Jase was incensed that Obi-Wan could just ignore the fate of a friend. It's not that he didn't understand needing to protect the boy, but for the Rebellion to survive, the Alliance needed the remaining Jedi that were still willing to serve the dual causes of Peace and Justice.
"I can't believe you Obi-Wan. Ahsoka needs our help. Are you really willing to just let her die, or worse?"
"Ahsoka knew the risks of joining the Rebellion. I am honored to call her a friend, especially since she was so willing to keep giving her life to something greater than herself. But I made a promise, I cannot leave Luke alone. If there is ever to be a safe future and a return to Democracy, Luke is our only hope."
"You still carry some of Qui-Gon's defiance in you, my old friend. While I disagree with most of your decision, I do respect you for it. But it is time for me to move on. You have your path, and I have mine. May the Force be with you."
"And with you, my friend. I knew you would have to leave, and as such I have arranged for a pilot to take you and Andros wherever you need to go. If rescuing Ahsoka is your next mission, then I cannot stop you."
The three Jedi bid each other farewell, but not good-bye. When Jase and Andros have left for Mos Espa, Obi-Wan returns to his meditations. He rarely receives an answer other than silence, but this time, he gets more than he expected.
"For fourteen years I have sought your council Master. Maybe you were speaking and I wasn't hearing when I first began trying to commune with you. Master Yoda says you entered the nether-realm of the Force and returned. I need your guidance now more than ever."
"You are still centering on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. You must always keep your concentration here and now where it belongs."
"I remember this lesson, Master. Yet I cannot help but feel that I should accompany Jase and Andros into the Galaxy. My old friend was correct in the need to save Ahsoka Tano."
"Master Togar has a different path than you, my Padawan. Like Anakin before her, Ahsoka made her choice. She is strong in the Force, but her fate is her own. There will be a time when Obi-Wan Kenobi will be needed again. When that time arrives, you will know it."
"How will I know it, Master? Ben Kenobi knows what he needs to do, but Obi-Wan still longs for a life of service. A life of use."
"If I gave you the answer of how you will know it, I would deprive you of the wisdom and lessons required of you to understand that answer. Trust in the Force Obi-Wan, it will always guide you."
Obi-Wan lightly chuckled to himself as Qui-Gon broke the connection. Even after all these years he still felt like a Padawan on his first day of training with his Master. He also knew that Captain Antilles would take care of his two departing friends. Senator Organa had contacted him while on a secret trip to Naboo, and offered his ship for their next destination. Granted he had been looking for Jase and Andros when he hadn't heard back from them with the results of their mission.
While the Jedi depart to search for their lost friend, she is waking up in a darkened prison cell, but what is most unnerving is that she can feel the Dark Side of the Force around her as if it were a living and breathing person.
"I see you have regained your senses, my new Apprentice. I was most impressed with your skills in battle against me. Skywalker taught you well."
"I'm not your Apprentice, Sith. I'm a Jedi, like my Master, and his Master. Whatever you have planned for me will end in failure."
"Very Good, Obi-Wan Kenobi once said: Only a Sith deals in absolutes. You have taken your first step on the path to the Dark Side. In time you will be turned, and you will call me Master."
"I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You'll be forced to kill me."
"That is not your destiny Ahsoka Tano. Your destiny lies with me."
Ahsoka can feel her anger growing, and she knows Vader can feel it as well. Quickly she tries to stem the tide of her emotions, and is only partially successful. She realizes she needs focus, and she can do so by learning of her surroundings.
"If it is indeed your plan to turn me, then you could answer my questions. Where am I, and why does the Force feel so concentrated here?"
"I can see through your feeble attempts to confuse me, young one. You intend to interrogate me in the hope that I will somehow provide you a means of escape. There is no escape, no freedom."
"Now who's dealing in absolutes? If you're certain I can't escape, then there's no harm in answering a simple question."
Before Vader can answer her questions, another voice speaks from the shadows outside of her prison cell. The voice is gravely and shows the age of the speaker, but there is still an underlying strength in the words, a strength that she tries to fight, even if it is slightly seductive to her ears.
"You want to know where you are, my new friend? You are on Byss. This planet is deep in the Core of the Galaxy. Here is where you shall learn the true nature of the Force. Byss has a long history of being home to many Empires. But it has always been a haven for the Dark Side. The power you feel, only manifests itself in this level of strength here. This is where I first learned the ways of the Force from my Master."
As Ahsoka looks on, a figure clad in a robe as black as death steps forth from the shadows. His face is scarred and his pupils are a sickly shade of yellow, tinged with red. She knows who he is, and revulsion strikes her at his appearance.
