He was going to hurt them in the worst way possible: by forcing them to watch each other die.

"Commander, please!" she cried out frantically, trying to squirm out of the chains that held her against the pillar. It was a lost cause. The Commander of the OUSO seemed amused by her pleas. "Now, Ahsoka, don't fret so," he called out. "It'll be over soon. And besides…I thought it would be a comfort for your last sight to be your Master."

Amara looked desperately at Anakin, and she saw her own fear and dread reflected in his own eyes. She cried out in pain as the chains dug into her flesh. The heavy metal was wrapped around her arms, her legs, and her waist. When a cart was wheeled in front of them both, holding an array of knives, daggers, needles, and pins, she found herself looking up into the gray sky as a light drizzle began. She was going to die. Die while watching her brother suffer with her. Die alone, without ever having the chance to say goodbye to her beloved. Lux. She wanted Lux. Now, she was never going to see him again. Never hear his voice, see his smile. Never get to marry him. Never get to have the child they both had wanted in the future. Never get to say "I love you" one last time.

Panic overcame sense, and she lost it.

"LUX!"

"We can't leave them! You have to find them!" Lux Bonteri's voice was filled with anger, worry, dread, and fear.

"I'm searching for any signals coming from Skywalker's communication devices or the ship they left in," Plo stated quickly, pressing several buttons of the holo-table.

Obi-Wan Kenobi paced the room, drifting in and out of the Force, trying to find his former apprentice's location. It was useless. Somehow, Commander and Kalzin were masking Force signatures and locations. "I can't find Anakin or Barriss with the Force," he said bitterly. "They could be anywhere."

"He took them to Amara. I know it," Lux said quickly. "Find her, we find them."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ker exclaimed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "We have to get them before Commander kills them!" He slammed a fist into the wall. "We were fools!"

Amber lowered her head. "It's our fault."

Obi-Wan and Plo gave the three teenagers sad looks. "It was all our faults," Obi-Wan said slowly. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he straightened. "And we ALL are going to get them back. Together."

Lux frowned. Trusting the Jedi? Teaming up with them? Every word Obi-Wan was saying sent doubt soaring through his mind. 'But if it will bring her back to me…'

Suddenly, there was a massive rumble, and the room shook. Papers and objects were sent flying into the air, and everyone was knocked to the ground. Several aftershocks happened.

"What is it?" Amber cried out. "An earthquake?!"

Obi-Wan stumbled to his feet, and then, his eyes widened in horror. "No…worse!" He ran out of the room. "Follow me!"

They all ran after him, out of the communications room and through several halls. They forced themselves to stand upright as the Temple continued to rock on its foundation. The Jedi Order was in chaos as everyone ran outside.

Obi-Wan led the group out onto a veranda, and pointed. "There."

As soon as Lux stepped onto the veranda, he knew the truth. He didn't need to see the smoke and the flames, hear the screams and sirens. He didn't need to see the lightning in the air, or feel the humidity in the air that told of a coming storm. It wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't a warning, like the last time. It was real, it was happening, and no one was prepared.

The Holocaust.

"Stop! Please!" Amara sobbed as another jagged knife was dragged across her arm, cutting deep enough to reach the bone. This was the twentieth time, and her arms were lathered in thick, flowing blood. Her eyes were squeezed shut in agony, but it didn't block out Anakin's own pained cries.

"Oh, Ahsoka." She heard Commander approach her, and from his voice, she could tell he was right in front of her. "This is what you have brought upon yourself and your young Master. This is the fate you were destined to suffer. Betrayal against me was not a wise choice."

"I-I d-didn't…please…please s-stop…" Amara tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. Fear of what she might seeing herself falling apart and seeing Anakin being tortured forced her to hold back. "C-Commander…s-stop…I-I'm begging y-you…"

"Ahsoka." Commander leaned in so close she could feel his breath on her face. "I'll never stop."

"All troops, get down there now!"

The Jedi were in mayhem as clone troopers swarmed the Temple, looking for their Generals. Obi-Wan, Plo, Lux, Ker, and Amber stood on the veranda, looking at the horror, confused and frantic.

"What are we going to do?" Obi-Wan breathed, voice strained. "We can't stop this."

