The Force erupted from her spirit, releasing the powerful energy that she had kept locked up inside her for years. The sudden strength of it sent her five tortures sprawling backwards. There was a massive cracking noise, and the other guards around her flew into the air.

"Uughgh!" Ahsoka Tano let out a painful groan as she closed her eyes tighter, focused on the Force with all her strength. It was difficult – she hadn't used it for so long – but she still managed to send a wave of it flying towards Commander.

Commander felt himself being lifted into the air, and then felt a heavy blow to his chest as the invisible power hit him and he was sent backwards into the wall of the hide out. The chains holding her to the pillar snapped, and whipped through the air. She could feel herself losing control, feared that she would end up getting everyone killed with the overwhelming energy.

But then, suddenly, she felt it. A presence she had longed to feel in her spirit for so long. She sensed Anakin slipping into the Force himself, grasping onto her own signature and holding on. Helping her keep control. Suddenly, it was as if they had zapped back in time. They weren't the broken team that had been joined by fate only to be torn apart. No. They were partners, always were, always would be. A Master and his apprentice. Brother and sister. One with the Force.

Anakin felt the chains holding his own body crack and drop to the ground with a clanging noise. He let himself fall, limp, struggling to hold back a scream of pain that rose in his throat. Still, he managed to hold onto the Force, helping Ahsoka to regain control over the energy. He sensed a group of guards running at them, and sent a wave of the Force at them, sending them flying back.

Anakin forced his eyes open, and wiped the blood from his face. The ground around him was covered with Ahsoka and his own blood, mingling with the heavy rain that suddenly began pouring down from the thundering skies. Ahsoka was on her knees across from him, too weak to get to her feet or look up. They still had their hold on the Force, but how much longer could they keep it up.

Commander got up from across the courtyard, and glowered at them. "Get them!" he screamed, furious. "Kill them! Kill them now!"

Anakin looked at Ahsoka, and then glanced to his right to see a dozen guards running at them. "Ahsoka!" he managed to yell through his burning throat, his voice sounding dry and cracked but still audible. "Ahsoka, get up! Ahsoka!"

Ahsoka moaned painfully, but she heard the message. Using the rest of her waning strength, she spotted their attackers, and choked back a sob. 'Oh Force, what am I going to do? What are we going to do? Oh Force…' She tried getting to her feet, but collapsed back onto the stony ground.

Anakin saw her fall back down, and lowered his head. There was nothing else they could do. Nothing…

Across a galaxy of stars and planets, inside a ship traveling through hyperspace, Lux Bonteri and Obi-Wan Kenobi were piloting the ship when they were suddenly assaulted with dozens of emotions out of nowhere.

"What the hell?" Lux nearly collapsed out of his seat when feelings of agony, pain, sorrow, grief, and hopelessness. 'What is that?"

"Lux!" Obi-Wan called his name, and then stared at the teenager, eyes wide. "Do you…do you feel that?"

Lux shook his head, trying to stop the sudden senses as a nearly unbearable pain shot through his arms. "Gah! What is that?!"

"Lux," Obi-Wan gasped, swallowing hard. "Lux, it's the Force. It's Anakin and Amara. Lux…"

The realization hit him, and Lux's eyes doubled in size as he stared down at his hands. "The Force. We're feeling what they are…" He looked up at Obi-Wan, face twisted with confusion. "…b-but how am I…"

Obi-Wan stared at the boy. Everything seemed to make sense, but he knew there was no time to explain. If this was just a glimpse of the pain Anakin and Amara were in, he knew they didn't have long before they couldn't hang on. Lux and him were their only hope.

But then, something else came. The presence of Amara. It was so familiar, even though he hadn't felt it in two years. But he knew her signature anywhere. "Ahsoka."

"What?" Lux choked, swallowing hard. As he saw the expression on the Jedi's face, and he knew. "Oh no."

"Ahsoka is Amara." Obi-Wan looked right into his eyes. "Lux, Ahsoka Tano is Amara, isn't she?!"

