…" Ahsoka thoughts echoing in her head as she sat in her chambers meditating.
Wish a loud whoosh and slight clattering of metal Ahoska's doors open to the sight of Anakin walking into her room.
"What is it, Master?" Ahsoka asked with her eyes still closed, legs crossed, and hands holding her knees clearly still trying to focus on her meditation.
"I have to head out to get Kenobi-"
"Kenobi? Why?" Ahsoka asked, opening her eyes looking to her master. "Isn't he on a mission to track down Maul?"
"Yes, well seems like Obi-wan's ship was badly damaged by Maul in the process and his Jedi companion was killed, and he's not exactly thrilled to be stuck on a planet with pirates looting his ship as we speak." Anakin said in annoyance.
"Great so when do we leave?" Ahsoka asked, standing up from her meditation.
"We? Oh no no no. There is no we on this mission, the council wants you here." Anakin Exclaimed.
"What? Why? We're a team!" Ahsoka asked, visibly upset.
"I know, I know, but your actions the last few months have been, well, questionable," Anakin said trying to play it off.
"Questionable?" Ahsoka asked.
"You killed younglings Ahsoka and Lux Bonteri, not to mention your strange behavioral outbursts since Mortis." Anakin exclaimed once more.
"I told you already, the younglings went savage having been trapped on that island for so long being hunted by those Trandoshans. If I didn't kill them, they would kill me! And Lux was a traitor! He tried to join Death Watch, those people kill Jedi! He betrayed me! I had no choice." Ahsoka said with a genuine tone, a tone that seemed so genuine it could even fool the members of the council if they were not so stubborn for the truth is Ahsoka slaughtered the Younglings and Lux for sport. To enjoy herself and relish in her power. Not even Death Watch or the Trandoshans were a match for her when they tried to kill her.
"You can't come!" Anakin said in frustration with a raised voice.
"Do you not trust me?" Ahsoka asked, trying to guilt-trip him.
"Of course I trust you Snips… but the council isn't exactly convinced if you want to change anything you have to talk with them yourself. They believe lives could have been saved, that you may have acted in hatred, and for that reason want you to stay to clear your mind." Anakin stated with calm to his voice.
"I... I understand." Ahsoka said with a heartbroken tone, as Anakin turned to exit the room.
Now alone in a fit of rage Ahsoka turned and used the force to throw a nearby ramp across the room breaking against the wall. "AHHHHH!" Ahsoka shouted before sitting down trying to meditate again.
About an hour later Ahsoka exited her chambers with no luck to her mediation. "Anakin should be gone by now so I'm on my own." She thought. Ahsoka wandered the halls of the temple for a while near the council when out of the corner of her eyes, she spots Barriss Offee, walking in the distance, and in that moment Ahsoka's anger grew with hatred as she remembered Barriss is to betray her with the bombing of the temple, and pinning the blame on her, a reality Ahsoka new thanks to the visions the Son gave her. "She must be eradicated," Ahsoka thought with hatred in her heart.
However, now was not the time to act, not yet at least. For now, she needed to focus on the council and convince them to let her go on missions with Anakin, after all she needed the time to better her control over her newfound dark powers.
Masking her recent hatred for Barriss that had emerged Ahsoka approached the council chambers requesting an audience. Upon entering the Council chambers Ahsoka was greeted by Plo Koon, the Jedi who found her and brought her to the temple, Mace Windu, a man highly regarded as second only to the Grandmaster, and Yoda the Grandmaster himself.
"Where are the other council members?" Ahsoka asked she had been hoping for Shaak Ti to be there, in order to get more council members on her side. With Plo Koon being her only support now, this would be difficult.
"Busy they are, later they come, but for you, they will not," Yoda said in his usual calm and almost wise sounding voice.
"To what do we own the pleasure, young Padawan." Plo Koon asked.
"I came to discuss a recent… restriction… you placed on me." Ahsoka said, bowing to the masters in front of her.
"You're referring to your ban from missions until you can control your violent tendencies I assume." Mace Windu said with a cold matter of fact tone.
"Ye- yes. I came in hopes of lifting this punishment." Ahsoka responded with a calm and polite tone, it sickened her she had to act this way, she wanted to just kill Windu right then but knew it would be too early.
Suddenly Ahsoka felt a dark presence nearing, focusing on it, she realized it was Chancellor Palpatine, a plan came to her mind, and she had to act quickly.
