Star Wars:

Hearts of the Fallen

Kylee Jain Ridley


Foreword

This is the first story in a cycle of Ahsoka Tano stories I am currently working on. This first story, "Hearts of the Fallen" begins a few years after Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order. The entirety of the cycle takes place between "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels", taking into account as much canon as possible. Caveat emptor: As it's still my story, I may take some licenses with things, but I will stay true to established history as much as I can.

You may find Ahsoka doing things you wouldn't think she'd do. She may swear occasionally. She may get romantically involved with someone. Remember; she's no longer a Jedi. She's someone on the run from an increasingly hostile Empire, as well as an insanely powerful former master with a bone to pick with the Jedi. I ask only that you read without prejudice. It's all going somewhere, and I hope you enjoy the ride.

Now, kick back, relax, and enjoy the story not told, the story of Ahsoka Tano's journey.


The dust settled from the air silently as the small figure sat, unmoving. Eyes closed, unbreathing, the figure seemed to be trying to not exist. It was unlikely that anyone would stumble upon them here, however, as the cool, dry room sat in the very lowest levels of the auricite mine here on Praxigor VI, a mine that had sat abandoned since the fall of the Republic. Though it was but a few years prior, it seemed an eternity to the lithe, wiry individual. It was an event she would not forget; indeed, the horrors wrought by the new Empire only served to remind her of her ultimate failure.

It seemed forever ago, really, that she was under the tutelage of the famed Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. She was, in fact, both his first and final pupil. It wasn't long after she had walked away from the order that he'd fallen under the sway of Sheev Palpatine, who had been the terrible Sith Lord Darth Sidious all along. In the place of the good-hearted yet ill-tempered young Jedi, there now was a horrible blight on the face of the galaxy, a blight that now consumed all it once held dear. Where once had stood a brave and true Jedi Knight now was a cybernetic monstrosity, and his name was Darth Vader. So much had changed in such a short time that she hadn't really had a chance to process it all, and so once Ahsoka Tano walked away from the Jedi Order, she walked away from the galaxy at large.

Ahsoka had arranged passage on a few freighters, as far away from the core of the galaxy as she could get. She'd had to resort to some of the old mind tricks to keep her cover intact, and was in no way pleased with herself about that. Making the break from the Jedi Order was going to be much harder than she'd originally thought, but her hopes were that once she reached the Outer Rim, she could just disappear. Several worlds supported large populations of Togruta, primarily ones fleeing the newly-born Empire. Her hope, however futile it might be, was to just blend in, vanish, and let Ahsoka Tano cease to exist.

At least, that was her hope until Praxigor VI. Upon reaching that world, the crew of the tramp freighter she'd been travelling in tried to turn her in to bounty hunters. She'd had to get violent at that point, though the bounty hunters weren't exactly of the caliber she'd dealt with before. It's not like the more infamous hunters like Cad Bane or Asajj Ventress were after her, at least this time. She resolved herself to keep silent and invisible, and try and live out the rest of her days in relative peace.

Praxigor VI was a planet that was firmly under the thumb of the Hutts. Though several families squabbled over the scraps, there was no doubt at all that the Desilijic kajidic sat at the master's table, and it's scion, Jabba, at the place of dominion. Ahsoka knew that she would be more safe here than on other worlds, as the Hutts cared little for the Empire, and she also knew that Jabba owed her a favor, having saved his offspring Rotta from an extremely convoluted plot involving Jabba's kinsman Ziro. Ahsoka simply asked of the Hutt that he forget she was on this world, and in return, she would never remind him of this. Jabba did not enjoy owing anyone anything, and agreed to her terms.

Resigned to living a life of hermitage in the cesspools of the Hutts, Ahsoka came to think of Praxigor VI as her home. She was nondescript enough as an adult to not draw much attention. She kept herself in as good physical condition as she could without making herself noticeable. She was lithe without being overly athletic. Though she was clearly female, she dressed in worn-out, baggy clothing, like every other inhabitant of this world not directly connected to the Hutts. One more Togruta meant nothing to the everyday folk, and the Hutts themselves turned a blind eye, those who even knew of her at all. It wasn't in any way ideal, but it was safe, and it was away from the cancerous spread of the Empire.