"I-I…"

Obi-Wan's head swam with all the new information and the feelings he was getting through the Force. Suddenly, he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his head, and knew it was from Anakin. Panic seized him as he felt his friend's Force signature begin to collapse, and panic began to set in. "Lux, grab on to them!"

"What? I don't understand…"

"Their sending you messages through the Force, Lux! They need help! Hold onto their signature, and don't let go! Give them some of your strength, now!" Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Grab onto Ahsoka, Lux! It's the only way we can save them!"

The message got through to him. If he didn't hold onto Ahsoka's Force signature, she and Anakin were both going to die. So he closed his eyes, and copied Obi-Wan's movements. Slowly, shakily, he managed to somehow reach out and grab Ahsoka's Force-signature. Ahsoka, it's me….Ahsoka….

…Ahsoka…

Ahsoka's eyes flew open at the familiar voice. "Lux," she choked out through her damaged throating. "Lux!"

Ahsoka, take my strength. Ahsoka, hang on…

"Lux!" Ahsoka's mind swam with confusion. How was Lux using the Force?

Ahsoka, hang onto me. Kenobi will take care of Skywalker. Hang onto me, Ahsoka. Hang onto my love. We're coming, Ahsoka.

She didn't understand, but she didn't care. Lux was with her in spirit, offering his own strength. Desperately she grabbed onto it, and suddenly felt relief wash over her. Slowly, her pain ebbed away into the Force, and disappeared. Energy returned to her damaged limbs, and she felt a new hope that she had thought died long ago.

Across from her, Anakin managed a weak smile as his agony melted away into the Force. 'Thank you, Master.'

The peace shattered, though, when a dozen guards began shooting at them with blasters.

Anakin snapped his eyes open, letting the new energy sink into his bloodstream and flood his body. He jumped to his feet, and shot his hand out, letting the Force burst from him. The guards stumbled backwards, and Anakin looked around desperately for some sort of weapon. That's when he saw them. Lying on the ground next to where Commander had been sitting: two lightsabers. His lightsabers. Immediately, he grasped them with the Force, and pulled them towards him.

"Snips, catch!"

Ahsoka looked up to see Anakin hurl her one of the lightsabers. Instinctively, she caught it, and then gasped. It wasn't really a lightsaber at all – it was a shoto, a smaller version of the magnificent weapon. Not only that, but it was HER shoto. The one she had used when she had been a Jedi.

Ahsoka looked up, and locked eyes with Anakin. He stared right back at her, eyes piercing her mind, searching for her feelings, trying to read her. She just showed plain awe. 'I can't believe he kept this…'

The moment was ended quickly, though, when dozens of laser bullets came flying at her. She didn't have time to think about what she was doing; she let her old habits take over her body. The shoto came to life in her hands, and she jumped to her feet, swinging the emerald blade so fast it looked like a blur of dancing light in the air.

Anakin was the first to go on the offensive. He lunged forward, tackling one guard, ignoring the pain that shot from his side. 'I hope Obi-Wan can keep this Force bond thing up long enough for us to get out of here,' he thought grimly. What was still shocking him was the fact that he could sense Lux Bonteri sending energy to Ahsoka. Still, the idea almost made him smile. Arrogant, hard-headed Lux, who hated the Jedi…

…was Force sensitive, and he hadn't even known it. Ironic.

"Anakin!"

The Knight turned towards Ahsoka's cries. She was being cornered by five men.

"Hang in there, Snips!" He sprinted towards them, and then threw his blue lightsaber directly in the middle of them. Ahsoka dropped to the ground, letting the lightsaber fly over her and hit the guards. They crumbled to the ground, and Ahsoka felt her lips curl into a smirk. "You could've gotten me killed!" she shouted, even though she was grinning. It felt so…GOOD…to be doing this again.

"I just saved your life," Anakin responded before running towards another group of terrorists.

Ahsoka felt a pang of guilt hit her. You could've gotten me killed! I just saved your life! The same words they had exchanged on their very first mission together, years ago on the planet Christophsis. Quickly, though, she shoved the feeling out of the way. She would have to deal with this later, deal with Anakin and her past later. Right now, she had to focus on getting them both out of there. Fast.

