Twisted inside chapter 27
"And you're sure this was her?" Anakin asked holding out a datapad with a picture of his padawan on it to a commercial transport pilot. A 5'6 human male in his late forties with graying brown hair in blue eyes dressed in a company uniform squinted his eyes and looked at the datapad once again studying the picture for several moments.
"I'm pretty sure" the man replied "she looked different when I saw her; paler skin looked like she was deathly sick or something and had strange glowing eyes. It happened so fast that I only caught a glimpse of her but I'm pretty sure that was the girl that stole my ship. Threw me right out of my ship she did and took off with the cargo too" he said.
Standing to the side of Anakin Obi-wan lightly stroked his beard as he listened to the man recount again exactly what had happened. It had been a long shot but Anakin had been certain that Ahsoka wasn't on Coruscant anymore and on a whim he decided to check for any reported stolen ship around the time Ahsoka had escaped the Council's underground, prison, as Anakin had put it. The young Jedi Knight had been furious when he had found out that some of the Council members put Ahsoka there and even Obi-wan had been surprised at the time. However, after seeing the destruction done to the temple he understood the reasoning behind the Council's decision even if he didn't fully agree with it.
Obi-wan didn't fail to notice the shiver that went down the man's spine as he recounted for the second time what happened. He had been doing a routine cargo check and preflight inspection of his ship before he departed Coruscant to another world to deliver supplies when Ahsoka had showed up. The next thing the man knew was that he was being hurled down the ramp out of his ship and some strange girl was making off with his ship.
"Well that confirms our suspicion that she's no longer on the planet" Obi-wan stated. "Yea but that doesn't tell us where she went, she could be anywhere in the galaxy right now" Anakin replied in frustration.
"Maybe I can help with that" the man replied gaining both of the Jedi's attention. "You know where she is?" Anakin asked. The man shook his head "No but the cargo ship's black box might" he replied.
Both Anakin and Obi-wan looked at the man confused "what do you mean, black box?" Obi-wan asked.
"By company policy each cargo ship is suppose to have a black box that records the ship's location and its updated every twelve hours. The ship stores the data on a black box and sends it's location back to HQ so the company knows where the ships is at all times. As long as the box hasn't been disabled or damaged you might be able to find my ship. I can give you the frequency my ship uses to send the data to HQ from the black box" the man explained.
Anakin handed the man the data pad and a few moments later the two Jedi had the frequency they could use to find the stolen ship and hopefully Ahsoka as well. "Thank you" Obi-wan said nodded his head toward the man and turned to head back to there speeder. Anakin took the data pad from the man and turned to follow Obi-wan "if you can please bring my ship back in one piece other wise my grandkids will be paying for it until their in their sixties I'd appreciate it" the man asked.
"We'll see what we can do" Obi-wan replied climbing into the speeder as Anakin got behind the wheel and fired it up before taking off back toward the Jedi temple. When the two arrived in the hanger bay they quickly made their way to their own quarters to gather supplies, there was no guarantee that Ahsoka would be where these coordinates led them. For all they know Ahsoka could have dumped the ship on some back water planet and taken another one but this was the first lead they had and they weren't going to waste any time.
Fifteen minutes later both Obi-wan and Anakin where back in the hanger priming the engines for take off. "Are you sure you put the coordinates in correctly?" Obi-wan asked. "Yes master or would you like me to check again for the fifth time?" Anakin asked with dry sarcasm.
"But the coordinates can't be correct" Obi-wan replied as he read the star system and planet the coordinates had indicated the location of the ship Ahsoka had stolen. "Well where are they pointing to?" Anakin asked as he piloted the ship out of the hanger and into the sky. Obi-wan turned and looked at Anakin "Malachor V."