Palpatine was walking the halls of the Jedi temple, heading toward the Council chambers when he felt a sudden wave of hatred and frustration hit him, it wasn't strong, in fact, it was rather weak like someone was trying to keep it hidden from the Jedi around them and it only grew in strength as he came closer to the chambers.
Upon nearing the chambers he could overhear the conversation, no, the argument inside. He stopped in the halls to let it finish. "I had no choice! I didn't kill them because I wanted to! If I didn't I would be Dead!" Shouted a familiar-sounding voice.
"Calm down young Padawan." Responded Plo Koon.
"No, let her say her peace." Demanded Mace Windu.
"If I could change things I would!" Pleaded the familiar voice.
"Gave into hate you did, to a dangerous place this can lead, careful young Tano. Release your anger you must." Responded Yoda
"Tano? Skywalker's apprentice?" Palpatine thought to himself. "How interesting." He wondered.
"So that's it then?" Ahsoka asked with great sadness in her voice. Yoda simply nods his head in response.
"You are dismissed Ahsoka." Mace Windu stated with a deep and an authoritarian voice.
Ahsoka turned around and left, but not before bumping into Palpatine, who had been listening in on the conversation. Palpatine could feel an immense amount of hate emanating from Ahsoka directed at the council, but oddly he could sense deeper hate in her, one aimed at a fellow Jedi. "Skywalker?" He thought for a moment before it suddenly became clear. Barriss, but why and how he wondered.
After Ahsoka left Palpatine continued to the Jedi Council where he was greeted by Plo Koon, Yoda, and Mace Windu, and shortly after the projections of the other council members appeared. Except for Obi-wan of course, who was busy getting rescued by Anakin.
"Chancellor, it's come to our attention you have matters to discuss regarding our involvement in the war." Mace Windu said.
Sometime later that same day…
Barriss was in her room reciting the Jedi Code to herself "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force." Barriss tried to repeat the code to herself, but in her heart, she only felt cold. To her the Jedi had lost their way, turning a blind eye to the code by engaging in this clone war.
"How could the council do this?" Barriss wondered. "Is there judgment truly that clouded?" she spoke to herself.
"And so falls my great betrayer." A voice echoed in the room.
"Ahsoka? Was that you?" She asked in confusion, looking around her small quarters seeing nothing when suddenly the room went dark. The only light entering from her window.
Looking around again, she saw a black silhouette similar in shape to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka you scared me, what are you talking about? Betrayer? I haven't betrayed anyone."
"Oh, but you have, I have foreseen it." Replied the Silhouette in a sickening dread filled voice that echoed in the room and sent shivers down Barriss's back alerting her she was in life-threatening danger.
"And so you must be purged!" Said the voice now stepping into the light revealing Ahsoka's twisted and convulsive face of black and red murder clearly in her blood-red eyes.
Barriss quickly reached out calling her saber, but before it could reach her, she suddenly realized her arm was now gone. "But how-" Barriss now in a state of shock stopped trying to speak as she realized she couldn't even hear anymore, her ears now dripping heavily with her own blood?
Looking to Ahsoka she could see her mouth moving as though she was trying to speak it wasn't hard to figure out what she was saying when she focused however by reading the movements of Ahsoka's lips.
"Hehe yes! Suffer! You horrible foul creature! Suffer!" Ahsoka said as she lifted a black saber to Barriss's head. It made sense now, the room was dark and that saber doesn't cast light, but shadow instead, it was nearly impossible to see.
"Aww look at you trying to piece it together. Bet you didn't even hear my saber when it activated. I don't blame you, the screeching of my crystals pain can cause quite a rupture." Ahsoka spoke with a sadistic smile on her face.
"Time to die!" She shouted. Plunging the saber into Barriss's skull and holding it there as Barriss's brain melted from the inside out.
Pulling the saber from the head of Barriss's corpse the body slumped over onto the ground Ahsoka stood over top of it "Let's… make you presentable." Ahsoka said sadistically followed by a laugh that could only be described blood-curdling.
Ahsoka was, once more, wandering the halls as her normal self, orange skin, white marks, and blue eyes, when a blue Chagrian approached her. "Greetings, young Ahsoka Tano, I am Mas Amedda, Vice-Chair to Chancellor Palpatine, the Chancellor wishes to speak with you." He said.
"Well, might as well not keep him waiting," Ahsoka responded with an innocent voice.