Commander stood aside, watching the fight, and his face had a glowering expression that could kill on it. He wasn't enjoying the way the battle was turning out. "Skywalker!" he called out angrily. "If you don't surrender now, you're going to regret it!"

Anakin cut down another opponent, and shot the man an arrogant grin, swiping a lock of his soaking wet hair out of his eyes. "What are you going to do, Commander? Send out more of your hunchback minions! Go on – we're having fun."

"Skywalker!"

"Watch your anger, Commander."

"Kalzin!" Commander turned to his partner, and sneered. "Make sure they die." Then, he turned and ran into the headquarters.

Kalzin pressed a button on his wrists, and a hundred terrorist soldiers came running from the forest and the hideout, all carrying heavy artillery. "You and little Tano are going to die, Skywalker," Kalzin scoffed.

"You didn't win before, Kalzin. What makes you think you can win now?" Anakin shouted, gripping his lightsaber tighter.

"The Jedi aren't here to save you. Coruscant is being obliterated as we speak. The OUSO is under the Commander's control. What makes you think that YOU can possibly win?" He glanced at both of them as they stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by his men, and smiled. "Did you really think a couple of kids could take down Death's Shadow?"

Ahsoka slowly walked over to Anakin, and raised her weapon in front of her. Anakin did the same, and the both of them remained poised, muscles sore from being so tense as they waited for the first attack. They were almost completely surrounded by their enemy.

Suddenly, Anakin whispered to her quietly, "Forget about the droids. Set the charges."

"What?" Ahsoka looked up at him, gaping. "What are you talking…"

"Sorry. Whose side are you on anyway? Setting the charges."

'Has he gone crazy?' Ahsoka shook her head, and spoke as quietly as she could, keeping her eyes on Kalzin. "Anakin, what are you doing?"

"I could use a little help over here," he added, ignoring her question. He wasn't looking at her, focusing on the terrorists, but he was definitely speaking to her. "Skyguy, don't move. No, no no." His words were making no sense to her.

Ahsoka's mind raced, trying to figure out his secret message. "Anakin…"

"You could've gotten me killed."

And suddenly, it hit her. He was quoting a conversation they had had on Christophsis the first day they met. Images of a shield generator flooded her mind, along with the memories of Anakin fighting off the Separatist droids while she set the charges. What had happened next? Anakin had been cornered, surrounded. She had thought of a way to save him…save him when he was surrounded…

"I just saved your life," she whispered to herself, finishing the memory. She risked a quick glance at him, and saw he was smiling. Immediately, her mind decoded his order.

Use the Force. Use it to bring down the trees and hideout, right onto the men.

Could she do that? Use the Force to move something as large as buildings and towering trees. Anakin could, probably – he was so strong with the Force. But she…she was using the power for the first time in so long. "Anakin, I don't…"

"Do it." His voice was barely audible, but she could hear the urgency in his voice. She looked around, and saw all the guards raise their rifles, aimed directly at them. There would be no way they could deflect ALL the lasers. "Back to back," he added.

"This is it, Jedi," Kalzin sneered. "Good-bye." The guards' fingers wrapped around the triggers.

They had seconds left to live. "Ahsoka, now!"

Ahsoka jumped behind, so they were back to back. She didn't think, she didn't consider the alternative. She didn't waste a single second before her hands were outstretched, her soul reaching out the Force, holding onto it and wrapping it around herself. She sucked in the energy Lux had provided, and reached out into the Living Force, taking the strength from the trees, the ground, the air. She felt the power grow to a nearly unbearable level, combined with Anakin's incredible strength.

What happened next played through in slow motion before her eyes. She and Anakin let the Force go in unison, aimed at the trees and Death's Shadow's headquarters. The rumbling and cracking noise deafened her as lightning flashed before her eyes. Red lasers came flying at her, but Anakin suddenly grasped her hand in his own, and jumped into the air. She combined her own jump with the Force, and they shot up several feet in the air, missing the lasers by centimeters. The remained in the air for several moments, one with the Force.

