Ahsoka sat down on the cave ground to be joined by Vader after a short while. "You've been living here alone?", he asked her as he looked around. Ahsoka nodded. Both of them were uncomfortable. "Smart to hide on Geonosis.", Vader said. Ahsoka smiled a little.
"Thanks.", she said quietly. Vader felt oddly unsafe. He hadn't been in any sort of awkward situation in a long time, since everyone had been ordered around by him anyway.
"So you're under the mask. Did I understand that right?", Ahsoka asked carefully. Vader noticed that she had barely changed in the last years. Her lekku had grown a bit, but her face was still the same. He only nodded.
"Why would you join the sith, master? You were the most believing jedi of all.", Ahsoka called out the question that had been burning on the tip of her tongue. "You shouldn't call me master, Ahsoka.", Vader murmured. "You're very far away from being a sith apprentice." Ahsoka stared at him.
"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.", he added with a bitter smile. He sighed. "It's a long story. It began before we have even met." "You were not on the path to the dark side when we met.", Ahsoka insisted.
"Maybe not, but it is where the story begins.", he explained. "Do you remember senator Amidala of Naboo?", he asked. Ahsoka smiled. "Indeed. In fact I was quite fond of her." Vader could imagine that.
"She was my wife. We married five years ago." Ahsoka's mouth fell open. "But the code...", she stammered. "Everyone would choose love over some ancient rule, Ahsoka." "That's right, I guess.", she said.
"I didn't even know you knew each other in non professional ways. Let alone that you had a relationship." Vader smiled. "We were pretty good at keeping the secret." Ahsoka put her chin on her hand.
"Alright, go on then.", she urged. "It was a few months before the war ended, when she told me she was pregnant." Ahsoka's eyes rounded. "Were you happy about it?", she asked curiously.
"Are you kidding? I was going to be a father, it was one of the happiest moments in my life." Ahsoka smiled. "How did that lead to you being a sith?" Vader tensed. "I had visions. And I have had such before too."
Ahsoka leaned forward, he had never told her about her mother. "When I was nineteen, my mother died. And I had similar visions then. I saw how Padmé died in childbirth.", Vader explained. Ahsoka's face hardened.
"Oh...I see where this is going.", she murmured. "I trusted the chancellor back then, we were somewhat friends. He told me about a sith that was able to keep people from dying, and I believed him. That was two years ago."
Ahsoka directed her eyes to the ground. "And you turned to the dark side to protect the senator.", she concluded. Vader nodded. "The Emperor told me what I needed to hear. I ran out of options, Padmé got closer to giving birth every day."
"What happened to her?", Ahsoka asked. Vader wasn't answering. He looked down, filled with shame and self hatred. Ahsoka understood. She didn't know how, but she knew that Padmé was dead.
Padmé stroked Leia's dark hair gently. "Now, now." Leia was presenting her hand. A light bruise was shining in the middle of her palm. She fell on a bunch of stones when the twins had played outside, and she didn't take it well.
Padmé took Leia's tiny hand in her own and placed a little kiss on the palm. "It's going to be all better tomorrow. Be brave now, honey. Your brother wants to continue playing with you." Luke was waiting impatiently.
He didn't like how Leia got more attention at the moment. Leia sniffed a few more times but waddled to her brother then. Padmé looked at her children happily as they walked around together.
They kept bumping into each other by accident and showing regular things like rocks or flowers to their sibling as if they were amazing new discoveries. She wished Anakin could have seen them.
She knew that he would have loved to meet his own children. She also knew that he would have been an amazing father. She imagined him playing with his children a lot. They would have ran around in joy giggling and chuckling.
Padmé pressed her arms around herself. She was healthy and she had two wonderful children, it could be worse. Her only worries were regarding the Emperor.
Palpatine desired to have Anakin's power, she was sure he would want the children's power too. They clearly inherited their fathers special abilities. She hoped the Emperor would assume her and her children's death.
Padmé had very little understanding of the force, but she knew her children wouldn't be safe for long. Sensitives that were as strong as they were could be felt by the other sensitives.
Palpatine would figure out who they were, and he would take them. Padmé cursed herself for sending away Obi Wan. He could have protected them. He could have kept them from being detected in the first place.
She looked at her toddlers, who were leaning on each other when they lost balance. They were so untouched and innocent, she wouldn't stand it if they were shipped of to a crazy man with the goal of ultimate power.
They would be forced to do horrible things, and it would destroy them. Padmé sat down on the grass and watched the kids, in quiet thoughts. Her children were safe for now. They had to be.
Ahsoka sighed. "You don't have to tell me how." Vader looked up in surprise. "I get the idea.", Ahsoka added. "Love. Fear. Savior. Trust me, I understand." Vader nodded once. "Thanks.", Vader whispered Ahsoka folded her hands.
"I guess she died before she could deliver the baby?", Ahsoka asked. Vader nodded again. "The important question is, if you want to go on with the sith business, master.", Ahsoka announced.
"Ahsoka...", he began but she stopped him. "I don't care if I shouldn't call you that. That you didn't kill me is proof enough for me. You're not a complete sith. And the part of you that isn't is still my master."