Word had filtered down to Praxigor VI that the Jedi had been massacred by Darth Vader, and Ahsoka had lamented, not only for her former brethren, but for her lost master. She knew that once he'd headed down the road to damnation, he would commit to it wholeheartedly, and the person she'd known, that brave soul, would be lost forever. Some even said that behind that black mask of death, he'd even enjoyed slaughtering his former comrades. She'd heard whispers of how he'd become far more powerful than he'd been as a Jedi, and how he could kill someone just by looking at them. It was as she'd feared, and all the more reason for her to stay hidden in the dubious embrace of the Hutts; if Vader knew she still lived, she suspected he'd hunt her without mercy. She, after all, was one of the last connections that existed to his previous life.

The idea of a dangerously obsessed, and overwhelmingly powerful Sith lord hunting her was not one that Ahsoka relished. Though she felt a degree of responsibility for her fallen master, she knew returning now would gain her nothing but execution. So she remained hidden, living a simple life. In a way, she enjoyed the simplicity of her existence now, even if her world wasn't the best-smelling. She had come to fit in well with the small village she'd settled in, friendly enough to not seem suspicious, but not being overly gregarious as to be the talk of the town. She could never forget that her life was a tightrope walk now, and one misstep meant discovery.

Meditation wasn't coming easy these days. She constantly did all in her power to mask her Force-sensitivity, and it was a battle of wills to keep from using her skills to help people in need in the small, ramshackle village she lived in. When Hutt enforcers would come to rough up a local, or when a disease would come through, Ahsoka could not act. As far as she was concerned, her skills were no longer her skills to use. She'd turned her back on the Jedi, and the Jedi had been obliterated. In no way was she willing to be known as the last Jedi. Such a thing would mark her for death. No, even if someone had to get beaten up, or fall seriously ill, Ahsoka could not chance using her influence over the Force. She would resort to more mundane methods of assisting, when she could, and it seemed to be enough to make things a little easier for the villagers. If it was all she could do, at least she could do that much.

Her focus was shattered for the day, and she relented. It was dark in the mine, cool and dry. Her senses were sharp without using the Force to augment them, and it was easy enough to find her way out of the twisting tunnels of the abandoned mine. A few minutes stride from the mine, and she was back at home, her small shack seeming much smaller than usual today.

"Nakira!" A familiar voice called out from next door. Sure enough, from the door scuttled the squat little Rodian who often greeted her in the morning, Teega. Teega was the town busybody, always doing something, which often involved sticking her snout into business that didn't pertain to her. Ahsoka had found her pleasant enough, in small doses, but tried to minimize the time spent chatting. This put her alongside every other person in town, going out of their way to keep Teega face-time to a minimum.

"Nakira! Good morning! Oh, have I things to tell you! Do you remember me telling you about my son, Noggo, how he took a job working for 'Great Jabba'? Well, do I have a story for you! It turns out that…"

"Good morning, Teega, but I am in a bit of a hurry here," Ahsoka chimed, as she kept walking in the door. "Catch me up later, alright? Sounds like Noggo may have gotten himself into a little trouble!"

"Oh, you have no idea, Nakira, really! That Noggo, he means well, but he's not the brightest star in the sky, you know? I'll talk to you later!" Teega seemed to take the hint, and shuffled back into her house. Ahsoka shut the door gently, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Teega also meant well, but her discussions were both interminable and painfully one-sided.

Ahsoka walked over to the small cot that served as a bed. She laid upon it with a thump, her head appendages splaying out around her. She had accepted that this was her lot, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. She had gotten used to a life of learning, of hard work and study, but most of all, a life of cleanliness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a bath. She'd long ago accepted that the stink was part of the deal on Praxigor VI, but once in a while it got to her. It was an annoyance, but a persistent one. Ahsoka did not deal well with persistent annoyances these days.