Trees came towering down onto the men. The stones that made up the building cracked, and began to shatter off the foundation. She had never seen power like this used by any Jedi ever, not even in the archives. It was as if they were part of the Force itself, the power searing through their bodies as they unleashed it onto their enemies. But it felt…wrong. Something was wrong. The Force wasn't peaceful, as it had always been when she controlled it. It seemed to tingle like electricity, and it vibrated through her very being. It was a prowess, an uncontrollable one. A feeling of fear crept up her spine, and she hesitated just a moment before letting go of the Force, freeing herself of the almost frightful energy she had just unleashed onto her enemies.

Ahsoka and Anakin dropped back to the ground just as the headquarters did. The roof came first, collapsing as the screams of terrified men filled the air, echoed by the constant thunder. Flames rose up from one section, and quickly spread despite the oncoming downpour.

A sudden thought filled Ahsoka's mind, and she stared at the destruction, eyes wide. "Barriss," she whispered quietly. Barriss had been her friend. Her enemy. A traitor. A sister. She was everything really…and at that moment, Ahsoka didn't care. "Anakin, what have we done?"

Anakin was on his knees, just like her, and they stared as the flames spread across to the trees. Bodies littered the ground of the crushed men, and Anakin spotted Kalzin lying still next to the collapsing headquarters. Ahsoka's slowly shook her head, unable to turn away from the chaos. "Anakin, what did we just do?" she repeated, voice louder. "Of Force…no…"

"We did what we had to."

The seriousness in his voice made her turn to look at him. His face was void of all emotion. He didn't seem happy or horrified. He just stared blankly at the sight.

She couldn't believe it as she looked back at the blaze. 'The Force was never made to be used like that…' she thought to herself. "Anakin, why…why did it feel like that? The Force…"

"They deserved it." Once again, his voice was dull, almost lifeless. Slowly, he go to his feet. "We have to get out of here, now."

She jumped up, and looked around. A warning came through the Force. "It's not over," she stated, glancing at the blaze and frowning. "Something's wrong, Anakin. This ended to quickly to be completely over."

"What are you saying?"

"This isn't over. It can't be over…" The feeling hit them both at the same time. Danger. Danger everywhere. The Force was filled with the warnings.

Anakin's lightsaber immediately came to life, and Ahsoka's followed his actions a second later. They looked around, once again back to back, studying their surroundings. The rain that came down now was more like sleet, but even that didn't quench the growing flames. And that's where she spotted him. Amongst the flames that surrounded the burning headquarters. He stood in what used to be the doorway, with fire surrounding him. In his arms lay the still body of a boy.

Ahsoka gaped at the scene, and then began backing away. "Oh no…"

Commander glared at them before glancing back down at the dead form of his son, who lay in his arms. "You…you have taken everything from me." His voice was more animal-like now, like a growl. "You took my daughter and locked her up like a beast. You destroyed my men, you destroyed my headquarters. And now…now you've taken away my son."

When he looked back up, Anakin and Ahsoka stared in shock at the golden hue the Commander's eyes glowed. Slowly, Commander bent over, and laid his son in the ruins. Then, when he straightened back up, he locked eyes with her, and didn't look away. "I will makes sure you pay dearly for this, Tano."

Ahsoka felt a paralyzing fear shoot through her when she saw him reach into his pocket, and pull out a long, silver stick, activating it to reveal a shimmering red blade. She and Anakin exchanged glances, too shocked to speak.

Commander was a Sith Lord.

What happened next was too fast for either of them to comprehend. The Commander had Force-jumped into the air with an enraged cry. Ahsoka remembered jumped back, trying to avoid the blade that was aiming directly towards her. She heard Anakin shout, heard the humming of a lightsaber being swung through the air as Commander flew towards her and Anakin.

And at that moment, Barriss Offee jumped in front of them, and the Sith's lightsaber ran through her breast.


So, in case this wasn't clear, Anakin introduced Ahsoka to the dark side of the Force to defeat their enemies.

Hope this story isn't getting boring ;)