"Indeed." Responded Mas Amedda
Entering the Chancellors chambers Ahsoka could see the raw dark energy pouring from Palpatine, who was sitting in his chair. Of course, she could, after all, she is the embodiment of the dark side now, has been since the Mortis incident. What impressed her was his ability to hide his raw power from even the most force-sensitive Jedi. Of course, then again, what else could she expect from the Dark Lord of the Sith. Ahsoka knew she needed to play smart, as to not alert him she could sense his power, and make double sure he could not sense hers.
Palpatine gestured Ahsoka to take a seat in one of the four chairs in front of him. The room was large and circular, the floor had a red rug, and an elevated platform at the end where the Chancellor sat, the platform lined the walls curving with it. Of course, Ahsoka already knew this as she had been to this chamber many times before.
"I hear you're having trouble with the Jedi council lately Miss Tano." Palpatine spoke.
"What's it to you?" Ahsoka responded begrudgingly and with a hint of hate in her voice.
"Nothing really, but you're Anakin's padawan and he is a close friend of mine, and quite frankly I overheard your argument with the council, so naturally I worry," Palpatine spoke, clearly trying to come off as genuine, however, Ahsoka could clearly see right through it and decided to play along anyway.
"So you're going to lecture me too then?" She spoke with a rasp on her voice.
"Heavens no, I too am frustrated with the Jedi-"
"You're frustrated with the Jedi?" Ahsoka asked with disbelief in her voice.
"Well, of course, they have a hard time sticking to their own code, not to mention there constant involvement in the war has created some rather troublesome headaches within the senate," Palpatine answered honestly, well as honestly as he could for a Sith in hiding.
"They are fools, they… I think they see me as a threat." Ahsoka responded.
"It's upsetting to me the council doesn't seem to fully appreciate your talent. You're a remarkable Jedi, better than even the council could hope to be." Palpatine spoke.
"Yeah well, they think otherwise, because I defended myself, and stopped a group of killers," Ahsoka said, intentionally letting a wave of hate hit Palpatine.
"Have you ever felt that maybe the Jedi might not be-" Palpatine was interrupted as the door to his chambers was suddenly opened.
"Chancellor Palpatine, we have a situ- Ahsoka?" Anakin spoke, confused to see his padawan sharing a conversation with the Chancellor.
"Master, you are back already?" Ahsoka asked stunned.
"Yes well turns out Obi-wan wasn't as stranded as he initially thought. We met him halfway in a busted up old Junker." Anakin said glaring at Obi-wan who walked in right behind him, now standing beside him.
"Oh, believe me, I wasn't too thrilled about it either, smelled like you," Obi-wan said back jokingly.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Palpatine asked.
"There has been a murder," Obi-wan stated bluntly.
Looking to Ahsoka, Anakin spoke "Its Barriss, she was found dead in her chambers by Master Luminara."
"Needless to say she isn't taking it well, and the state of the body didn't help things either," Obi-wan spoke.
"State of the body? What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked.
"Her body was… mutilated-"
"Mutilated? Mutilated how?" Ahsoka asked in a panic.
"She was left in pieces, her arm was found nailed to the wall, her head was chopped off and the insides melted into a fine liquid state… and her body… well, it looked as though whoever killed her took their time, and slowly cut it up like a vegetable, then proceeded to hang her insides up as decoration around the room." Anakin answered in Obi-wan's place, clearly disturbed and distraught and trying to keep himself from vomiting, he described it in such detail he had to have already seen it himself.
Ahsoka while hiding it from the two Jedi, felt pleasure in hearing them describe her handy work. Something Palpatine slightly sensed, it shocked him the last Jedi he expects to do such an act was sitting right in front of him with all the signs that she had done it, leading him to suspect Ahsoka of the attack. It had made sense, after all, he felt her hatred to Barriss earlier during her meeting at the council, only for her to be found dead later that same day? For now, though he would keep this to himself, things were just getting interesting and he wanted to figure out how this could potentially help him in his grand plan.
"Well, this is unexpected. I'll see what I can do to help, in the meantime, you three should get to investigating." Palpatine said.
After the three Jedi left, Palpatine sat in his chair thinking to himself. When suddenly a vision appeared.
"Become my apprentice Ahsoka Tano."
"I will do whatever you ask…"
"Learn to use the dark side of the force young one."
"I pledge myself to you and your teachings… Lord Sidious."
"Good… A powerful Sith you will become. More powerful than even Skywalker could have achieved. Henceforth you will be known as Darth Vilum."
"Interesting… it would appear my plans have changed. Let's see what this Ahsoka Tano is truly capable of." Palpatine said in a dread-filled voice.