"Chancellor Palpatine, no one suspected you were the Sith Lord. It does make all the sense in the world, what better way to ensure your hold, by pretending to be something you're not."
"The Senate and the Jedi saw only what I wanted them to see, young one. They could never see the greater picture that I did, the very same picture your Master came to realize was true. You must realize that your Master can never be turned from the Dark Side, so will it be with you."
Palpatine lets loose a sinister laugh as he turns away. Slowly Darth Vader follows; but not without a parting word to their prisoner.
"You will embrace the Dark Side; Ahsoka. To deny this, to fight what you must become will cause agony the likes of which no one has ever returned from."
When the two Sith had departed, Ahsoka sat down, all traces of defiance fading from her countenance. For three days she sat alone, all attempts to meditate failing due to the Dark Side enveloping her. On that third day she realized that her captors had planned to leave her alone, and for the first time, she feels a sense of clarity. Quickly standing, she moves to the door of her cell, and with a gesture, the lock on the door opens with the power of the Force.
"This is a trap. It has to be. But it's better to take my chances trying to escape and become one with the Force, than to wait for them to return."
As she left the detention level behind, she encountered no resistance. A brief feeling of dread entered her thoughts, solidly confirming the nature of the trap. But she pressed on, and one by one doors opened before her, leading her where the Sith wanted her to go.
"I must say young one, it took you far longer than I had thought for you to make your first attempt at escape. Are you that eager to learn the power of the Dark Side?"
When Ahsoka crossed the threshold of the final door, she heard the voice before she saw him. Standing directly in front of her were Palpatine and Vader. Directly behind them were dozens of Storm-troopers, weapons raised and ready to fire.
"You need not fear for your life, my young Apprentice. My loyal soldiers will not fire unless you attack. I am not without mercy, however. If you voluntarily lead us to your Rebel friends and the remaining Jedi, I will spare your life."
"What makes you think I would do that, Palpatine? While you sit here, cowering behind your armed guards, the Alliance grows stronger. When you realize the folly of your rule, it will be too late."
"You cling to your faith, but you are sadly mistaken in your friends. We are quite safe from them here."
"It is pointless to resist Ahsoka. Give in to the Dark Side, and know a power you could only imagine having as a Jedi."
"You're stalling Anakin. I can feel your hesitation, the conflicting nature of good against the evil inside of you."
"There is no hesitation in me young one. And you have sealed your fate."
Suddenly Ahsoka could feel Vader pressing into her mind, she put up walls around her consciousness, shielding the information they wanted from her. She held strong in her defiance, but collapsed to her knees when she was struck with Force lightning that exploded from the Emperor's hands. She barely heard Palpatine's voice over her anguished screams.
"You can end this young one. Tell me what I want to know, and the torture will cease."
"NEVER!"
After what felt like hours of being subjected to the mind probes and lightning, Ahsoka finally passed out from the pain. When she woke up, she was back in her cell, without any knowledge of how much time had passed. The difference this time was that an Inquisitor was standing guard, and she wouldn't be able to escape. A week passed, then another, as she healed from her ordeal, but she was left in her cell. At the end of the second week, she was brought before the Emperor again.
"You have had time to think on your situation, My Apprentice. I will ask you again, will you lead us to the Rebellion?"
"No. You'll have to kill me."
Again she was put through the same torture of Vader tearing apart her mind, while Palpatine struck her with Force lightning. Her screams became more anguished and painful with each attack. But Ahsoka held on, she would rather die than betray her friends. As with the first time, when she passed out she was placed in her cell, and given two weeks to heal, before it all began again.
"I grow tired of this, young one. Only you can spare yourself the torture. Surrender the location of the Rebel Alliance and I will spare you this fate."
"My answer is the same as before. No."
The weeks turned into months of the same never-ending battle. Every time she was asked to surrender the Rebellion, her answer was no. Ahsoka was strong, but she could feel her body succumbing to the effects of the combined assaults from the two Sith Lords. She could also feel her own anger at Anakin for allowing this to overwhelm her. But no amount of meditation could ease her emotions. She knew that this was going to end with her death, and when the next time she was brought before them came, she was surprised at what Palpatine had planned.
"It is clear that torturing you has had no effect, my Apprentice. You have impressed me with your ability to withstand all of our attempts to forcibly attain the information we so desire."
"So kill me and be done with it."
"Death is not coming for you this time. Instead, I offer you your freedom."