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Ahsoka didn't know why it bugged her but it had been for sometime now. The inability to feel with her hands as she slowly clenched her fists together. They worked in the same fashion as her old hands and in some ways they out preformed the flesh and blood ones but it just didn't feel the same. It was strange she thought quietly to herself in the confines of her mind as she took a hold of the lightsaber in front of her. The hilt should be cold due to temperature here and its surface should be smooth and yet she didn't know if either of those were really true. Her mechanical fingers wrapped around the hilt of the lightsaber yet she could not feel its weight in her hand nor the cold alloy as her fingers tightened ever so slightly around it.
She couldn't imagine that she'd ever be without feeling in any part of her body and yet she was. And because of it, because she couldn't feel with these mechanical hands she found herself wondering what Bogan felt like. Sure she could feel Bogan when she touched her but Ahsoka wanted to know what Bogan felt like with her hands. Was her skin soft and smooth or was it hard and callused was she cold or perhaps she was warm to the touch. She didn't know and it seemed that she would never know unless she upgraded these mechanical hands of hers. It was silly, she knew it was but it was the little things that she found herself missing. Sitting the lightsaber down Ahsoka took one of her fingers in her hand and squeezed yet she felt…nothing.
It was only where metal and wires ended and flesh began that she felt anything. The fall could have been a lot worse…she could have been a lot worse but still…not as bad as Anakin would be if they failed. She could almost hear his screams of agony and she could almost smell the horrid scent of burnt flesh as fire ravaged her master's body. Yes, it could have been a lot worse.
Closing her eyes Ahsoka took a deep breath and cleared her mind of the disturbing images. They still had time; together she and Bogan would save Anakin from his horrible fate and in the process save the galaxy from Sidious's evil plan. Perhaps even when it was all over Ahsoka could convince the Council and the other Jedi that Bogan wasn't really all dark and evil like they portray her…it, to be. She didn't know exactly know what to call Bogan. After all, Ahsoka had seen no evidence that Bogan was evil, if anything Bogan was just misunderstood. Bogan was destructive that much she had experienced first hand but she knew full well that Ashla could but used to destroy as well. She realized it now that the darkside wasn't evil but it was the person using the darkside that was evil.
If the Jedi could just see Bogan the way she could then maybe…an image of younglings cowering in fear as she made her escape from the Jedi temple flashed in the forefront of her mind stopping her in mid-thought. No…they wouldn't…the Jedi were to set in there ways to give Bogan the chance it deserved. It would take years perhaps even several lifetimes before the Jedi would give Bogan a chance and even then she knew that was highly unlikely. It was a nice thought however wide it was.
She sighed; it just didn't make any sense. Why are the Jedi so afraid of Bogan? Is it the fact that the Sith are the sworn enemy of the Jedi and because the Sith use the darkside or was it for some other reason that she just didn't know. As far back as she could remember to her earliest days of Jedi training she could recall the warnings told to all the younglings about the darkside. But why? Why were they so afraid of it? Was it just because they didn't understand, or was it perhaps the fear of the unknown that drove them to fear Bogan?
Just trying to figure it out made her head hurt. Perhaps she would never know the truth, not unless Bogan decided to tell her about it. Clearly whatever happened had hurt Bogan and the last thing Ahsoka wanted to do was to cause Bogan more pain. Asking about it would only agitate old wounds and make Bogan angry so Ahsoka decided she would wait until Bogan opened about her past. Anything having to do with Ashla or the Jedi seemed to be a touchy subject.
Lost in thought the young togruta hadn't even realized Bogan had appeared behind her until she felt Bogan's presence wrapping itself around her body. Turning her head Ahsoka saw Bogan standing behind her with a rather pleased smile on her face "thinking about me, my dear?" Bogan asked. "I don't know, where you reading my mind again?" Ahsoka asked with a smile of her own spinning around so she sat facing Bogan. Bogan grinned and sat down in front of Ahsoka "it's not that hard when you're broadcasting your thoughts so loudly" she replied.