"We're going to try," Plo stated firmly. He glanced back at the others, and clenched a fist. "Obi-Wan, take Lux Bonteri with you. Find Skywalker and Amara." Then, he turned to Ker and Amber. "I need your help here. It's going to be dangerous – very dangerous. There's no guarantee we'll succeed."

Ker hesitated, and then nodded. "We'll help you." Amber nodded in agreement.

Plo looked at Obi-Wan. "Go. Go find them."

There were no further orders, no time for arguments. Obi-Wan and Lux took off in a run. Before he stepped off the veranda though, he looked one last time, and saw Ker and Amber jump into a ship and take off with the Jedi.

A sudden feeling of pain overwhelmed him. The four of them – himself, Amara, Ker, and Amber – had been through everything together. Pain and joy. Death and Life. They had spent the last two years growing closer, watching over each other.

Now, all that might be destroyed forever.

Lux felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Obi-Wan looking at him. "We have to go," the Jedi said quickly. "I just got word from Master Windu. They got an anonymous message from a female. Saying that Anakin and Amara were on Zardyn." His eyes suddenly clouded over. "The messenger also said if we don't leave now, they're both going to die."

Lux felt paralyzing fear creep up his spine, but he shoved it back. He replaced it with hate and anger. He replaced it with pain, hoping it would fuel him long enough to find Amara before it was too late. "Then we go now."

Ker and Amber rode in the back seat of Plo Koon's speeder as they swerved past explosions and toppling buildings. Black smoke rose from below as a clash of thunder released a torrent of rain onto them.

"Hold on!" Plo called back to them. The speeder went into a deep dive, straight towards the Underworld of Coruscant.

"What are you doing?! Are you trying to…holy Force!" Ker couldn't find words to describe the shock he experienced. Thousands, maybe millions of civilians were running, screaming, jamming the streets with people. And behind and above them were hundreds of Death's Shadow soldiers, firing upon them. Machine guns had been positions on building rooftops, and released torrents of laser bullets among the crowds.

"Ker." Amber clung to him, biting her lip. "How are the Jedi going to stop this?"

Ker stared out at the genocide, and shook his head slowly. "I-I don't know, Amber. I don't know."

"No, Ahsoka, I'll never stop."

"You can't do this!"

"You're just going to walk away…"

Another stab to her thigh, but she only let out a faint moan. She was too exhausted, in too much pain, too near unconsciousness, to scream anymore. Thousands of voices flooded her mind as memories resurfaced…

"She's a traitor…"

"I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka, NEVER."

"We make a pretty good team, huh?"

She heard Anakin let out a scream, and she bit her lip as tears rolled down her face. Sobs rose up into her throat, and came out a sickened whimper.

"It's by the will of the Force that you're by my side."

"I proposed to Ahsoka, not Amara."

"I understand more than you realize…I understand wanting to leave the Order…"

A burning pain shot through her chest, and she let out a strangled cry.

"You didn't even try to come and help me!"

"They're asking you back, Ahsoka. I'm asking you back."

"I want you to be my wife, Ahsoka Tano…

"…I love you."

Lux. Anakin. Ker and Amber. Plo. The Jedi. The OUSO. Life as a Jedi, as a fugitive, as a soldier. Fighting and crying. Laughing and screaming. Betrayal and love. A broken road that made up her life.

And then, suddenly, she felt one last glimmer of hope. A light that was quickly fading away. Her body felt numb, her mind a mixture of grief, pain, and bitterness, but if she could only grasp that light…

She had been running away from it for two and a half years, fearing it. But it was her only salvation. Her last hope. Her last chance for herself and Anakin's survival. She didn't know if her injuries were already too severe, but it was better than letting Commander torture them both to death. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

The memory of Kalzin's words "I will break you" echoed through her mind, and she set her jaw. No. She wouldn't let them. She couldn't let them.

Nobody would break her.

She grabbed onto the light, wrapped it around her. Manipulated it until she had it under control. And then, Ahsoka Tano let out a scream as a massive wave of the Force erupted from her spirit….


Hope you're enjoying ;)

To a random reader with a profile, keep reading, and you may find some new additions to the story, inspired by your last review :D

REVIEW! FOLLOW!