Twisted inside chapter 18
For the first time she had been brought to the temple Ahsoka was beginning to feel lonely. She hadn't seen anybody since she had been put here, no one had come to visit her or at least when she was awake. Someone clearly was being sent down to bring her food but every time they had she had been asleep. Not only was she lonely but she was bored and worried. She missed walking though the temple with her master, missed having conversations with Plo Koon and even Obi-wan. She missed being in her fighter shooting droids from space or saving her master every time one of his brilliant plans went south. She missed the sights, the smells and just the vive she got when she was around people. This isolation she had had to endure could drive the sanest people crazy given enough time.
So for the second time she found herself calling out to her darker half, not to ask questions but to just talk to someone even if it looked and sounded just like her. Just like the first time the darkside rushed to her and with ease it wrapped around her like a perfectly molded glove that slid onto her hand. She felt the darkside swirling and practically jumping for joy at her call eager to offer its aid. "You know dear I do greatly enjoy the fact that you are willingly calling upon me" the darker half said as she materialized next to Ahsoka. Ahsoka sighed and drew her leg to her chest wrapping her arms around them "yea I bet you do…" she muttered.
The darker half frowned "What's the matter dear?" the darker half asked turning her body to face Ahsoka. Ahsoka sighed softly again "Why hasn't anyone come down to see me?" she asked. "Do you want my honest answer or perhaps the one you would like to hear?" the darker half replied. Ahsoka was beginning to regret summoning her darker half to talk to if this was how she was going to be. "The jedi they could not begin to understand just how special you are. That jedi healer that visited you should have seen the look on her face" the darker half said with a small laugh. Ahsoka looked up at her darker half "Someone came down to see me?" she asked wide eyed.
"Why yes what was her name…Jedi healer Talis yes that's it" the darker half replied. Ahsoka shook her head "I don't remember her coming here…something happened with the collar I think it malfunctioned or something then…" she trailed off and her eyes narrowed at the darker half. "What did you say to her? What did you do?" Ahsoka demanded. If the darker half had done something to the healer something bad and the healer told Master Yoda they might decide it was better to just keep her in here instead of trying to help her.
"She interrupted my meditation and I really hate when people do that" the darker half replied. Panic began to swell within Ahsoka "What did you do!?" she demeaned raising her voice louder. "Relax my dear I didn't hurt the Jedi if that's what your thinking" the darker half replied placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. Ahsoka bent over and groaned as her chest began to burn "Relax, breathe dear calm yourself" the darker half continued. "No you did something that's why no one has come down here!" Ahsoka replied loudly. If the darker half scared away the healers then who would help her get the darker half out of her. She'd be left down here all alone and Anakin he wou-. Her thoughts were interrupted as the burning flared leaving her breathless.
"Calm down dear, when you let your emotions over power you like that it gets me excited. That is why you lost control and I took over earlier" the darker half said. Gasping in pain Ahsoka slowly began to pull her emotions under control and the burning slowly faded leaving Ahsoka somewhat exhausted. She took several minutes to slow her breathing enough before leaning back against the wall "Isn't that what you want? You want control of me so you can hurt the people I care about?" Ahsoka asked.
"No my dear" the darker half replied softly gently raising her hand to Ahsoka's cheek "I want you to trust me, I want you to accept me out of your own free will. I meant when I said I don't mean to cause you pain dear and I mean that truly I do but until you accept me as a part of you that will continue to happen" the darker half replied. "Why…why do you want me to accept you, what do you want out of all of this?" Ahsoka asked.
The darker half sighed and crossed her legs on the bed "Look dear, let me be honest with you. The Jedi can't help you with me, you dear are stuck with me forever now. The only weapon that could drive me from you was destroyed on Mortis" the darker half said. Ahsoka shook her head and closed her eyes "No your lying…the jedi will find a way" Ahsoka said. "I haven't lied to you dear, friends don't lie to one another and I am your friend aren't I?" the darker half replied in a voice that was soft and gentle with a small smile on her face. Ahsoka continued to shake her head in disbelief so the darker half reached up and took Ahsoka's face gently in one of her hands "Look at me dear" she said softly.