"So what is this I hear about you wanting to feel me?" Bogan asked with a curious gaze but a devious and playful grin on her face. Ahsoka looked away from Bogan in embarrassment "you don't have to make it sound so…" she started. Bogan chuckled and stroked Ahsoka's lekku with her hand "but you were thinking it my dear."
Ahsoka leaned into Bogan's soft hand but remained silent. After a moment Ahsoka reached up and took a hold of Bogan's hand and sighed softly allowing her eyes to close. "What if I could give you your hands back?" Bogan asked leaning closer to her vessel and reaching her other hand to touch the other side of Ahsoka's face. Ahsoka opened her eyes face riddled with confusion "how, that's impossible, isn't it?" she asked.
Bogan smiled softly and stroked Ahsoka's cheek with her thumb before taking her hands into her own. "You know the force can heal wounds so what's to say it can't restore what you have lost?" Bogan asked. "You're saying you can restore my hands?" Ahsoka almost stuttered from disbelief. "If you want, though the process will be painful, excruciatingly so" Bogan replied.
Ahsoka looked down at the metal hands holding flesh "but I'll be able to feel with them?" she asked. "Every touch, hot, cold, soft, hard, smooth and coarse" Bogan replied. Looking again from her hands to Bogan's face she took several long moments to respond but finally she nodded her head.
"First, lets get these off of you" Bogan stated with a light squeeze of her hands. Ahsoka looked down at her hands and nodded her head. Taking a deep breath Ahsoka took a hold of her arm with her hand and with a hard twist and pull the arm separated from the rest of her. Ahsoka sat the mechanical arm down and looked at Bogan "now what?" she asked.
The darkside began to wrap around Ahsoka concentrating at the point her arm joined with machine. At first the pressure felt like a gentle massage but within a few short moments the pressure started to grow uncomfortable. Her face twitched as the pressure continued to grow until the uncomfortable feeling started to become painful.
Placing on hard on Ahsoka's shoulder Bogan pushed the young togruta back until she was lying down while she placed her other hand on Ahsoka's arm. Black tendrils slowly started to appear from Bogan's hand and wrapped themselves around Ahsoka's arm. The tendrils were freezing cold making Ahsoka gasp in surprise as they slowly wrapped around her arm climbing there way up her arm.
The young togruta began screaming when she felt wire and metal being torn free from her arm. She started thrashing and cried out louder as the tendrils reopened the wound and began pushing there way into the arm as fresh blood spilled onto the floor. Bogan held Ahsoka down tightening the grip of the tendrils around her arm "shhhhh" she soothed placing her hand on Ahsoka's forehead.
"It hurts!" Ahsoka cried as brittle bone began to poke out of the wound. The tendrils started merging with the preexisting bones in her arm. A new bone slowly grew forming new joints and cartilage were needed poking out of her arm. Next black veins poured out of the open wound lining the bones and muscles followed after. "Fucking kriff!" Ahsoka cried trying to pull her arm away "stop!" she screamed. The blood spilling from her arm started to darken until it became black. Bogan shook her head "it's to late my dear, if I did you would bleed out" she replied. The tendrils only tightened further around Ahsoka's arm as new flesh started to form over the bone and muscle.
All she felt was excruciating pain from her left arm. It felt like the rest of her arm was being torn off instead of being fixed. She thrashed violently, kicked and screamed so loudly that she shorted out the mechanical vocal cords in her throat. As the flesh grew further covering more bone and flesh the pain only grew more intense until the pain was the only thing she could think about. She tried to scream, tried to beg Bogan to stop but nothing was coming out of her mouth. The more she tried to pull away the tighter the tendrils wrapped around her arm making her helpless until the process was finished.
Forearm, wrist, palm and fingers the skin continued to spread until the new arm was finished. Ahsoka was at the brink of blacking out her eyes rolling in to the back of her head when the pain suddenly vanished and she collapsed back breathing raggedly. Bogan gently stroked Ahsoka's montrals as she looked down at the new hand and grinned. From the elbow down it was nothing but black flesh and claw like fingers forged from nothing but the power of the darkside. Black tendril like tattoo's spread from up the arm covering her shoulder and up the side of her neck snaking their way just below her eye and the back of her head.