Surely Master Kenobi would advise her to find calm, and she would have loved to have been able to do so, as surely as Master Kenobi would have enjoyed remaining alive. He hadn't, at least to her knowledge, and she couldn't. So she remained there, in the stink and filth, alone on a Hutt world, hiding out the last of her days incognito.

"So much for the big promises of the Jedi," Ahsoka mumbled to herself. It was true, after all, that when she was taken from her family in her early youth, the Order had filled her parents' minds with images of great, glorious victory over evil, of helping the poor, sick and oppressed, that their daughter would amount to such wondrous things, that they could scarcely conceive of it. Now, at this point in her life, Ahsoka couldn't even remember the faces or voices of her parents, and she had to assume that they had met their end once the Empire had started purging the Jedi from the galaxy. Perhaps in a vain attempt to flush her out, they'd captured, tortured and possibly killed her family. She didn't put it past Palpatine and Vader to do so, but she felt that if they had, she would have known. Her connection to the Living Force was tenuous at best these days, but had they harmed her family, surely she would have sensed it. That knowledge alone kept her from breaking her silence, for if her family still lived, they would only remain safe if the Empire felt that she was destroyed along with the rest of the Jedi.

Ahsoka found herself far more tired than she'd first realized, and, not caring to remain awake any longer, she found herself drifting off into sleep. There was a bit of a murmur outside her house, but nothing unusual. Her eyes closed and she fell fast asleep.

In the haze of her dream, she stood alone in the center of a vast room. She was holding her old lightsabers, both ignited and ready for battle. From behind her, a terrible mechanical sound came, a sound like a perverse sort of breathing. She could hear the hum of a third lightsaber, and she knew what this meant.

"I have found you at last, Ahsoka Tano." A deep voice boomed from the darkness. She didn't recognize the voice, but the cadence was unmistakable. Darth Vader had found her, and now she had only two choices: run or fight. "You should have known there was nowhere in the galaxy that you could escape me."

"You don't have to do this, Anakin." Ahsoka knew that Vader would not react well to that name, but it was the only advantage she had. She hoped that if she were to enrage Vader, he would make an error and she would be able to escape. Anakin had done it before, but Ahsoka reminded herself that this monstrosity wasn't Anakin any more.

Vader extended his hand towards her, and balled it into a fist. Ahsoka felt an iron grip crush down on her throat, threatening to strangle the life out of her. Vader was infamous for this; he had a tendency to use the Force to kill anyone who irritated him. "You are a fool, Ahsoka. Just as Anakin Skywalker was a fool. I am different. I am the one who has defeated all who opposed him." He balled his fist tighter, and the grip on her throat increased. Vader walked around her as she wriggled, struggling to escape an inescapable grip. "It is unfortunate that we meet like this," and then, mockingly, "Snips."

"You…have no….right to….call me that. Only…Anakin…" How she managed to get even those few words out, she didn't know. She fought with all her will against the power brought to bear against her.

Vader stopped walking as he got in front of her, his monstrous black form towering over her even as an adult. He leaned in close, the rounded "eyes" of his mask seeming to peer into her mind. "It is not too late, Ahsoka. Can you feel the power of the Dark Side? We need not be enemies. Join me, Ahsoka, and I can once again train you, only this time, I can show you real power."

Ahsoka stopped writhing. For a moment, she considered the offer. After all, it would put an end to this damnable hiding. Perhaps, given time, she could bring Anakin back to the Light. Besides, it wasn't like she owed the Jedi anything. They, who claimed to be the champions of the Light, betrayed her and threw her to the wolves. Maybe she could make a real difference now, fight alongside her old master again, bringing order to the chaos.

Ahsoka then realized how insane that sounded. Vader had massacred the Jedi, and he'd come to kill her as well. The idea filled her with such rage, that she wanted to rip that hideous mask off of him, and plunge the blade into his skull.

"Yes, Ahsoka. Your hatred makes you strong. Do you not see now? Peace is a lie, Ahsoka. Only through power can this war be won. WE have the power to end this conflict. We have the power…to overthrow Palpatine."