Ahsoka resisted for a moment before opening her eyes and looking up at her tears in the brims of her eyes. "If there was a way that you could some how break our bond and drive me from you would you really want to knowing the peril Skyguy is in, when you know I can help you save him?" she asked. Ahsoka shook her head "Why do you want to help me?" she asked. "I don't just want to help you dear, I want to give you the life you have been denied your entire life. The chance to be free, to make your own choices in life. You dear could be so much more than a Jedi if you let me help you. I want to help you but you have to trust me and let me help you" the darker half spoke now in a tone as if she was speaking to a lifetime old friend.
Ahsoka again looked away from her darker half as her mind struggled to process everything that the Bogan was telling her. If it were all in fact true and she was indeed stuck with Bogan then she would slowly transform into the new embodiment of darkness. Wither willingly or unwillingly it seemed it was going to happen and there was nothing the Jedi council or all of the healers could do about it. So what would happen to her when the Jedi came to that conclusion? She doubted they would just let her leave if she wanted to nor did she think that they would want to keep her alive in they found out what she was turning into.
Then again…if what the darker half said was true earlier then Ahsoka couldn't die, Bogan would keep her body alive heal it from certain death if it had to. "…how long were you in the Son?" Ahsoka asked curiously remembering some of her own studies she had done on the darkside long ago in the temple. She had read how the darkside weakened and destroyed the body of time depending how far the user dove into its power.
Bogan intrigued by her curiosity of another vessel it had dwelled in but not entirely surprised took a moment to think. "I bound myself to the Son right before the Madalorian wars, why do you ask dear?" she replied. Ahsoka's eyes widened in surprised, that amount of time…the Son would surely have perished well before the rise of the Republic and Jedi Order she knew of today. Wouldn't having that much darkness in someone destroy their bodies within just a few years? Or at least that's what she thought.
Do to the fact that the darker half was bounded to Ahsoka allowed her to see what Ahsoka was thinking Or at least it was able to tell that much, the stronger the bond between them grew and the more Ahsoka opened herself up to her allowed her to see, know and feel all of what Ahsoka was doing. Their bond was still weak yes but Ahsoka wasn't resisting her at the moment allowing her more access than usual into the togrutan's mind.
"The Jedi are right in some aspects regarding me dear. I am seductive, I can be cruel, I am destructive and I am indeed powerful. You should not worry about your body dear, I will not consume it as I do others" the darker half said. "Mortal bodies are so fragile, easy to break and destroy but take oh so long to heal. The mortal body cannot heal as fast I can destroy. Most parish simply to their deformities and disabilities as I ravage their bodies, payment I guess you could call it as I grant them power. For the select few that I have chosen to dwell within, their mortal body under goes a change as they accept me. There bodies grow strong enough, are able to heal as fast as I can destroy thus they are saved from the deformities" the darker half explained.
"It wasn't always that way though, the first practically rotted and fell apart within minutes of me binding to them. The next lasted a little longer but still perished quicker than I'd intended. I found that I not only had to bind myself to their bodies but their very being as well. I had to merge and mix with their very soul and in doing so their bodies ceased to decay. Even right now your body is going through that change, it is healing itself as fast as I tare it apart. Your body will age to maturity then simply cease to physically age. You will not die of disease or old age. You will not grow tired or weary because your body will continuously and over time naturally begin to drawl on my power to sustain it. You will become me and I you, we are two margining into one being" she finished with a rather pleased smile on her face. Her face became serious after a moment "But…" she whispered in warning "I can only heal your body as long as you don't resist me. If you do you will feel weak, sick and exhausted. Like now I flow through and around you freely healing your body as I tare it apart so I must ask you. Do not resist, do not fight for both our sakes."