Ahsoka looked at Palpatine on his throne for the first time since she was brought to Byss. Situated on either side of him, directly next to his hands were her lightsabers.
"This is a trick. I won't fall for it."
"There is no deception here, my friend. I offer you your lightsabers. I am unarmed. Strike me down and you shall go free."
"I don't believe you. If I attempt to take my blades from you, you'll attack me with Force lightning. So try again."
"Force lightning, no. But you were correct; you must fight for your freedom. Take your lightsabers. But to kill me, you must kill him."
The heavy sound of breathing approached from behind her. When she heard the snap-hiss of the lightsaber, she knew who Palpatine wanted her to fight. Still thinking this was a trap, Ahsoka used the Force to retrieve her weapons, and to her surprise, Palpatine did nothing. So she turned around to face him, but did not ignite her blades.
"I will not fight you, Anakin. Not if I can save you."
"Then you will die."
Vader swung with his blade, forcing her to ignite her own. She deflected the attack before it struck her neck. Instantly Ahsoka was on the defensive, backing away across the throne room. She blocked all the attacks, but never retaliated by taking the offensive. As the battle raged, Vader decided he needed to truly bring her anger to the forefront.
"Would you like to know how I killed the younglings? I brought a legion of Clone Troopers to the Temple with me. All Jedi who stood in our way were slaughtered. When I reached the Jedi Council Chamber, only the younglings were there. Only one of them had the courage to ask me what should be done, right before I stabbed him through the chest with my lightsaber. The Jedi were weak, and these children were being corrupted by their very nature. I did them a great service by helping them become one with the Force."
A single tear slid down Ahsoka's cheek at knowing what Anakin had done to the children. They were young and just beginning their lives. For them to die so soon, and not knowing why, made her explode in a fit of rage. Instantly she was now on the offensive, her green blades flashing together in perfect unison. She was faster and stronger than her opponent. Soon Vader was falling back before her, and he couldn't keep up with the rapid pace she was in control of. But the thoughts running through her mind were not chaotic, they were focused. The strongest thought that overpowered all others was the only one that emanated from her lips as she screamed in the heat of the battle.
"I HATE YOU!"
Palpatine was laughing maniacally from his throne as he watched the fierce battle that raged before him. He was very much enjoying what he had been able to subject Ahsoka to, until he saw how far into defense Vader had fallen. Though his end goal was to turn the young Jedi to the Dark Side, he could not allow her to kill his Apprentice. Before she struck the death blow, he reached out and once again Force lightning exploded from his fingertips electrocuting her, before rendering her unconscious.
"Lord Vader, you will return her to her cell. I have seen all I need to."
"Yes Master, but what will happen when she wakes again. Will I end this destructive conflict and end her life?"
"That will not be necessary, my friend. You will find that when she wakes, she will be one of us. Take her."
"As you wish, Master."
Even though he was struggling to recover from Ahsoka's onslaught, Vader used the Force to levitate her body just as he did after their first battle. When he had her locked away, he dismissed the Inquisitor. If his Master was correct, there would be no need for him to stand guard. He silently departed and closed the door behind him, sealing it only with a lock that could be easily broken. Days would pass as Ahsoka recovered from the battle and her injuries. After nearly another week was gone, she finally woke up. She was disoriented at first, remembering only the cell she had been locked in for months. She got to her feet shakily, but could soon feel her strength returning, amplified by her power. If asked, she would only be able to describe is at a feeling of being enhanced. The very power she had fought for so long in the belief that it was evil is now coursing through her body. Every step was stronger than the last, and when she saw the lock on the door, she reached out and crushed it with the Force, and then with a simple gesture ripped the door from the hinges. It flew back against the wall across from her cell as she strode forward purposefully. She knew where she needed to go, and even though guards attempted to stop her, she waved her hands and they hit the walls around them with enough force to kill. When she reached the throne room, Palpatine and Vader were already waiting for her there. She kneeled in front of them, and Palpatine was the first to speak.
"Rise my friend. You have completed your journey and may stand freely."
Ahsoka stood with head still bowed, her posture filled with an undeniable strength and anger. She knew the question that she would be asked even before her Master spoke.
"Come young one, and answer me truthfully. Are you ready to help us hunt down and crush the Rebellion as well as the remaining Jedi?"
"Yes, My Master."
"Good, henceforth you shall be known as Lady Melinoe."
As she looked up for the first time, Ahsoka's eyes were no longer blue, they were tainted with the same yellow, and ringed with red as Palpatine's are. A sinister smile graced her lips as she accepted her new name and place as a Lady of the Sith.