Vader relaxed his hand, and Ahsoka slumped to the ground, barely conscious. "The Emperor has become mad with power, Ahsoka, and I have need of someone I can trust to assist me in defeating him." Vader clicked off his lightsaber, and hung it on his belt. "You know full well that we have worked well together, Ahsoka. We can again. The Emperor must fall, Ahsoka. You can help me accomplish this goal."

Ahsoka lifted her head up, looking directly at the towering Vader. "Why would you betray your master? Again, I mean." If he had any reaction to the question, the expressionless mask kept it well hidden from her, but Ahsoka could almost feel the smirk that surely was on Vader's face.

"Look at me, Ahsoka. The Emperor made me into this…this machine! It kept me alive, yes, but what sort of life is this? To live knowing I can never touch another person. To never see someone with my own eyes again. It is TORMENT, Ahsoka. After Obi-wan left me to die on Mustafar, the Emperor was free to mold me into his hunting dog."

Ahsoka perked up at the mention of Obi-wan Kenobi. Perhaps she would be able to find out his ultimate fate if she could keep Vader talking. Surely, if anyone could have escaped, it would be Obi-wan and Master Yoda. "Left you to die? What are you talking about?"

A grating scoff came from the vocal modulator in Vader's mask. This time, Ahsoka knew the smirk was there. "Of course you did not know. You had disappeared long before that occurred. The Emperor had sent me to deal with the Separatists who had holed up on Mustafar. I arrived and dealt with the problem, as instructed. And then…Padme arrived. She had come with Kenobi with the intent to destroy me. All the power I possessed then, I unleashed upon them both. She…I killed. He…"

Vader turned away from the Togruta. "He got a lucky hit and maimed me. I fell into a pit near a pool of magma, and the heat caught me on fire. The Emperor arrived in time to save my life, but at a cost far too dear to ever be worth it. I will live, sealed in this walking tomb for my entire life. I will never again see the suns of Tatooine with my own eyes."

He turned back to her, and Ahsoka could almost see the fire in his eyes from behind the mask. She'd heard stories of how the touch of the Dark Side could change the eyes of the one who falls. She imagined his eyes were quite yellow right now. She could feel the rage, hate and anguish radiate from him like heat from a flame. "And that rage, that righteous indignation, gives me power beyond anyone's dreams. I am stronger even than the Emperor. With you at my side, Ahsoka, we can destroy all those who oppose us. We can destroy even the Emperor himself!"

Ahsoka climbed to her feet, cautiously biding her time. She wasn't sure this was a dream any more. If it really was Vader, and he really knew she still lived, then it was really only a matter of time. She did, however, have a new option from which to choose. She could turn, as he so zealously advocated. It would mean an end to the running and hiding, and an end to the inane prattling of Teega, and most of all an end to depending on the good graces of Jabba the Hutt for her very survival.

It made sense. It was logical to her. All she would have to do was agree to once again become his apprentice. She would be made more powerful than she had ever before been. They could then overthrow Palpatine once and for all, and make the galaxy safe from the Sith once more.

"It's tempting. I mean, I know what you are capable of. I've seen you fight, and I imagine you've only grown more powerful. But why do you fight? What do you fight for?" Ahsoka wasn't sure where she was going with this line of questioning. Maybe she was just stalling for time. All she knew was that she was filled with rage, hate and dread, and that Vader knew it. She was ripe for the harvest, the harvest of the Dark Side.

"I fight because I must. I fight to become stronger, more powerful. As you have fought, Ahsoka, while you fled from me. You need not run any longer." Vader held his left hand out to Ahsoka, intending for her to take it.

In that moment, Ahsoka thought over everything she had learned as a Padawan. She knew, deep in her heart, that Vader was something completely different than the Jedi Knight whom had instructed her. She knew that he practically pulsed with the power of the Dark Side of the Force, power she was taught from an early age to eschew and shun.

Just not this time.

Ahsoka stood to her feet, and took the hand extended to her.

"I am ready to train with you again...my master."