Ahsoka didn't know what to say, confusion riddled her face as she just stared at her darker half. She wouldn't die…she would never grow old or get sick. The mere thought of that sounded impossible like the wild wishes of a child that was watching his sick grandmother slowly dying wishing that she didn't have to leave this world. Then she remembered something, the Father he was old not just in age but his body looked old and he even seemed weaker in the force than she felt in the Son and Daughter. "The Father he was old…weaker than the Son and Daughter" Ahsoka said.
"You are wise my dear, observant this will serve you will" the darker half replied her smile growing ever wider. Once again reaching her up she caressed Ahsoka's cheek running her thumb back and forth against her jaw "Cunning, strong willed and a powerful warrior" she continued. "The Father represented a balance between Ashla and I, equal in both dark and light. When one of us got out of hand he would put us back in place. For centuries that worked until I began to grow stronger and Ashla weaker. This upset the Father's balance and the darkside within him ravaged his body. The light that helped balance the dark became too weak to heal the Father," she explained.
"Can you do that for me dear?" the darker half asked "Will you not resist so that I won't cause you pain and harm?" Ahsoka looked away biting her lip unsure. She felt like she was backed into a wall with no way out, if she resisted her darker half then her body would rot and she would die but at least then she could die saying she didn't give in but on the other hand there was Anakin and the darker half was offering to help save him. Looking back up in the sulfuric yellow eyes of her darker half she nodded slowly "I wont resist…" she whispered.
Anakin Skywalker paced back and forth as he waited to be called into the council chambers. He needed to know where Ahsoka had been moved to, he had asked around the temple but no one seemed to know where she had went. He paced back in forth flexing his fingers into fist and letting them relax before doing it again. She was ok he told himself again and again he told himself that she was going to be ok and that the healers would find a way to fix whatever was going on with Ahsoka. She seemed so scared ever since she came back and it was so unlike her but he couldn't help but wonder what happened to her the past two years.
The door opened up and he looked up to see a healer walk out of the council chambers. He looked slightly confused when he saw her face. The healer seemed scared or perhaps even worried he wasn't quiet able to tell because her hair was cover part of her face as she walked by him. Anakin almost stopped her to ask what was wrong or perhaps ask her where Ahsoka was but decided to ask the council first. He quickly stepped inside of the council chambers before the door could slide shut.
When he entered, he felt all the council member's eyes shift toward him and the room fell strangely quiet. The air in the room seemed thick with tension and worry which was weird compared to the councils normally calm demeanor. He made his way to the center of the council chamber and looked around the room before clearing his throat. "I went to check on my padawan last night and she wasn't in the halls of healing, no one seems to know where she has gone. Was she moved to a different part of the temple?" he asked.
"Your padawan was moved to a securer location within the temple" Mace Windu said. "Where is she, can I see her?" Anakin asked. "See her you can not, a urgent mission we have for you but worry you should not. In great care young Tano is" Master Yoda said. Anakin was about to protest but Mace Windu spoke before he could "Chancellor Palpatine has been kidnapped" he said.
Anakin's mouth parted slightly in a attempt to speak but he found himself at a sudden loose for words. The chancellor kidnapped in the Republic capital? "H-how?" Anakin asked as all thoughts of Ahsoka suddenly slipped from his mind.
"Captured and taken by General Grevious he was, task you and Master Kanobi to find him and rescue the Chancellor we do" Yoda replied.
Anakin was to shocked by the news to speak, how could Grevious kidnap the Chancellor more so even get so deep into Republic space without even being detected. He became so lost in bewilderment that he didn't notice when Obi-wan came and stood next to him.
"We shall leave immediately" Obi-wan said with a bow and ushered his speechless former apprentice out of the council chambers. Before Anakin was even aware of what was happening he found himself being pulled into a shuttle that lifted from the temple hanger and took off to meet up with a waiting Republic cruiser.
(I apologize for the long delay in this chapter. Been having writers block on several of my stories and this happened to be one of them but there it is.)