He smiled at her weakly. "That means a lot." "You see!?", she cried. "A sith would never ever talk that way!" She laughed. "I've missed you Ahsoka.", Vader said. It was true. Her quirky attitude was a blank space in the last years.
"What's the answer to my question?", she then repeated, less quirky all of the sudden. "I can't even say Ahsoka. I don't know what it is but there is something I feel that holds me back sometimes."
She raised her eyebrows. "It might be remorse.", she suggested. Vader shook his head. "It's a force thing. It's like there was someone in my ear telling me not to do things." Ahsoka scratched her nose.
"Sounds like your subconscious to me, master." Vader shook his head again with more determination. "I know it's not. I'm completely certain it comes to me through the force, I just don't know what it's origin is."
Ahsoka shrugged. "You'll figure it out eventually." She stroked her imaginary beard, imitating Obi Wan. "Patients, my very young Padawan.", she said with a lowered voice. Vader could't suppress a little chuckle.
"So what now?", he asked. "I'm supposed to kill you." Ahsoka frowned. "I don't think you should leave me here, master. I believe you want to get out of the sith thing, and I really want to help you with that."
Vader fought with himself. He knew she was right. It was that thing in him that told him so. Earlier it had told him not to kill her, he decided to listen to it again. Vader sighed.
"Fine. You're right. I can take you to the Executor if you promise that no one, and I mean no one will see you. They'd tell the Emperor and both of us would be screwed." She grinned and nodded.
"I'm happy to help, master." The Togruta's effort was admirable, even though Vader believed it was too late for him to turn back. The path to dark side only worked in one direction, as far as he knew.
Ahsoka stood up and wrapped herself in a dark brown cloak. "Let's go then.", she hurried. "You're looking forward to being transported to a huge imperial war ship?!", Vader asked in surprise.
"How have you not changed at all in two full years.", Vader teased. Ahsoka shrugged with a smirk. "Dunno. Takes a lot to do that I guess." Vader lifted his own hood over his head and walked in direction of the cave's exit.
As he hopped on the speeder Ahsoka sat behind him and held onto his back lightly. He followed the trace he had left in the sand earlier to get back to the village he had landed in.
They left the speeder near the Stormtrooper's station so that they would find it later. They didn't exchange any words before they reached the TIE fighter. "I've never been in one of these before.", Ahsoka said as they had entered.
Vader started the fighter and they left the ground after a few moments. "One more thing.", Vader announced. "No one knows that I have my body back, so I have to wear the mask when I'm around people.
Ahsoka crossed her arms. "Got your body back?", she asked. "I was injured. Lost all four limbs and was burned all over. Darth Vader's armor and mask are a life support system."
Ahsoka had a slightly disturbed look on her face. "Impressive. What happened?", she wanted to know. "Obi Wan happened.", Vader said with a bitter voice. Ahsoka pulled a grimace. "I wouldn't have thought he could do it."
"He couldn't. He wasn't able to kill me so he left me to burn.", Vader explained. "I'm sorry any of that happened, master. It must be horrible to even think about it.
"It's been two years, Ahsoka. I was in pain constantly, it only stopped when I had the surgery. My life as a cyborg was a nightmare, every second was worse than the one before."
"At least you're out of that thing then. That might have been your first step already, and you did it all on your own. This is so gonna work out!", Ahsoka blubbered. "How can you be so enthusiastic, Ahsoka?", Vader chuckled.
Obi Wan landed on the icy planet's surface. As he opened his cockpit, he was embraced by a cold wind immediately. Obi Wan wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, trying to keep warm as he advanced toward the base.
He left deep bootprints in the thick layer of snow but now snow would cover them up in minutes. Obi Wan showed his face to the camera at the gate. The gates opened and a few clones waited on the other side.
He nodded at the deserters. Many had chosen to disobey the Emperor and stay true to the Jedi. Only little of said survived. "Is master Yoda here?", he asked them. One of them nodded. "Yes sir. He has been waiting for you."
Obi Wan bowed politely and shook the snow off his clothes leaving a little puddle on the stone floor. Yoda was sitting on the floor. "Waited for you I have. ", he said facing away from Obi Wan.
"Anakin Skywalker's children show extraordinary abilities, master. I proposed to take them here for their training, but their mother didn't allow it." Yoda turned around.
"More careful you have to be Obi Wan. Important children are to a mother, but pursue her we must anyway. Destroy their father the children must, to fulfil the prophecy." Obi Wan sat down in front of the old master.
"I thought the prophecy was proved wrong when Anakin turned to the dark side. You think Anakin's children will fulfil the chosen one's destiny, instead?" Obi Wan had never thought about it that way. Yoda nodded.
"Continue what their father started they must. Destroy the sith and restore balance to the force they will. Get them here you must Obi Wan. Train to defeat Darth Vader they will." Obi Wan nodded.
"I tried to reason with their mother but she wouldn't let me take them. I told her that her children need to be educated in the ways of the force.", Obi Wan explained. "That you tried I know.", Yoda said.
The little green alien rose and left the room. "That both of you will see the truth soon I know too. Patient we must be." Obi Wan sighed. "Yes master.", he then said.