"Rest for now my dear" Bogan breathed softly and pulled Ahsoka's head into her lap gently rubbing the togruta's montrals. When the young togruta woke up she would be in for quiet a surprise when she saw her new hand. Reaching out Bogan lightly placed her other hand on Ahsoka's throat and started repairing her mechanical vocal cords. After a few long moments that seemed like an eternity Ahsoka's breath started to slow as her eyes drifted shut and she drifted into a dreamless sleep. As Bogan continued to lightly stroke Ahsoka's montrals she smile darkly "and two become one in both spirit and flesh."
Hours later…
"It feels…weird" Ahsoka said staring down both in awe and terror at her hand. "Well what'd you expect dear?" Bogan asked with a smile. Ahsoka flexed the clawed finger's "Something different I guess" she admitted. Ahsoka looked up at Bogan and hesitantly reached the clawed hand out toward her. Bogan remained still as Ahsoka gently touched her face and she smiled when she saw Ahsoka gasp in shock. "I…I can feel you" Ahsoka breathed in amazement, her skin…it felt so soft and warm.
She ran her hand slowly down Bogan's cheek to her arm and she wrapped her fingers around it. "Do you like?" Bogan asked. Ahsoka nodded her head and continued to run her hand up and down Bogan's soft arm savoring the feeling against her hand. Her other mechanical hand reached out and grabbed Bogan pulling her into a kiss "thank you" Ahsoka said wrapping her arms around her.
Bogan broke the kiss after a few moments and took a hold of Ahsoka's mechanical hand "I can do the other if you want" she offered. "Maybe later…this one really hurt" Ahsoka admitted once again looking down at her new hand but smiled nonetheless. This was…this was just unbelievable; it was amazing and terrifying all at the same time. Never before in her wildest dreams would she have ever imagined that the force could give her her arm back.
She hugged Bogan again "thank you so much Bogan" she said with happy tears sliding down her face. "Consider it my gift to you for putting your trust in me" Bogan replied as she embraced her vessel. Ahsoka nuzzled her head into Bogan's shoulder lovingly, overjoyed that Bogan was with her and for everything she was doing to help her.
The rather happy moment Ahsoka was sharing with Bogan was suddenly interrupted when she Bogan tense up. Gently pulling her head back Ahsoka looked at Bogan "Is everything aright?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice. Bogan was silent for several long moments as she looked up into the stormy sky. "Bogan…is something wrong?" Ahsoka asked softly reaching her clawed hand up and touched Bogan's face.
When Bogan finally looked down at Ahsoka she spoke "time for your next lesson my dear lets go on a little trip" she finally replied. "Where are we going?" Ahsoka asked. "Somewhere you haven't been in a very long time, now come" Bogan said taking Ahsoka's hand and ushering her back inside of the temple.
Bogan set a brisk pace as she guided them through the ancient temple leading them to the inner sanctum. "Wait Bogan, I thought you said we were going somewhere I haven't been to in a long time" Ahsoka said in confusion.
"We are" Bogan replied simply.
"Well the ship is that way, why are we heading deeper into the temple?" Ahsoka asked.
"Because we are not taking the ship" Bogan replied pulling them both into the center of the sanctum. Ahsoka opened her mouth to speak but Bogan quickly placed a finger on her lips to silence here "I will explain it to you after we get there I promise but for the moment I need control" she said.
Ahsoka stared at Bogan for a moment before nodding her head "O-ok.." she said and started opening herself up to her and her vision turned red. When Bogan took over she started to drawl on Ahsoka's emotions to fuel her power. A second later they suddenly vanished from Malachor V leaving only a cloud of black smoke.